Research paper on "Passing" by Nella Larsen

I need to write at least 3 pages right now, my teacher wants a rough draft tomorrow. I've been struggling over how to start this blasted thing all weekend so any help would be utterly appreciated.

The prompt-
Conformity and nonconformity are competing forces in Larsen's text. Her central protagonists, Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry are characters who both flee and long to embrace these two powerful forces. Irene clings to conformity (sexual and social), as it exists in the upper middle class, bourgeois Black community. Clare escapes her origins to conform to the wider, dominant White American reality. Discuss the way Irene and Clare confront demands of "Safety" versus the appeal of "risk." Are there sexual dimensions to this struggle? Who wins/survives this passionate battle that involves race, sex and class distinctions? Has Larsen constructed a satisfying conclusion? Your essay should consider many of these suggested elements in your interpretation of the novel's value and significance.

I have read the book, we are supposed to get other sources but the library is closed and I do not know of any reliable online sources, If you know of any please let me know.

Also if anyone could give me some tips on beginning just any essay please let me know.

Thank you for your time

To tackle this complicated prompt, I would begin first by tackling each question individually. Take some time to prewrite and answer each. Then, think of some themes the novel presents and choose one that you think could be supported by each of the answers you have given. From there, I would develop a thesis that addresses that theme and use the answers to the questions as evidence to support your theis.

I've not read the novel, but from what I have experienced I believe these questions merely act as means of sparking thought. Don't think of them as points you must address in the essay but rather as points that will provoke thought and help you write.

First divide the questions up and give a paragraph to answer each:

Discuss the way Irene and Clare confront demands of "Safety" versus the appeal of "risk."

Are there sexual dimensions to this struggle?

Who wins/survives this passionate battle that involves race, sex and class distinctions?

Has Larsen constructed a satisfying conclusion?

For each of these, give a topic sentence and then elaborate and give examples to extend that sentence into a whole paragraph. When you have responded to these 4 questions, you'll have 4 paragraphs already. Include a quote or citation in each paragraph.

Then, you will see that a theme has "emerged" in those paragraphs. Go back and write an intro to express the main theme. When you do everything one step at a time, it is easy!

For good sources online, you can look at google scholar or findarticles.com, or you ca just do a search for the name of this book and see what other people have written about it.

:-)