RESEARCH PAPER: heroes and heroines

1. RESEARCH PAPER:heroes and heroines

2. A RESEARCH PAPER: Is the conclusion and final product of an involved process of research, critical thinking, source evaluation, organization, and composition. ( “Informational: Writing Resources.” )

3. Step One:select a topic, choose a fictional character who exemplifies the traits of a hero/heroine.

4. Find out as much as you can about your fictional character, including what he/she did that would appear heroic. • Use one general internet source and as many book sources and electronic database sources as you want. • You should look at a minimum of ten sources. • Make note cards and include source cards for all your information. (Watterson)

5. Getting Started Make a note of each typical characteristic strength or weakness of the hero type. Example – Warrior type is driven by justice. He is tenacious (doesn’t give up easily), principled (has honor, a sense of duty, and integrity) and noble. He also can be self-righteous, relentless and merciless. One source should be the Heroes and Heroines book. There you will find an archetype (types of heroes/heroines) of your hero. To do this, read through each type and determine which one(s) match your hero.

6. Introduction • Your paper will have an introductory paragraph (or two) which includes background on your hero/heroine, maybe some history of your hero, and concludes with a thesis statement which tells the reader what your paper is about. • The thesis statement will include those strong and weak characteristics of the archetype which your hero exemplifies and could contain a combination of two hero types or a hero and heroine type if you want to show their “softer” side.

7. Main Body The Main Body of your paper will include a discussion of these characteristics and how your hero personifies them, using specific examples from the literature….

8. Parenthetical Citations Remember that all information you use from your sources must be cited within your paper as well as in your Works Cited page. The citations in your paper are called parenthetical citations.

9. Conclusion • The final paragraph (or two) will conclude your paper. You will restate your thesis and summarize how your hero personifies the archetype(s). • You may also want to include some insightful thoughts on your hero and his/her persona.

10. Works Cited “California Writing Standard 2.3.” The California Language Arts Content Standards. Sacramento, CA : California Dept. of Education, c2010. n.pg. 23 Oct. 2012. “Informational: Writing Resources.” East Side Union High School District. San Jose, CA : East Side Union District, c 2010. n.pg. 23 Oct. 2012. “Mitt Romney 2012!” Mitt Romney Central. N.P. : Nate Gunderson, 2011., n.pag. 23 Oct. 2012. Watterson, Bill. Calvin & Hobbes. Kansas City, MO : Andrews and McMeal, c1995. p. 212. This is a sample Works Cited page. If I used a note from the Calvin & Hobbes book, I would have this parenthetical note after my note but before the period in the sentence like this (Watterson 212). Note that I have used the author’s last name and because it’s print the page number I found it on. If I used information from the Mitt Romney article, I would cite it like this in my paper (“Mitt Romney 2012!”). Note that I used the article title since there is no formal author and no page number since it was online.

11. To wrap up: Determine your hero/heroine. Research his/her background, feats of daring, characteristics, etc. Remember to make notecards (whether on paper or on the computer) of all the information you find. Include MLA citations for each source you use. Find out what archetype of hero you have from the Heroes & Heroines book. Write a thesis statement detailing the main ways your hero/heroine exemplifies the archetype. Outline how your paper will be constructed. Write your introduction (you may want to start with an attention getter and include background (who is your hero, where does she/he first appear, what are they known for) and thesis statement. Compare/contrast the hero/heroine archetype to your selected hero in the main body of your paper. Conclude with a restatement of your thesis and a summary of your proof that your literary figure is a hero/heroine.