Essay #4 Due Today! Have a great summer!

Thank you for a fabulous semester of great writing. Each one of you have significantly improved. I look forward to reading your final essays.
Here are a few reminders:

1. Your final copy of Essay #4 is due in a folder is due no later than 5 PM;
2. Include in your folder a copy of the scholarly article you used in your paper--with passages paraphrased or quoted highlighted;
3. Don't forget to also turn in a copy of your Poetry Essay #2 to show your progress in out-of-class writing.
4. You may also include significant drafting work and a copy of your in-class Hamlet Essay #3, but these are not required elements. Only include them if you feel they show your significant progress.
   

DO NOT FORGET TO SUBMIT YOUR PAPER TO TURNITIN.COM

Have a great summer and keep reading and writing!

Essay Organization: How to Put It Together

For this final essay you will be using quotations from the work of literature you are analyzing and the scholarly article that is connected with your topic. You are like a lawyer arguing an interpretation about a character's motivations or an author's theme, and your scholar is your "expert witness"; the scholar can either support or refute your case.

Essay Structure

This is a FIVE-part outline.
Each section may be longer than one paragraph. The analysis, for example, will be at least four paragraphs.

The Essay Suggested Outline:

I. Introduction
A. Teaser
B. Thesis
C. Title of work
(Remember titles of novels, plays, and films are in italics or underlined. Short stories and poems are in quotation marks.)
D. Author's first and last name

II. Introduce Literary Work (Summary)

III. Critical Article (Summary)
A. Title of Article (in quotation marks)
B. Scholar first and last name
C. Article's main idea
D. At least one direct quotation
(Remember to paraphrase/summarize means to completely re-word. If you use ANY of the author's phrasing, it must be in quotation marks and cited; otherwise, it's plagiarism)

IV. Analysis Section
A. Repeat/focus thesis
B. Analysis
(a chapter in a novel/scene in a play or film or the entire poem/short story)
C. One direct quotation from the literary work per paragraph for support
D. A minimum of one direct quotation from the scholarly article.
(Show how an idea or ideas from the scholar are relevant to your analysis)

V. Conclusion
A. Refined Thesis
B. A closing idea
(E.g. Has the author had some impact on our culture; have films been made based on her work; is there a larger idea in her work that's relevant to society? Think about linking back to your teaser.)

Remember:

1. Follow MLA format and citation rules;
2. Some of the parts in the outline you can move into a different order and/or combine;

3. And we will meet in the computer lab for the rest of term, including the last day of class.

Research-based Analysis Essay #4 Is due no later than 4/30 5PM to turnitin.com and my office

Essay #4 Assignment Re-post & Reminders

The Assignment (Essay #4)

Essay: An Analysis of one work of literature (poem, short story, passage/chapter in novel, scene in film or play)

Source: One scholarly article found in in the Galileo database: Literature, Language, and Literary Criticism (NO BOOKREVIEWS. Use ONLY scholarly ARTICLES).

Length: 1,000-1,500 words

Format: Typed, 12-point Times New Roman font following MLA guideline

Due: April 30, @ class time

Requirements:

• Must quote directly from selected literary work,
• Must quote directly from scholarly source,
• Must turn in final hard copy April 30,
• Must turn in the full text of your scholarly article with the passages you used--highlighted,Submit exact version of final essay to turnitin.com by the deadline.

Note: I will not grade essays not submitted to turnitin.com

(Please review plagiarism on syllabus and in the MGC Student Handbook found @ this link OR off the MGC homepage-->Current studetns--->Handbooks/MGC) on pp. 26-28 under Academic Dishonesty.) Plagiarism will result in failure in the class, no matter your class average or reason. Don't do it!

We will review essay structure ideas in the lab & blog.

About the Assignment

This final essay is not a research paper.

Whew!

Simply put, you are writing an analysis of a short story, poem, novel, play or film. This is what you have been doing all semester. Teh biggest difference will be that you are adding one scholar's ideas into your essay.

That means you will have included in your essay--

1. Your ideas,

2. The text you'll be quoting and citing,

3. AND one scholar's ideas that you'll also be quoting and citing.

You do not, however, need multiple sources, only one scholarly article that supports your thesis OR has an idea that you want to challenge with your analysis.

Therefore, you need to select an article that is somehow relevant, and that may take time. You only need one article, but it has to be a good one! that will take time. If you haven't started--you have no time to lose! Go to Galileo (click this link!).

Remember you are searching in Literature, Language, and Literary Criticism section and not in the general Galileo search. This will limit your search to relevant data basis for your article. Start now! Do not wait until Tuesday's class (4/21).

If you cannot access Galileo off campus, use the password: underline

Once you find your article: save/print the reference and save/print the full article! (You will need to turn a highlighted copy in with your final draft, so get your article now!)

Due dates & deadlines:

You'll notice on the syllabus (see the right-hand side of blog) that for the remaining part of the semester we'll be in the computer lab working. You will be working at your pace with me providing a support role for you writing your final paper. You must, however, turn in your essay on April 30 to me and post it to turnitin.com

Here are some reminders--

• See me about approval of the work you will be analyzing;
• By Tuesday (4/21) at the latest you should know what work you'll be analyzing;
• By Thursday (4/23) at the latest you should have a topic idea/plan based on research;
• April 30--Research Essay #4 due!

Here is a re-post of Frequently Asked Student Questions

Q: Research-based Analysis?! What is that? (Essay #4)

A: You will first select a poem, short story, scene from a play, or a chapter from a novel as the focus of an analysis of your selected work. You will be adding to your essay the opinions of one to two literary scholars.You will create a thesis and develop your thesis using your ideas, support from the literary work (quotations and direct references), and ideas from the critics.

Q: How many sources do I need?

A: One to two approved Galileo sources. NOTE: These sources should be from literary data basis and not general search! (e.g. the MLA--Modern Language Association database).

Q: Do I have to use Galileo sources?

A. Yes.

Q. What if I can't find an article that says what I want it to say?

A. You do not need to use an article that necessarily agrees with your thesis. You can disagree with a critic's interpretation as long as you provide support from the work and your own logic.

Q. What if I can't find any article about my particular poem/story/play/novel!?

A. You do not even need to find an article that is on your selected poem/short story/ play/novel. You can take a critic's article analyzing another work by your author and apply it to your selected work. Often writers have similar themes that run through several works or maybe your selected work is a departure from other works.

For example: Stephen King has written many books that deal with writers as main characters and their struggle to write. Among these are The Shining, Misery, The Dark Half, and Bag of Bones, to name a few.But maybe you want to write on Lisey's Story, a newer novel and can't find an article about that novel, but you do find an article discussing earlier novels, say The Shining and The Dark Half and King's writer characters in these novels. You could still use that article for your analysis by taking that critic's ideas and applying them to your analysis of this later novel and see what themes continue and/or have changed.