L354 Guidelines for the Short Papers The short papers should make an interpretive argument about a single text that we have studied this semester. They should be from 1200-1500 words in length, double-spaced, and conform to MLA style. The papers must have a clearly articulated thesis statement , which is supported by a close reading of the text, including relevant quotations. Thesis statements must advance a particular interpretation of the text and not simply restate obvious features. For instance, “Yezierska’s novel Bread Givers tells the story of a woman who rises in the world by gaining an education” would NOT be an acceptable thesis because it merely summarizes an aspect of the plot. A good thesis provides room for argument, so that other readers might disagree with your interpretation. For instance, someone could disagree with this thesis: “Although early in Yezierska’s novel Bread Givers , Sara seems to reject her Jewish heritage in favor of assimilation to Americ