English 102 (Writing About Literature) Research Guide: Keyes Essay 2

• Write a 4-5 full page, third-person essay
• Minimum of 3 reliable sources
  • You will be looking for 2 types of sources
    • Literature criticism about the poem and
    • Social issue sources on the topic
• Focus on something specific

• Find links to databases and ebooks for poetry
• Search poetry resources that might analyze your poem
• Search Literature Resource Center, a large literature database. 
  • Use the Advanced Search
  • In the first window, search for your poem by Name of Work using the drop down menu
  • In the 2nd window, search Person by or About using the poet's last name
• Find books in the Catalog:
  • To find books that might discuss your poem, search by subject for the name of the poet and add the word "criticism" to the search.  Your poem may or may not be discussed in the books that you identify.
  • Example search:  Robert Frost criticism
• Search the Gale Virtual Reference Library
• Links to articles from Poetry for Students are provided in the boxes on this page

• Analyze the poem "Punishment" (Seamus Heaney) stanza by stanza
• Write a short essay on a specific topic relating to adultery laws
• Use sources to help you understand and interpret the poem & reference them
  • Research adultery laws and punishments in various places

Suggested searches/sources:

• Search adultery as a subject in the catalog to find whole books
  • Try adding the word religion to the search
• Search adultery as a subject in Academic Search Premier to find articles
  • Also try History Reference Center
  • In ASP and HRC, add other concepts in the 2nd search window such as:
    • history, names of countries, Judaism, medieval, Muslim/Islam, religion, law/legislation, etc.
• Search adultery in the Gale Virtual Reference Library

Seamus Heaney

• We have whole books about Heaney in the catalog--search him as a subject
• Searching "Punishment" as a Work in Literature Resource Center does not bring up any articles with Heaney as the poet
• Use the Advanced Search
  • In the first window select Name of Work from the drop-down menu and type Punishment
  • In the 2nd window select Person By or About and type Heaney
• There are 11 articles

• Research the Fair Trade Act as it relates to slave labor of children, sweatshops, and exploited conditions
• Write an essay in which you analyze the poem "Out, Out--" (Robert Frost)
• Use your interpretation to write a short essay on an aspect of slave labor of children in the manufacturing of products
• Use sources to help you understand and interpret the poem & reference them

Suggested searches/sources:

• Search Fair Trade Act and children
• Subject headings:  fair trade goods, unfair competition, free trade, trade regulation, child labor, child labor laws, children's rights, labor laws & legislation, exploitation of humans, children, child welfare, forced labor, employment of youth, employee rights, sweatshops, anti-sweatshop movement, factories,
  • Subheadings: government policy, law & legislation
• Suggested sources:  Academic Search Premier, Gale Virtual Reference Library
• Try fair trade and children in the catalog or just fair trade

Robert Frost

• Search for articles about the poem and poet in Literature Resource Center under Poetry Resources tab above
• Search for whole books about Frost in the catalog where the poem may be mentioned--add the word criticism to the search

• Analyze the poem "Mending Wall" (Robert Frost)
• Use that interpretation to write an essay on an aspect of the wall at America's southern border
• Use sources to help you understand and interpret the poem & reference them

"In 2006, Congress acknowledged the need (to secure our borders) when it approved the Secure Fence Act. The legislation called for secure double-layered fencing along 700 miles of the border, augmented by manpower and technology to maintain overall control."

Suggested searches/sources:

• Subject headings:  border security, border barriers, border crossing, international relations, wall (or fence) design & construction, fences & the environment, emigration & immigration, immigrants, boundaries, undocumented immigrants, illegal aliens national security, government policy, Mexicans, Mexican-American border region
  • Subheadings:  law & legislation
• Search Secure Fence Act as a phrase (its not a subject heading)
• Suggested sources:  Academic Search Premier, Military & Government Collection, Gale Virtual Reference Library
• In the catalog, just search border as a subject to pick up all headings containing that word
  • Add some of the other concepts suggested above

Robert Frost

• Search for articles about the poem and poet in Literature Resource Center under Poetry Resources tab above
• Search for whole books about Frost in the catalog where the poem may be mentioned--add the word criticism to the search

• Research divorce and death of a child
• Research help for maintaining a marriage after the loss of a child
• Write an essay analyzing the poem "Home Burial" (Robert Frost)
• Using what "experts" say, point out what the couple did that was "health/unhealthy" or "productive/counterproductive"
• Use sources to help you understand and interpret the poem and reference them

Suggested searches/sources:

• Subject headings:  child death, child mortality, children & death, children, parents, families, parental grief, grief, bereavement, marriage, marital relations, marital satisfaction, divorce, adjustment, empathy
• Suggested sources:  psychology databases, Academic Search Premier
  • Complex Advanced Search:  child* AND (death or mortality) AND (parents or families or marriage or marital)--search all terms as subjects using the drop-down menu
  • Add one more term in the 4th window:  grief, divorce, empathy
• Try any of these subject searches in the catalog:  child death, child mortality, children & death

Robert Frost

• Search for articles about the poem and poet in Literature Resource Center under Poetry Resources tab above
• Search for whole books about Frost in the catalog where the poem may be mentioned--add the word criticism to the search