ENGLISH: Macbeth

The Tragedy of Macbeth & the Literary Research Paper

"As individuals and as members of humanity, we strive to construct meaning to and gain a purpose from our lives. Literature is a lens through which we might gain insight into this struggle. The artist who create these works of art are also – through their recording of observations or experiences – helping us to construct meaning. It is our duty to question duty to question what inspired the artist to create the piece. Furthermore, we the audience must consider what message the artist wants us to take away from their work."

"Like close reading, research helps us understand what the author wants to get across to the readers. Unlike close reading, though, research can give us insight into events or experiences that may have influenced the author; it can also allow us to compare our own analyses to other readers’ interpretations of the text. Ultimately, research deepens our understanding of a text we’ve already interpreted, and therefore, helps us better see what the artist means."

British Literature, Mrs. Azan 

"What calls you?  What do you want to know?  Let the topic you research choose you.  Doing this ensures your writing is lively, eloquent, and original, but not bookish.  Your goal is to be expressive and genuine.  Writing about literature, and a literary research paper is an intensely personal communication about a work of fiction informed by something viable and substantial outside it.  Once you have a baseline mastery of a text, you can discover other paths of relevance, often historical, social, political, spiritual, or biographical.  You may want to probe philosophical or psychological research, informed by the likes of Sigmund Freud or Carl Jung.  Don't hesitate to consult other literary critics as the springboard for further discovery.  You don't yet know what you don't know, so exploration is the first step.  Wander through bookshelves and the virtual halls of resources.  Devise a research question.  Use this LibGuide to help stimulate your imagination and to compile a fine bibliography as your launching pad.  You are the explorer."    English Teacher Ms. Stojsic