Required length for the essay: six-eight pages (excluding list of works cited). Your paper must be at least 6 full pages in length, excluding the list of works cited. Provide an original title! All essay introductions must include a thesis statement. You may wish to state your thesis in the last sentence of your introduction. Place background information that identifies the text you will discuss (as well as its author) in the introduction. Your thesis statement must assert your observation(s), insight(s), and/or opinion about the topic insofar as it relates to your analysis of the text(s). Note that a sentence stating text name(s) and author(s) does not constitute a thesis, nor does a statement of fact about the text and/or its author. As noted above, all essays should provide an interesting introduction featuring a clearly formulated and concisely stated thesis. This thesis should be developed in a series of coherent body paragraphs, each featuring a clearly formulated and concisely stated topic sentence supported by adequate support (in the way of facts, details, and examples); finish with a healthy and strong paragraph stating concepts that you want your reader to remember and think about long after reading your work. The best conclusions rarely offer a simple restatement of the thesis. Your support should include a balance of either quoted or paraphrased passages from the text and the required outside sources. Be careful to avoid summarizing, except to illustrate a point briefly. Use paragraph and sentence variety; not all your paragraphs and sentences should be approximately the same length. Proofread your paper carefully so that it contains no errors (in grammar, diction, usage, punctuation, spelling, or mechanics). Essays will be graded not only for content and analytical technique, but also for compositional expertise. This means that grammar and style comprise a large portion of your grade. Please be aware that compositional errors, problematic organization, lack of unity and/or coherence, and lack of support in body paragraphs cannot receive a grade higher than a C. See the Departmental Grading Standards below. Format, citation, research, and length requirements: Use MLA form! MLA form includes strict guidelines for margins, headings, spacing, and paragraphing, in addition to guidelines for citing sources properly both in-text and at the end of a work. Failure to use MLA form may hurt your grade significantly. Each essay must be at least six full pages in length (excluding list of works cited). Papers shorter than the required length will lose a percentage off the grade based on the percentage the paper was below the required length. Essays more than one full page over the required length of eight pages will lose 10% off the grade and any material beyond the required length will not be graded. Please use Times New Roman font in 12-point, or something of very similar size and type. Your assignment should include multiple citations from the text(s) under consideration and include at least four different outside sources in each essay. Failure to cite sources correctly--including course texts--constitutes plagiarism. Essays with fewer than the required number of sources will lose at least 5% off the final grade. Although you may use dictionaries, encyclopedias and study guides as references, they cannot be used as any of your required outside sources. If you use information from an encyclopedia, do so on a limited basis because encyclopedias are not considered scholarly sources.