Research Essay (Critics Ideas Only)

Essay #2 will focus on literary critics ideas only (not your personal opinions).

This assignment teaches you how to:

• locate peer-reviewed scholarly articles,
• summarize critics arguments,
• synthesize multiple sources around a shared topic,
• and document everything using correct MLA style.

Length: 7501000 words

Choose one short story from “The Paper Menagerie” by Ken Liu; Then write an essay where you explain what several critics are saying about one specific topic related to that story.

You are not interpreting the story yourself.

You are showing that you can understand and explain published scholarship about the story.

-What to Do

Ask:

• What are critics interested in?
• What idea or symbol do many scholars keep returning to?
• What debate or focus seems to appear across multiple articles?

Some examples of common critical topics:

• symbolism (quilts, setting, mirrors, photographs)
• identity (race, culture, gender, heritage)
• trauma, memory, silence
• narrative structure
• time
• stereotypes & representation
• family conflict
• coming-of-age themes

(Choose whatever topic your articles point you toward. The articles dictate the topic, not you. Think of it like a treasure hunt!)

-Write an Essay Based on Three Critics

For this assignment, you will:

Choose one story

Find three scholarly articles that analyze the same topic

Explain what each critic argues

Show how their ideas connect (similarities or differences in emphasis)

Do NOT add your own interpretation of the story

The research leads the papernot your personal opinion.

=> find thesis and three topic sentences and critics

Essay Organization

Use the following structure to keep your paper clear and focused:

Introduction

• Introduce the topic with a personal connection.
• Transition to the topic in literature and the short story (author + title)
• End with a thesis that:
• names the three critics
• and states the shared topic they all analyze.

Body Paragraphs

Write one paragraph per critic:

• Summarize their argument fairly and accurately.
• What is the critics main claim?
• What evidence or reasoning do they use?
• How does their approach contribute to understanding the shared topic?
• Integrate 2 quotes in each paragraph, but mostly focus on explaining their ideas in your own words (with citations).

Conclusion

• Summarize what the three critics collectively help readers understand.
• Make meaningful personal connection or reflection on why this topic matters.

Requirements Checklist

• Length: 7501000 words
• Use three peer-reviewed scholarly sources
• Use MLA citations (in-text + Works Cited page)
• Summarize/paraphrase/quote accurately and ethically
• Do not give your own interpretation of the storys meaning