Home

For the Research Essay, students will have two options. Choose one.
Choose one of the first two essays to revise and expand with research.
The Research Essay will need to expand on the original essay’s idea. For example, if you wrote about two characteristics of an acceptable man in Beowulf, then the Research Essay should expand to at least three characteristics. 
Write an entirely new essay that answers one of the prompts from the first two essays.
As with the first choice above, your essay needs to expand on the prompt. If you choose a prompt that asks for “two characteristics,” for instance, then your essay will need to expand that to at least three characteristics.
There are a couple of major differences between this essay and the previous essays you have written for this class. First, this essay will require outside research (that is, sources beyond the text your essay is analyzing). You must cite at least four outside sources to support your argument. Those four sources must include one academic style book and two credible websites. The fourth source is up to you, but it must be credible. DO NOT USE encyclopedias, Wikipedia, and study guides.
Since you will be including research, the essay must be four pages, double spaced.
The essay should have an introduction that includes a strong thesis statement, at least three body paragraphs that support the thesis, and a conclusion.
Grading Requirements:
The introduction should be brief (5 sentences). Use it to set up the topic for the reader and expresses the essay’s answer the prompt.
The thesis should either be the first or last sentence in the introduction. And it must answer the prompt’s question with a focused argumentative claim.
Each paragraph (at least 3 body paragraphs with 7-10 sentences each) should lead with topic sentences that express the paragraph’s main idea. The topic sentence’s claim should support the thesis’s argument.
Use direct quotes from the text to support the topic sentence’s claim. Keep direct quotes short (2-3 lines of poetry, no more than 3 lines of prose). Use only what is necessary to prove the paragraph’s claim.
Thoroughly analyze the evidence. Explain how the evidence supports the paragraph’s claim.
The conclusion should be brief (5 sentences), and it should wrap up the essay’s argument.
Formatting Requirements:
Follow MLA or APA guidelines (Google “Purdue OWL MLA or APA” for a refresher if needed)
Double spaced
Times New Roman, size 12
A works cited or reference page is required. Otherwise, the research essay will be considered plagiarized
First two prompts.
#1 
Identify two characteristics that make an “good” or “bad” man in the world of Beowulf. Support your answer with direct quotes and logical reasoning. 
Note: “Good” and “bad” are vague terms (hence why I am using quotation marks). In your essay, use more specific terms for “good” and “bad.” 
Identify two characteristics that make a “good” or “bad” woman in the world of Beowulf. Support your answer with direct quotes and logical reasoning. 
#2 
What are the effects of Macbeth’s tragic mistake?
Ambition is not a tragic mistake because it is a thought or desire. It is not a specific action. Look for a specific action that Macbeth performs that results in the play’s tragic events.
To prove that Macbeth’s mistake is tragic, the essay must focus on the effects of Macbeth’s mistake. Do not focus on what leads to his mistake.
How does Macbeth elicit pity and fear in the audience?
How does Macbeth warn monarchs about the dangers of tyranny?
In what ways can Lady Macbeth be compared to Grendel’s mother?