Research Portfolio II
Creative Writing Fun Things
Research Portfolio II
Creative Writing Fun Things

Research Portfolio II

Karibella. W 

Melissa.S

Composition II 

23 January 2025 

Research Portfolio 

I. Topic Brainstorming and Research Question 

Topic: America’s separation from Britain and Ukraine’s separation from Russia.

Research Question:  How does America’s motivation to break away from Britain compare and contrast with Ukraine’s motivation to separate from Russia?

• Why do these two topics matter to you? What do you find interesting or compelling about them?

These two topics matter to me because, firstly, I am American, and without Americans’ motivation to form their own country, I probably wouldn’t be here.  The second topic matters to me because the history of Ukraine is often overlooked, and I think it is important to learn and tell the history.  I find these two topics share so much because at their hearts, the people just wanted to be free from tyrants, even though there are differences between the two nations’ histories.  

• Why should this information matter to others? What would you say if they asked,  “So what?”

If one said “so what” to my topic, I would reprimand them for their ignorance and foolish choice of thought and words. I would then educate them on the importance of learning the history of the world.  Learning the history of one’s nation and the other nations of the world is very important, as it can teach us and help us better understand humanity.  Studying the past helps us to learn how to prepare for the future. All around the globe, people are separated into groups based on race, culture, lineage, language, and other factors, but we have to remember that everyone is the same. When we study what motivates a group of people to declare independence and stand as a free nation, we can be enlightened as to what it means to be truly free and why do humans wish to have freedom.

• In the space below, create a Venn diagram or a comparison-contrast chart for your topics. 

AmericaBothUkraine
Was a new and young nationWanted to be freeIs an ancient nation and culture
Had never previously been freeWanted recognition as a sovereign and independent nationHad been fighting for independence for centuries
Involved a warBoth made a declaration of independenceDid not directly involve a war in the year of the Declaration of Independence (1991)
Had some struggles but over time flourished and has grown to one of the most powerful nationsBoth desired economic freedomStruggled but grew to be more and more independent.
A revolution was heldBoth had other nation(s) to back them up/helpPopulation voted
Was in late 1700sBoth have lasted as independent nationsWas in late 1900s
Had to start from scratch with governmentBoth had the people leading the independence movementHad a previous “government” and a puppet president
Is widely studiedBoth had large, powerful and well-known nations ruling over themIs not widely studied

• What specific comparison(s) will you make about the two topics?

I will compare the two similar motivations the countries had to declare independence specifically that they both wanted economic, religious, and social freedom and to be recognised as a sovereign and independent nation.  

• What specific contrast(s) will you make between the two topics? I will contrast the two topics by focusing on Ukraine’s want for cultural freedom while America was more driven for economic freedom.  Additionally, Americans led an uprising and war while in Ukraine, independence was decided by vote because a nation was already established.  

• Is your research question clear and specific? Would your audience understand what you aim to communicate? Will what you have to say likely meet the paper’s length requirements?

I believe that my research question is clear and specific because it focuses on a more centralized issue within the greater story.  I will be able to meet the length requirements because there is much to say about each nation’s motivations by providing history and context for each.  Additionally, talking about the many similarities the two countries share will provide plenty of words. 

• What other questions may be necessary to answer?

I may need to understand the historical context of both country’s situations and to learn the exact dates of things.  Additionally, I think I should include some historical context in the essay itself to clarify things for readers.

• What argument may develop from your research as you compare and contrast these two topics?

A possible argument that may develop may be that no nation deserves to be cast under a shadow, and no matter the time or place, every human deserves to be free.

• What types of resources will you require? What specific information will you need to develop your ideas?

I will need to read further on the exact details of Ukraine’s Declaration of independence and specific timelines and details of that year and time period leading up to it.  For America, I will need to find resources detailing what led up to the revolution to study the attitudes of people before the war and I will need to familiarize myself with the dates of things and the timeline.ion to study the attitudes of people before the war.  

II. Annotated Bibliography (ten sources total, each including the citation, summary, and  application) 

  1.   

Supreme Soviet of Ukraine on behalf of the Ukrainian people. “Constitution Of Ukraine.” Verkhovna Rada, 24 Aug. 1991, www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/eoir/legacy/2013/11/08/constitution_14.pdf. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025. 

This file is the complete constitution of Ukraine.  It contains 161 Articles about how Ukraine should be governed and laws.  The constitution was made to ensure that Ukraine was seen as a separate state from Russia or any other nation. 

This could be helpful for my essay because its wording and some of the articles detailing that Ukraine is a free state can help to show how much the Ukrainian people wanted to be free, and it may outline why they did.  By looking at the kinds of laws in the Constitution, one can see what the Ukrainian people found they were lacking by what laws they made, therefore showing what freedoms they lacked, which would motivate them to declare independence.  

We The People. “The United States Constitution.” National Constitution Center, 19 Sept. 1787, constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/full-text. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

This article contains the full of the text of the United States Constitution.  There are 27 amendments in the American constitution detailing the basic rights that citizens shall have. 

This constitution can help me understand what the Americans were seeking when declaring independence by looking at the laws and rights they established. 

Staff of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. “The December 1, 1991 Referendum/Presidential Election in Ukraine.” CSCE, 1 Dec. 1991, www.csce.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/120191UkraineReferendum.pdf. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

This file contains a report on the 1991 presidential election in Ukraine.  The article contains a background on the organization, a summary of the election, a background on activities causing the Declaration of independence, and details about the election itself. 

This article is a valuable resource as it contains much history of events in Ukraine leading up to the election as well as information on the election.

Staff, National Archives. “The Declaration of Independence: How Did It Happen?” National Archives, 5 Jun. 2024, www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration/how-did-it-happen. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

This article contains summaries of events prior to the Declaration of independence in America.  It contains sections on the events leading up to the revolution, choosing to declare independence, drafting the declaration, and declaring independence. 

The article has the potential to aid this essay because it provides a history on the feelings and actions of the people leading up to the revolution.  

Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, Staff Member. “10 Causes of the American Revolution.” Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, www.bostonteapartyship.com/article/10-causes-of-the-american-revolution. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

This article details 10 reasons for the American Revolution.  The reasons go over recent events that spurred a spirit of anger towards the British as well as Common Sense by Thomas Paine.  Each reason has a paragraph explaining the background of the reason and the actions within it. 

This article will be helpful because it outlines a few causes for the revolution and Declaration of independence, which relates directly to my research question. 

Yekelchyk, Serhy. “The Making of Independent Ukraine.” LSE Public Policy Reveiw, 8 Sept. 2023, ppr.lse.ac.uk/articles/10.31389/lseppr.90. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

This article details the history and events in Ukraine from before the declaration of independence while Ukraine was still part of the USSR all the way to the time of the Orange Revolution in 2004.  In between these, Yekelchyk covers the events of the revolution and election declaration of independence and the growth that followed.  

This article is helpful as it provides a detailed history of events before, during, and after the declaration of independence in Ukraine, providing a large amount of information on the people’s actions and opinions.  

UKRAINE, BRAND. “Origins and History of Ukraine.” Ukraine.UA, 22 Feb. 2022, ukraine.ua/explore/origins-history-of-ukraine/. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

This article starts off with the earliest histories of people in Ukraine from before Christ’s birth.  It details the activities of people from ancient times through the Middle Ages and into the modern era.  Understanding the history of a country and people helps us understand what could motivate them to break away form a large nation that they had been held by for many hundreds of years.

Citing this article could strenghten my essay because by looking at the past we can learn about the future. From understanding the origins and history of Ukraine we can have a deeper undestanding of the choices people made.

  1.  

Terajima, Asami. “Ukraine’s Struggle for Independence.” Kyiv Independant, kyivindependent.com/ukraines-struggle-for-independence/. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

This article grabs the reader with a hook about the Battle of Kruty in 1918.  It then dives into the history of Ukraine trying to resist its neighbor’s attempts to blanket it.  It mainly covers the years surrounding Ukraine’s first declaration of independence from Russia after the fall of the Russian Empire. 

This article is helpful because it details a main event that sparked the attempts Ukraine made at breaking free of Russian control.  The declaration of independence I will be focusing on is the one that took place in 1991, but understanding the previous one in 1918 helps us to see that there was 100% motivation because prior attempts at independence were already made. 

“The Pre-Revolutionary Period and the Roots of the American Political Tradition.” Lumen Learning, courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-monroecc-americangovernment/chapter/the-pre-revolutionary-period-and-the-roots-of-the-american-political-tradition/#:~:text=Americans%20believed%20all%20people%20(i.e.,allowing%20people%20to%20govern%20themselves. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

This article, within a course on the American Revolution, focuses on the political thought in the colonies before the revolution and the revolution itself.  Its first section focuses on the establishment of the need for human rights and how this concept was not widely known.  The second half focuses on the revolution but also the thoughts that people started to have about the British government not satisfying their need for rights.

This resource is extremely helpful as it details the unrest that people felt prior to them declaring independence.  

Armitage, David. “The Declaration of Independence in Global Perspective.” The Guilder Lehrman Institute of American History, www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/essays/declaration-independence-global-perspective#:~:text=So%20long%20as%20a%20people,demands%20a%20declaration%20of%20independence. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

This resource talks about the Declaration of Independence itself and then puts it in a global perspective.  The significance of the Declaration of Independence within the whole world is great as it has brought to light how crucial human rights are.  It also inspired other nations to make constitutions and declare independence from their overlords. 

This resource is helpful as it helps us to see the Global impact of nations declaring independence and how significant that can be.   

Additionally…

Now, I think this part of the post is my favourite. I dont have to write in the formal voice or think up new ways to repeat myself for “clarity” or find and cite trustworthy sources. Speaking of which, I think I will take this “Additionally…” section to teach you about the formal voice.

You might already know how to write in the formal voice, creativly repeat yourself and remember how to MLA cite a dissertation but maybe you need a refresher.

To write in the formal voice one must never use personal pronouns, slang, plain sentance structuer or biased writing. (The last one is not my strength) The formal voice is meant to focus the attention of the reader on the content or research not the author. (Slipping out of formal voice) A good example of the formal voice is, “To write in the formal voice one must…”. Take a close look a my replacment of a personal pronoun by using “one”. Instead of saying you must not use personal pronouns I said one must not use personal pronouns becaue that still convays the point while steering clear of personal pronouns.

When writing in the formal voice the writer must ensure that they are using sophisticated, scholarly language and avoid simpler words. If the author exhausts thier advanced vocabulary they may turn to a thesourus. It is also helpful to look up inventive synonyms to simpler words to advance the language of ones writing.

Spoiler Alert: My Writing Secret

To write the last sentance in the previous paragraph I practiced my own tip by typing into google “synonyms to fancy”. Google initially took this to mean the word used in books written ages ago saying things like, “I think I fancy a glass of lemonade”. In that case fancy is a fancy word for “want”.

I chose inventive after seeing the word inventivness (did’nt know that was even a word). Writing in the formal voice may sound super boring but it can be so much fun to see how creative you can get. The best is when you make an alliteration that also is just repating creativly the same thought. (No, I dont have an example…. Yet). Congradulations! You are now prepped to write in the fancy fantastic futeristic formal voice.

One last thing, I wil teach you MLA citations. This is probably my least favourite part of formal writing because so many sources do’nt include nessesary information such as Author or Publishing date. I mean, who does’nt want to be credited for their work?

Lets first reveiw why is it improtant to cite. Citing your source is avoiding plagarism. Plagerizing is stealing and stealing is inherently bad. (unless you are in a situation where stealing is the ethical choice but thats for another post) You could say “Im not plagarizing, I’m merley borrowing their work to bolster my own.” But that would, of course, be making a distinction without a difference which is a logical fallacy. It is pretty simple, cite your sources and dont steal.

Next for my MLA guide is choosing sources. When you want to make an argument and you need someone else’s words to help your argument, do’nt turn to wikepedia or britanica or procon.org. Those are basic, less verifiable and less respected sources. Choose a source like a respected newspaper, college cites, or government websites. This will help your work to be stronger, more convincing and more respected.

Now lets look at an MLA citation.

Lang, Scott. “The History of Astromagnetic Atoms.” The Only True Science, Truth Inc, 32 Febuary. 2024 www.dareyoutotrythisfakeurl.com. Accessed 42 October, 2024.

Obviously I disregarded my own tip on choosing quality sources but of course, this is merely for educational purposes. First lets look at the author. When making a proper MLA citation the authors first and last name as flipped around and seperated by commas. Then comes the title of the article. always quote it and if you can italicize it. Follow it with the website name publisher and date published. Then include the URl and finish with the date acceced.

Lets reveiw:

  • Formal voice is no personal pronouns, inventive words and no slang.
  • CITE your sources
  • MLA is very helpful but very complicated so best to know the basics but for accuracy use a guide
  • Enjoy the formal voice

This concludes my lengthy attempt to educate on how to make a MLA citation. I suggest when you wish to cite use grammarly’s citation template or refer to the MLA handbook to maintaine accuracy as you must cite differently for different types of sources.

I hope you enjoyed reading and that you come again soon to read the third part in my Research Essay Portfolio. Thank you!