Creating a Topic Proposal
Creating a
Topic Proposal for Research
1.
Read
the “Approaches to Literary Research” found in the
Research Folder.
2
.
Review
the “Topic Ideas for R
esearch
”
found in
the
Research Folder
.
Please Note
:
This is a researched
LITERARY
analysis
essay. While
yo
u might take a historical approach (for example) when analyzing
some aspect of the work you’ve chosen, you are NOT writing a history
paper. While you might take a psychological approach, you are NOT
writing a psychology paper. While you might discuss an is
sue related
to religion, you are NOT writing a theological treatise. Please do NOT
write a biography of an author.
Your purpose is to
support the overall
argument that you’ve made in your thesis, through a close analysis
of
a
focused aspect of the literar
y work
, so the bulk of the essay should
be spent analyzing the work
–
not presenting details about the
author’s life.
3
.
Write
a one
–
paragraph
explanation
. (
Note
:
This is
not
an
introductory paragraph fo
r the paper.
) This should be an
expla
nation of y
our focused topic AND
what you hope to
prove
to your reader through your analysis.
SAMPLE
explanation
:
(D
o not copy
or paraphrase
this sample
.)
The Puritans in
The Scarlet Letter
use harsh public punishments as a
means to keep community members under c
ontrol. Hester’s “sin” is a
threat to them because it represents a person going outside their
communally agreed
–
upon rules. Thinking or acting like an individual is
severely frowned upon. Interestingly, their efforts backfire with
Hester. Instead of it
s intended effect of crushing her spirit, the
isolation and the “A” she wears give her the independence to think for
herself and ultimately gain control of her life.
4
.
Create
a working thesis. Really t
hink about what you wrote
in the explanation and pu
ll it together by creating a working
thesis. You will likely continue to revise and edit this thesis.
Remember
: A THESIS should include the
focused topic
plus
your
assertion about the significance of that topic
. It should be
argumentative
in nature, sin
ce it is an opinion that you will
prove through a close analysis of the details of the text.
SAMPLE
working thesis
:
(
D
o not copy
or paraphrase
this sample
.)
Although shame and isolation are used
by the Puritans in
The Scarlet
Letter
to control communit
y members and reinforce Puritan dogma,
these punishments, ironically, serve to drive Hester’s transformation
into a free
–
thinking feminist.
