this is a suggested outline for your research paper. This is not “THE WAY!” This is one way to organize your ideas in your

research paper. Remember, the idea is to educate (via a line of reasoning) the reader about your word AND concept in

Nineteen Eighty-four and/or Brave New World. Your research paper will be 3000-3500 words in length.
Begin with a prologue (3-5 sentences) explaining with ORIGINAL commentary why you chose this particular word (of the

thousands of words you could have chosen), and the most important research question you tried to answer about this word or

concept in this particular novel. Your prologue should be written in ITALICS.
1. Give COMPELLING BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR WORD. Explain the history of the word (or concept). Educate your reader

about the meaning of the word, its origins and changes in its meanings since it came into use. Think of this intro as an

opportunity to tell the reader, “You may think you know this word, but let me tell you, there’s a whole lot you don’t know

about this word!” (Do not use these exact words, but interest the reader in this way. Get to the point right away!)
2. DESCRIBE: Focus on a specific person, place, thing, situation or relationship relevant to your word or concept. Here are

some options for you…
a. Describe every aspect of a place alluded to in your essay.
b. Describe every aspect (physical appearance, thought processes, emotions, spiritual life or beliefs, social life,

relationships) of a person mentioned in your essay. This description may be about the main character or another character,

but IT MUST BE ABOUT A CHARACTER RELEVANT TO THE DISCUSSION OF YOUR WORD.
c. Describe every aspect of the relationship one character has with another character.
d. Identify one of the most important moments in the entire story. Explore every aspect of this moment (thoughts, emotions,

physical feelings, changes in characters)
3. Develop a SERIOUS Analogy, Simile or Metaphor: “If [your word] was a ___________________ it would be a

__________________.” Continue the comparison for 3-5 sentences. Refer back to the literature throughout your comparison.

Finish the following: “In this essay I will attempt to prove

that…__________________________________________________________________________,
“And I will prove it by

discussing/showing/examining/exploring/comparing/contrasting…_______________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________.
“What I’m going to prove matters because… _____________________________________________________________________________.
4. Discuss/show/examine/explore/compare/contrast a scene/situation/person/relationship/moment and the meaning(s) of the

word. You should, of course, quote the primary source in your discussion of your scene. You should also quote from your

secondary source(s) in your discussion.
5. Educate the reader further about your word using secondary sources.
6. Address potential counter-arguments. That is, discuss what an intelligent person who disagrees with you might say about

your argument.
7. Ultimately/finally/as a result of all my research, What I learned about this word or concept is …
8. “All this matters because… [Do NOT say exactly what you said previously. You should have a more developed explanation

as a result of your research.]
9. “As a result of conducting research and discussing this word in this essay, I now believe… [Your completion of this

statement is actually your thesis! That’s right, you’ve arrived at your thesis! ]

Remember a few things:
Be clear, sincere and original.
Only use present tense verbs when discussing the literature. DISTINGUISH BETWEEN the historical past and the literary

present, and use appropriate verbs, please.
You may use personal pronouns only in your prologue, your tentative thesis near the beginning of your paper, and in the

thesis you articulate at the end of your paper.
You are writing a paper for English class, not a paper for your social studies class, so most of your evidence will probably

come from your primary sources.
Do NOT use informal language, unless it’s for a specific reason.
Do NOT use cliches.
No misspelled words.
USE ACTIVE VERBS.
Avoid using “to be” verbs whenever possible. That means you should not have more than one “to be” verb per page.
Read your paper aloud before you submit it and print it out.
Make certain all your parenthetical references are in proper MLA format.
Make certain your works cited page is in proper MLA format. Make certain each source on your works cited page is in proper

MLA format.