Humanities_STPGuide_07_08.pdf

7/27/2019 Humanities_STPGuide_07_08.pdf

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Senior Thesis PaperGuide

Watertown High SchoolHumanities Version

2007

Joanna Honig, Vivienne Mulhall, Maurin OGrady and Maureen Regan, 2007Joanna Honig and Maureen Regan, 2004Expanded upon STP Guide, Joanna Honig, Karen Harris, and Monica Hiller, WHS,2001Expanded upon STP Guide, Harris, 2000 and STP Guide, Honig and Harris, 1996


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STP GUIDE HUMANITIES VERSION

A Note About Using The STP Gulde/Humanitles VersionThis guide is intended to outline the steps you will take to write your Senior ThesisPaper (STP), a graduation requirement at Watertown High School. You are responsible

for following the guidelines, formats, and information exactly as included in the guide.This information will supplement the work you do with your class and teacher. Keep thisguide with you during class and at home.

What is the Senior Thesis Paper?

In order to graduate from Watertown High School, you must first receive a passinggrade on your final Senior Thesis paper. In addition to the individual requirements ofeach teacher, the following minimum standards must be met by all students (HonorsHumanities students will receive additional requirements from their teachers):

The Senior Thesis Paper for Humanities must:

include a minimum of six typed, double-spaced pages of thesis development.

make consistent, in-depth, informed reference to one novel (for level one credit)or two novels by the same author (for honors credit)

make consistent, in-depth, informed reference to at least three secondary sources

be completed and submitted by January ______, 2008

be the student's original work.

count as 50% of the student's second term grade.

include a title page.

include a Works Cited page.

feature a thesis and author that meet with the teacher's approval.

be orally defended by the student within the classroom context when completed.

Due DatesYou must adhere to each due date that your teacher sets for each step of the STPprocess, including deadlines for planning, research, and writing. Typically, you willreceive a deadline and a grade for each of the following steps of the STP process:

Selecting primary sources (novel(s)).GatherIng prImary sources.GeneratIng ideas for thinking/writing about literature.Reading and taking notes on your novel(s).


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Drafting and revising a thesis statement.Finding and using secondary sources.Taking notes on your secondary sources.Outlining your STP.Writing a draft and integrating quotes.

Drafting revisions of your STP.Completing the final version of your STP.Completing a Works Cited Page.

The Steps ExplainedStep One: Selecting your primary sources(novel(s)).

A primary source is simply the work you are reading, researching, and writing about inyour STP. Your primary sources for the STP will be the novel(s) by your chosen author.

Gathering primary sources

You can get ideas for selecting your primary sources from an annotated list of possibleliterature that you will receive during the first month of school, and additionalsuggestions from your teacher.

Finding your novels

You have many options for authors to use. Find and choose works that suit your tastesand interests and fulfill your teacher's requirements. If you do your legwork now, you

will find enjoyable works that are interesting and satisfying to research. Buy thenovel(s) either new or used at a bookstore; you'll need to own the books so that you canwork with them, write in them, and refer to them over the course of the term.

Some last words on choosing your primary sources:

Choose a writer whose work you like and admire.Choose works that make you ask questions.Choose works rich enough for you to keep noticing new things about them.Choose works about which plenty of quality secondary research will be available.Choose a writer whose work you understand but find challenging.

Don't choose an author because his or her novels are short. That doesn't mean they're"easier"; it often means the opposite!

Step Two: THESIS IDEAS LISTAs you read and view your works and take notes on them(see the next section for tipson notetaking), you should refer to the following list of general ideas. These topics willhelp point you in the direction of a great thesis.


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relationship between "opposites" (love/hate, illusion/reality, dark/light,beauty/ugliness,good/evil, innocent/corrupt, etc.)

male-female relationshipsfamily/ generational conflictinitiation(childhood to adulthood, innocence to experience)

forms/evoluton of friendshipsminor characters as catalysts for actionsymbols/motifs and their meaning/intention/effectivenessself-deception and self-discoveryalienation from societyindividuality and non-conformity/rebelIionaging, mortality, deathportrayal of violenceuse of metaphor, symbolism, allegory, motifchanging valuesportrayal of lower, middle, upper class/relationship between classes/money issues

portrayal of a specific region or time period (i.e., the sixties)setting (time period, era, landscape, rural/urban, weather, nation...) and itsrelationship to action and/or characters

world view of author (pessimistic, hopeful, endorsihg a specific ideology/beliefsystem)

sympathetic vs. unsympathetic characters (whom are we supposed to like? dislike?)portrayal of father-son relationshipsportrayal of mother-daughter relationshipsrepresentation of female characters/ representation of male charactersportrayal of sibling relationshipsbreaking away from the family unitportrayal of old agerepresentation of the hero/hero's joumeyuse of humoruse of ambiguitythe notion of a character's tragic flawportrayal of an institution (marriage, school, the law, government, big business, etc.)portrayal of utopiaportrayal of love and romanceuse of religion and/or religious allusionssacrifice and sufferingrebirthportrayal of women "breaking out"oppression (race, gender, sexual orientation, status, ethnicity, religion...)falling and regaining staturefemale characters created by men/male characterscreated by womenstereotypesportrayal of children/childhood/youthsingularity/ strength of the "dream"coping mechanisms used by characters


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way of life/state of mind seemingly endorsed by author/directorclashing culturespoint of view and how it affects what/who/how we know

You may also want to ask yourself any of the following questions to help steer

you in the right direction...Does the author seem to be saying something about human nature, life, or the"way things are?" What specifically is s/he saying?What forces or circumstances make one of the characters change/act in a certain

way?How does the author characterize women/men, young/old,rich/poor, etc. ?,How does the structure of the story affect the reader's experience? (i.e. How is

suspense built into the story? When does the climax occur? Is the narrativebroken up into sections or points of view? is the story telling linear or non-

linear?)

What effect does the setting have on the characters and action? Does it parallel theaction or mirror characters' interior lives?How does the writer use literary or storytelling devices like symbolism,

motif, irony, foreshadowing, "breaking the rules" of grammar or mechanics--andwhat is the effect or outcome of this?

Source: Sebranak, Peter. Writers, Inc. Lexington: D.C. Heath and Company, 1996.415.

Step Three: Taking Notes on Your Primary Sources

As soon as you get your novel(s) home, take a few minutes to make abibliographic card for each one. On a 3" x 5" index card, write the following information:

for a novelauthor's last name, first namebook title (underlined)copyright date, publishertotal number of pages

Now you're ready to do your first careful reading of your primary sources. Write

bibliographic cards for each one of your primary sources (and secondary sources, butthis guide will address that in a later section), and put them somewhere safe.Reading Your Novels

When you read your novel(s) for the first time, you should really be doing two things.One part of you should read and get immersed in the action, language, and characters.

Another, more analytical part of you, should keep an eye open for anything that is


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particular or notable about this book and/or writer (trends, ideas, style, themes,patterns). You should try to take such notes almost as soon as you begin reading.

Taking Notes as You Read

1. Highlight.

As you read, use a highlighter to mark anything (word, sentence, paragraph, section...)that strikes you as important, unusual, noteworthy, or seems to be part of a trend or abigger picture somehow.

In addition to highlighting, you can also write notes to yourself in the margins of thepages or on post-it notes.

*Respond actively to what you're reading, and you'll be much more likely to begin

forming thesis ideas early on. And remember, this part of the process isEXPLORATORY. Since you probably don't know what your thesis is yet, you won't useeverything you highlight in your book. That's okay.

2. Review.After you've read your novel all the way through and highlighted, go through and readwhat you've highlighted and what you've written to yourself in the margins. What doyou notice? What's similar about what you noticed and noted?

3. Revisit the Thesis Idea List (earlier in this Guide) .Now, you may want to revisit the ideas list earlier in this guide. Does any of yourhighlighted material and notes to yourself lend themselves to any of these thesis ideas?Go back and forth between the Thesis Idea List and your "marked up" novel(s) until younotice a few possibilities. Underline those items on the Thesis Idea List that might work.

4. Write notecards.With a couple of possible thesis ideas in mind, you will now go through your novel anddocument the material you still think might be important. Your teacher will require youto pass in at least 20 (30 for honors) notecards that cover your book from beginning toend. You may want to use a spiral notecard holder and different color pens to colorcode your different ideas; this will make it much easier for you to use your cards later asyou go to write your paper.

A Step-by-step guide to writing notecards for your novels.

Step One. At the top of each notecard write the following information:


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your name, book title (or abbreviation), author's name, and the page number you arereferring to on the card. Be sure to number each notecard. Staying organized from thebeginning of the process of writing this paper is essential.

Step Two. On the front of each notecard, you can put one or more of the following

things: an important passage important dialogue

an important margin note (your words) important sentences or word/s

a theme you notice in the novel

*Remember, as you write notecards you are trying to get closer to a thesisstatement for your paper. Refer back to the Thesis Ideas List if you are running out ofideas. There might be something there you missed the first time.

Step Three. On the back side of each notecard, you should explain why you think theinformation on the front of the card is important. You should also raise questions andrefer to earlier cards, if possible.

Sample notecard on a novel

Front of Card

M. O'Grady1984 by George Orwell

quote: Her body seemed to be pouring some of its youth and vigor into his.

page: 113

themes: revitalization, newfound desire and enthusiasm

Back of Card

Meaning: For the very first time, the reader sees Winston, the once pathetically frailprotagonist lacking any enthusiasm and desire, as a changed man. The reasons for theaffair between Winston and Julia are two-fold. Winston is using the affair as a means ofrejuvenation and rebellion. The fact that Julia desires Winston's companionship in asexual way is giving him the youth and vigor needed to carry out his personalrebellion against the Party.


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Connections on page 140: Winston and Julia meet O'Brien to discuss a possibleconspiracy working against the Party. Would Winston have had the motivation and

ambition to do so prior to his affair with Julia?

Note: the above note card is one example of an effective note card. Your teacher willtell you the exact format for writing your note cards. What's most important is that youput something you find significant(whether it's a passage, image, theme, or literarydevice) on the front side of the card and explain its significance on the back side of thecard. Making connections to other sections of the book and to other works is crucial todeveloping a thesis and writing a good paper. You may not be able to make

connections (such as the one above) on every card but you should try to do this asmuch as possible.


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Part Two. STP Guide

Step Three: Writing and Refining a Thesis.

A thesis states the main argument of your paper. Everything you write in your paper will,

in some way, support this thesis statement. You express your thesis in one to threesentences, usually at the end of the first paragraph. A thesis is not a topic ("jealousy"),but a developed idea and assertion IN THE FORM OF A SENTENCE. If you were towrite a thesis statement about one novel, it would read like the following sentence, "The

jealousy in William Faulkner's novels is central to the male characters sense ofinsecurity and loss."

Your thesis changes as you progress through the stages of writing this paper. Don'tworry too much about trying to stick to an early version of a thesis you don't reallybelieve anymore or doesn't make sense once you've done all your reading andresearch.

Keep going back, refining your thesis to figure out exactly what you want to say.

WHEN WRITING YOUR THESIS...

***Don't use "absolute" words like "never', "always", "all", or "none." They make yourpaper almost impossible to prove.

***Do use the author's name and the name(s) of the work(s) in your thesis.

Think of your thesis in two parts:

Part One: A characteristic of work--or the thing that the author/work does

Part Two: What is the EFFECT OR OUTCOME of theabove, or even possible reasons why the author made those choices?

Sample Thesis Statement:In William Dean Howells The Rise and Fall of Silas Lapham, characters undergodramatic changes, rising and then falling precipitously. Inherent character flaws are thecause of these characters downfalls.


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Part One talks about a characteristic:In William Dean Howells The Rise and Fall of Silas Lapham, characters undergodramatic changes, rising and then falling precipitously.

Part Two talks about the effect of that characteristic:

Inherent character flaws are the cause of these characters downfalls.

Questions to ask yourself when writing a thesis statement:1. Do I really believe this thesis?2. Is my thesis specific enough to ensure that I can prove It in six-to-

fifteen pages?3. Is my thesis broad enough to gather enough primary and secondary

source evidence to write a six-to-fifteen page paper supporting it?4. Am I excited about the originality of my thesis? Can I prove it?

5. Does my thesis need even more refining?6. Is my thesis an original assertion, or just a statement of fact?7. Could I prove this thesis if someone challenged me?8. Do I use active verbs(like expresses, displays, contrasts) in my

thesis?

Step Four: Finding and Using Secondary Sources

A secondary source is any Iegitimately aired or published mention of your author and/orhis/her works. Because not everything you find will be relevant to your thesis, you reallyneed to find four to five (4-5)secondary sources for each primary source. Ultimately,when you write your paper, you will need to include a minimum of three differentsecondary sources on your Works Cited page. If you can't find a sufficient number ofsecondary sources , you should reconsider your topic and discuss options with yourteacher.

Examples of Secondary Sources

Newspaper articlesMagazine (periodical) articlesContemporary Literary Criticism (CLC)19th Century Literary uriticism (NCLC)20th Century Literary Criticism (TCLC)Interviews (print, radio, television)Educational Web SitesInstitutional and Organizational Web SitesOnline MagazinesDocumentariesLectures


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Make a Bibliographic Card as soon as you find each source!As you read through secondary sources you think might be relevant, follow the same

procedure for making Bibliographic Cards as you did with your primary sources. Be

careful because some of the information necessary for secondary sources differs fromprimary sources (consult the WHS Library website for specific information on properbibliographic citationl).

BIBLIOGRAPHIC CARDS ARE ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT TO DO WITHSECONDARY SOURCES. Many students have been forced to take precioussecondary source information out of their paper because they lost the bibliographicinformation and thus couldn't give the source credit. Store your Bibliographic Cardssomewhere safe (not in your binder or locker!).

An Important Note on Plagiarism

The following definition is taken directly from the student handbook:

Plagiarism is defined as the act of presenting someone elses words and/or ideas asyour own, even if done unintentionally. Any student who quotes directly from anysource or makes use of an idea from any source and does not credit the author of thatsource, who copies part or all of the work of another student, or who allows part or all ofhis/her work to be copied by another student, will be considered to have plagiarized.Information taken from the Internet or other electronic media without crediting thesource is also a form of plagiarism. Students must credit all sources that provide usefulinformation and enclose any word or words directly taken from a source within quotationmarks. Failure to do so is a dishonorable act; academic theft in an academic institutionis a serious matter and, as such, has serious consequences. A student found guilty ofplagiarism may receive a grade of zero on the project, may have his course levellowered, and may also forfeit membership in the National Honor and/or Cum LaudeSociety. Other consequences, such as a letter of reprimand in the students file,exclusion from consideration for academic honors, or notations on collegerecommendations may also follow from an incidence of plagiarism.

Students and faculty should follow guidelines consistent with those of the ModernLanguage Association (MLA) (such as the MLA Guide to Documentation ), our singleschool-wide standard. These guidelines are available from classroom teachers anddepartments, the school library, as well as on the Watertown High School Librarys web(whs. watertown.k12.ma.us/library) page.

How To Cite Sources


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By definition, all research papers must incorporate others' ideas. However you mustgive credit to any source by documenting it properly both within the paper and in aWorks Cited page.

For this paper, after you use a source's words or unique ideas you will include their last

name in parentheses right after their words/ideas. If there is a page number for thesource material, put it after the source's last name. Then, put a period on the outside ofthe closing parenthesis.

Example:In her novel Emma, Jane Austen makes "bolduse of the rising action of her plot" (Smith 45).

At the end of your paper, you'll compile and present detailed information on all thesources you used in you STP. The mechanics of how and what to include for eachsource depends upon what it is and where you got it. See the Writing the Works Cited

Page section for details.

How can you avoid plagiarizing?

YOU SHOULD DOCUMENT YOUR SOURCES WHEN YOU DO ANY OF THEFOLLOWING THINGS:use a direct quotationuse ideas taken from another sourcecopy a table, chart, or diagramconstruct a table from data provided by othersparaphrase a passage in your own wordspresent specific examples, figures or factual information taken from a specific source

and use [it] to explain or support your judgments.

"The following examples illustrate the problems of plagiarism:(ORIGINAL VERSION)Still, the telephone was only a convenience, permitting Americans to do more casuallyand with less effort what they had already been doing before (Boorstin 391).

VERSION A:The telephone was a convenience, enabling Americans to do more casually and withless effort what they had been doing before.

This is plagiarism in its worst form. Because the writer does not indicate in the text or ina note that the words and ideas belong to Boorstin, he asks the reader to believe thewords are his. He has stolen the words and ideas and attempted to cover the theft bychanging or omitting an occassional word.

VERSION B:


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Daniel J. Boorstin argues that the telephone was only a convenience, permittingAmericans to do more casually and with less effort what they had already been doingbefore (391).

This version is also plagiarism. Even though the writer acknowledges her source and

cites the passage obviously, she has copied the original almost word for word; yet shehas supplied no quotation marks to indicate the extent of her borrowing.

VERSION C:Daniel J. Boorstin has noted that most Americans considered the telephone as simply aconvenience, an instrument that allowed them to do more casually and with less effortwhat they had already done before (391).

This version represents one, although not the only, satisfactory way of handling thissource material. The author has identified her source at the beginning of herparagraph, thus enabling her readers to know who is being quoted, and she has

provided a complete note directing them to the exact source of the statement. She hasparaphrased some of Boorstin's words and quoted others, making it perfectly clear tothe reader which words are hers and which belong to Boorstin.Work Cited: McCrimmon, James. Writing with a Purpose. Boston: Houghton Mifflin,1984.

Internet ResearchYou will receive a library tutorial on evaluating appropriate sites for this paper.

Taking Notes on your secondary sourcesAfter youve gathered the secondary sources you feel are the strongest, begin thehighlighting/ note taking process. Then, transfer the information to notecards in muchthe same way you did for your primary sources. Organize your cards by their source,and keep good track of them.Be sure to label and number your notecards carefully.

Outlining your STPThe outline, a blueprint for your paper, organizes all of the material you will include inyour paper. Writing an effective outline requires planning and organization. Spend timewriting a great outline, and your final paper will be much easier to write. Your teacherwill probably require you to write several different outlines. If you follow the followingapproach to writing outlines, it should be much easier for you to get your ideas out onpaper.


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A Step-by-step guide to writing outlines for your STP.

STEP ONE. THE GENERAL OUTLINE.After you have a thesis for your paper, you need to type a general outline. Typing thisfirst outline and the others is crucial to saving you time later. The general outline helps

you break down your thesis into sections and asks you to decide the order in which youwill discuss works. When you organize your outlines and write your paper, you shoulddiscuss your works in the order they appear in the thesis statement.

You have two options when you write your general outline. You can write a point-by-point outline or a subject-by-subject outline.

Point-by-Point OutlineIf you organize your paper around a point-by-point outline, you discuss one part of yourthesis at a time as it applies to all of your works.

Sample Point-by-Point Outline

I. Introduction*A. Different types of material gainB. How different types of material gain lead to people's downfallsC. Thesis statement: In John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men and Cannery Row,characters search for happiness through

material gain or physical pleasure. This search leads tothe characters' discontent and downfall.

II. Characters search for happiness and/or power through material gainand/or physical pleasure.

A. Of Mice and MenB. Cannery Row

III. This search leads to the characters' discontent and downfall.A. Of Mice and MenB. Cannery Row

IV. Conclusion*

*All outlines should include an introduction and conclusion, even though you won't knowat this point what you want to say in these sections of your paper. Your thesisstatement should be C under I. As you probably know, introductions should get thereader from the general topic to your specific outline. In A, B (under I), write down a fewthings you might say to get your reader gradually to your thesis. This, as well as yourthesis, will very well change; however, you need to begin organizing your thoughts inthis format.

Subject-by-Subject Outline


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If you organize your paper around a subject-by-subject outline, you discuss the entirethesis in relation to each work individually.

Sample Subject-by-Subject Outline

I. IntroductionA. Different types of material gainB. How different types of material gain lead to people's downfallsC. Thesis statement: In John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men and Cannery Row,characters search for happiness through

material gain or physical pleasure. This search leadsto the characters' discontent and downfall.

II. Of Mice and MenA. Characters search for happiness through material gain or

physical pleasure.

B. This search leads to the characters' discontent and downfall.

III. Cannery RowA. Characters search for happiness through material gain or

physical pleasure.B. This search leads to the characters' discontent and downfall.

IV. Conclusion

Note: Your general outline does not require you to include any specific information fromyour primary or secondary sources. As the examples above demonstrate, the generaloutline only asks you to choose between the point-by-point and subject-by-subjectapproaches. If you don't understand the outline format (when you use roman numerals,capital letters, etc.) ask your teacher.

Step Two: THE SPECIFIC OUTLINE.

Now that you have the general outline of your paper, you need to add in specific prooffrom your primary sources. Follow the steps below to write a specific outline.

1. Make a copy of the file of your general outline2. Add a '1' and '2' under each capital letter. The '1' and '2' should include a specific

sentence about your novels/films/paintings that help you explain the capitalletter they fall under.

3. For each number, you need to add a quote (lower case a, b,...) that helps you provethe statement you made in '1' and '2.' Make sure you include an endnote (seebelow) that lists your author's name and the page number of the quote.


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4. After typing each quote, you need to write a (1), (2),...This section of the outlineshould explain the quote and connect it to the thesis.

Sample Outline #2 (Subject-by-Subject)

I. IntroductionA. Different types of material gainB. How different types of material gain lead to people's downfallsC. Thesis statement: In John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men and

Cannery Row, characters search for happiness through materialgain or physical pleasure. This search leads to the characters'discontent or downfall.

II. Of Mice and MenA. Characters search for happiness through material gain or

physical pleasure.1. George thinks he will find happiness if he buys a farm.a. "Someday--we're going to get the jack together and we're

gonna have a little houseand a couple of acres an'a cow and some pigs...And when it rains in the winterwe'll just say the hell with goin' to work, and we'll buildup a fire in the stove and set around it an' listen to therain comin' down on the roof..."(Steinbeck 15).

(1)George describes the dream he and Lennie share.They want to own a farm and raise rabbits and

chickens.

(2) "When it rains...we'll say the hell with going to work"and "we'll build up a fire in the stove and set aroundit an' listen to the rain" suggest that the farm willenable them to achieve happiness, because theywill not have the responsibilities they now share.

Note: the above is only a section of an outline. For Outline #2, you need to addinformation like the above for every capital letter in your outline. If you're working with aPoint-by-Point Outline, the information will be almost identical but you will put it in aslightly different order.


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Sample Outline #2 (Point-by-Point)I. Introduction

A. Different types of material gainB. How different types of material gain lead to people's downfallsC. Thesis statement: In John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men and Cannery Row,

characters search for happiness through material gainor physical pleasure. This search leads to the characters'discontent and downfall.

II. Characters search for happiness through material gain or physicalpleasure.

A. Of Mice and Men1. George thinks he will find happiness if he buys a farm.

a. "Someday--we're going to get the jack together and we'regonna have a little house and a couple of acres an'a cow and some pigs...And when it rains in the winter

we'll just say the hell with goin' to work, and we'llbuild up a fire in the stove and set around it an' listento the rain comin' down on the roof..."( Steinbeck 15).

(1)George describes the dream he and Lennieshare. They want to own a farm and raiserabbits and chickens.

(2) "When it rains...we'll say the hell with goingto work" and we'll build up a fire in thestove and set around it an' listen to therain" suggest that the farm will enablethem to achieve happiness, becausethey will not have the responsibilitiesthey now share.

Step Three. WORKING SECONDARY QUOTES INTO YOUR OUTLINE.

Your teacher may ask you to put your secondary quotes in with your second outline, orshe may ask you to add them in later. In any case, you treat secondary quotes thesame way you placed and explained primary quotes in your previous outlines.

1. Make sure you have written down all the bibliographic material necessary for yoursecondary quotes. Write down the exact quotes (with quotation marks) in your notesand explain what you think the quotes mean. In addition, write down how each quoteconnects to your thesis statement.


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2. Look through your outline #2 and choose secondary quotes that connect directly tosections of your outline.

3. Find the section of your outline that deals with the specific issue of your quote.

4. Each secondary quote should be treated like a primary quote. Each secondaryquote should be a small 'a,' 'b,' or 'c.' You need to decide if it should go before or afteryour primary quotes. The key is to place it under the section of the outline it proves.

Example of how to work a secondary quote into an outline:

Note: This is just a small section of an outline, but it does contain a primary andsecondary quote.

III. The Age of InnocenceA. Characters ignore their feelings and abide by society's rulesB. Ignoring their feelings and abiding by society's rules leads to the characters'unhappiness

1. Archer marries and has two children because he feels that's whatsociety wants from him. He can't get Mrs. Olenska out of hismind, however, because of the romance he felt with her.

a. "But you are the woman I would have married if it hadbeen possible for either of us" (Wharton 169).

(1) Archer expresses that Mrs. Olenska is thewoman he would have preferred to marry.

(2) Because he longs for Mrs. Olenska it is clearthat he is unhappy after having beenpersuaded by the wishes and opinionsof other people.

b. "Ellen Olenska and Newland Archer must sacrificetheir ideal of love, since she is married and the

scandal of divorce is unthinkable"(Milne 42).

(1) This suggests that divorce is not permissible inArcher's rigid society .

(2) Ellen and Archer neglect their lovebecause of society; they are unable to actaccording to their own wishes.

Writing a Draft and Integrating Quotes


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Use your excellent outline as a step-by-step guide to writing your first draft. Your draftshould include all the primary and secondary source quotes you wish to use, and shouldbe typed and double spaced. In other words, it should "look" like a final paper.

When you first start to write your rough draft, don't worry about the introduction andconclusion. You can begin the rough draft with your thesis statement if that makes iteasier. Just make sure that you include an introduction and conclusion in the draft youpass in to your teacher (refer to the next section on How to Write Introductions andConclusions for help with developing these sections of your paper).

If you wrote your outlines thoroughly, the main thinking involved in writing the paper isdone. The main thing you need to do now is integrate quotes into your paper. For themost part, quotes cannot stand on their own; they require some type of introduction andexplanation that includes connecting them to the thesis statement. Your reader shouldunderstand why you include a quote when you do, without you explicitly stating the

reason for using it. For this entire paper, use the parenthetical citation method(see theexamples below).

There are three different basic types of quotes; you treat each one a little bit differently.

Partial sentence: uses part or all of your source's sentence as a part of your sentence.

example: Toby never knows what is coming next, in part due to "Rosemary's everchanging and fluctuating mind" (DesRosiers 45).

Full sentence: uses a source's full sentence in its entirety.example: Toby never knows what is coming next. "We see him affected daily byRosemary's ever-changing and fluctuating mind"(DesRosiers 45).

Block quotes: used when quoting a source longer than three (3) full typed linesexample:

After going through several bad decisions with Rosemary, it is clear that Toby is

on his own. Yet, despite his strange relationship with Rosemary, he is none the worse

for wear.

While Rosemary relies on Toby for much moreemotional support than perhaps is normal from a

mother to her child, in his case, it ends up serving to transfer her strength and hope to him. He is used to herunorganized, haphazard


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way of doing things, and he has learned to cope(Norris 43).

In fact, Toby is already beginning to show his ability to adapt in the first few pages of the

book. He knows nothing about where they're headed, and doesn't much seem to care.

How do you integrate quotes effectively into your paper?To integrate quotes effectively into a paper, you need to do the following four things:

introduce the quote(with some context from the work, if necessary)include quotes(of course)explain them, andconnect them to your thesis.

Example of a quote that is introduced and explained well

Trust Me by John Updike tells about a man, Fred, who is unhappy in his

relationship with his wife. It is a very dull and boring life and he needs some change

and excitement. His wife cannot offer this to him.

But she had done him no harm--had done,indeed everything he had asked. Born himhealthy children, created a home that couldbe displayed to his colleagues and friends,served as an extension to his ego...Yet, lying

beside her night after night...he had becomeconvinced that there must be a better life thanthis (Updike 292).

Fred is clearly unhappy. His marriage is very superficial. His wife creates "a home that

[can] be displayed to colleagues and friends," suggesting that his relationship is based

on security and outward appearance, not love. He needs to keep a "happy looking"

family life for business reasons. He is not angry at his wife nor does he hate her;

however, "he had become convinced that there must be a better life," a life with

someone who could fulfill his needs. He didn't need a woman to throw him cocktail

parties; he needed a woman to love him.

Step Seven. Writing the Introduction and Conclusion to your STP.


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The introduction to your STP is like a map: it lets your reader know what toexpect in the rest of the paper. The more organized you are before you write it, thebetter the introduction will be!

The key to writing a solid introduction is to WAIT until the body of the paper hasbeen written. In a paper such as your senior thesis, which is a minimum of six pages,the body of your paper (the supporting paragraphs) dictates what information yourintroduction will include.

The first step is to look at your outline. You have already written your thesisstatement and have filled in the topics of your supporting paragraphs. How will you(generally) introduce your reader to the topic? Your first sentence should be general,interesting, informative, and connect with the core subject of your paper. You want tomake the reader continue reading! This will be your topic sentence.

Your thesis statement will be your LAST sentence in the introduction. Thinkabout how to connect your first sentence to your thesis: what is the subject of eachsupporting paragraph? The sentences between your topic and thesis sentences MUSTreflect your paper's structure exactly. Your reader should be able to predict preciselyhow your paper will unfold: if it's not mentioned in your introduction, it can't appear in thepaper!

Sample introduction

Throughout their lives, people struggle to free themselves from restraints placedon them by patriarchal and politically repressive cultures. In Julia Alvarezs Yocharacters rebel against authority. Although the characters succeed in their rebellion,they suffer punishment or death.

The conclusion to your STP should tie the paper together. Although you want torestate your thesis in the conclusion, you want to take the paper a step further. How doyou do this? You can step outside the works youve been discussing and tie the thesisto society in general. You can also ask questions along the same lines. Your teachercan work with you individually on this part of the paper if youre having difficulty. Youprobably wont want to write the conclusion until youve revised the rest of your paper.

Step Eight. Revising your draftand completing the final version of your STP.

You will hand in your first draft for your teacher to correct, edit, comment on, and grade.


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Because your teacher's comments will be exhaustive and comprehensive, you shouldpay close attention to each one. If you don't understand a comment, ask your teacher toexplain it. Write your final draft of your STP with your corrected version of your firstdraft in front of you. If your teacher mentioned that you need to work on a specific areaof your paper (for example, integrating quotes), you should assume that you need to

look through the entire paper for proper integration of quotes, not just the sections yourteacher commented on.

**You must hand in two copies of your final STP, one an emailed version, the other ahard copy. Each must include a cover page and a Works Cited page. At the time yousubmit your final draft you should resubmit your rough draft.

The Works Cited PageThis is another name for what used to be called a "Bibliography". This is the

place where you not only "give credit" to your primary and secondary source authors,but also give your reader all the information he or she would need to locate your sourcefor further study.

It is vital that you follow the MLA Works Cited format. Please see the library website andrefer to any supplemental materials provided by your teacher.

Documents

Humanities_STPGuide_07_08.pdf