“In a Cavern, In a Canyon” by Laird Barron

Lecture:

In a Cavern, in a Canyon

Instructions:
You will be required to write a research-based paper that proves your interpretation of a short story. For this paper, you need to analyze “In a Cavern, In a Canyon” by Laird Barron. When developing your thesis statement, you need to explain the message of the story and provide outside evidence that proves the message and its themes. In other words, please show the real-world examples and evidence that reinforce the message in the story. To help you craft your thesis statement, you can consider the following questions.
“In a Cavern, In a Canyon”: how does the story tackle themes such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and surviving trauma? How can you explain the symbolic significance of the “help me” creature? For example, can you argue that this monster is a symbol about the dangers of the need for psychological closure? How is Hortense an example of a parentified child, and how does Hortense as an example of parentification help us understand the story’s message? Is the monster a metaphor symbol for how humans deal with existential threats? For example, how do natural disasters affect humans, both psychologically and physically? How do survivors (perhaps Uncle Ned) overcome trauma? How does the symbol and the characters embody the philosophy of nihilism? How do we endure if we are just insignificant beings against the backdrop of the cosmos?
In order to prove your thesis statement, you must analyze the symbols and psychological makeup of the characters in “In a Cavern, In a Canyon.” In addition, you should quote from the beginning, middle, and end of the story as you analyze the symbols and characters. Furthermore, evidence taken from outside sources needs to reinforce and support your literary analysis of the symbols and characters.
Your research paper should be similar to the model paper analyzing Ray Bradbury’s “The Veldt” and its correlations to and predictions about today’s society.
Outside Sources:
Like the essay on the second act of A Doll’s House, you will be writing an academic essay with an introduction, body, and conclusion, and you will need to incorporate several outside sources (research articles from peer-reviewed journals, magazine articles, websites, etc.) into your paper. This means that you need to quote or paraphrase certain passages from your sources and write them into your body paragraphs. Your sources will be your evidence that will defend your argument (thesis statement). As with any paper using outside sources, you will have to cite every source using the MLA (Modern Language Association) format, the 8th or 9th edition in particular.
Please be aware that your primary concern in this paper is the analysis of the story. The evidence from outside sources serves a secondary role in supporting your analysis of the story.
In the case of the research paper, you will be required to cite from at least five to six outside sources. In addition, your sources need to be . Though you can use Google and Google Scholar, you should also find sources from the online databases from the Pierce Library website. At least two outside sources must be studies published in a peer-reviewed journal. In particular, you should quote from the conclusions of such studies. Additionally, any outside source that does not come from the Pierce library database, needs to be credible. Therefore, you should only trust websites ending in .gov, .edu, or .org. However, make sure that your .org websites are legitimate. Furthermore, your outside sources must be no older than eight years old. The more recent your outside source is, the stronger your paper will be. You will also be required to make citations when you quote or paraphrase any outside source in your paragraphs as well as attach a “Works Cited” page at the end of your paper. I will need to match your in-text citations in the paragraphs of your paper to the sources listed in your “Works Cited” page. If I am struggling to match these matches or cannot find your sources, I will have to deduct as least 5 points from whatever grade your paper would have initially earned if you had proper citation.
When it comes to in-text citation, I prefer direct quotes because there is no confusion between what is an outside quote and what is your own writing. Paraphrasing is acceptable, but I strongly dislike summarizing outside sources; the delineation between what are outside sources and what are your own words is too hazy and confusing when it comes to summarizing. The rule of thumb regarding in-text citation is use citation when in doubt. In fact, you should cite any information, quotes, and paraphrases taken from outside sources. If you have any questions about MLA citation format, 8th edition, you can always check the rules at the library, which has the latest books on MLA formatting. I will always try to help you if you have any questions regarding MLA citation, but the library has information about all kinds of formatting and citation rules.
I encourage you to research and incorporate various types of evidence and information, and because I may not be familiar with the latest trends in scientific advances, for instance, you will have to explain these things to me before you apply them to your literary analysis of “In a Cavern, In a Canyon.” Therefore, you need to find credible sources that best explain these trends. You should also look for and incorporate more traditional types of evidence, for instance, studies published in peer-review journals. Expert testimony and numerical data such as statistics might also be helpful in your research paper as long as you can apply and contextualize them to your literary analysis to prove your thesis.
BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
The essay must be typed and double-spaced, and the font should be no larger than a 12-point font. Please follow all MLA (8th or 9th edition) formatting rules.
The essay must be at least seven full pages plus one “Works Cited” page. This length requirement will be strictly enforced. If you turn in something less than seven full pages (not including the “Works Cited” page), at least 5 points will be deducted from your grade.
You must use at least five to six outside sources for your paper, and they need to be electronic sources. If your sources from the Pierce library databases, then I will not question the credibility of your sources. However, any online source directly taken from the internet will be closely examined, and they must be credible. Please follow MLA citation rules (8th or 9th edition). This includes both in-text citation and “Works Cited” page.

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