Free Humanities Research Questions Essay Sample

After reading and reviewing the essay on Chinese painting and calligraphy, I found a few strengths in the writing and information in the paper but there were several issues with the formatting. The creative source was literati, Chinese calligraphy and painting. The opening paragraph has a stated thesis statement: “More specifically, the art of the traditional Chinese ink and brush painting, and even more specifically, the art of the literati, which has been around for at least 2000 years.” The thesis was buried underneath a lengthy and irrelevant introduction. The discussion of European art was confusing. The lack of a title also makes discerning the main idea of the essay. A simple, clear introduction is more effective.
The form of the citations was appropriate (author, page number) according to MLA style but there were paragraphs of information that were not cited. The information in these paragraphs was not opinion of synthesis but concrete information that should have been cited. The images used were appropriately labeled but none of them were referred to in the text. I could see that they were Chinese paintings and examples of literati but they would have been better utilized if they were mentioned within the text and pointed out for any pertinent information.
The works cited was done inappropriately. The titles are underlined when they should be in quotes or italics (depending upon the source). One of the works on the list was not actually cited in the paper. The works appeared to be appropriate and where they were cited the information was relevant.
The second essay Ran had an easily identifiable thesis statement, “Many directors have tried to adapt Shakespeare’s King Lear, which the movie is based upon, but none has had more success than that of the most recognized Japanese director, Akira Kurosawa (“Kurosawa Akira” 1).” The formatting of the paper is wrong, there are no page numbers and the heading does not have the name, professor. The creative source is easily identifiable as the film Ran. The entire paper exams the techniques used by the director and ties in the King Lear story in this film. The writer did a good job of describing the storyline and then explaining the director’s style which make the movie so unique.
The images included in the body of the paper are referred to in the text in an appropriate was. The support the author’s points. However, they are not correctly cited with the title of the movie.
The works cited page is well done and all of the sources were cited in the paper. Again, titles were underlined that should be in quotes or italics.
Overall, this was the better of the two essays. It was organized well and each paragraph supported the clearly stated thesis. The writer did a good job of balancing quotes and citations with their own ideas and analysis of the movie. This kind of organization makes a paper easier to read and more understandable.
Comparing the two papers to the standards and expectations of writing a paper for humanities makes me realize how important the details are. A clear thesis, relevant information and images, a clear, well organized body and a strong conclusion create an excellent document. Having clear works cited that are also used appropriately is critical. When reading a paper it allows the reader more insight to the information being presented.