Love in the color purple

This is an Integrative Paper. Students will evaluate the treatment of theme and other rhetorical devices in literature, analyze literary works in relation to their respective historical and cultural contexts, conduct scholarly research and integrate secondary sources (both print and electronic) into their writing, write formal literary essays in accordance with the MLA style and the Marking Checklist included in the Heritage Handbook for English, and learn to work with greater autonomy. The objective of the paper is to allow you to familiarize yourselves with critical sources. These sources could supplement your argument by allowing you to focus and narrow your thesis and/or provide critical support for the premises/ support in your paper. You must plan a research project, find and limit a researchable topic, find information and refine the topic, and make a working bibliography. By scanning and evaluating sources, developing a tentative thesis outline, and taking notes and summaries, paraphrases, and direct quotations, while avoiding plagiarism, you will move from the general to the specific. For example, when selecting a topic which concerns The Color Purple, see what resources are available on Alice Walker and African-American history and literature, and the novel itself. From a selection of your readings of texts and periodicals/ journals as well as articles/chapters from scholarly works, you should be able to limit your focus and refine your thesis. For the purpose of this essay, you are asked to produce a paper which cites at least two secondary sources, whether book or periodical/ serial or articles from scholarly journals. Book Reviews are not admissible sources.

Sources must be relevant to your argument. The function of sources is to supplement, not overwhelm your critical thought. The secondary material should not be simply biographical. Dates of birth or death, for instance, do not contribute to an argument.

Good Luck.

Choose ONE of the following topics :

1. The Significance of the Title in Alice Walker’s Novel.

2. Celie’s Search for Identity in The Color Purple

3. Love in The Color Purple

4. Any topic of your choice relevant to the novel, subject to the approval of the Course Instructor.
Students are encouraged to consult the course instructor by MIO/ ZOOM/ class discussion about the feasibility of the topic before planning. Topics that have not been approved will not be accepted.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

The essay should be no less than 1000 words (excluding quotations)
Should follow the MLA style formatting;
Should have at least two bibliographical references, apart from the text;
Should be submitted to the turnitin website within the deadline.
Failure to submit to the turnitin Website will result in rejection of the Paper, as specified in the Course Outline.

PLEASE NOTE THE NO WEBSITE THAT IS NOT UNIVERSITY SPONSORED (the site address ends with ‘.edu’) WILL BE ACCEPTED AS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL RESOURCE.

Suggested Websites:

1. Literature Resource Centre

2. Gender Studies Collection

3. Ebsco

4. Should you use any online resource, other than those listed, PLEASE NOTE THE NO WEBSITE THAT IS NOT institutionally sponsored (the site address ends with ‘.edu’, ‘gc.ca’), WILL BE ACCEPTED AS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL RESOURCE.

Marking Scheme

15 The Introduction

Clearly establishes the subject and defines all the key terms of the essay, o Indicates name(s) of author(s) and title(s) to be discussed, o Thoroughly and separately indicates each of the major ideas, o Presents a clear thesis.

30 Body Paragraphs

Begin with a distinct topic sentence,

Use transitions between ideas and paragraphs,

Show coherent organization,

Develop their topic thoroughly, accurately, and logically,

Prove their ideas with adequate and relevant evidence,

o Summarize major idea and connect to thesis in a concluding sentence.

10 Conclusion

Relates conclusively to the thesis,

Separately, and in some detail, summarizes the major ideas, o Includes a general closing statement,

Does NOT copy and paste any part of the essay or introduce anything new.

10 Language

The sentences that make up the essay are o Varied in structure and length,

Correctly structured (not fragments, run-ons, or comma splices)

Made up of words that are accurately used, o Spelled properly,

Punctuated properly, o Grammatically correct,

Expressed in effective and appropriate language (3rd person, present tense, active voice, free of contractions and colloquial & figurative language).

25 Evidence and Documentation

Comprises an adequate number of quotations and sources,

Is clearly relevant, whether from a primary or a secondary source

Is well integrated (introduced, fluid, put in context),

Is adequately discussed,

Is properly identified (as reference, quotation or paraphrase) and properly documented in the text of the essay and in the Works Cited page.

10 MLA Format

Correctly formatted first page, title, and page numbering,

Consistent use of double-spacing, indentations, margins

Properly identified in-text citations and block quotations,

Accurately documented Works Cited page.