EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY!!

The Triumph of Love and the Tragedy of Heartbreak:
Famous Couples throughout History Research Essay

INTRODUCTION & PURPOSE

We see it in the news, on the internet, and on covers of magazines every day – stories of celebrity couples who have found love, experienced heartache, or left their significant other for someone more attractive. Although such relationship triumphs and woes are sensationalized by our contemporary media, the successes and failures of famous couples have long been documented throughout history. In our own studies, we already have and will continue to encounter a number of fictitious couples who face both triumph and tragedy in the romance department. Odysseus and Penelope, Romeo and Juliet, Rochester and Jane, Randy and Lib, Curley and Curley's wife: much of the substance of literature is made up of stories of romantic relationships. What leads some couples to succeed while others fail? By examining a famous historical or literary couple, we will seek to answer that very question.

You may ask yourself, “What is the point of research?” We use research when we need to find information about something we do not know. We also use research to share our findings with others and to back up an argument with evidence. Research will be foundational to both your high school and college academic life.

ASSIGNMENT

Your assignment is to research a famous, historical, or literary couple and compose an essay that presents both a brief history of the couple’s relationship AND (most importantly) an analysis of why the relationship ultimately succeeded or failed. This is a summative writing assessment that will involve incorporating both your research skills and your writing skills into a final, polished product. You will prepare a carefully crafted essay that uses the information gleaned from each of your sources regarding your topic in support of your own assertions. Your paper should lay out your information in a logical, organized format with a thesis, topic sentences, evidence, and analysis. Your thesis (and, in turn, your entire essay) should seek to answer the following essential question:

Why did this couple succeed or fail in their relationship?

It is absolutely critical that you remember at all times that, while this essay contains elements of biography within in, it is NOT a biographical essay!! The central purpose of this essay is to analyze the relationship.

REQUIREMENTS

  1. Compose a thesis that establishes why your selected couple succeeded or failed. You must identify (and, thus, analyze in your paper) multiple reasons for this triumph or tragedy.
  2. Compile a Works Cited page including sources supporting your thesis and incorporating factual research.
  3. The entire product MUST adhere to basic MLA requirements: It must be typed in Times New Roman, size 12 ONLY; it must be double-spaced; it must contain a correctly formatted heading and header (including last name and page number in the upper right-hand corner); and it should have 1” margins and proper paragraph indentations.
  4. You are to include information from a minimum of THREE sources. You will be able to use books from the library, MAGAZINES AND OTHER PERIODICALS, ONLINE databases in the library, CREDIBLE INTERNET SOURCES, etc.
  5. When taking information directly from your sources, you may use direct quotations or paraphrase. When appropriate, you may summarize. We will learn the difference between the three in class. In all cases, though, you must be certain to CITE YOUR SOURCES APPROPRIATELY!
  6. Submit the final paper to Your paper will NOT be graded if it is not submitted for verification through and, accordingly, will receive a 0.
  7. AVOID PLAGIARISM! The main purpose of documentation is to give proper credit to the sources and information used in research. A plagiarized paper (bought, copied, stolen) will result in a 0.

TOPIC CHOICES

Here are some of the most famous couples in history. Any couple not on the list has to be approved by your teacher.

Historical:

Pocahontas and John Smith / John Rolfe

Mark Antony and Cleopatra

Justinian and Theodora

Napoleon and Josephine

John and Abigail Adams

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera

Robert and Elizabeth Browning

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

William Wallace and Marion Braidfute

Abelard and Heloise

Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal

Ines de Castro and King Pedro of Portugal

Czar Nicholas and Alexandra Federovna

Evita and Juan Domingo Peron

Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn (or any of his other eight wives!)

Lady Jane Gray and Lord Guildford Dudley

Pierre and Marie Curie

George Putnam and Amelia Earhart

Annie Oakley and Frank Butler

Mary and Percy Shelley

Biblical:

Adam and Eve

Ruth and Boaz

Hosea and Gomer

Esther and Xerxes

David and Bathsheba

Samson and Delilah

Jacob and Rachel

Current pop culture, celebrity, or teen literature couples (i.e. Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Edward and Bella, Katniss and Peeta) are not permitted.

The final essay will be due on Friday, December 5th for up to 10 points on a summative grade. This includes a digital copy submitted to TurnItIn.com