http://composition1302.weebly.com/the-lottery.html
http://composition1302.weebly.com/hemingway--kafka.html
http://composition1302.weebly.com/thesistopic.html
http://sites.middlebury.edu/individualandthesociety/files/2010/09/jackson_lottery.pdf
Read "The Lottery"-- link above.
Discuss the following:
Characters
Plot
Setting
Tone/Mood
Symbolism
Irony
Themes
Social Commentary
--What does the story teach us about peer pressure? Tradition? Thinking for ourselves?
-- Modern day allusions?
Read "The Lottery"-- link above.
Discuss the following:
Characters
Plot
Setting
Tone/Mood
Symbolism
Irony
Themes
Social Commentary
--What does the story teach us about peer pressure? Tradition? Thinking for ourselves?
-- Modern day allusions?
SAMPLE THESIS: Through the character Elisa Allen, John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” demonstrates the consequences of physical and emotional isolation.
SAMPLE TOPIC SENTENCE 1: The setting of the story indicates Elisa’s physical isolation from society. - the closed-pot imagery - the fence imagery - having to go into town to do anything -
SAMPLE TOPIC SENTENCE 2: While both Elisa and her husband are physically isolated, they are emotionally isolated from one another as well. - living their lives apart from each other- wrapped up in their own tasks - their conversations that always end in “good” - their miscommunication (he compliments her, but she misunderstands)
SAMPLE TOPIC SENTENCE 3: The appearance of the tinker in the story allows Elisa, even for just a brief moment, to contemplate breaking free from her isolation. - in his travels - in her emotions toward him - in his taking her chrysanthemums, symbolic of her, away from the farm - however, in the end, she “scrubs” herself clean of these contemplations; nothing has changed between herself and her husband (back to “good”), and with the sight of Elisa’s flowers on the road, readers know that the tinker presented only a false hope…
SAMPLE TOPIC FOR CONCLUSION: Isolation can have profound effects on human beings; for Elisa Allen, the most significant result of isolation is the unfulfillment she experiences in her roles as a woman and as a wife.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Here are some examples from student essays. Some are good, some need work. You decide.
Example 1:
A. Sammy's physical attraction to a female, letting foolish pride and lack of judgement, cause him to suffer consequences that he belived was worth his job.
B. John Updike's short story "A&P" shows that pride, even "noble" pride, can lead to serious consequences.
Example 2:
A. john steinbeck's "the chrysanthemum's" shows how the feminist movement effects women in many different way. Elisa Allen, the main character, demonstrates the expected feminine role with great style throughout the story yet shows off many individual anty-conformity qualities.
B. John Steinbeck’s short story “The Chrysanthemums” takes place before the height of the feminist movement and shows the struggle that women faced between conformity and individuality. The protagonist Elisa Allen is a representative of this tension; in some ways, she fits the female stereotype, and in other ways, her individuality breaks through as she almost succumbs to unconformity.
Example 3:
A. Faulkner ironically creates the overall theme of death; Emily refuses to let her customs die.
B. In the short story “A Rose for Emily”, William Faulkner displays the consequences that can result from the inability to accept death.
[Note, that I would use “death” as a duel meaning and include Homer’s unwillingness to marry Emily and his intent to “go away” as a kind of figurative “death” in the story.]
Example 4:
A. Although Sammy’s Manager represents the backwards times of the period, Sammy represents the new age with rebellious undertones in “A & P”.
B. John Updike’s short story “A&P” serves as a reflection on a time in history when society was struggling between shifting values and maintaining tradition. The store manager and shoppers in the grocery store represent tradition, while the rebellious actions of Sammy and three female shoppers who walk into the store “wearing nothing but bathing suits” (224) foreshadow a shift in those traditional values to a more liberal era.
Example 5:
A. Hemingway, through out his story, depicts a sense of abondonment and sorrow; one could only experience without the love of a family.
B. Revised: In the short stoy "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," Hemingway uses the setting and characters, including an old man and two bartenders, to depict the sense of overwhelming sorrow that results from loneliness.
Final Example:
A. The fasting performer in “A Hunger Artist” by Franz Kafka shows a man’s feelings of alienation and isolation throughout the acting of his art. The hunger artist spends most of his life, in a cage, on display. Although the hunger artist receives attention from several people there is a barrier from the rest of them. The dedication the hunger artist has for fasting alienates his from the real world, as he slowly disappears from the community. Isolation and alienation can occur to anyone who is not normal to the rest of the world, like the hunger artist who fasted 40 days separated him from the others.
B. Franz Kafka's short story "A Hunger Artist" shows how isolating it can be to be labeled as "different" by society. The protagonist in the story is a "hunger artist" whose art is fasting; while he receives attention by displaying his art for the public, there remains a barrier between he and his audience. The dedication he has for his art alienates him from the real world, and he slowly disappears (figuratively, the public loses interest in him, and literally, his body wastes away from starvation). The feeling of isolation can affect anyone who is not perceived as "normal" by the rest of the world; the story also shows that human beings crave interaction, and alienation can never be satisfying.
1. If your thesis is "Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" serves as a commentary on how tradition prohibits progress that could lead to a brighter future," then what would you expect a topic statement to be? Why?
A. Jackson uses a lot of symbolism to foreshadow what will happen in "The Lottery".
B. Jackson states, "The original black box had been lost and discarded" (101); the people had forgotten and lost many aspects of the lottery.
C. The children in "The Lottery" are affected because they participate in this event each year.
D. The lottery takes place June 27th in a village.
E. The setting of the story represents how tradition has hindered progress in Jackson's imaginary village.
What might be a second topic statement?
A.Character examination further reveals that this town lacks progress.
B. "Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon" (101).
C. The lottery takes place every year in order to insure a good harvest.
2. Which of the following would be a good thesis for "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place?
A. The theme of "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" is loneliness.
B. The man in "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" represents loneliness and despair.
C. Hemingway's "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" reveals a message about the inevitability of loneliness and despair.
What might be a good topic statement?
A. The older waiter works in the bar and is willing to stay late to help out the old man.
B. The old man finds himself less lonely when is at the cafe' sitting "in the shadow of the leaves" (101).
C. Hemingway's plain language and simple description gives the reader a sense of something empty and superficial.
D. While the old man is obviously lonely and in despair, the older waiter is perhaps the ultimate representation of these states of being.
3. If your thesis for "A Hunger Artist" is: "Kafka's "A Hunger Artist" reveals the consequences and futility of longing for societal acceptance," then what might a good topic statement be?
A. Kafka makes it clear, through descriptive imagery, that the hunger artist longs for acceptance.
B. The hunger artist lives in a cage and starves himself for up to forty days, and nobody seems to care.
C. We are told that the hunger artist "purses his lips" (100), as if to reach out for a kiss.
D. The hunger artist's efforts to obtain acceptance lead to both physical and mental consequences.
4. Assuming that D. (above) can be used as a topic statement, what might the follow-up sentence be?
A. The hunger artist is eventually ignored, and the workers even forget to change the sign on his cage.
B. The physical consequences are obvious; after starving himself for forty days, the hunger artist is weak and frail. By the end of the story, "nobody remembered about the hunger artist" (104), and they had to "poke around the straw in the cage" (104) in order to find his wasted body.
C. "Nobody remembered about the hunger artist" (104). He was so thin, that they didn't realize he was still in the cage.
What are key words? Key words are SPECIFIC words in your thesis that you repeat in your topic statements. They are used as the connections between the THEME/THESIS and TOPIC/ANALYSIS.
Did you know that writing an essay is formulaic? That's right... and if you learn the formula, then you improve the chances of composing an effective essay. This formula can be found in various places on this website, and you've actually been learning it since elementary school. I'll try to simplify it the best way I can.
The first part of the formula is how the essay is structured. You generally have an introduction, 3 body (also called "evidence") paragraphs, and a conclusion. Most people understand this.
Each paragraph also contains its own formula!
Introduction: Lead-In, Connection of Lead-In "topic" to your "subject" (this was a story in your theme essay), Synopsis of Subject (a summary if it is a work of literature), THESIS (as seen above, there is also a formula for creating a thesis).
Rather than state the "3-pronged thesis" [ "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" expresses the theme that loneliness is inevitable; Hemingway accomplishes his expression through his characterization of the old man, the older waiter, and the younger waiter"-- topic 1 would be "old man" and topic would contain key words "loneliness" and "inevitable", topic 2 would be older waiter.... etc.], I am asking you to be less obvious (by the way, NOBODY has written a 3-pronged thesis; if you had, it would be okay-- it is a stylistic issue, not a "right and wrong" issue). Therefore, your thesis would instead say, "Hemingway's "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" expresses the theme of the inevitability of loneliness." However, your TOPIC STATEMENTS would be exactly the SAME as if you had written the 3-pronged thesis. You always need "3 prongs" to build your paragraphs from in a 5 paragraph essay. Both thesis options would be acceptable in your papers.
Body/Evidence Paragraphs: Topic Statement (contains KEY words from your thesis statement), Evidence x3 (analysis of the subject-- if it is a story, then this means quotes that are introduced, cited, and explained), Summation/Transition (connects the topic point to the thesis (in the theme essay, this sentence would connect all of your analysis and your topic statement to the THEME that you presented for discussion).
Conclusion: Topic statement that restates the subject (in the theme essay, that meant the title and author of the story) along with a clarification of your thesis, commentary that discusses the message of the story and how it applies to society today (this means giving specific examples, not just saying that it does so), and a concluding statement that brings the essay full circle (this may mean a reference to your lead-in or title (which should be creative).
If you follow this formula, then you will at least have an organized essay. Grammar and sentence mechanics are a whole other issue. Always write with clarity! Some writers have a flair, a unique style, but don't force this. If fancy doesn't work for you-- if you get your words tangled and break flow-- then keep it simple! Be precise and concise.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slpWSLz9tj4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSEhvejGl_k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFwQJSZ2wJA&feature=related
How do I cite the quotes in my essay?
If you are writing about "The Lottery," then cite the page numbers from your textbook.
If you are writing about one of the other stories, print them out. Number the pages once you print them out. Cite them accordingly.
Remember to BLEND your quotes in your paragraphs.
Brief quotations (four lines or fewer of prose and three lines or fewer of poetry) should be
carefully introduced and integrated into the text of your paper. Put quotation marks around
all briefly quoted material.
Prose example:
As the "manager" of the A & P, Lengel is both the guardian and enforcer of "policy." When
he gives the girls "that sad Sunday-school-superintendent stare," we know we are in the
presence of the A & P's version of a dreary bureaucrat who "doesn't miss much" (487).
Make sure you give page numbers when necessary. Notice that in this example the
page numbers are in parenthesis after the quotation marks but before the period.
Brackets are also used to change the grammatical structure of a quotation so that it fits into
your sentence.
Example:
Strauss also argues that Hawthorne "present[s] Young Goodman Brown in an ambivalent
light." Brackets are used here to add the "s" to the verb "present" because otherwise
the sentence would not be grammatically correct.
You must use ellipsis if you omit any words from the original source you are quoting.
Ellipsis can be used at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of the quotation,
depending on where the missing words were originally. Ellipsis is formed by either three
or four periods with a space between each period.
Original: "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."
Example (omission from beginning):
This behavior ". . . makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." Ellipsis formed by three
dots after the quotation marks.
Example (omission from middle):
This maxim claims that "Early to bed . . . makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." Ellipsis
formed by three dots used in place of the words "and early to rise."
Let's find the errors in the following examples from the Music Analysis Essays:
Example 1:
However, Prince related his relationship to his parents, "maybe I'm just like my father too bold" (line 14).
Corrected: However, Prince relateS his relationship to one he witnessed between his parents when he admits, "maybe I'm just like my father too bold" (line 14). --Now your quote is introduced!
Example 2:
Prince compares his lover to his mother "maybe you're just like my mother / she's never satisfied" (lines 15-16).
Corrected: Prince compares his lover to his mother when he observes, "maybe you're just like my mother / she's never satisfied" (lines 15-16). -- Now your quote is introduced!
We can set our quotes off as an example, but this is more tricky.
Example: The narrator symbolizes the screaming and arguing of his parents to the sounds of doves crying "this is what it sounds like / when doves cry" (lines 31-32).
Corrected: The narrator compares the screaming and arguing of his parents to the sounds of doves crying: "this is what it sounds like / when doves cry" (lines 31-32).
Now, you find the errors!
1. You can tell in the song that all of Gary's memories are from when he and his friend were young children, "Now in my mind I keep you frozen as a seventeen year old, / roundin' third to score the winning run" (lines 12-13).
2. Not only does he state it is his fault, but he also wants his love back "tell me you love me, come back and haunt me" (line 18).
3. On the surface, "Why" refers to a person who struggled to survive but always seemed so optimistic about life and made the best of it "You'd shine like the sun" (line 26).
4. The artist Prince begins his story by literally painting a vivid picture of a man and a woman, "Dig if you will the picture / of you and I engaged in a kiss" (lines 1-2).
The addict refers to his “empire of dirt” (line 14) and “crown of shit” (line 17). The parallel between these polar opposite images serves to solidify the idea that even those who appear to have it all can be one step away from having nothing.
Even kings are just human beings underneath their crowns. In the end, the addict would choose to “keep [himself] / [he] would find a way” (lines 35-36); he would gladly trade his image for some semblance of a normal life.
In the end, he reveals the path he has chosen and admits that it “had made all the difference” (line 20), which leaves readers wondering about the specifics of that choice and its outcome.
The narrator clearly reveals, “I took the one less traveled by” (line 14), but the message comes with the admission, “And that has made all the difference” (line 20).
THREE CONVENTIONS TO REMEMBER WHEN WRITING A LITERARY ANALYSIS ESSAY
1. You must give a clear, full reference to the work and author you are writing about
somewhere in your introductory paragraph. This is what I call CONTEXT!
2. Use the correct format for referring to the work you are discussing. The titles of short
stories, poems, and essays should be placed in quotation marks; the titles of novels, plays,
films, and TV shows should be either underlined or italicized:
"My Last Duchess" (poem) Antigone (play)
"The Secret Lion" (short story) Forest Gump (movie)
Pride and Prejudice (novel)
3. Use the present tense when you are discussing and writing about literature -- literary works
are considered to exist in the present.
In addition, we write using THIRD PERSON.
Cite your stories using page numbers!
Details about the assignment are provided on the handout given to you in class.
SAMPLE TOPIC SENTENCE 1: The setting of the story indicates Elisa’s physical isolation from society. - the closed-pot imagery - the fence imagery - having to go into town to do anything -
SAMPLE TOPIC SENTENCE 2: While both Elisa and her husband are physically isolated, they are emotionally isolated from one another as well. - living their lives apart from each other- wrapped up in their own tasks - their conversations that always end in “good” - their miscommunication (he compliments her, but she misunderstands)
SAMPLE TOPIC SENTENCE 3: The appearance of the tinker in the story allows Elisa, even for just a brief moment, to contemplate breaking free from her isolation. - in his travels - in her emotions toward him - in his taking her chrysanthemums, symbolic of her, away from the farm - however, in the end, she “scrubs” herself clean of these contemplations; nothing has changed between herself and her husband (back to “good”), and with the sight of Elisa’s flowers on the road, readers know that the tinker presented only a false hope…
SAMPLE TOPIC FOR CONCLUSION: Isolation can have profound effects on human beings; for Elisa Allen, the most significant result of isolation is the unfulfillment she experiences in her roles as a woman and as a wife.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Here are some examples from student essays. Some are good, some need work. You decide.
Example 1:
A. Sammy's physical attraction to a female, letting foolish pride and lack of judgement, cause him to suffer consequences that he belived was worth his job.
B. John Updike's short story "A&P" shows that pride, even "noble" pride, can lead to serious consequences.
Example 2:
A. john steinbeck's "the chrysanthemum's" shows how the feminist movement effects women in many different way. Elisa Allen, the main character, demonstrates the expected feminine role with great style throughout the story yet shows off many individual anty-conformity qualities.
B. John Steinbeck’s short story “The Chrysanthemums” takes place before the height of the feminist movement and shows the struggle that women faced between conformity and individuality. The protagonist Elisa Allen is a representative of this tension; in some ways, she fits the female stereotype, and in other ways, her individuality breaks through as she almost succumbs to unconformity.
Example 3:
A. Faulkner ironically creates the overall theme of death; Emily refuses to let her customs die.
B. In the short story “A Rose for Emily”, William Faulkner displays the consequences that can result from the inability to accept death.
[Note, that I would use “death” as a duel meaning and include Homer’s unwillingness to marry Emily and his intent to “go away” as a kind of figurative “death” in the story.]
Example 4:
A. Although Sammy’s Manager represents the backwards times of the period, Sammy represents the new age with rebellious undertones in “A & P”.
B. John Updike’s short story “A&P” serves as a reflection on a time in history when society was struggling between shifting values and maintaining tradition. The store manager and shoppers in the grocery store represent tradition, while the rebellious actions of Sammy and three female shoppers who walk into the store “wearing nothing but bathing suits” (224) foreshadow a shift in those traditional values to a more liberal era.
Example 5:
A. Hemingway, through out his story, depicts a sense of abondonment and sorrow; one could only experience without the love of a family.
B. Revised: In the short stoy "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," Hemingway uses the setting and characters, including an old man and two bartenders, to depict the sense of overwhelming sorrow that results from loneliness.
Final Example:
A. The fasting performer in “A Hunger Artist” by Franz Kafka shows a man’s feelings of alienation and isolation throughout the acting of his art. The hunger artist spends most of his life, in a cage, on display. Although the hunger artist receives attention from several people there is a barrier from the rest of them. The dedication the hunger artist has for fasting alienates his from the real world, as he slowly disappears from the community. Isolation and alienation can occur to anyone who is not normal to the rest of the world, like the hunger artist who fasted 40 days separated him from the others.
B. Franz Kafka's short story "A Hunger Artist" shows how isolating it can be to be labeled as "different" by society. The protagonist in the story is a "hunger artist" whose art is fasting; while he receives attention by displaying his art for the public, there remains a barrier between he and his audience. The dedication he has for his art alienates him from the real world, and he slowly disappears (figuratively, the public loses interest in him, and literally, his body wastes away from starvation). The feeling of isolation can affect anyone who is not perceived as "normal" by the rest of the world; the story also shows that human beings crave interaction, and alienation can never be satisfying.
1. If your thesis is "Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" serves as a commentary on how tradition prohibits progress that could lead to a brighter future," then what would you expect a topic statement to be? Why?
A. Jackson uses a lot of symbolism to foreshadow what will happen in "The Lottery".
B. Jackson states, "The original black box had been lost and discarded" (101); the people had forgotten and lost many aspects of the lottery.
C. The children in "The Lottery" are affected because they participate in this event each year.
D. The lottery takes place June 27th in a village.
E. The setting of the story represents how tradition has hindered progress in Jackson's imaginary village.
What might be a second topic statement?
A.Character examination further reveals that this town lacks progress.
B. "Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon" (101).
C. The lottery takes place every year in order to insure a good harvest.
2. Which of the following would be a good thesis for "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place?
A. The theme of "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" is loneliness.
B. The man in "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" represents loneliness and despair.
C. Hemingway's "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" reveals a message about the inevitability of loneliness and despair.
What might be a good topic statement?
A. The older waiter works in the bar and is willing to stay late to help out the old man.
B. The old man finds himself less lonely when is at the cafe' sitting "in the shadow of the leaves" (101).
C. Hemingway's plain language and simple description gives the reader a sense of something empty and superficial.
D. While the old man is obviously lonely and in despair, the older waiter is perhaps the ultimate representation of these states of being.
3. If your thesis for "A Hunger Artist" is: "Kafka's "A Hunger Artist" reveals the consequences and futility of longing for societal acceptance," then what might a good topic statement be?
A. Kafka makes it clear, through descriptive imagery, that the hunger artist longs for acceptance.
B. The hunger artist lives in a cage and starves himself for up to forty days, and nobody seems to care.
C. We are told that the hunger artist "purses his lips" (100), as if to reach out for a kiss.
D. The hunger artist's efforts to obtain acceptance lead to both physical and mental consequences.
4. Assuming that D. (above) can be used as a topic statement, what might the follow-up sentence be?
A. The hunger artist is eventually ignored, and the workers even forget to change the sign on his cage.
B. The physical consequences are obvious; after starving himself for forty days, the hunger artist is weak and frail. By the end of the story, "nobody remembered about the hunger artist" (104), and they had to "poke around the straw in the cage" (104) in order to find his wasted body.
C. "Nobody remembered about the hunger artist" (104). He was so thin, that they didn't realize he was still in the cage.
What are key words? Key words are SPECIFIC words in your thesis that you repeat in your topic statements. They are used as the connections between the THEME/THESIS and TOPIC/ANALYSIS.
Did you know that writing an essay is formulaic? That's right... and if you learn the formula, then you improve the chances of composing an effective essay. This formula can be found in various places on this website, and you've actually been learning it since elementary school. I'll try to simplify it the best way I can.
The first part of the formula is how the essay is structured. You generally have an introduction, 3 body (also called "evidence") paragraphs, and a conclusion. Most people understand this.
Each paragraph also contains its own formula!
Introduction: Lead-In, Connection of Lead-In "topic" to your "subject" (this was a story in your theme essay), Synopsis of Subject (a summary if it is a work of literature), THESIS (as seen above, there is also a formula for creating a thesis).
Rather than state the "3-pronged thesis" [ "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" expresses the theme that loneliness is inevitable; Hemingway accomplishes his expression through his characterization of the old man, the older waiter, and the younger waiter"-- topic 1 would be "old man" and topic would contain key words "loneliness" and "inevitable", topic 2 would be older waiter.... etc.], I am asking you to be less obvious (by the way, NOBODY has written a 3-pronged thesis; if you had, it would be okay-- it is a stylistic issue, not a "right and wrong" issue). Therefore, your thesis would instead say, "Hemingway's "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" expresses the theme of the inevitability of loneliness." However, your TOPIC STATEMENTS would be exactly the SAME as if you had written the 3-pronged thesis. You always need "3 prongs" to build your paragraphs from in a 5 paragraph essay. Both thesis options would be acceptable in your papers.
Body/Evidence Paragraphs: Topic Statement (contains KEY words from your thesis statement), Evidence x3 (analysis of the subject-- if it is a story, then this means quotes that are introduced, cited, and explained), Summation/Transition (connects the topic point to the thesis (in the theme essay, this sentence would connect all of your analysis and your topic statement to the THEME that you presented for discussion).
Conclusion: Topic statement that restates the subject (in the theme essay, that meant the title and author of the story) along with a clarification of your thesis, commentary that discusses the message of the story and how it applies to society today (this means giving specific examples, not just saying that it does so), and a concluding statement that brings the essay full circle (this may mean a reference to your lead-in or title (which should be creative).
If you follow this formula, then you will at least have an organized essay. Grammar and sentence mechanics are a whole other issue. Always write with clarity! Some writers have a flair, a unique style, but don't force this. If fancy doesn't work for you-- if you get your words tangled and break flow-- then keep it simple! Be precise and concise.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slpWSLz9tj4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSEhvejGl_k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFwQJSZ2wJA&feature=related
How do I cite the quotes in my essay?
If you are writing about "The Lottery," then cite the page numbers from your textbook.
If you are writing about one of the other stories, print them out. Number the pages once you print them out. Cite them accordingly.
Remember to BLEND your quotes in your paragraphs.
Brief quotations (four lines or fewer of prose and three lines or fewer of poetry) should be
carefully introduced and integrated into the text of your paper. Put quotation marks around
all briefly quoted material.
Prose example:
As the "manager" of the A & P, Lengel is both the guardian and enforcer of "policy." When
he gives the girls "that sad Sunday-school-superintendent stare," we know we are in the
presence of the A & P's version of a dreary bureaucrat who "doesn't miss much" (487).
Make sure you give page numbers when necessary. Notice that in this example the
page numbers are in parenthesis after the quotation marks but before the period.
Brackets are also used to change the grammatical structure of a quotation so that it fits into
your sentence.
Example:
Strauss also argues that Hawthorne "present[s] Young Goodman Brown in an ambivalent
light." Brackets are used here to add the "s" to the verb "present" because otherwise
the sentence would not be grammatically correct.
You must use ellipsis if you omit any words from the original source you are quoting.
Ellipsis can be used at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of the quotation,
depending on where the missing words were originally. Ellipsis is formed by either three
or four periods with a space between each period.
Original: "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."
Example (omission from beginning):
This behavior ". . . makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." Ellipsis formed by three
dots after the quotation marks.
Example (omission from middle):
This maxim claims that "Early to bed . . . makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." Ellipsis
formed by three dots used in place of the words "and early to rise."
Let's find the errors in the following examples from the Music Analysis Essays:
Example 1:
However, Prince related his relationship to his parents, "maybe I'm just like my father too bold" (line 14).
Corrected: However, Prince relateS his relationship to one he witnessed between his parents when he admits, "maybe I'm just like my father too bold" (line 14). --Now your quote is introduced!
Example 2:
Prince compares his lover to his mother "maybe you're just like my mother / she's never satisfied" (lines 15-16).
Corrected: Prince compares his lover to his mother when he observes, "maybe you're just like my mother / she's never satisfied" (lines 15-16). -- Now your quote is introduced!
We can set our quotes off as an example, but this is more tricky.
Example: The narrator symbolizes the screaming and arguing of his parents to the sounds of doves crying "this is what it sounds like / when doves cry" (lines 31-32).
Corrected: The narrator compares the screaming and arguing of his parents to the sounds of doves crying: "this is what it sounds like / when doves cry" (lines 31-32).
Now, you find the errors!
1. You can tell in the song that all of Gary's memories are from when he and his friend were young children, "Now in my mind I keep you frozen as a seventeen year old, / roundin' third to score the winning run" (lines 12-13).
2. Not only does he state it is his fault, but he also wants his love back "tell me you love me, come back and haunt me" (line 18).
3. On the surface, "Why" refers to a person who struggled to survive but always seemed so optimistic about life and made the best of it "You'd shine like the sun" (line 26).
4. The artist Prince begins his story by literally painting a vivid picture of a man and a woman, "Dig if you will the picture / of you and I engaged in a kiss" (lines 1-2).
The addict refers to his “empire of dirt” (line 14) and “crown of shit” (line 17). The parallel between these polar opposite images serves to solidify the idea that even those who appear to have it all can be one step away from having nothing.
Even kings are just human beings underneath their crowns. In the end, the addict would choose to “keep [himself] / [he] would find a way” (lines 35-36); he would gladly trade his image for some semblance of a normal life.
In the end, he reveals the path he has chosen and admits that it “had made all the difference” (line 20), which leaves readers wondering about the specifics of that choice and its outcome.
The narrator clearly reveals, “I took the one less traveled by” (line 14), but the message comes with the admission, “And that has made all the difference” (line 20).
THREE CONVENTIONS TO REMEMBER WHEN WRITING A LITERARY ANALYSIS ESSAY
1. You must give a clear, full reference to the work and author you are writing about
somewhere in your introductory paragraph. This is what I call CONTEXT!
2. Use the correct format for referring to the work you are discussing. The titles of short
stories, poems, and essays should be placed in quotation marks; the titles of novels, plays,
films, and TV shows should be either underlined or italicized:
"My Last Duchess" (poem) Antigone (play)
"The Secret Lion" (short story) Forest Gump (movie)
Pride and Prejudice (novel)
3. Use the present tense when you are discussing and writing about literature -- literary works
are considered to exist in the present.
In addition, we write using THIRD PERSON.
Cite your stories using page numbers!
Details about the assignment are provided on the handout given to you in class.