Daily Archives: March 30, 2023

For my research essay I will be using “Araby” by James Joyce. “The use of symbolism and imagery are used to communicate a message about the limitations of romantic idealism and the harsh realities of adulthood.” I have found a few literary articles that can support my thesis. But settled on one that compares a rewrite of my primary source from a different point of view. I used the Gale Literature Resource Center database and I was able to find few articles on “Araby” and other perspectives of it.

For my research essay I will be using “Salvation” by Langston Hughes. “This story also deals with the influence of identity, authenticity, and social forces on individual choices. Provides a powerful and moving critique of how religion shapes personal identity and community expectations. I have found an informational article to support my thesis. I used the JSTOR database to Search related materials.

1. Identify the author and the literary work you are focusing on for your research essay. 2. Please share the actual word-for-word thesis statement of your research essay in your post. 3. Explain what specific kind of secondary source information you feel will support your thesis. 4. Identify the BMCC databases you have explored to date and what the results have been.   My research essay will be focused on Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson”, with my thesis sentence being the following: “First impressions are always skin deep”. In all honesty, I haven’t explored many of the BMCC databases. There is so many sources and information, it can be a tad overwhelming. I have dipped into JSTOR and found this source fairly easy to navigate and find specific information without providing many specific details. It provides me the opportunity to be exposed to works that I weren’t looking for or even thought of. I believe reading excerpts from or books that interpret this piece, or writing that is a criticism of literature would be supportive in my research. Reviewing others point of view(s) may bring a fresh take on my research, allowing me to go deeper in gathering supportive information of my thesis.  

The literary work I am focusing on for my research essay is “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” by Gabriel García Márquez. My thesis statement is “Women are typically characterized as more empathetic and nurturing, and men typically as more stoic, such as in ‘The Handsomest Drowned Man.’” I think the type of secondary source that will best support my thesis is an article on gender stereotypes. So far, I have found an article called “Content Analysis and Gender Stereotypes in Children’s Books” on the JSTOR database which seems perfect for my essay.