I have chosen for Academic Writing Course research paper a topic of a historical event, more exactly - a speech [The Girl who Silenced the U.N]. I am going to write and explain 3 reasons (aspects) of her success. Is it appropriate one and how can this topic be developed?
This is my first time writing a research paper, so it is becoming a torture - choosing a topic. So, now, I need a help. The paper should be 1000 words long and needs to suit MLA standards. Waiting for your comments.
I don't think we can say for sure whether the essay topic is appropriate for your course unless you tell us the guidelines for the assignment. However, I suspect the topic will work well. Many college professors devote their entire career to analyzing speeches, so I'm sure you'll be able to make interesting observations about the speech you reference.
As you decide how to develop the topic, consider looking at the speaker's goals, the barriers she must overcome to achieve those goals, and the strategies she uses to overcome those barriers, make her point compelling, and motivate action. You might also ask yourself how she uses her status as a child to give her message extra force; why she makes her points through stories rather than relying on statistics; why she acknowledges that she comes from a land of wealth and privilege, then criticizes it; why she points out the contrast between what adults teach and how they act; and why she repeats "I'm only a child, but..." You probably won't be able to answer all of these questions in only 1,000 words-and there are many others you could ask-but if you answer some of them, you should be able to make a compelling argument that helps explain the speech's effectiveness.
As you work on the research paper, I would encourage you to break the assignment into smaller tasks. For example, you could divide it into the following steps:
1. Find sources relevant to your topic.
2. Write a works cited page for those sources.
3. Take notes on those sources.
4. Outline what you want to say, noting which source your support comes from and what page it is on in that source.
5. Draft the essay.
6. Revise the essay.
Ideally, this segmentation should make writing the research paper less daunting because you won't have as much to worry about at once, and you'll be able to see clear signs off progress. It should also make you more efficient by allowing you to focus on one task at a time instead of switching between them.
Did my answer help? Do you have any other questions?