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Word count: The minimum word count (1500) is required. Don’t count the text in the header or works cited. Also, don’t count direct quotes over three lines. Exceeding the maximum (2000) won’t be penalized. However, if your word count is excessive, consider asking teammates for ways to eliminate unnecessary text. [RETURN]
1. Topic: A unique perspective on a historical event. This will be a historical essay. You need to find a person to interview. Select an interviewee (subject) who can provide firsthand (primary) observations and experiences about an event that is historically interesting to you. The emphasis is on the interviewee and his/her personal recollections — NOT on the objective facts of the event that are in books, articles, film, etc. Thus, you’ll be presenting the unique perspective of the subject, her observations and experiences. You’ll be telling her story, sharing her perspective of the event. You will be adding information from library sources, but that should not be the main emphasis; in proportion, the library information should be no more than 5%-10% of the entire paper.
Must include: Quotes from published sources: a minimum of three sources is required. Your primary interview subject counts as one. The other sources must come from two of the following: a book, a newspaper article, or a journal or magazine article. This means that your works cited section should list a minimum of three references — the person you interviewed plus two published sources. Include the person you interviewed in the works cited as a personal interview: Smith, John. Personal interview. 8 Apr. 2019. For an idea of how a student applied the MLA style for quotes, parenthetical references, and works cited in his paper, see the essays written by Kenji Mori. The papers were for English 215, but the MLA style is exactly what you’ll be using in your paper. See the readings for detailed instructions on MLA documentation.
Include a works-cited list. Include the person you interviewed: Smith, John. Personal interview. 8 Apr. 2019.
2. Organization: The paper should be between 1500-2000 words in length. A Works Cited section is also required. The paper should be divided into two distinct parts: an interview section (2/3 of paper) and a discussion section (1/3) about what you learned from the interview. To help you organize the parts, use the following subheads:
Introduction
Interview (your subject’s observations and experiences)
Discussion (what you learned from this interview)
Conclusion
Works Cited
INTRODUCTION: This part should be brief — a few sentences introducing your interviewee, focus, and discussion idea. Normally, the discussion idea will also be your thesis.
INTERVIEW SECTION: This is the heart of your paper. Approximately 2/3 of the entire paper should be devoted to this section. Present the information in a narrative format. Don’t use the question-and-answer transcription format. In the beginning, describe the setting for the interview and describe the interviewee in detail. If relevant, include details on how the subject was selected. Use a combination of quotes, summaries, and paraphrases to tell the interviewee’s story. You have the option to interview more than one person.
DISCUSSION SECTION: This is where you present your own thoughts in a personal essay format. It should be approximately 1/3 of the paper. Here are a few guide questions: What is the significance or importance of this interview and topic to you? What have you learned? What can the reader learn? What does all this information add up to? (Be sure to focus on only ONE of these questions; don’t respond to all of them.)
If you interviewed your grandmother about her recollections of life in a WWII relocation camp, you could write about how her experience has affected your life. Explain how it’s made you much more aware of civil rights and the role of racism in today’s world. Point to specific activities in your life and in the world around you that demonstrate this heightened awareness. Share your philosophy or views on race relations in Hawaii, the US, and the world.
Students have often used the discussion section to launch their own perspectives. For example, a student who wrote about the hard life that her grandmother experienced in the years before WWII devoted her discussion to the need for parents today to not spoil their children. The writer’s main point was that hardship builds character, drive, work ethic.
Another student wrote about his parents’ teen life in the ’60s, focusing on how they “cruised” in their cars. In the discussion, he compared their experience to his: he described cruising today in vivid detail.
A third student wrote about her father’s experiences in the Vietnam War. In the discussion, she revealed a deeper understanding of her father and why he was often short-tempered. She had always thought that he was just mean. However, through the interview, she became aware that his combat experiences have affected him emotionally.
TIP: Use your own experiences, observations, and opinions to develop this part of your paper. Consider adding topical references (events covered in the news) and comments from your classmates or friends in this section. This is where you demonstrate your ability to not only report information but to also process it, to weigh it, to consider its implications, its significance. This is where you personally connect with the subject or topic, to offer insights. This is the section that will generate and develop your thesis.
CONCLUSION: Keep it short. Restate your thesis. [RETURN]
3. Emphasis: See personal interview, narrative, and descriptive techniques. [RETURN]
4. Secondary emphasis is quoting and MLA. Include a works-cited list. Include the person you interviewed: Smith, John. Personal interview. 8 Apr. 2019. [RETURN]
Topic: Martial Law
Interviewee: Father, 17 Oct 1967
Interview quotes:
“We didn’t have freedom of speech, the government had to decide for us.”
“You can get detained if you go against government officials.”
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