Creative Research Project
CREATIVE RESEARCH PROJECT and SHORT LITERARY ANALYSIS PAPER
Although these 2 assignments are informal, they comprise a significant portion of the course grade. The Short Literary Analysis Paper (20%) and the Creative Research Project (20%) both ask students to apply and demonstrate the literary analysis and critical thinking skills that you have honed throughout the semester.
CULF 1318 Learning Objectives:
My Literature and the Human Experience course has been designed to:
1. introduce you to the terms and principles of literary study,
2. get you thinking about issues of diversity and cultural difference, and
3. help you develop skills of critical thinking, reading, and textual analysis.
By now, you’ve gained skills and practice in literary analysis and rigorous group discussion. You are certainly equipped to become thoughtful readers for life, should you so choose!
SHORT, INFORMAL LITERARY ANALYSIS PAPER
This short, informal literary analysis paper assignment invites students to explore a broad theme or reflection topic from 1 or 2 of the literary texts that we have studied together in depth in our course. Students will select one of the optional paper topics to write about. Each paper topic focuses on a particular theme or issue in a literary work(s).
Students will take a very focused and simple approach to writing about this broad thematic topic. You will select only 1 or 2 short passages or excerpts that you believe relate to the broader topic question. For the majority of this informal, short paper, your writing will demonstrate the “close reading” skills you have gained this semester by explaining how you analyze these passages. Students should also clearly explain a few simple connections you have identified between your “close reading” observations of the shorter passages and the broader paper topic.
The purpose and structure of this short informal literary analysis paper most closely resembles that of the “Response Paper” genre of student writing:
A response paper is a great opportunity to practice your close reading skills without having to develop an entire argument. In most cases, a solid approach is to select a rich passage that rewards analysis (for example, one that depicts an important scene or a recurring image) and close read it. While response papers are a flexible genre, they are not invitations for impressionistic accounts of whether you liked the work or a particular character. Instead, you might use your close reading to raise a question about the text—to open up further investigation, rather than to supply a solution
From Harvard College Writing Center Brief Guide Series “A Brief Guide to Writing the English Paper”
Please note: For this paper, you do NOT have to include most of the typical elements of a longer, formal college English literary analysis paper, such as:
* a well-developed “argument” that ties into one overarching interpretation of the work
* detailed analysis of numerous sections of a literary text (or texts)
* organizing /marshaling all “close readings” to support a massive, complex project/argument.
In organizing your ideas (pre-writing), writing and revising this short paper, you will use the literary analysis skills you practiced and developed this semester:
1. Choose one of the optional paper topics for our course section.
2. Select an appropriate passage or passages from the literary work that relate to the paper
topic you plan to write about.
a. Use critical thinking to make connections between what is happening on the “micro”
level of the passage and how that fits in with the broader themes and ideas in the literary work as a whole
b. Suggested / approximate lengths of selected passages:
Fiction: one or two passages of prose (totaling up to 3 pages)
Drama: a scene excerpt or portion of 2 scenes (again, no more than 3 pages)
Poetry/Blues lyrics: lines or stanza excerpts related to paper topic (varied
lengths, but generally no more than 2 pages)
3. Apply “close reading” skills to analyze your selected passages
a. Identify special uses of figurative language and/or sonic elements
b. Think about how the language in this passage “works” to communicate the meaning
c. Consider how the smaller “parts” of each excerpt contribute to the tone, mood, ideas
and overall theme of this short passage.
4. In clear, grammatically correct prose, explain what you have learned through your “close
reading” of the selected passage(s).
a. When appropriate, use specific literary terminology to name the literary devices used.
b. Describe how the language in this passage “works” to communicate meaning.
c. Explain how the smaller “parts” of each excerpt contribute to the tone, mood, ideas
and overall theme of this short passage.
5. Revisit your initial “connections” between the passage(s) you selected for close reading and
the broader paper topic. Revise your draft as appropriate.
a. Identify any changes or complications that have developed in your thinking about the
broader paper topic or theme after your close reading of the select passage(s).
b. Where necessary, add sentences, transition phrases, or a paragraph at the end to
account for your more nuanced understanding of the “connections” between the short passage(s) you analyzed and the literary work as a whole.
*** Remember: Flexible and exploratory thinking is good! You don’t need to “prove” any single argument for this paper! ***
Optional Paper Topics: Summary
* This page is a summary overview of the optional paper topics and questions.
* Each optional paper topic has its own expanded page (see below). For your convenience, those expanded pages also include
1. introductory/background statements
2. more detailed and expanded “sub questions” and
3. helpful hints/tips for tackling each paper topic option.
Optional Paper Topic: Blues Lyrics
Choose 2 – 3 thematically or topically connected blues lyrics (from our packet) and put them
into “conversation” with each other. Which specific shared topic or “link” in these 2 or 3 pieces
do you plan to write about? How are the poems or songs similar in their treatment of this topic?
In what ways do they differ?
To address this comparative paper topic, you’ll first need to consider the questions below for each individual blues lyric you analyze: [See expanded “sub questions” below.]
Optional Paper Topic: Fences – August Wilson
In what ways does Troy Maxson fit the classification of a “tragic hero”? On the other hand, in
what ways is Troy Maxson a “realistic” hero who reflects the social, historic and cultural context
in which Fences is set?
* How might these choices to characterize Troy Maxon in this way fit in with and support August Wilson’s broader project in the “Pittsburgh Cycle” plays? How might this characterization challenge or complicate the playwrights goals?
Optional Paper Topic: Their Eyes Were Watching God — Zora Neale Hurston
A great writer can be the voice of a generation. What kind of voice (or voices) does Hurston
employ and why would she use a novel to express this voice? What does her voice reveal
about her generation? Is it still relevant?
Is Their Eyes Were Watching God primarily concerned with the experiences of those living in
specific – and unusual — cultural communities? Or with the unique gendered perspective
represented through Janie? Or does the novel actual center on universal human questions and
themes? What do you think was Hurston’s most important message and why might have she
chosen to convey this in a fictional novel rather than a speech or essay?
Blues Lyrics Blues lyrics are rooted in a rich set of African American oral traditions that simultaneously celebrate “borrowing” (repetition) and “riffing” (creative variation and improvisational development). This paradox exists on both the level of the form (or structure) of the blues and on the level of content (topics & themes).
As a musical form, the blues contain many obvious examples of structural “sameness,” or repetition. Most blues lyrics follow one of the common rhyme scheme patterns while the music generally adheres to common chord progressions. Different stanzas or “verses” cover new ground, but these are almost always interspersed with repeated lines and “chorus”. In practice, blues musicians frequently “cover” each other’s songs. And blues lyrics often include recurring tropes, images, metaphors or cultural allusions.
Originally, these recurring poetic devices reflected specific historical and social experiences shared by many African Americans – including the first great blues musicians — in the early 20th century. Over time, these same metaphors, tropes, images and allusions came to be understood as part of a shared Blues heritage; even musicians from different cultures and those born much later historically “draw upon” these elements when crafting new blues songs.
Yet even as this collection of shared tropes reminds us that the Blues emerged from a particular cultural group and historical context, these same devices are used to explore “universal” human themes. The enduring appeal of the Blues – and their widespread influence on other musical genres – is largely due to the “familiar” stories their lyrics tell and the common, deeply-felt emotions so eloquently expressed in Blues songs.
Option: Choose 2 – 3 thematically or topically connected blues lyrics (from our
packet) or blues poems (by Langston Hughes) and put them into “conversation” with each other. Which specific shared topic or “link” in these 2 or 3 pieces do you plan to write about? How are the poems or songs similar in their treatment of this topic? In what ways do they differ?
To address this comparative paper topic, you’ll first need to consider the questions below for each blues lyric you analyze:
How does this particular Blues lyric or poem depict and explore the topic at hand? What poetic devices are used in this lyric to describe or address the topic you have chosen? What sonic elements are used and what do they emphasize? How do these sonic elements contribute to the overall tone and mood of the lyric? What is the position or attitude of the singer or song towards the topic?
Is the “linked” topic you have identified the central theme or “argument” (aka “take-away lesson”) of this particular song? Or is this topic only referenced in passing? Alternately, is this “linking topic” assumed as the basis of another theme, but not explicitly developed in the song?
Hints / Tips:
* Whenever possible, be sure to identify appropriate examples of unusual diction (word choice), striking syntax (grammar) and figurative language (metaphors, similes, images, personification, etc.).
* However, don’t name every single poetic device used in the songs/poems you analyze. Instead, focus only on those that are used in relation to the “topic” you have chosen.
* Review class notes and your earlier blues “theme” essay homework to solidify your understanding of the difference between “theme” and “topic”.
* Keep in mind our class discussion – and the ideas above – about “difference in sameness”. Wherever you see repetition in a Blues song (repeated word, phrase, line or verse/chorus) — try to identify how the repeated element is changed or developed over the course of the poem or song.
Fences – August Wilson
August Wilson’s award winning play Fences is the best known drama from his ambitious “Pittsburg Cycle” — a series of 10 plays that represent African American experiences over the span of a century (one play per decade). Fences stages the experiences of an African American family from the late 1950s through the early 1960s.
Numerous critics have described the main character of Fences – Troy Maxson – as a larger-than-life “tragic hero”, similar to those found in classical and mythic drama. On the other hand, many have noted that Troy is depicted in accurate, hyper-realistic detail throughout the play. Troy’s life experiences, manners and “authentic” speech patterns resemble those of other black men of his generation, who were shaped by similar social contexts and historic events.
Option: In what ways does Troy Maxson fit the classification of a “tragic hero”? On
the other hand, in what ways is Troy Maxson a “realistic” hero who reflects the social, historic and cultural context in which Fences is set?
* How might these choices to characterize Troy Maxon in this way fit in with and support August Wilson’s broader project in the “Pittsburgh Cycle” plays? How might this characterization challenge/complicate the playwrights goals?
* Especially consider how “radical” it was to put black experiences – literally — “center stage” in a society the playwright considered to be still stifled by quiet racism.
Hints / Tips Successful papers on this drama topic will do the following:
1. Include an accurate literary definition of the “tragic hero” and briefly explain his or her major characteristics
* For this, you may refer to our notes from class on “tragic hero”, some of which are archived on Bb. Alternately, you may cite a definition/description of the “tragic hero” in a reliable literature textbook or dictionary/glossary of literary terms.
2. Formulate a tentative hypothesis of where Troy Maxon falls on the spectrum of the classical/mythic “tragic hero” vs. “hyper-realistic protagonist”.
* Specifically, you’ll need to explicitly identify what you think are Troy Maxon’s heroic qualities, “tragic flaw”, his downfall, effect on the other characters, etc.
* Likewise, you’ll need to state the ways in which Troy Maxon is staged very much as a “realistic” / historical “man of his time” – or even as the “anti-hero” type common in other 20th century realist American dramas (Death of a Salesman, A Streetcar Named Desire, etc.)
3. Choose 1 or 2 scenes in Fences that showcase the aspects of Troy’s personality, speech, behavior and actions that you have identified as related to his dominant character traits (whether as ‘tragic hero’, ‘realistic protagonist’, or both).
4. For your close reading of the scene excerpt(s) depicting Troy Maxon: In addition to noting common poetic devices (ex: metaphors, figurative language, unusual diction, etc.), your paper should name and discuss at least a few of the genre elements specific to drama:
For example: Stage directions regarding character description/appearance or indicated gestures; delivery of speeches.
* Extra points for solid analysis of the performance-based theatrical conventions in Fences — songs, dance, lighting/set design, etc.
Their Eyes Were Watching God — Zora Neale Hurston
Reflection on the overall novel “as a spokesperson for her generation and specific cultural community:
Option: “A great writer can be the voice of a generation. What kind of voice (or voices) does Hurston employ and why would she use a novel to express this voice? What does her voice reveal about her generation? Is it still relevant? What do you think was Hurston’s most important message and why might have she chosen to convey this in a fictional novel rather than a speech or essay?
Some related “sub-questions” to consider when thinking through the broader topic above: Is Their Eyes Were Watching God primarily concerned with the experiences of those living in specific – and unusual — cultural communities? Or with the unique gendered perspective represented through Janie? Or does the novel actual center on universal human questions and themes?
Hints / Tips Successful papers on this novel will:
1. To analyze “voice” in the novel, revisit and consider the following fictional literary devices from your: narrative/point of view, dialogue, dialect, protagonist (major/minor characters).
* You may want to check our notes from our early classes (lecture + discussion) introducing fiction, the novel and the first few chapters of Their Eyes.
2. The biographical handout on Zora Neale Hurston may provide helpful reminders related to this paper topic. (Available on Bb in the Their Eyes folder)
* For ex: the author’s complicated relationships with others in “her generation”, her extensive training in anthropology and how her experience recording ethnographies/oral histories impacted her literary “voice”.
3. Hurston’s novel introduces “folk” voices through the characters who live in Eatonville and the Muck, who speak like people Hurston interviewed from rural communities in the deep south.
* In addition to the realism of the dialect, it is helpful to pay close attention to literary style (figurative language, unusual diction / syntax) and the colorful colloquial expressions and tales included in the novel.
Fences – August Wilson August Wilson’s award winning play Fences is the best known drama from his ambitious “Pittsburg Cycle” — a series of 10 plays that represent African American experiences over the span of a century (one play per decade). Fences stages the experiences of an African American family from the late 1950s through the early 1960s.
Numerous critics have described the main character of Fences – Troy Maxson – as a larger-than-life “tragic hero”, similar to those found in classical and mythic drama.
1. Include an accurate literary definition of the “tragic hero” and briefly explain his or her major characteristics
accurate literary definition of the “tragic hero”:
* For this, you may refer to our notes from class on “tragic hero”, some of which are archived on Bb. Alternately, you may cite a definition/description of the “tragic hero” in a reliable literature textbook or dictionary/glossary of literary terms.
briefly explain his or her major characteristics (* Specifically, you’ll need to explicitly identify what you think are Troy Maxon’s):
heroic qualities
“tragic flaw”
his downfall
effect on the other characters
etc. (other examples)
On the other hand, many have noted that Troy is depicted in accurate, hyper-realistic detail throughout the play.
Troy’s life experiences,
manners and
“authentic” speech patterns
* resemble those of other black men of his generation, who were shaped by similar social contexts and historic events.
Option:
In what ways does Troy Maxson fit the classification of a “tragic hero”?
On the other hand, in what ways is Troy Maxson a “realistic” hero who reflects the social,
historic and cultural context in which Fences is set?
* How might these choices to characterize Troy Maxon in this way fit in with and support August Wilson’s broader project in the “Pittsburgh Cycle” plays?
How might this characterization challenge/complicate the playwrights goals?
* Especially consider how “radical” it was to put black experiences – literally — “center stage” in a society the playwright considered to be still stifled by quiet racism.
Hints / Tips Successful papers on this drama topic will do the following:
2. Formulate a tentative hypothesis of where Troy Maxon falls on the spectrum of the classical/mythic “tragic hero” vs. “hyper-realistic protagonist”.
* Likewise, you’ll need to state the ways in which Troy Maxon is staged very much as a “realistic” / historical “man of his time” – or even as the “anti-hero” type common in other 20th century realist American dramas (Death of a Salesman, A Streetcar Named Desire, etc.)
3. Choose 1 or 2 scenes in Fences that showcase the aspects of Troy’s personality, speech, behavior and actions that you have identified as related to his dominant character traits (whether as ‘tragic hero’, ‘realistic protagonist’, or both).
4. For your close reading of the scene excerpt(s) depicting Troy Maxon: In addition to noting common poetic devices (ex: metaphors, figurative language, unusual diction, etc.), your paper should name and discuss at least a few of the genre elements specific to drama:
For example: Stage directions regarding character description/appearance or indicated gestures; delivery of speeches.
* Extra points for solid analysis of the performance-based theatrical conventions in Fences — songs, dance, lighting/set design, etc.
