Assignment: Read the book "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison and Write a 6-7 page analytic research essay in which you research and analyze one theme or aspect of Toni Morrison’s novel The Bluest Eye. Steps to Follow to Prepare and Write Your Paper Step 1: In one or two sentences, identify what you think is the most important theme in The Bluest Eye. Or you might notice a key symbol or detail that runs like a thread through the novel. For example, how does Morrison portray God in the novel? Or race relations. Or family dynamics throughout the story. As you do your research, you will certainly find specific and detailed ideas that you could pursue in a paper. It is this important theme or main idea that leads into your thesis statement. Step 2: Spend some time thinking about how to support your thesis statement. In this case, you think about how Morrison uses the various elements of fiction to highlight or explain your theme, idea, detail, symbol, etc. Identify specific passages, events, character actions, conflicts, descriptions, and details, etc. that support your thesis. This is the textual evidence that you will provide in support of your thesis. Step 3: After you prepare your annotated bibliography, read through the five sources, the so-called "secondary" works on the novel that you found. Add two or three more with further study as needed. (These are books, journal articles, interviews, websites on Morrison, audio-visual materials, etc.) Identify passages you can quote, paraphrase, or summarize and use as supporting evidence for the thesis of your essay. These expert sources will support your own voice as you construct your argument. Step 4: Use the evidence from the text that you have identified, as well as the additional researched materials you have compiled, to compose a focused, well-organized, academic essay of 5-7 pages, double-spaced. Remember, as stated above, the essay must have an introduction that contains your thesis statement, a body of evidence that supports your thesis, and a conclusion that sums up your main points and restates your position. A basic outline might look like this: I.  Introduction – Begin with a quote related to your thesis, then create a transition into your thesis                 statement. Your thesis lets your reader know your main idea. Everything else in the essay then                 supports your main idea with examples and evidence. II.  First Example from the Novel to Support the Thesis    a. Quote from novel and discussion.    b. Support from critic or secondary source III. Second Example from the Novel to Support the ThesiS    a. Quote from novel and discussion.    b. Support from critic or secondary source IV.  Third Example from the Novel to Support the Thesis    a.  Quote from novel and discussion.    b.  Support from critic or secondary source. V.  Conclusion  - Summarize your THREE main points. Show how they support thesis in                                         introduction.  ...

1. Assignment:
Read the book "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison and Write a
6-7 page analytic research essay
in which you research and analyze one theme or aspect of
Toni Morrison’s novel The Bluest Eye.
Steps to Follow to Prepare and Write Your Paper
Step 1:
In one or two sentences, identify what you think is the most
important theme in The Bluest Eye. Or you might notice a key
symbol or detail that runs like a thread through the novel. For
example, how does Morrison portray God in the novel? Or race
relations. Or family dynamics throughout the story. As you do
your research, you will certainly find specific and detailed ideas
that you could pursue in a paper. It is this important theme or
main idea that leads into your thesis statement.
Step 2:
Spend some time thinking about how to support your thesis
statement. In this case, you think about how Morrison uses the
various elements of fiction to highlight or explain your theme,
idea, detail, symbol, etc. Identify specific passages, events,
character actions, conflicts, descriptions, and details, etc. that
support your thesis. This is the textual evidence that you will
provide in support of your thesis.
Step 3:
After you prepare your annotated bibliography, read through the
five sources, the so-called "secondary" works on the novel that
you found. Add two or three more with further study as needed.
(These are books, journal articles, interviews, websites on
Morrison, audio-visual materials, etc.) Identify passages you
can quote, paraphrase, or summarize and use as supporting
evidence for the thesis of your essay. These expert sources will
support your own voice as you construct your argument.
Step 4:
Use the evidence from the text that you have identified, as well

2. as the additional researched materials you have compiled, to
compose a focused, well-organized, academic essay of 5-7
pages, double-spaced. Remember, as stated above, the essay
must have an introduction that contains your thesis statement, a
body of evidence that supports your thesis, and a conclusion
that sums up your main points and restates your position.
A basic outline might look like this:
I.
Introduction – Begin with a quote related to your thesis, then
create a transition into your thesis statement. Your
thesis lets your reader know your main idea. Everything else in
the essay then supports your main idea with examples
and evidence.
II.
First Example from the Novel to Support the Thesis
a. Quote from novel and discussion.
b. Support from critic or secondary source
III.
Second Example from the Novel to Support the ThesiS
a.
Quote from novel and discussion.
b.
Support from critic or secondary source
IV.
Third Example from the Novel to Support the Thesis
a. Quote from novel and discussion.
b. Support from critic or secondary source.
V.
Conclusion - Summarize your THREE main points. Show how
they support thesis in introduction.
Clinch it with closing remark or quote.
Use and Citation of Sources

3. The primary source you will need to use for this essay is the
novel. You must reference the specific page numbers to which
you are referring whenever you quote, summarize, or paraphrase
passages from Morrison's text. This needs to be done in correct
APA style.
In addition, you will need to use 5 to 8 additional, secondary
sources. You will need to research and include "varied" sources.
That is, you will want to use a mix of books, articles,
interviews, websites, audio-visual materials, and the like. Make
sure to cite these sources correctly, both in the body of your
paper and on your APA style reference page.
***Remember
Your analytic research essay is an analysis of a text that will
prove a certain interpretation. It is not a plot summary. Do not
simply retell the story. Identify significant elements (character,
setting, language, imagery etc.) and explain how and why they
support your thesis. Use the voices of other experts on the text
that you have located in your research to support your own
critical-analytical voice.
There are very few wrong interpretations of a text, but there are
unsupported arguments. Your opinion will not be judged one
way or another. What will be evaluated is how well you support
your thesis with evidence from the text and from research you
have conducted.
I have attached a SparkNotes: to the reading "The Bluest Eye"
for easier view and reading to help write the paper. Link:
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/bluesteye/summary.html