The final paper is worth 30% of your grade for term work. Remember that research is a process in which you repeatedly collect, assess, and analyze data, refining and focussing your questions as you go along. While comparison may enter into your analysis, you are expected to go far beyond a simple comparison of one text to another.

For the final essay, the thesis statement should be non-formulaic: remove the words “In this essay I will argue that . . . by . . . .” I asked you to use this formula in the outlining and thesis statement assignment in order to teach you to think about the argument of your essay and reduce it to a concise statement. You must, of course, always think about reducing your argument to a concise statement in writing an academic paper, and the formula can be a helpful tool in doing that, but you also need to learn how to write thesis statements that are not formulaic.

First, you must have at least two works in your Works Cited including the primary text. The Works Cited should follow MLA style precisely; it should include only works actually cited in the body of the essay and must include all works cited. Second, the thesis statement should be non-formulaic. Third, staple your paper to the copy of your Stage 4 Formal Draft with my marks and comments on it before submitting it: I do not bring a stapler to class.