The Critical Analysis Literary Research Paper An essential part of Senior Honors English

The Critical Analysis Paper Is informative Emphasizes the literary work being studied rather than the student’s feelings Backs up all claims with evidence Cites evidence from biographies of author, critical discussions of literary work, or the text

What am I supposed to write about? Almost anything can be studied in a critical paper, as long as it has to do with the text. For this paper students will write about the text itself (3+ poems), about the author and how his/her life influenced what he/she wrote about, and the society in which the text was written.

What sources of information do I use? Students may use print or internet sources Students MUST have at least 2 biographical essays. Students MUST have at least 2 critical analysis essays Students MUST examine at least 3 poems by their author. The critical analyses they use should relate to the poems they choose.

How do I start? Getting some background information on the selected author is always a good beginning. Students may choose to begin with an encyclopedia just to gather some basic facts. Students should determine the literary period into which their authors fall. This will help them locate appropriate sources. Remember to create a source card for every source used.

What’s a source card? A source card provides the bibliographical data necessary to create a Works Cited Page. 3 Goodrich, Norma Lovve. Merlin. New York: Harper, Source number author title City of publication publisher Copyright date

What next? Biographical essays are a good beginning. Gather info about the author’s life, the time period, and how he/she was affected by these things.

Can’t I just use the encyclopedia? No. The encyclopedia is a beginning point. It will not include the in-depth material you will find in a biographical essay. Yes, the biographical essays will be more difficult to read, but this too is an important step in becoming a successful college student.

Found in a biographical essay Matthew Arnold was born on December 24, 1822 in Laleham, England. …His father’s influence on him was crucial.... Thomas Arnold became famous as an educational and religious leader. … Arnold also devoted himself to the study and teaching of history. This devotion, along with his ethical seriousness, his activity as an educational reformer, and his engagement in religious controversies, helped to shape his son Matthew’s interests and thinking throughout his adult life.

Found in a biographical essay Matthew Arnold was born on December 24, 1822 in Laleham, England. …His father’s influence on him was crucial.... Thomas Arnold became famous as an educational and religious leader. … Arnold also devoted himself to the study and teaching of history. This devotion, along with his ethical seriousness, his activity as an educational reformer, and his engagement in religious controversies, helped to shape his son Matthew’s interests and thinking throughout his adult life.

Notecard from this source Father’s influence 3 Father very influential on Matthew’s interests – esp. debating ideas of religion Source number Topic of notes Paraphrased information

Students Must Take Notes as They Read Expect to be confused! At first, students won’t know what information is important because they won’t know exactly what the focus of their paper will be. This discovery process is important to their growth as an independent learner. Details about birth/death dates, education, etc. will be less important than ideas about influences. What happens to us in our lives influences what we write.

Read several poems by the selected author. From “The Buried Life” I knew they lived and moved Trick’d in disguises, alien to the rest Of men, and alien to themselves--and yet The same heart beats in every human breast! From “Dover Beach” The Sea of Faith / Was once, too, at the full, and round earth’s shore Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled. But now I only hear Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar...

Read at least 5 poems and choose 3 to focus on. As they read, students must look for similarities in tone, form, subject matter, etc. These similarities will provide a focus for the paper.

Describe the poem What form does it take (sonnet, ballad, lyric, free verse, etc.) How long is it? (number of lines or stanzas or cantos) Briefly paraphrase or summarize the poem – what is it about?

Analyze the poem What techniques does the author use? Who is the speaker? What literary elements (simile, metaphor, rhyme, assonance, etc. [all the things we talked about as we read poems in class] does the poem use? Form and content work together. How the poet communicates his/her ideas is important.

Interpret the poem Answer the question: What is this poem all about? Support your answer. Use multiple quotations from the poem to show (demonstrate, prove) that your ideas are correct.

Now see what the experts have to say! Read at least two critical analyses. Are the student’s thoughts about the poems being echoed? What areas of the poems do the critics focus on? By now, students should be seeing a pattern, some similarities between what they think about the poems, aspects of the poet’s life, and what the literary critics have to say. If you do not, please ask for help!

Combine the ideas into a thesis statement to give the paper a focus. Matthew Arnold, in “The Buried Life and “Dover Beach,” explores a personal crisis of faith indicative of the Victorian time period. Names poet Names poems Names idea to be developed

As students write their papers, they must keep their thesis statements in mind. Every sentence in the paper must relate to the thesis in some way. Cite lines from the poems to support what is written. Matthew Arnold, in “The Buried Life,” repeats the idea of alienation from God and dissatisfaction with life that was characteristic of the Victorians. Arnold feels a “nameless sadness o’er me roll” (3). Perhaps Arnold does not name the sadness he feels because he does not yet recognize this vagueness as God’s absence.

As students write their papers, they must keep their thesis statements in mind. Every sentence in the paper must relate to the thesis in some way. Cite lines from the poems to support what is written. Matthew Arnold, in “The Buried Life,” repeats the idea of alienation from God and dissatisfaction with life that was characteristic of the Victorians. Arnold feels a “nameless sadness o’er me roll” (3). Perhaps Arnold does not name the sadness he feels because he does not yet recognize this vagueness as God’s absence. Quotation from poem Citation of line number All of this is the student author’s ideas, so no other citations are needed.

Another paragraph relating to thesis with internal citations from critic and poem Arnold also feels the isolation of modern man and worries about mankind’s inability to connect with other humans. In “Dover Beach” love, which could offer a connection, serves as a “desperate refuge…an anchorage in a godless, chaotic, hostile world” (Bush 40). Arnold relates human misery to pebbles tossed up on a beach. People are swept back and forth by circumstances beyond their control. Their ability to connect with one another or with God is swept out to sea with a “long, withdrawing roar” (“Dover Beach” 25).

Another paragraph relating to thesis with internal citations from critic and poem …. love, which could offer a connection, serves as a “desperate refuge…an anchorage in a godless, chaotic, hostile world” (Bush 40). Arnold relates human misery to pebbles tossed up on a beach. People are swept back and forth by circumstances beyond their control. Their ability to connect with one another or with God is swept out to sea with a “long, withdrawing roar” (“Dover Beach” 25). Author’s last name and page number Title of poem and line number with parenthesis

Remember, each internal citation must include more complete documentation on Works Cited page. Works Cited Arnold, Matthew. “The Buried Life.” Ed. Walter E. Houghton and G. Robert Stange. Victorian Poetry and Poetics, second edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, Bush, Douglas. Matthew Arnold: a Survey of His Poetry and Prose. NY: Macmillan and Company, 1971.

How many paragraphs should this be? The paper should be 4 to 6 pages long. There is not a minimum paragraph count. Every paper will have an introduction with a clear thesis naming poet, poems, and ideas. Every paper will have a conclusion. Body paragraphs will develop ideas.