Essay 1: Responding to Fiction
Assignment: For this assignment you will write about an idea/theme found in a short story that we have read together as a class, identify what you see as three important symbols related to that theme, and argue what you see as their importance to the meaning of the text as a whole.
Your choices are: "Run, Mourner, Run" "The Only Traffic Signal on the Reservation Doesn't Flash Red Anymore," "Woman Hollering Creek," and "My Dear You"
Our detailed class discussions will give you some ideas before you start. You should always take detailed notes about the texts we discuss and write down any ideas you have about them during those discussions.
NOTE: THE IDEAS FOUND IN THIS PAPER MUST BE YOUR OWN. YOU MAY NOT USE OUTSIDE SOURCES!
What is Literary Criticism and How Do I Write a Paper of This Nature?
At its very basic definition, literary criticism is a written evaluation of a work of literature that attempts to enlighten a reader about the underlying meaning of the text, whether it is a play, poem, short story, or novel.
Purpose
In this type of paper a writer is forming an academic argument. As the writer you are arguing that your interpretation of the text is a valid - not the only interpretation - in an attempt to aid the reader in “seeing” the text in a new light or from a different perspective that perhaps may be different from their own.
Audience
Your audience is made up of academics, scholars, literary critics, professors, and students (who are academics, scholars, and literary critics). You should assume that they have read the text and are familiar with its contents. Because of this you would never merely retell the story because your audience is already familiar with it. This would also conflict with the purpose of this type of paper. You are to discuss underlying meaning, not retell the events of the story.
Because your audience is a scholarly one, your paper must be presented in a formal manner. You should use high diction and avoid first person, personal pronouns, and contractions.
Essay Focus & Organization
The Essay Purpose and Your Overall Claim:
Your essay should respond to the following questions:
What is the most important idea found in this essay and why? What is its significance to the text as a whole?
Answer these questions in one sentence. This becomes the overall claim/thesis for your essay (the point you are attempting to prove).
Title: Did you give your essay a title? Keep in mind that this title should reflect the entire content of your paper and set up an expectation for your reader about your paper’s topic. It should mention three things: 1) The title of the work you are discussing 2) The author's name (of that work) 3) Mention what you see as the important idea
Introduction: Your introduction should be a general preview the entire content of your essay (and never present specifics/quotes). In your opening line, you also need to mention the author and titles of the text you plan to examine. You must also state an overall claim/thesis in the intro (usually toward the end of the paragraph). You also need to include a “so what” statement. In other words, explain the signficance of your claim in the broader context of the text as a whole. Remember that what you are writing is academic argumentation. Convince your reader that your interpretation is valid. You shouldn’t argue that it is the only interpretation. You are simply claiming that it is the most important one. The intro is your chance to explain why you think so.
Body: The body of your paper is where you must provide the reader with all of the minute details of your argument and interpretation. Here you will make sub-claims (statements and assertions that support your overall claim/thesis). These are the equivalent of topic sentences for a paragraph. Just remember that each of these statements must relate back to your claim/thesis and don’t’ leave it up to your reader to guess what this connection may be. They are readers of criticism, not mind readers. Explain to them what you think the connections are. Do this for each example that you provide.
Remember, you want to repeat these steps throughout the body of your paper:
1)Make an assertion (subclaim) about the text(s) you are discussing. This becomes a topic sentence/subclaim that you will place at the beginning of your paragraph.
2)Provide evidence from the text that illustrates or supports this assertion (a quote or quotes from the text).
3)Explain how this evidence illustrates the assertion/point you are attempting to make. Explain this example’s connection to your thesis/overall claim.
Steps 2 & 3 are the supporting points of the paragraph for the suclaim you created in step one.
Essay Conclusion: The conclusion should be a general summary of the entire content of the body of your paper and restate the claim/thesis. It should also re-emphasize the “so what” explanation.
You cannot have new information in a conclusion.
NOTE: WHEN READ TOGETHER THE INTRO AND CONCLUSION SHOULD FORM ONE IDEA.
Also be sure that:
-You use present tense verbs when relating the events of the story.
-Do not summarize the plot. Your readers are familiar with the text and have read it. Only relate events that are relevant to your INTERPRETATION of the text.
-Keep in mind that your readers are highly educated. Don’t, for instance, provide definitions for words (i.e., Webster’s Dictionary defines confusion as …) Your audience would consider this an insult.
- Don't use first person, contractions, or personal pronouns (such as you, we, me, mine, my, our, ours). These are considered too informal. Instead, use phrases like "a reader may notice that," "one could interpret this to mean," etc.
-Be sure that you set up your quotes in the body of your paper.
-Discuss the text or the historical context of the text only. Never include personal examples from your own life, etc.
-Do not use floating quotes: Read this explanation.
NOTE: When relating events in the story use words such as, "Kenan develops the major characters in the story..." Notice the use of the active verb "develops." Try to stick with using active verbs as you analyze the story. This is also known as “the literary present tense.” You should also note that sometimes a narrator can be directly involved in a story. Sometimes the narrator is not named and is not directly involved in the story's development.
Questions for Discovering Ideas:
•
What ideas do you discover in the work? How do you discover them (through action, character depiction, scenes, language?)
What ideas do you discover in the work? How do you discover them (through action, character depiction, scenes, language?)•To what do the ideas pertain? To the individuals themselves? To individuals and society? To religion? To social, political, or economic justice?
To what do the ideas pertain? To the individuals themselves? To individuals and society? To religion? To social, political, or economic justice?•Are the ideas limited to members of any groups represented by the characters (age, race, nationality, or personal status)? Or are the ideas applicable to general conditions of life? Explain.
Are the ideas limited to members of any groups represented by the characters (age, race, nationality, or personal status)? Or are the ideas applicable to general conditions of life? Explain.•Which characters in their own right represent or embody ideas? How do their actions and speeches bring these ideas out?
Which characters in their own right represent or embody ideas? How do their actions and speeches bring these ideas out?•What ideas seem particularly important in the work? Why? Is it asserted directly, indirectly, dramatically, ironically? Does any one method predominate? Why/
What ideas seem particularly important in the work? Why? Is it asserted directly, indirectly, dramatically, ironically? Does any one method predominate? Why/•How pervasive in the work is the idea (throughout or intermittent)? To what degree is it associated with a major character or action? How does the structure of the work affect or shape your understanding of the idea?
How pervasive in the work is the idea (throughout or intermittent)? To what degree is it associated with a major character or action? How does the structure of the work affect or shape your understanding of the idea?•What value or values are embodied in the idea? Of what importance are the values to the work’s meaning?
What value or values are embodied in the idea? Of what importance are the values to the work’s meaning?How compelling is the idea? How could the work be appreciated without reference to any idea at all?
Format
•Your essay should have a title. It should also be typed, double-spaced, with one inch margins all around, Times New Roman Font, & 12 pt. Refer to OWL Purdue for other questions about format. Your essay should be a minimum of 4 full pages and no more than 6. You must include a Works Cited Page in proper MLA style, including in-text citations. Generally, an in-text citation looks like this -- (Kenan 5). Notice that the end punctuation, that is the period, generally goes after the end parenthesis. The number five indicates on what page the material is taken.
Your essay should have a title. It should also be typed, double-spaced, with one inch margins all around, Times New Roman Font, & 12 pt. Refer to OWL Purdue for other questions about format. Your essay should be a minimum of 4 full pages and no more than 6. You must include a Works Cited Page in proper MLA style, including in-text citations. Generally, an in-text citation looks like this -- (Kenan 5). Notice that the end punctuation, that is the period, generally goes after the end parenthesis. The number five indicates on what page the material is taken.See this link for more info about demystifying the process of writing about fiction.
NOTE: SINCE YOU CANNOT USE OUTSIDE SOURCES IN THIS PAPER, THE ONLY CITATIONS YOU SHOULD HAVE ARE FOR THE TEXT YOU ARE INTERPRETING/DISCUSSING.
Please see Harmon's Hall of Fame for example student essays.
Your grade for this assignment will be determined as follows:
Total Possible Points: 40/
Final Draft, evaluated on the following criteria:
Focus (11 points): Does essay have a clear purpose? Is there an overall claim stated? Does this claim focus on a single idea or aspect of the literature? Does the writer explain the broader implications of this claim to the text as a whole? Are the subclaims clearly related to the claim? When read together, do the intro and conclusion form one idea?
Development (11 points): Does the writer offer a clear, in-depth analysis of the text under discussion? Does the writer support their interpretation with evidence from the text? Avoid giving a plot summary? Do the subclaims clearly support the claim? Does writer explain for the reader how the evidence supports interpretation? Does writer quote accurately from the source, including citing specific page numbers?
Organization (11 points): Do first few sentences arouse the reader’s interest and focus their attention on the subject? Are readers expectations set and clearly met? Do paragraphs have clear focus, unity and coherence? Effective transitions? Does the writer guide the reader from beginning to end?
Style (4 points): Is language clear direct and readable? Are sentences clear, concise, and easily read by intended audience? Is word choice appropriate for audience? Do sentences reveal and sustain appropriate voice and tone? Does writer use the literary present tense to relate the events of the story?
Mechanics (3 points): Are there obvious errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar? Are there patterns of error?
NO INVENTION WORK (-3 POINTS)
NO 1ST DRAFT ON DUE DATE (-3 POINTS)
NO PEER CRITIQUE (-3 POINTS)
NO REFLECTION (-3 POINTS)
NO PROCESS=NO GRADE
Grading scale:
A 36-40
B 32-35
C 28-31
D 24-27
F 0-23
