Citing Sources Assignment

Assignment Due Tuesday, April 17, 2018:

Bring a mock Works Cited page to class.  Set it up as though it's the final page of your research paper.  In other words, provide a list of at least three (3) sources you've found in the Grambling Electronic Databases.  Set the page up as though it's an actual Works Cited page by following the instructions below on how to format the information.  (Please remember to follow all the instructions, using italics or quotation marks as the examples do etc.  Remember though that only the first line of each citation is placed on the left margin, and each additional line describing the source should be indented.  Usually there will be only two or three lines for each entry, so remember to indent lines 2 & 3.  This web page wouldn't allow me to indent the lines so the examples aren't formatted correctly!)  Your paper should have a header giving your name, ENG 102, and possibly the date, and a centered title, "Works Cited."  These papers will be worth up to 20 extra credit points (depending on how well you've followed the MLA guidelines) and will be collected at the beginning of class.  

Citing Sources MLA Style

(For an authoritative explanation of MLA style, see the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing.)

 Making an In-text citation:

In MLA style, referring to the works of others in your text is done in two ways. When you make reference to someone else's ideas, either through paraphrasing or quoting them directly, you:

• provide the author's name (or the title of the work) and the page (or paragraph) number of the work in a parenthetical citation
•  provide full citation information for the work in your Works Cited list

 This allows people to know which sources you used in writing your essay and then be able to look them up themselves, so that they can use them in their scholarly work. Here are some basic guidelines for referring to the works of others in your text.

Parenthetical Citations

MLA format follows the author-page method of citation. This means that the author's last name and the page number(s) from which the quotation is taken must appear in the text, and a complete reference should appear in your works cited list (see Creating Works Cited Pages, below). The author's name may appear either in the sentence itself or in parentheses following the quotation or paraphrase, but the page number(s) should always appear in the parentheses, not in the text of your sentence. For example:

Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263).

Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263).

Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263).

If the work you are making reference to has no author, use an abbreviated version of the work's title. For non-print sources, such as films, TV series, pictures, or other media, or electronic sources, include the name that begins the entry in the Works Cited page. For example:

An anonymous Wordsworth critic once argued that his poems were too emotional ("Wordsworth Is A Loser" 100).

Sometimes you may have to use an indirect quotation. An indirect quotation is a quotation that you found in another source that was quoting from the original. For such indirect quotations, use "qtd. in" to indicate the source. For example:

Ravitch argues that high schools are pressured to act as "social service centers, and they don't do that well" (qtd.in Weisman 259).

Creating Works Cited Pages

Formatting your works cited list:

• Begin your works cited list on a separate page from the text of the essay.

• Label the works cited list Works Cited (do not underline the words Works Cited nor put them in quotation marks) and center the words Works Cited at the top of the page.

• Double space all entries and do not skip spaces between entries. Arrange the items on your Works Cited list alphabetically by author, interfiling books, articles, etc.

• Indent the second and all following lines of each entry 5 spaces (or one half inch). To do this you usually can just hit the Tab key on the upper left-hand corner of the keyboard.

• If no author is given, start with the title.

 Abbreviate the names of all months except May, June, and July.

 Websites: include the title of the web page, the name of the entire web site, the organization that posted it (this may be the same as the name of the website). Also include the full date the page was created or last updated (day, month, year if available) and the date you looked at it.

 As for page numbers, different databases will provide different information. Include the range of pages (ex. 25-28.); or the starting page followed by a hyphen, a blank space, and a period (ex. 64-. If no page information is given, then leave it out.

 For documents and situations not listed here, see the printed version of the MLA Style manual.

Samples of the most common types of citations appear below (beginning on a new page, just as your own Works Cited page will)

Works Cited

(This is a sample. You of course would not include the identifier of (Book) or (Article) on your real Works Cited page, and the entries would be in alphabetical order.  The formatting, however, is to be followed down to the placement of periods and use of italics.)

(Book)

Okuda, Michael, and Denise Okuda. Star Trek Chronology: The History of the Future. New York: Pocket, 1993.

(Journal Article)

Wilcox, Rhonda V. "Shifting Roles and Synthetic Women in Star Trek: The Next Generation." Studies in Popular Culture 13.2 (1991): 53-65.

(Newspaper or Magazine Article)

Di Rado, Alicia. "Trekking through College: Classes Explore Modern Society Using the World of Star Trek." Los Angeles Times 15 Mar. 1995: A3.

(Book Article or Chapter)

James, Nancy E. "Two Sides of Paradise: The Eden Myth According to Kirk and Spock." Spectrum of the Fantastic. Ed. Donald Palumbo. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1988. 219-223.

(Website)

Lynch, Tim. "DSN Trials and Tribble-ations Review." Psi Phi: Bradley's Science Fiction Club. 1996. Bradley University. 8 Oct. 1997 .

(Newspaper or Magazine Article on the Internet)

Andreadis, Athena. "The Enterprise Finds Twin Earths Everywhere It Goes, But Future Colonizers of Distant Planets Won't Be So Lucky." Astronomy Jan. 1999: 64- . Academic Universe. Lexis-Nexis. B. Davis Schwartz Memorial Lib., Brookville, NY. 7 Feb. 1999 .

Diagnostic Essay

Instructions: For this assignment, I’d like you to answer the following questions in essay form.  You don’t have to take them in any particular order, or even answer all of them.  Focus on the ones which help you best explain what you’re trying to accomplish as a college student. 

The questions:

• Why are you attending college? 
• Why did you choose your major?  (If you haven't chosen one yet, what major(s) are you considering, and why?)
• What type(s) of career would you like, what are your particular interests and talents etc? 
• Why did you choose Grambling? 
• Are the choices you’ve made as a college student (school, major, goals etc.) working out as you’d hoped?  
• Have the goals you set for yourself changed since you began college?   If so, how?
• What do you envision your life will be like in 5-10 years after graduating from GSU?

1-2 pages minimum. 20 points. 

You will receive full credit if your response is at least one page long and is a serious attempt to answer the questions.  If your paper goes longer than one page, turn the paper over and write on the back.  (Save a tree!)

 

Note: This assignment is due from each student attending this class.  It will be accepted at any time,

but 1 point will be deducted for each class meeting between the first day of the semester and the day it is received.

The purpose of this assignment is to give me an idea of your writing skills at the beginning of this semester, as well as some sense of who you are as a person.  Just keep it simple and tell me about your objectives as a student, but try to use the best grammar and vocabulary you can.  You will receive full credit as long as you answer the questions seriously in one to two pages (one or both sides of a sheet of notebook paper) and on time.  The only thing the assignment will be marked down for is lack of seriousness (usually meaning it's too short).

Welcome!

Welcome to Dr Tracy's English 102 class at Grambling State University. The purpose of this site is to provide you a convenient source for the readings and handouts on the syllabus, as well as other helpful information. 

You are required to complete each reading before the class for which it is assigned in order to be prepared for the quizzes (which are given anytime a reading is assigned), discussions, and writing assignments.  Bring a printed copy of it with you to class. All readings are in the public domain. See you in class!

ENG 102 Syllabus: Spring 2018

GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY

“The Place Where Everybody is Somebody!”

Spring 2018              ENG 102-16/ 20918              Freshman Composition II

Attention: Class meets in BH 214

Also Attention: This syllabus has been updated.
Please use the schedule below, which 
supersedes the syllabus handed out in class.

Turnitin.com Class ID: 17153681  Class Password/ Enrollment Key: tracy

Instructor: Dr. Thomas J. Tracy   Email: tracy@gram.edu

Office Hours: 12-3pm MW, 3-4 pm TR and by appointment

Course Description: ENG 102/ 3 hours/ Freshman Composition II Provides a continuation of ENG 101. Emphasis is on various modes of writing and business communication. Research paper is required. Prerequisite(s): ENG 101

Special Course Requirements

·       Materials: Always bring the readings, handouts, and writing materials to class. 

·       Make-up work: All work must be submitted on time.  No deadlines will be extended or make-up work given without the instructor’s prior permission.  Prior permission means you must speak with or email me before the deadline is missed.  This permission will only be granted in the case of medical emergency or extenuating circumstances validated with official documentation.  Absences, whether excused or not, do not relieve students of responsibility for deadlines.  Late work without a prior extension will receive a maximum grade of 60%, or “D.”  Missed in-class assignments of any kind, including quizzes, cannot be made up. 

·       Attendance: Regular attendance is expected.  Attendance is usually taken by giving a test or in-class writing assignment at the beginning of class.  If you miss the quiz, or if you leave class before being dismissed, you will be marked absent for that day (meaning if you leave before being dismissed you will get a zero on your quiz.)  Participation grades will be lowered with each unexcused absence.  

·       Absences will only be excused with the instructor’s prior permission, or in documented cases of medical emergency or unusual circumstances.  Prior permission means you must ask to be excused before the class is missed.  If you are excused for an absence, you are required to make up any missed work at the next class meeting.  If you do not do this, the “x” for the assignment will immediately revert to a zero.   You must come early or stay after class to complete the missed work, or make arrangements with me, to avoid getting a zero.

·       If you are on an athletic team or in the band, you still must personally obtain permission to miss class before an event.  Even if you are on a list of participants, you will not be excused after the fact.  Students encountering difficulties attending class regularly are encouraged to withdraw and re-take Eng 200 when circumstances in their lives permit them to give their education the attention it deserves.  To simply state the above requirements: if you legitimately can’t avoid being absent, you still must email the instructor before the class is missed and ask to be excused or your grade will suffer.  Absences that will not be excused include, but are not limited to, doctor’s appointments, the illness of a relative or friend, and late registration.   More than three absences, for any reason, may result in failure of this course. 

·       Plagiarism will not be tolerated.  Any work submitted for this class, not produced entirely by the student for this class only, may receive a failing grade for the course and/ or possible disciplinary action which may include expulsion from the university.  See Code of Student Conduct 4.09-Dishonesty and Forgery (p.9).

·       No electronic communications devices are allowed in class. Prohibited devices include, but are not limited to, cell phones, pagers, CD/ MP3 players etc.  Any student using such a device while class is in session will be asked to leave, and any in-class work (e.g. that day’s quiz etc) will not be accepted.

·       Grambling State University provides equal opportunity and access for all persons with disabilities.  If you have a physical or learning disability that needs to be accommodated, please see the instructor as soon as possible.

There are three things which could prevent you from succeeding in this course: 1) Not attending class regularly; 2) not doing the reading; and 3) not turning in work on time (or of course plagiarizing it).  If any one of these conditions applies to you, you may fail the course.  There will be a quiz or writing assignment given at the beginning of class each day, and if you come in late you will miss it.  Missed in-class work cannot be made up.  The more work you miss, the more your grade will suffer.  These requirements will not be changed for you after the fact (i.e., when you realize the missed work has affected your grade).  Every class meeting, and all coursework, counts toward your grade whether you’re here or not.  All students are graded according to the same criteria.

Evaluation Procedure

 Participation, 30%; Tests, In-class writing etc., 70%;

Course Schedule

Date	All readings are available at http://tiger102.blogspot.com.      You are REQUIRED to Read/ Bring each reading assignment to class.
T Jan 9	Intro/ Clerical
Th Jan 11	In-class Writing Assignment/ Diagnostic Essay
T Jan 16	Reading: Kate Chopin, “The Storm”
Th Jan 18	Reading: “Close Reading”
T Jan 23	Reading: Kate Chopin, “The Story of an Hour”
Th Jan 25	Reading: Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper”
T Jan 30	Reading: Alice Walker, “Everyday Use”
Th Feb 1	Reading: Eudora Welty, “A Worn Path”
T Feb 6	Reading: “Writing About Literature” Rough Draft of Essay 1 Due: Bring a hard copy of your paper Bring 2 copies of the handout “Draft Workshop”
Th Feb 8	Reading: Edgar Allen Poe, “The Raven”
T Feb 13	Mardi Gras Holiday
Th Feb 15	3-page Final Draft  of  Essay 1 Due  Sunday, Feb 18, 11:59 pm Turnitin Help
T Feb 20	Reading: Poe, “The Tell-Tale Heart”; “Why Will You Say That He Is Mad?”
Th Feb 22	Reading: Edgar Allen Poe, “The Pit and the Pendulum”
T Feb 27	Reading: Edgar Allen Poe, “The Cask of Amontillado”
Th Mar 1	Reading: Edgar Allen Poe, “The Masque of the Red Death”
T Mar 6	Reading: “Symbol, Allegory, Archetype”
Th Mar 8	Rough Draft of Essay2 Due: Bring a hard copy of your paper Bring 2 copies of the handout “Draft Workshop”
T Mar 13	3-page Final Draft of  Essay 2 Due on Turnitin.com Turnitin Help
Th Mar 15	Reading: H B Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin Ch. 7 “The Mother’s Struggle”
T Mar 20	Reading: H B Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin Ch 9, “A Senator is but a Man”
Th Mar 22	Reading: H B Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin Ch. 12, “Select Incident of Lawful Trade”
T Mar 27	Spring Break
Th Mar 29	Spring Break
T Apr 3	Reading:  Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, preface & Ch. 1
Th Apr 5	Reading:  Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Ch. 7
T Apr 10	Reading: Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Ch. 10
Th Apr 12	Reading: Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Ch. 13
T Apr 17	Reading: Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Ch. 41
Th Apr 19	Reading: “The Research Paper” Rough Draft of Research Paper Due: Bring a hard copy of your paper Bring 2 copies of the handout “Draft Workshop”
T Apr 24	5-page Final Draft of  Research Paper Due on Turnitin.com Turnitin Help

Class policies: The following are requirements for this class:

Attendance:

·       See the requirements on the first page of this syllabus.  Note: If you are excused for an absence, it is still your responsibility to make up any missed work at the next class meeting you attend.  If you do not do this, the “x” for the assignment will immediately revert to a zero

·       If you are on an athletic team or in the band and performing for a scheduled event, you still must personally obtain permission to miss class before the event.  Even if your name appears on a list of participants distributed by the University, you will not be excused after the fact. 

·       To simply state the attendance requirements: if you legitimately can’t avoid being absent, you still must email the instructor before the class is missed and ask to be excused.  Absences that will not be excused include, but are not limited to, doctor’s appointments, the illness of a relative or friend, and late registration.   More than three absences, for any reason, may result in failure of this course. 

The best way to communicate with me outside of class is to email me at tracy@gram.edu.   Any time you do, you must put your name and the class of mine you’re enrolled (ENG 102) in the subject line of the email message.  If you fail to put this information in the subject line of an email to me, you won’t be excused, and if you’re trying to turn in an assignment via email, it will not be accepted. 

Class Requirements

The best way to communicate with me outside of class is to email me at tracy@gram.edu. Note: Any time you email me, you must include your name and class identification (ENG 102) in the subject line. If you fail to put this information in the subject line of an email asking to be excused from class, you won’t be excused, or if you’re trying to turn in an assignment via email, you will not receive credit for the assignment. 

Class Policies:

• Materials: Always bring the readings, handouts, and writing materials to class. The readings should be printed out in hard copy; accessing them on your smart phone is not acceptable.  (Just so you know, there's a high correlation between people who repeatedly come to class without having printed out a copy of the reading, and people who fail the class. )  Failure to bring these materials to class on a regular basis will result in a failing Participation grade.

• Make-up work: All work must be submitted on time. No deadlines will be extended or make-up work given without the instructor’s prior permission. Prior permission means you must get approval before the deadline is missed. This permission will only be granted in the case of medical emergency or extenuating circumstances validated with official documentation. Absences, whether excused or not, do not relieve students of responsibility for deadlines. Any late work accepted without a prior extension will receive a maximum grade of 60%, or “D.” Missed in-class assignments (including quizzes) cannot be made up. 

• Assignments: All work submitted (except in-class writing) must be typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins and normal fonts (i.e. 10-12pt fonts with no elaborate or flowery script). Essays must be submitted both electronically and in hard copy. Failure to follow these instructions will result in the paper receiving a penalty of at least one letter grade. 

• Attendance: Regular attendance is expected. Participation grades will be lowered with each unexcused absence. Absences will only be excused with the instructor’s prior permission, or in documented cases of medical emergency or unusual circumstances. Prior permission means you must email or speak to me before the class is missed.  If you are on an athletic team or in the band, taking the Rising Junior Exam, receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, or whatever, you still must obtain permission before the event.  Even if you are on a list of participants taking part in a sanctioned University activity, you will not be excused for an absence if you haven't received prior consent.  Absences that will not be excused include, but are not limited to, doctor’s appointments, the illness of a relative or friend, and late registration. You will also be marked absent if you arrive after the quiz is given, or leave class without being dismissed (in which case your quiz will also be thrown out). More than four absences, for any reason, may result in failure of this course. Students encountering difficulties attending class regularly are advised to withdraw and re-take Eng 102 when circumstances in their lives permit them to give their education the attention it deserves. If missing a class is unavoidable and you have a valid excuse, email the instructor and ask to be excused before the class is missed.

• Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Any work submitted for this class not produced entirely by the student for this class only will warrant a failing grade for the course and lead to possible disciplinary action which may include expulsion from the university. See Code of Student Conduct 4.09-Dishonesty and Forgery (p.9).

• No electronic communications devices are allowed in class. Prohibited devices include, but are not limited to, cell phones, pagers, iphones, CD/ MP3 players etc. Any student using such a device while class is in session will be asked to leave, marked absent for that day, and any in-class work (e.g. that day’s quiz etc) will not be accepted.

• Grambling State University provides equal opportunity and access for all persons with disabilities. If you have a physical or learning disability that needs to be accommodated, please see the instructor as soon as possible. 
__________________________________________


There are three things which could prevent you from succeeding in this class: 1) Not attending class regularly; 2) not turning in assigned work on time; and 3) plagiarizing work that you do turn in. If any one of these conditions applies to you, you may fail the course. There will be quizzes and in-class writing assignments based upon the readings on a regular basis. Missed quizzes and in-class writings can not be made up. Missing one or two won’t be a big problem, but the more you miss, the more your grade will suffer. These requirements are not negotiable after fact (e.g. at the end of the term when you realize you missed or failed a lot of quizzes, you will not be allowed to “do something to make up for the missed time/ work”). It is not fair to allow some people to miss classes and assignments while other students are taking care of their responsibilities. All students will be graded according to the same criteria.

__________________________________________

Submitting Papers:

All essays and any other paper assigned as homework must be turned in both in physical form (a hard copy) and electronically.  Electronic submission should be done by using the Turn It In website.  Instructions how to do this will be given prior to the due date.  You must include your name and section number (102-10, eg.) on your assignment to ensure thatyou get full credit for turning it in on time.  Each assignment must be submitted with the proper heading (your name, due date, course title and the name of the assignment at the upper left-hand corner of the first page).  Do not include a title page.  Not following any of these instructions will result in a lowered grade for the assignment. 

Writing about Literature/ Draft Workshop

Your Name_________________________________________________ Date______________

Draft workshop

Trade papers with a partner.  Read your partner’s essay over quickly, noting grammar and mechanical errors right where they occur. After you’ve read the essay, locate the paper’s thesis, underline it, and decide if the thesis clearly states an assertion that is supported by the rest of the essay.  Then write your comments on a back page (or pages) of the essay itself (not this handout) so they can refer to them when they revise.  (The most helpful comments you can make are about questions on this sheet to which you answer “No”.)   

Here are things to look for in the essay:	Yes	No
Does the thesis clearly state the writer’s position on the topic?  (If you answer no, try and suggest ways the thesis could be modified.)
Is the thesis specific?   (i.e. makes a workable, pointed argument?)
Does the paper give evidence that directly supports the thesis?  (If it does not, try and suggest evidence which would, or ways the thesis could be modified in order to reflect what the essay writer’s really trying to argue.  Be specific about which evidence you mean and what paragraph of the essay it can be found in.
Are there clear explanations of what the evidence means?
Are there explanations of how the evidence supports the thesis?       (That is, does the writer prove the evidence makes the case the writer claims it does?)  If any of the explanations are unclear, confusing, too general, or otherwise don’t support the argument, state specifically which explanations you mean and what paragraph of the essay they can be found in.
Does the writer provide various types of evidence?  (i.e. facts, statistics, examples, anecdotes, testimony etc.).  Do they develop and support the thesis convincingly?  If not, try to suggest how he or she may add to the evidence to better round it out and make it more effective.
Are the paragraphs unified, coherent, and developed?  (Are there clear topic sentences, are there transitions between ideas, etc.?  Be specific about where they might be added.)
Do the language, word usage, grammar and mechanics, tone, and other aspects of the presentation detract from the paper?  (If yes, be specific about what and where.)

If anything harms the overall impression the essay makes, use the backs of pages of the essay to state specifically which aspects you mean and what paragraph of the essay they can be found in.  Any suggestions you make should given (and taken) in the spirit of helping a colleague improve their work.

Name of the paper’s author: ________________________________________________________

(To print this worksheet, you might want to copy everything above this sentence into another document and print it.)


From Dr Tracy, here is a list of do’s and don’ts when writing your papers for this class:

1) A paper about literature tells its reader things that will help them better understand and appreciate the stories or poems it's written about. The best way to begin is to organize your paper around a thesis, which is a statement of the position you are taking (for instance, your thesis might state that the symbols in a particular story give clues to its overall meaning). In other words, a thesis is a short summary (one or two sentences) of the paper's overall argument. After you've decided on a working thesis (at this point it's a "working thesis" because you may try to fine-tune or improve on it as you get deeper into the paper), everything in the paper should be devoted to backing up what you say in the thesis.

2) Never give long plot summaries. You’re not giving a book report, you’re analyzing literature. Assume that the reader of your paper has read the story. Recapping the events of the plot is a) an insult to your reader's intelligence and b) taking up valuable time and space which would be much better spent arguing your case. If a general summary of a particular passage or sequence of events is essential to making a point, go ahead and do that, but BE BRIEF. In other words, get right to the point and stick to it.

3) Through active reading and participating in class discussions you’ll draw conclusions about what is going on in the reading. State your conclusions clearly and precisely, and back them up by directly quoting from the text. However, you should only quote the specific term, phrase, sentence, or pertinent parts of a longer passage from which you draw specific conclusion(s) (the non-pertinent parts should be cut out and represented by ellipses […]).

4) Be sure to explain how and why this evidence (the particular quote[s] you’re using, the passage[s] you're discussing) leads to your conclusion(s). This is basically connecting cause (what the text actually says) to effect (what you conclude the text means/ suggests/ implies/ reveals). Obviously, you have to be able to convince your reader that the cause does lead to the effect.

• 4 a. Never assume readers already make the connections you see and will reason out on their own why the text leads to your conclusion(s). In fact, assume they don’t - you’re writing to shed light on the story for them. In other words, explicitly state how the evidence leads to the conclusion, just like a lawyer would in a court case.
• 4 b. However, if the conclusion is so obvious that they should make this connection without your doing it for them, you shouldn't be taking up your space in the paper and their time with it. Don’t waste everyone's time telling them things they already know. Find a point that does shed new light on the story and make that point instead (and back it up). Plenty of points worth making will come out in your own thoughts about your reading, and our discussions.

5) Don’t repeat information you’ve already given or points you’ve already made earlier in the essay. This goes for the same reasons as much of the above – it wastes time and space in the essay that could be used more productively, and insults the intelligence of the reader.

The material below is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/). When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice at bottom.

Contributors: Purdue OWL.

Summary: This handout covers major topics relating to writing about fiction. This covers prewriting, close reading, thesis development, drafting, and common pitfalls to avoid.

Developing a Thesis

1. Once you've read the story or novel closely, look back over your notes for patterns of questions or ideas that interest you. Have most of your questions been about the characters, how they develop or change?

For example:

If you are reading Conrad's The Secret Agent, do you seem to be most interested in what the author has to say about society? Choose a pattern of ideas and express it in the form of a question and an answer such as the following:

Question: What does Conrad seem to be suggesting about early 20th century London society in his novel The Secret Agent?

Answer: Conrad suggests that all classes of society are corrupt.

Pitfalls:

Choosing too many ideas.

Choosing an idea without any support.

2. Once you have some general points to focus on, write your possible ideas and answer them.

For example:

Question: How does Conrad develop the idea that all classes of society are corrupt?

Answer: He uses images of beasts and cannibalism whether he's describing socialites, policemen or secret agents.

3. To write your thesis statement, all you have to do is turn the question and answer around. You've already given the answer, now just put it in a sentence (or a couple of sentences) so that the thesis of your paper is clear.

For example:

In his novel, The Secret Agent, Conrad uses beast and cannibal imagery to describe the characters and their relationships to each other. This pattern of images suggests that Conrad saw corruption in every level of early twentieth century London society.

4. Now that you're familiar with the story or novel and have developed a thesis statement, you're ready to choose the evidence you'll use to support your thesis. There are a lot of good ways to do this, but all of them depend on a strong thesis for their direction.

For example:

Here's a student's thesis about Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent.

In his novel, The Secret Agent, Conrad uses beast and cannibal imagery to describe the characters and their relationships to each other. This pattern of images suggests that Conrad saw corruption in every level of early twentieth century London society.

This thesis focuses on the idea of social corruption and the device of imagery. To support this thesis, you would need to find images of beasts and cannibalism within the text.

Pre-Writing Activities and Drafting Your Essay

Pre-Writing Activities

1. Freewrite

Without referring to the text or your notes, write for five to ten minutes on all the images (or the device you have chosen to examine) you can recall. This will provide an initial list which will make up your body of evidence.

2. Review

Look back through the text and your notes to further identify evidence, keeping focused on the particular device you want to discuss.

3. Research

Optional: Ask your instructor about outside sources before you use them.

Once you've identified enough textual evidence to support your thesis, you may want to see what other writers have had to say about your topic. This kind of appeal to other authorities helps you back up and interpret your reading of the work.

4. Evaluate

You will probably generate more evidence than you can use. One way to decide which evidence to take and which to leave is to limit your choices to the best, most illustrative examples you can find. Focus on how the devices are used to develop major characters, major scenes, and major turning points in the work.

Drafting Your Essay

You've read and annotated the work, developed a thesis, and identified your evidence. Now you're ready to work your evidence into your draft. Here are some effective techniques.

1. Quoting

What is a quote?

Quoting involves taking a word, phrase, or passage directly from the story, novel, or critical essay and working it grammatically into your discussion. Here's an example:

In his novel, The Secret Agent, Conrad describes Verloc as "undemonstrative and burly in a fat-pig style.... " (69). The pig image suggests that Verloc is not a lean, zealous anarchist, but is actually a corrupt, complacent middle class man who is interested in preserving his comfortable status.

Notice three things about the example above:

o The passage from the novel is enclosed in quotes and the page number is indicated in parentheses. For more help see our handouts on MLA and APA.

o The passage is introduced in a coherent grammatical style; it reads like a complete, correct sentence. For more help, see our handout on using quotation marks.

o The quote is interpreted, not patched on and left for the reader to figure out what it means.

When should I quote?

o To make a particularly important point

o When a passage or point is particularly well written

o To include a particularly authoritative source

How should I quote?

o All quotes must be introduced, discussed, and woven into the text. As you revise, make sure you don't have two quotes end-to-end.

o A good rule of thumb: Don't let your quotes exceed 25% of your text.

2. Paraphrasing

What is paraphrasing?

o This is using your own words to say what the author said. To paraphrase the quote used above, you might say something like:

o Conrad describes Verloc as a big man who isn't very expressive and who looks like a pig.

When should I paraphrase?

o Paraphrasing is useful in general discussion (introduction or conclusion) or when the author's original style is hard to understand.

o Again, you would need to interpret the paraphrase just as you would a quote.

o For more help, see the OWL handout on paraphrasing.

3. Summarizing

What is summarizing?

o This is taking larger passages from the original work and summing them up in a sentence or two. To use the example above: Conrad uses pig imagery to describe Verloc's character.

When should I summarize?

o Like paraphrasing, summary is useful in general discussion which leads up to a specific point and when you want to introduce the work and present the thesis.

o For more help, see the OWL handout on Summarizing.

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