General Checklist for your paper.

1) MLA format (including a Works Cited page & in-text citations).

2) Clear thesis at the end of the introduction.

3) Concise, clear topic sentences at the top of every paragraph.
(Can topic sentences be more than one sentence? Yes.)

4) You must incorporate at least two sources you have researched on your own.

5) In mentioning points from these sources in your essay, at least one point must be paraphrased.

6) Quotes must be correctly integrated.

7) For most of your body paragraphs (in any paragraph in which you are making a point with any depth), you must use A/B/C constructions. Please note that in this paper, the "B" might be a number of things--specific descriptions of the film, a point from a secondary source, a quote from "The Metamorphosis."

8) You must have a transitionial paragraph between the two sections of the paper.

9) You must use words/phrases that indicate similarity, or difference--compare/contrast.
http://www.studygs.net/wrtstr6.htm
http://jc-schools.net/write/transition.htm

Also...
*Your paper must be proofed & spell-checked. Nothing sloppy.
*Do not use any variation of "can be" in either thesis or topic sentences, ("it can be seen,"
"this can be related," etc.)
*Avoid the general "you."

How to do MLA formatting.

1) HOW DO I FORMAT MY PAPER?

Here are sample MLA pages (first page of your essay, a middle page, works cited page) with specifics about format, margins, heading for your paper, and where to put page numbers.  

2) HOW DO I WRITE MY WORKS CITED ENTRIES?

Different kinds of resources require different kinds of entries. To learn how to do Works Cited entries, start here.

The most common kinds of entries are listed below, but if you don't see your kind of resource, please go to the link above.

Book:
Last name of author, first name. Title of Book. City of publication: name of publisher, year it was published.

Work in anthology:
Last name of author, first name. “Title of Article or Story.” Title of Anthology. Name of editor in anthology. City of publication: name of publisher, year it was published. Page numbers in which it appears.

An example:

Wilson, Anthony. “I Play Basketball.” A Collection of Stories About Basketball. Ed. Emanule Soto. New York: Harper Collins, 2010. 250-262.

Article from newspaper, accessed online: Last name of author, first name. "Title of Article." Title of Newspaper. Date the article appeared. Date the article was accessed <link to the article>.

NOTE. Dates should be written in a very specific way: 6 Dec. 2010
Any month with more than five letters should be abbreviated into three letters.

HOW DO I DO IN-TEXT CITATIONS?

A: Go here for a list of how to do different kinds of in-text citations.

Some quick examples:

Books. When Marlow finally meets Kurtz, he describes him as a “gifted creature, and that of all his gifts the one that stood out pre-eminently, that carried with it a sense of real presence, was his ability to talk, his words,” but then he also describes his words as coming from “the deceitful flow from the heart of an impenetrable darkness” (Conrad 87). 

Work in anthology. In the end, the narrator sees himself as a "creature driven and derided by vanity" (Joyce 105).  

Newspapers accessed online, or online-only newspapers. According to the New York Times, Belgium forced Africans into slave-like labor, so that Belgium could make money from ivory and growing rubber trees in the Congo, and during that time Belgians committed all kinds of atrocities against Africans, like whipping them and cutting their hands off (Davies). 
  

Sample Student Outline.

Below I've copied and pasted an outline written by a former student for a very similar paper. The student's final paper earned an "A."

***

Thesis: While the book Heart of Darkness and the film "Apocalypse Now" might seem similar, when one looks deeper, they are in fact very different.

First section--"similarity" section
Topic sentence: Both the book and the movie involve a dangerous journey down a body of water, and in both, that journey is narrated by a similar character.

Topic sentence: The character of "Kurtz" is similar in each. In both the movie and book, Kurtz is a once "respectable" white man who has apparently gone crazy and disappeared into the jungle.

Research source: Review from Washington Post of Apocalypse Now (will be using point about Kurtz from this review).

Second section--"differences"

Topic sentence: While both involve a dangerous journey down a body of water, the time period and settings of the book and movie are very different.

Topic sentence:  Heart of Darkness and "Apocalypse Now" are thematically different in many ways. For example, the book is more about capitalism, and what people will do to make money. The movie, however, is about war.

Research source: article in NYtimes. Will be using historical fact from article about how Belgium (book is set in area of Africa controlled by Belgium) made money from colonizing part of Africa.

Topic sentence: Also on the topic of theme, the Heart of Darkness seems very racist, while the movie does not. The Heart of Darkness suggests that Africans are savages and that anyone who spends time with them will also become savage. The movie, however, suggests that war is horrific and that anyone who spends too much time around war might become savage--and most of the people we see waging war in this movie are white Americans.

Research source: The Education of a British-Protected Child (book of essays) by Chinua Achebe.  Will be paraphrasing from essay --- his interpretation of Heart of Darkness and how it is racist.
 

Paraphrasing! Paraphrasing! Paraphrasing!

For this paper, you will need to do some paraphrasing. In any kind of research paper, go easy on the quoting, heavy on the paraphrasing. Paraphrasing = re-stating key points of a source using your own words. Paraphrasing demonstrates to the reader how well you know your subject.

In literature papers, a writer is generally expected to include direct quotations to make his/her points--emphasis is placed on direct quotes. In any research paper, however, paraphrasing is king.

IF YOU ARE PARAPHRASING (or even quoting) OPINION:

Use the author's name the first time you paraphrase/quote from his/her work. Example:

While there is no direct mention of capitalism in "The Metamorphosis," the story does seem to point out the kinds of negative effects endless hard work can have. Before his change, Gregor had been the sole support for his family, working a job he really hated. According to critic Harold Bloom, Gregor's change suggests how alienating it is when someone's worth is judged by how much money the person makes (75). It's like Gregor becomes a bug as a result of his endless work. However, this "work is alienating" theme does not appear in "District 9."

NOTE: If you cite from this source again, do not introduce point with name of author; instead, put the last name of author in the in-text citation: (Bloom 86).

IF YOU ARE PARAPHRASING FACT:

Generally, you do not have to mention the book/source/author in your point. Example:

"District 9" is set in post-apartheid South Africa. "Apartheid" was the name of South Africa's official policy of racial segregation that was in place until 1977 (Friedman 32). But, even though the movie is set 30 years after the end of apartheid, one can tell there is still racism as most of the government officials still seem to be white.

Assignment Sheet & due dates

Paper #3: Compare/Contrast

*Four pages
*Outline due Dec 3, essay due Dec 10
*MLA formatting, including a works cited page.
(I will be handing out a properly formatted Works Cited page for reference.)
*There are two important requirements for this paper you did not have for your previous papers:

1) You must do research. In support of the points you make, you must cite points from at least TWO reputable sources you find on your own.

2) You need to paraphrase at least one of these points.

In this paper, you will compare and contrast the film "District 9" with "The Metamorphosis." Your thesis will be one of the following (written in your own words):

1) Although "District 9" and "The Metamorphosis" may seem similar,
they are in fact quite different.
2) Although "District 9" and "The Metamorphosis" may seem different,
they are in fact quite similar.

You will spend the first half of the paper addressing the first half or your thesis. For example, if you are using thesis #1, the first half of the paper will address how very similar the two seem, initially. The second half will go deeper, proving that yes, while the two seem quite similar initially--upon deeper reflection, one can tell they are actually very different.

In between these sections, you will need a transitional sentence/sentences/mini-paragraph, guiding the reader from the first section of your essay to the second. This transition basically restates the thesis.

Sample student paper.

A few notes: 1) Some of the transitionial words/phrases (alerting the reader that the writer is making come kind of comparison) are in pink.  2)  I've also marked the A/B/C constructions throughout. 3) And please note the kind of sources he uses: sometimes opinion, sometimes fact. And note how he incorporates that research.

         Who wouldn’t like a story about a man running off into the jungle to become some kind of crazy cult leader? Joseph Conrad wrote a book with this plot in 1899, called Heart of Darkness. Then, in 1979, famous director Francis Ford Coppola made a film called “Apocalypse Now,” loosely based on this book. But, don’t be tricked by this. Because really, even though one is based on the other, the fact is, beyond the superficial, they really don’t have much in common. While the book Heart of Darkness and the film "Apocalypse Now" might seem similar, when one looks deeper, they are in fact very different.

           As far as similarities go, both the book and the movie involve a dangerous journey down a body of water, and in both, that journey is narrated by a similar character. In the Heart of Darkness, the entire story is told by the main character of Marlow, a seasoned sailor. Similarly, in “Apocalypse Now,” the main character of Willard narrates the film. And while these characters are in very different parts of the world—Marlow is in Africa, while Willard is in Vietnam—there is a key similarity in their settings, in spite of the different countries they are in. Marlow is sailing along the Congo River in Africa, which Marlow describes as “storied, winding, and exceedingly intimidating for the inexperienced mariner” (Conrad 46). Willard, too, is traveling down a river, the Nung river in Vietnam. He doesn’t say it is “intimidating,” like Marlowe, but as viewers of the movie we know it is dangerous, since the movie takes place during the Vietnam War. Note: there are no A/B/C constructions here, as this paragraph is making a few very obvious points--nothing terribly "deep" necessary to prove these points.  (Although please note, the quote from the book is still introduced with a little bit of summary.)

           Also, the character of "Kurtz" is similar in each. In both the movie and book, Kurtz is a once respectable white man who has apparently gone crazy and disappeared into the jungle. A) In the Heart of Darkness, Kurtz was once a normal white businessman who worked for an ivory-trading company (called “the Company” in the book). But, he has since disappeared into the wilderness somewhere in the area along the Congo, and has stockpiled tons of ivory on his own. We find out during the book that he did this by becoming this sort of cult-leader-type to some different African tribes, and getting them to get the ivory for him. B) When Marlow finally meets Kurtz, he describes him as a “gifted creature, and that of all his gifts the one that stood out pre-eminently, that carried with it a sense of real presence, was his ability to talk, his words,” but then he also describes his words as coming from  “the deceitful flow from the heart of an impenetrable darkness” (Conrad 87). C) So, Kurtz in the book is both brilliant and crazy in a kind of evil way.  Kurtz from "Apocalype Now" is very similar. A) He is a white military commander who has disappeared into the jungle, who is worshipped by a group of people who live in the jungle, and who has gone crazy. When we finally see Kurtz at the end of the film, we see him talking about the horrors of war. B) He talks about a “pile of arms” he saw during war (like literally a pile of cut-off arms) and says how brilliant it was. C) I could spend some time interpreting this scene, but I think a Washington Post film reviewer puts it best: “Kurtz is fanatical, charismatic, and brilliant enough that his own mind has somehow turned atrocities into miracles” (Ramsicle). In other words, like the Kurtz in the book, the Kurtz in the movie is totally crazy in an evil way. (note how this sentence neatly wraps up this paragraph.)

             Transitional paragraph: These very apparent similarities in the Kurtz character, the river setting and the way these stories are told might lead someone to think that means the book and movie are mirror images of each other. But they are not. Turns out, the similarities are only superficial. If you really think about it, the much deeper differences become very obvious.

         For example, Heart of Darkness and "Apocalypse Now" are thematically different in a lot of ways. The book is more about greed, and what people will do to make money, but unlike the book, movie is about war. How is the book about greed? A) The whole backdrop to the book is the time of imperialism in Africa (when countries in Africa were taken over by white men representing countries in Europe), and the book is set in the area of the Congo controlled by Belgium. B) According to the New York Times, Belgium forced Africans into slave-like labor, so that Belgium could make money from both trading ivory and growing rubber trees in the Congo, and during that time Belgians committed all kinds of atrocities against Africans, like whipping them and beating them, and over eight million Africans lost their lives (Kakutani). Belgium controlled areas around the Congo from the late 1885 through 1960 (Jameson 3). C) Heart of Darkness was written during then, so “the Company” sailing down the Congo in Heart of Darkness is obviously part of the same Belgium I mentioned a few sentences earlier. It is a white country that did terrible things to innocent African people in order to make money, and “the Company” is part of that. In contrast to this “what white people will do for money” theme is the film. Unlike the book, "Apocalypse Now" is all about how war is horrible. A) Throughout the movie, war is the backdrop, not imperialism. B) It is set in the late 1960s in Vietnam, and the people going down the river are not white people who rule the Vietnam, but soldiers from the American military who are fighting the Vietnam War. The only reason Willard is going down the river is to kill Kurtz (once a military commander) because he has become dangerous, not because he has taken anything worth any money like ivory or rubber, etc. C) Since the whole movie involves a man (Willard) going down a river to kill another man (Kurtz), who has lost his mind and become even more violent because of all the violence he has seen, the movie seems to suggest that war will always come to no good. Willard, too, seems to slowly be losing his mind as he goes to kill Kurtz, so it’s like the movie is saying, no one wins in war.

             My other important point about differences involves how people are depicted. The Heart of Darkness seems very racist, while the movie does not. Heart of Darkness suggests that all Africans are savages or animals and that anyone who spends time with them will also become savage. The movie, however, suggests like I already said in the previous paragraph that war is horrific and that anyone who spends too much time around war might become savage--and most of the people we see waging war in this movie are white Americans. In The Education of a British-Protected Child, the Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe writes that in Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad writes about Africa in a way that makes it seem like a dark, uncivilized place, and that the people there are presented as prehistoric or stupid or not really human, even (67). I agree with his point, since I definitely noticed this while reading it. A) Over and over and over in the novel, Marlow uses very racist ways to describe Africans. B) Like when Marlow sees an African who works as a fireman, he says it’s like “seeing a dog in a parody of breeches and a feather hat, walking on his hind legs” (Conrad 74). Later, Marlowe sees that Kurtz has an African girlfriend. He describes her as “a savage counterpart to [a] refined, European woman” (Conrad 103). C) In both cases, even though we never see any Africans doing anything savage, Marlow sees someone African (there are lots of instances like this in the novel) as being like a savage animal.  However, in “Apocalypse Now,” we don’t see any of the characters talking this way at all about the Vietnamese people. A) We see lots of savage things happen, but the people doing these things are all white American people. B) For example, Willard, who seems totally un-feeling, is an assassin from the beginning and he’s also white and American. Kurtz, who is so savage he has human heads on bamboo poles marking his camp, is white and American. We even see one commander in the middle of a battle who says “I love the smell of napalm in the morning,” which is a famous line in the movie. According to The New York Times, napalm was used in flamethrowers and bombs used in the Vietnam War and it stuck to your skin and caused excruciating burns, extreme pain and death (Browne). Of course, the guy who “loves” the smell of this is a white American guy. C) So you can see, the true savages in the film aren’t Vietnamese—they are white.

             So, after deeper reflection, one can tell how very different the book is from the movie. They deal with very different themes, probably because the book was written a hundred years before the movie was made. The book deals with things that were going on at the time it was written, like imperialism and racism. The Vietnam War was a war that was protested when it was going on, so when the movie came out it reflected a negative attitude towards violence and war and to the people who wage war.