Due Dates:
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Requirements:
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To construct a persuasive, engaging argument about the meaning of a brief passage from one of the selected works. This is a skill that will be useful to you in subsequent assignments for this course.
| None of these visitors was at ease, but, being honest people, they didn't pretend to be. None of them had ever seen a person bearing the title of nobility before, and none had been expecting to see one now, consequently the title came upon them as a kind of pile-driving surprise and caught them unprepared. A few tried to rise to the emergency, and got out an awkward "My lord," or "Your lordship," or something of that sort, but the great majority were overwhelmed by the unaccustomed word and its dim and awful associations with gilded courts and stately ceremony and anointed kingship, so they only fumbled through the handshake and passed on, speechless. (Twain, 54) | "Upon this haft stands the assassin's natal autograph, written in the blood of that helpless and suffering old man who loved you and whom you all loved. There is but one man in the whole earth whose hand can duplicate that crimson sign"—he paused and raised his eyes to the pendulum swinging back and forth—"and please God we will produce that man in this room before the clock strikes noon!" (Twain, 159) |
| She was seeking herself and finding herself in just such sweet, half-darkness which met her moods. But the voices were not soothing that came to her from the darkness and the sky above and the stars. They jeered and sounded mournful notes without promise, devoid even of hope. She turned back into the room and began to walk to and fro down its whole length, without stopping, without resting. She carried in her hands a thin handkerchief, which she tore into ribbons, rolled into a ball, and flung from her. Once she stopped, and taking off her wedding ring, flung it on the carpet. When she saw it lying there, she stamped her heel upon it, striving to crush it. But her small boot heel did not make an indenture, not a mark upon the little glittering circlet. (Chopin, 53) | Despondency had come upon her there in the wakeful night, and had never lifted. There was no one thing in the world that she desired. There was no human being whom she wanted near her except Robert; and she even realized that the day would come when he, too, and the thought of him would melt out of her existence, leaving her alone. The children appeared before her like antagonists who had overcome her; who had overpowered and sought to drag her into the soul's slavery for the rest of her days. But she knew a way to elude them. She was not thinking of these things when she walked down to the beach. (Chopin, 113) |
Choose one of the passages provided above.
Pay close attention to the writer's use of word choice, symbolism, imagery, sentence structure, and punctuation as you interpret the passage. You may consider other passages from the surrounding text in making your argument, but remember that the primary objective is to explain the meaning of the chosen passage.
After deciding which details from the passage are the most distinctive and interesting to you, formulate a thesis statement about what the passage means. This thesis may change as you write your paper, and that is fine.
Write a draft of your argument about the passage. Refer directly to specific words and phrases in the chosen passage or to other quotations from the work in question in supporting your argument.
Bring a word-processed, properly formatted draft to class on February 12 for peer editing.
Revise your draft after that class. Consider the feedback you have received from your classmate as well as your ideas as you rework your argument.
Having completed your revisions, proofread your paper. Watch out for typos, incorrect punctuation and other problems. Do not hesitate to consult a style manual if you have questions (Keys for Writers is one style manual that is easy to find on the UMD campus, but there are numerous others that will work just as well.)
Sign up to consult with me about this draft in a student conference (optional).
Turn in the completed final draft and peer-edited working draft on February 19 in class.
In analyzing the passages, you will want to consider the following questions:
What, literally, takes place in the passage?
Does the author use any imagery? Imagery refers to any non-literal use of a word. Here are examples of four common types of imagery:
metaphor. "Jealousy is a green-eyed monster." Equating one thing with another unrelated thing through the verb "to be" or an equivalent verb.
simile. "Does a dream deferred dry up like a raisin in the sun?" Not as strong as a metaphor. Similes connect the literal to the figurative by of "like" or "as."
personification. "The lush valley embraced the small town." Like a metaphor, only, because we so frequently compare things to people, we can leave out the phrase "was a person who," i.e.: "The lush valley (was a person who) embraced the small town."
symbol. Luigi's knife. Edna's wedding ring. Symbols are very different from the above examples of imagery, because they exist at a more abstract level in the text. Readers must infer symbolism based on what they already know or based on what the author has given them to work with.
Does the writer use punctuation in an unorthodox manner that requires explanation?
Are there any parallels or other forms of comparison between different elements in the passage?
From which character's point of view, if any, does the writer narrate the passage?
What is the importance of the passage for the surrounding text?
What makes this passage different from any other passage in the text?
What will make this analysis interesting to an audience consisting of myself, my classmates and my teacher?
The following guidelines should serve to bring you paper into alignment with the standards of an English paper:
MLA format requires you to include quotations from the text to support each point in your argument. Sometimes, it is necessary to use a paraphrase instead, but a quotation is optimal. If the quotation is longer than four lines, then put it in block form, otherwise, blend it. Begin a block quotation on a new line and indent it one inch from left margin. It should be double-spaced like the rest of the paper. Do not put quotes around a block quotation unless they exist in the original text.
Follow each quotation or paraphrase with a page number in parentheses.
Include a "Work Cited" list at the end of the paper. This paper should only have one work on the list, though you are welcome to add others if you want to do some extra research.
Put your name, the date, and the professor's name in the upper-right-hand corner of the first page. Then, center the paper's title on the top of that page. Next, you may rewrite the chosen passage before beginning your analysis of it. Or, begin the analysis and rewrite the chosen passage somewhere in the body of your introductory paragraph.
Number each subsequent page using your word-processing program's "header" function. Select "different first page" in document settings. Then, write your last name and insert a page-number function on the right-hand side of the header.
Do not use contractions in academic writing. For example, replace she's with she is, and replace don't with do not.
Do not use slang or profanity. You want readers to take you seriously, after all. You want to sound a little more formal than you would sound in a letter to a friend.
Avoid the passive voice whenever possible.
Example:
ACTIVE VOICE: Ginger eats spaghetti. (Note structure: subject/verb/object)
PASSIVE VOICE: Spaghetti is eaten. (Structure: object/"to be" verb/past participle)
ACTIVE VOICE: Ginger ate spaghetti.
} Passive voice can exist in any verb tense.
PASSIVE VOICE: Spaghetti was eaten.
Use a fairly conventional font. "Times" and "Times New Roman" are fine. "Arial" and "Helvetica" should also work. "Comic Book" and "Sand" would be too ornate and would call more attention to themselves than you want them to.
A 12-point font is the best, and a 10-point font is acceptable. Anything smaller is hard to read and anything larger makes it look like you are padding for length. Use the same size font for everything accept, perhaps the title of the paper, which can be larger, and the page numbers, which can be smaller.
Write a minimum of three complete pages. Aim for three and a half pages, and there should not be any problems.
In grading this assignment, I will use the following criteria:
| A | Confident, persuasive written expression An original approach to the passage in question A strong thesis statement that is arguable and interesting Exemplary in the clarity and organization of its argument Engaging to its audience in a manner that commands attention Consistently good use of evidence in support of your contentions and in accordance with MLA format Nearly flawless mechanically (format, spelling, grammar) |
| B | Clear written expression with a few minor breakdowns in sentence clarity Somewhat original approach to the passage in question, though quite dependent on material we discussed in class A strong thesis statement that is arguable and interesting Well-organized argument that signals its structure to readers by way of effective transitional sentences Good use of evidence to support your contentions and in accordance with MLA format Only a few mechanical flaws |
| C | Satisfies the basic demands of the assignment Generally clear though with some confusing sentences Makes a clear argument about the meaning of the passage A thesis statement that is arguable and interesting A well-organized argument Use of evidence in support of your contentions and in accordance with MLA format, though not consistently Several mechanical flaws, but not so many that they confuse the meaning of your paper |
| D | Almost satisfies the basic demands of the assignment Numerous breakdowns impairing the clarity of your argument Thesis statement is either not arguable or is uninteresting Argument has minimal organization Use of evidence to support contentions is wildly inconsistent and/or not in accordance with the MLA format Numerous mechanical flaws interfering with paper clarity |
| F | Does not satisfy the basic demands of the assignment Unclear writing style Lacks a thesis statement No clear argument-seemingly random arrangement of ideas Mechanical flaws throughout the paper No use of evidence to support your argument Plagiarized work |