Need Help Writing a Paper?

Have Paper Masters custom write your project today!

  • 24/7 Customer Support
  • Free Plagiarism Check
  • Writing at Your Level
  • Writers All Have Advanced Degrees
  • Will Follow Specific Instructions
Need Help Writing a Paper?
Yes! Write My Paper!

Short Story of Shiloh

placeholder - Image coming soon

Research papers on the short story of Shiloh, by Bobbie Ann Mason, can be written from several points of view or focus on a character, theme or element of the story. However you need your research written, the writers at Paper Masters that specialize in literature can assist you with writing on this classic American short story by Bobbie Ann Mason.

Set in Kentucky and Shiloh, Tennessee, the site of a decisive but also bloody battle during the American Civil War, Bobbie Ann Mason's short story of the same name explores another particularly intense form of civil conflict: the breakdown of a marriage. The setting of Shiloh is important in this story since, like the Civil War, the marriage between Norma Jean and Leroy has reached this critical point due to a number of issues that have been left to fester below the surface of their relationship. The loss of their child, Randy, who "died at the age of four months and three days", for instance, has never been discussed, and remains an unspoken barrier between them. Similarly, a "highway accident four months" (44) earlier has left Leroy, a truck driver, unable to drive and unable to find a comfortable place in a world that he is realizing is far different than one that he thinks he knows. And finally for Norma Jean, a woman named after the ill-fated movie star Marilyn Monroe, life has become about change and growth, which might, in the end, take her away from Leroy and from the complacency that has come to define their life together. In the end, the trip to Shiloh is not so much about a civil war between two people as it is about an attempt to capture a memory from the past and to rekindle a union that has been pulled apart through neglect.

A good Short Story of Shiloh Research Paper has the following characteristics:

  • Perceptive argument that goes beyond the obvious
  • Argument that does not ignore evidence from the literary work
  • Specific incidents, narration, or dialogue from the literary work itself that support assertions
  • Analysis, not paraphrase
  • Sentences that are logically connected
  • Clear thesis
  • Thesis that avoids the three-part format and resulting five-paragraph essay
  • Source material that is skillfully integrated into sentences
  • Graceful introduction and conclusion

Organization for Short Story of Shiloh Research Paper:

  • Unified, developed paragraphs all relating to the thesis and having their own Short Story of Shiloh sentences
  • Thesis clearly identifiable in the first paragraph
  • Logical pattern of body paragraphs

First Paper: On Fiction

Short Story of Shiloh: Write on any one of the short stories from the piece of fiction. You have two possible approaches to this paper; choose the one that appeals to you:

  1. Discuss how any one of the following contribute to the work's theme: point of view, character, setting, tone and style, or symbolism. In other words, you will adopt a formalist stance.
  2. Discuss an element of the work that appeals to you but is not necessarily literary. For example, in "Everyday Use," you may be interested in the African American culture that is represented. If you were writing about Their Eyes Were Watching God, you might write about Hurston's feminism.
  3. I recommend the second approach for most students; it allows you to choose a Short Story of Shiloh that fits in with your other interests in history, culture, or psychology.

Content of a Research Paper on Shiloh Should Have the Following Elements:

  • If you summarize at all, restrict the summary to a paragraph right after your introduction, before the analysis begins, and, in your own words, tell what happens in the work. Stick to facts; don't interpret at this point. Remember to use the present tense when referring to events in a literary work.
  • In the body of the paper, explicate your thesis. "Explication" means to interpret or explain; you will be interpreting or explaining one aspect of the work. Remember, your purpose is to increase your reader's enjoyment and his/her understanding of how the novel or short story works. Offer some analysis, or explication, of the work as it relates to your thesis.
  • Follow this prewriting process: First, read the work several times, making marginal notes. Do you have any questions about the plot or other elements? Are there passages you don't understand or some that seem irrelevant? Your questions and uncertainties can lead you to good Short Story of Shilohs for explication since it's likely that your questions reflect difficulties or ambiguities within the work. Generally, the narrower (smaller, more specific) your Short Story of Shiloh, the better your explication. Be sure that you back up all your assertions with proof and examples from the work. Also, use your research to back up your points.

Related Research Paper Topic Suggestions

Ahdaf Soueifs 1964 - In her short story "1964," novelist and political commentator Ahdaf Soueif recounts the journey of Aisha, an Egyptian teen, during her relocation from Egypt to London.

A Problem By Anton Chekhov - A Problem by Anton Chekhov essays summarize the short story by Russian author Anton Chekhov.

Araby James Joyce - Research papers on Araby by James Joyce discuss the world literature work by James Joyce telling the story of North Richmond Street boys, whose imaginative play belies their drab surroundings.

Barn Burning - Barn Burning book reports delve into a short story by William Faulkner which reflects the social conditions of the U.S. during the depression.

Barn Burning Summary - A summary on Barn Burning goes into one of William Faulkner's works about a fictional town in Jefferson Mississippi.

Blue Hotel - Blue Hotel research papers examine one of Stephan Crane's most disturbing short stories.

Cathedral - Cathedral research papers examine Raymond Carver's short story about a blind man helping another man see.

Herman Melville Bartleby The Scrivener - Herman Melville Bartleby the Scrivener research papers look into the various meanings found in the short story written by Herman Melville.

John Gardner - Research papers on John Gardner discuss the American author most known for his novels and short stories.

Junot Diaz - Junot Diaz Research Papers delve into a collection of short strories that provide a look into the culture of Dominicans in New York City.

Nobody ever dies - Nobody Ever Dies research papers examine the short story by Ernest Hemingway.

Short Stories - Short Stories essays discuss the form of literature that generally encapsulates a single episode or self-contained incident with a smaller cast of characters.

Snows of Kilimanjaro - The Snows of Kilimanjaro essays are custom written on Hemingway's short story. Study the interior monoluge or the characters within the novel to understand one of Hemingway's most well-known stories.

Soy La Avon Lady and Other Short Stories - Soy LA Avon Lady and Other Short Stories Research Papers discuss short stories that deal with race, gender, and sexuality issues.

The Bet By Anton Chekhov - The Bet by Anton Chekhov essays examine a short story written by Russian author Anton Chekhov in 1889.

The Blue Hotel Summary - A summary on The Blue Hotel discuss the short story by Stephen Crane about a young man who gets in trouble during a stay at the Palace Hotel.

The Cask of Amontillado - The Cask of Amontillado research papers analyze Edgar Allen Poe's short story about revenge. Paper Masters is a research paper service like none other.

Tolstoy Short Stories - Essays on Tolstoy's short stories discuss the author examines the human condition in his short stories and major works.

Under African Skies - Under African Skies Research Papers go into a collection of African short stories with a variety of different themes.

Valley of Dead Air - The Valley of Dead Air Research Papers discuss the short story by Gary Pak about a native Hawaiian man dies, and a smell that lingers over the valley.


Paper Masters

  • Custom Written Papers
  • 100% Plagiarism Free
  • 24/7 Customer Service
  • Guaranteed Confidentiality
  • Text us for a Quote Today!
    1-570-301-7456

This is a topic on
Short Story of Shiloh Research Papers

Short Story of Shiloh Research Papers look at an example of topics that one can write on when doing research on Shiloh by Bobbie Ann Mason.

Choosing a Topic:

Can't decide on a topic? Need ideas or inspiration for research in your field of study? Paper Masters provides topic suggestions to make your decision easier.

Paper Masters Site Search