Do not use ANY outside sources. Use direct quotes ONLY from the short stories.

Do not use ANY outside sources.
Use direct quotes ONLY from the short stories.
Assignment 3: As noted in the Week 3 Lecture, the unreliable narrator is a type of narrator who cannot be trusted to tell us an accurate story, as the tale is filtered through his consciousness and perspective. He is not considered trustworthy, and he often lacks credibility. In Edgar Allan Poe’s three short stories, “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Black Cat,” and “The Cask of Amontillado,” we are provided with three narrators who credibility and reliability is in question—perhaps due to insanity, duplicity, evil, revenge, or some other obscure motive.
Choosing one, two, or all three stories to discuss, write a one to one-and-a-half (1 – 1.5) page paper with a clear thesis, body paragraphs, and conclusion in which you discuss the relationship between the confessions of Poe’s guilty narrators and their claims to sanity and reliability. Use one or two direct quotes from the text, properly formatted and cited, to support your paper.
DRAW SPECIFICALLY FROM THE TEXT FOR YOUR QUOTES. DO NOT REFERENCE OUTSIDE SOURCES.
Per standard composition format:
1. Create your own title for your paper. Capitalize the first letter of the main words in your essay title. Do not title your essay “Edgar Allan Poe” or “Assignment 3.”
2. Indent paragraphs.
3. Spell the author’s name correctly (Edgar Allan Poe).
4. Use the author’s surname (last name) after mentioning his by full name: Poe.
Essay Structure:
1. All writing must be double-spaced (not 2.5), with 12 pt. font (not 14).
2. MLA formatted heading.
3. A title for your essay, centered. Since these are short stories, place quotation marks around their titles: “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Black Cat,” and “The Cask of Amontillado.” DO NOT italicize, underline, or use bold type.
4. Clear opening paragraph with thesis statement and signal phrase (mentioning full name of author and title of text).
5. Clear topic sentences.
6. Quotations (properly introduced and cited). Do not use long quotes. Keep the similarity rating to a maximum of 25%. If it exceeds that, try shortening a few quotes and paraphrasing more.
7. Transitional phrases to move from paragraph to paragraph.
8. Vary your diction (word choice) so that your sentences don’t all begin the same way.
9. Do NOT use ANY dictionary or encyclopedia definitions in your writing–do not write: “The dictionary defines___ as…” or “Webster’s Dictionary defines___ as….”
10. A clear conclusion.
Additional Notes on Grammar:
1. You must proofread for sentence structure (sentence fragments, run-ons, comma splices, subject/verb agreement errors, spelling errors, etc.). I uploaded grammar guides to the Moodle Room, and you can also use NetTutor to help you proofread. Or, you can use The Learning Center for tutoring (in-person, on campus or virtual). In addition, use the ETS rater–it will help, but it does not find all errors. It is your responsibility to upload the strongest paper you can.
2. You must use proper punctuation (periods, commas, quotation marks, semicolons, apostrophes, etc.).
3. You must use proper capitalization of words.
4. Again, you must focus on format AND content.
5. Again, please proofread before uploading your work.
USE STANDARD MLA STYLE (see “MLA Style Sheet for Writing Assignments, Formal, and Documented Research Essays” and “MLA Style Sheet – General Formatting”).
A Note on Plagiarism
DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Plagiarism results in an “F” on the paper, and the paper and it cannot be re-done. A second instance of plagiarism results in automatic failure of the course.
PLEASE NOTE: Simply re-wording summaries or analysis from another source, or changing specific nouns, adjectives, adverbs, etc., constitutes plagiarism—your work must consist of YOUR OWN THOUGHTS AND WRITING—please don’t fail this course because of plagiarism. Make sure that you use quotation marks and that you give proper credit to the source if you are paraphrasing.
When you have completed the essay, save a copy in an easily accessible place and upload a copy (Word document or PDF ONLY–do not use Google Docs or Google Drive) through Moodle.