Think & Wonder, Wonder & Think: Exploring Dr. Seuss An English 9 & 9H Analytical Essay Assignment Write an essay supporting your analysis of one element of a Dr. Seuss book. Why Seuss? Dr. Seuss books are perfect for us to analyze. We can summarize what the stories are about, but they also have deeper messages, themes, that child readers wouldn t notice. Which Seuss? Yertle the Turtle Horton Hears a Who Horton Hatches the Egg What Was I Scared Of? The Sneetches The Lorax Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose Gertrude McFuzz What Else Should I Know Before I Start? This is a formal analysis paper, so you should do all of the following: Use the guidelines for Academic Language in the yellow Style Guide on page. Use the visual formatting guidelines in the yellow Style Guide on page. Assume your reader has read the book. Italicize or underline book titles. Avoid slang and clichés. This packet of materials, except for the appendices is Beth Fettweiss 2011, with revisions made by Colleen Davis and Ali Borger-Germann, 2012
What do I do? A Step-by-Step Process 1. Choose a story to read carefully. Read it a few times to be sure you notice lots of details. 2. Distinguish between summary and analysis. Decide what the story is about literally, and then decide what the story is really about. 3. Pick an element of the story to analyze, like a theme, a character, or a symbol. 4. Plan your thesis. 5. Plan your topics and paragraphs. 6. Begin drafting your essay with an introduction, at least three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Do Step 1 before you go on to the next page. As you read the story, feel free to jot down any notes in this space: 2
Step 2: Distinguish Between Analysis and Summary. Summary (What the story is literally about; what happens) Horton Hears a Who is literally about an elephant who protects a tiny community from harm. Analysis (Identify specific elements of the story important to understanding the author s underlying message) the kangaroos represent human s ability to learn to respect others. Horton represents the very best of humanity. The vulture seems to represent evil and exploitation. Interesting that it is red and has a Russian name related to Cold War? The author s message is that all creatures, no matter how small, deserve protection from more powerful creatures. Try this with your book. Book title Summary (What the story is literally about; what happens) Analysis (Identify specific elements of the story important to understanding the author s underlying message) Step 3: Pick an element of the story to analyze. Pick ONE thing you analyzed, and make sure it s something you could prove with evidence from the text or pictures. 3
Step Four: Plan Your Thesis Statement. Exploring Dr. Seuss: An English 9 & 9H Analytical Essay Once you ve decided what you will analyze, you will write your thesis, or your main argument in the essay. The THESIS is the single most important sentence in your essay: The thesis is the main idea or argument that a paper makes. The thesis is usually the last sentence of the introduction. The thesis can contain the reasons the author will use to support the argument. The thesis relates to EVERY body paragraph. In each paragraph, the author must show readers how the ideas presented support the thesis....but that s probably all review from middle school. Now that you re here, we re going to up the ante on thesis statements. A GOOD THESIS IS argumentative/debatable. Because the argument in the thesis should be debatable, it will not use the most obvious points of the text. Not great: Romeo and Juliet is a play about family loyalty. Better: Throughout Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare uses images of light and darkness to portray Juliet s moral dilemma. A GOOD THESIS EXPLAINS both what you see in the text and why that is significant (the so what). Often the so what is your debatable point about what the author is trying to do or what the author inadvertently does in the text. This is the moment when you create meaning. Not great: Money plays an important role throughout the novel Moll Flanders. Better: The language in Moll Flanders demonstrates an obsession with money that serves as a vehicle for Defoe s critique of capitalism. A GOOD THESIS BUILDS from one point to the next. This will determine the organization of your paper. A strong thesis (at the high school level) will not give three examples of the exact same idea. A GOOD THESIS is analytical, not evaluative. The job of a literary critic is to create meaning by looking closely at the text; it is not to make moral judgments about characters or texts. Do not make evaluative judgments in analytical writing. Not great: Whitman s Leaves of Grass brings poetry into a wonderful new era because it doesn t use traditional meter and form. Better: Whitman s Leaves of Grass does not use traditional meter, form or content. As a result, it challenged the social conventions of his day. 4
A GOOD THESIS IS well-supported. A good thesis should force the writer (and reader) to look closely at one aspect of the text, and should specifically force close reading based on evidence from the text. Plot summary and clichés are never strong support for a thesis. Rhetorical questions don t do the job either. A GOOD THESIS USES a strong verb Strong thesis verbs might include one or more of the following: to conclude to justify to discount to claim to account for to suppose to assert to maintain to challenge to reflect to exemplify to critique to emphasize to suggest to contend to describe to extol to reject to fail to acknowledge to fail to understand to fail to comprehend to acknowledge to question to refute to elucidate Thesis Scratch Pad Try writing a good thesis below. Once your instructor approves of the thesis, write it at the top of the graphic organizer on page 5. 5
Step 5: Plan your Topics and Paragraphs. Thesis: Exploring Dr. Seuss: An English 9 & 9H Analytical Essay Identify)the)specific)words) you)will)look)at)carefully)to) explain)the)connection) between)the)quote)and)the) point) Topic sentence to support thesis Quote)from)the)story) to)prove)this)reason Topic sentence to support thesis Quote)from)the)story) to)prove)this)reason Topic sentence to support thesis Quote)from)the)story) to)prove)this)reason 6
Thesis: Horton the Elephant represents what is best in humanity, and proves that one person can make the world a better place Exploring Dr. Seuss: An English 9 & 9H Analytical Essay Identify)the)specific)words) you)will)look)at)carefully)to) explain)the)connection) between)the)quote)and)the) point) Topic sentence to support thesis One thing that makes Horton an example of the ideal human being is his desire to help others. Quote from the story to prove this reason Some poor little person who s shaking with fear (6) I can t let my very small persons get drowned! I ve got to protect them. I m bigger than they (14). fear protect small bigger Topic sentence to support thesis! Even when others challenge him in this mission to protect the small, Horton remains loyal to his calling. Quote from the story to prove this reason on through the afternoon, hour after hour Till he found them at last! On the three millionth flower! beat him! They mauled him! on through hour after hour beat maul Topic sentence to support thesis! Horton also provides a model of how all humans should respect others Quote from the story to prove this reason A person s a person, not matter how small! you very small persons will not have to die if you make yourselves heard! person No matter how small yourselves heard 7
Step 6: Begin Drafting Your Essay 5 Paragraph Essays The 5 paragraph essay is not a perfect essay. It s not even the best essay out there. But in general, these essays will establish a strong organizational framework for your academic writing. It s sort of like learning to write on those handwriting strips. You don t actually form letters that way over the long haul, but they re a great tool when you re in the learning process. Paragraph 1 is the introduction. Capture the reader s attention. Set the tone of the essay. Introduce the text and the author and give a very brief (1-2 sentence) summary of the story. Lead into and end with the thesis statement. Paragraphs 2, 3, and 4 are the body paragraphs. Each body paragraph: Start with a topic sentence which states the paragraph s topic as well as how the paragraph relates to the thesis. Include evidence (a quote from the text) to support the point. Devote to analyzing the evidence (the quotation) and explaining how the quotation supports the thesis. There is a nice, long explanation about body paragraphs, including a sample, on the next few pages. Transitions......are words or phrases that show readers the relationships between ideas in different paragraphs and within the same paragraph. Use transitions in your topic sentences to connect paragraphs. See App,endix 1, Transitions in Short Essays (page 8) for a more detailed explanation. Paragraph 5 is the conclusion. Restate the thesis in new terms and summarizes main points. Leave the reader with a powerful closing image. Go ahead and begin writing if you feel ready. If you need more help, go on to the next pages. 8
How to Build an Analytical Body Paragraph Your body paragraphs have four parts: 1. Topic sentence this sentence explains how your paragraph will support your thesis, and it is the boss of the paragraph. Everything else in the paragraph has to connect to this sentence. 2. Context this sentence (or part of a sentence) explains what s happening in the story right around the time the quote comes up. 3. Evidence this sentence or these sentences include the actual quote from the story, and they include it so that it s a meaningful part of the sentence. 4. Analysis these sentences explain how the quote proves your topic sentence, and as a result how it proves your thesis. So let s try it together. Let s imagine that your thesis says this: By making Horton so wonderful, Dr. Seuss creates a picture of what it takes to be the ideal human being. And your graphic organizer for the first paragraph looks like this: 9
Step 6, Take 2 Stuck on how to begin drafting your essay? Try following these step-by-step instructions. Introduction: Write a sentence to grab the reader s attention. Write a couple of sentences to give the story name, the author name, and a quick plot summary. Write your thesis. Body Paragraph 1 Topic sentence 1 A sentence/phrase to introduce the quote A quote from the story to show this Explanation of how the quote proves the topic sentence/thesis Body Paragraph 2 Topic sentence 2 (with transition) A sentence/phrase to introduce the quote A quote from the story to show this Explanation of how the quote proves the topic sentence/thesis Body Paragraph 3 Topic sentence 3 (with transition) A sentence/phrase to introduce the quote A quote from the story to show this Explanation of how the quote proves the topic sentence/thesis Conclusion Write two or three sentences to summarize the main points you ve made in the essay. Write what you think is a good closing line (something that shows readers that you re done). 10
Appendix 1: Transitions in Short Essays Beginner Level Everyone, at a minimum needs to use transition words to connect paragraphs together. This could be as simple as words ate the beginning of each paragraph: Introduction, blah blah blah. Thesis. First, blah blah blah blah blah paragraph Second, blah blah blah blah paragraph Third, blah, blah blah blah paragraph Clearly, blah blah blah restate thesis and go into conclusion Intermediate Level The next level of transitions in short essays involves using transition words inside your paragraphs. In example A below, you can see that my paragraph starts with first but later in the paragraph I use in addition Sophisticated Level The most sophisticated use of transitions in short essays happens when a writer can make transitions without only relying on transition words. These transitions are built into the paragraph. They might repeat language from earlier in the paragraph or may use demonstrative pronouns (this, that, these, those) to connect ideas to one another. In example A below, notice that I talk about the moment of suspense being painful. Later I repeat that phrase with a demonstrative pronoun: Ultimately, this moment of suspense. The repetition and the demonstrative pronoun tie the ideas together, even though there aren t any so-called transition words involved. In example B below, notice that I talk about terrifying and exciting in the first two sentences. Later I say use those ideas to say that terror and excitement. Again, this transition connects the two ideas with repeated language and a demonstrative pronoun. Example A First, Richard Connell uses suspense to draw readers into the story. When Rainsford and Zaroff have lunch together during their second day on the island, Zaroff gets a fire in his eyes when he suggests, tonight, we will hunt. The moment of suspense is almost painful. The reader does not know if Zaroff means that he and Rainsford will hunt together for one of Zaroff s pupils or if Rainsford himself will become the hunted creature. In addition, the general is so polite, that it s nearly impossible to believe he will actually do what we fear him doing. Ultimately this moment of suspense appeals to teen readers because it leaves enough space for the reader to figure it out or make a guess before revealing the truth. Teenagers, like many adults, enjoy solving the riddle just a little bit before the author explains it. Example B A game is fun. A dangerous game sounds terrifying and exciting at the same time. Richard Connell plays with that terror and excitement in his short story, The Most Dangerous Game. From death-defying battles with the ocean to creepy dinners with creepier hosts, Connell delivers excitement, suspense and terror, making The Most Dangerous Game the perfect story for teen readers. 11
Appendix 2: Top 5 Most Common Problems (in the first analytical essay) 1. Quotes/passages cannot be treated as things this means avoiding phrases like these: a. Here is a passage from the text that shows b. This quote demonstrates c. This passage proves d. In this example Instead, use phrases that keep the reader in the context of the story. For example: a. At this moment... b. As Jig says this, she is... c. This conversation demonstrates... d. When he agrees, he also... 2. The entire paper must be in the academic register. This means: a. Grammar and spelling count. A lot. They should be perfect. Spellcheck and grammar check will not get it all, but if you read your paper out loud, you ll get a lot more of it! b. No Contractions (can t, doesn t, we re, she ll, he s etc.) c. No abbreviations (vs.) d. No slang (y all, cuz, cool, hanging out, he gets it, etc.) e. No personal pronouns (I, you, me, we, us, my) only use the third person (he, she, it, they) f. The whole paper needs to be in the present tense: Jig sees, The American argues, the narrator feels etc. 3. Citations are not optional. Each quote must be followed with the page number in parentheses, just as it is displayed in the examples below, or exactly like this (79). 4. Quotes/passages need to be incorporated into sentences. This means only including the pieces of the quote that are USEFUL and FIT WELL into your own writing. You can use the including quotes handout to help you with this part. Quote all by itself VERY BAD NEWS The narrator is cruel to his brother. I began to make plans to kill him by smothering him with a pillow (54). Quote part of a sentence GOOD NEWS The narrator admits that as a child he made plans to kill his younger brother by smothering him with a pillow (54). Mr. and Mrs. Loisel receive an old-fashioned invitation to a party. The Minister of Education and Mrs. Georges Ramponneau beg Mr. and Mrs. Loisel to do them the honor of attending an evening reception (23). Mr. and Mrs. Loisel receive and old-fashioned invitation to a party. The Minister of Education and his wife write in their invitation that it would be an honor if Mr. and Mrs. Loisel would attend an evening reception (23). AND #5, THE MOST IMPORTANT NOTE OF ALL is on the next page 12
5. Every body paragraph must include ANALYSIS of the included quotes/passages. Most papers either skip the analysis entirely (very bad news) or simply summarize the quote (bad news). No Analysis Thumbs down Pattern 1. Topic sentence 2. Sentence introducing the quote/passage 3. Quote/passage 4. Maybe a sentence more, maybe not, sometimes too personal. Sample Finally, the twist ending brings the reader to a screeching halt. Here, Mathilde is sure that she can get sympathy from her surprised friend until her friend explains, but mine was only paste. Why at most it was worth only five hundred francs! (25). What a terrible moment for Mathilde! Everyone can imagine being in a situation like that, and it would be awful. Summary Thumbs Down 1. Topic Sentence 2. Sentence introducing the quote/passage 3. Quote/passage 4. Explanation of what s happening in the quote and what s happening in the story around the quote. Finally, the twist ending brings the reader to a screeching halt. Here, Mathilde is sure that she can get sympathy from her surprised friend until her friend explains, but mine was only paste. Why at most it was worth only five hundred francs! (25). Mathilde has just spent ten years of her life trying to pay back the 30,000 francs she owes, making her appear like a common person. Now she learns she only needed to pay 500 francs. This information not only stops the reader, but presumably Mathilde, since the story ends there. Analysis Thumbs up 1. Topic Sentence 2. Sentence introducing the quote/passage 3. Quote/passage 4. Explanation of HOW the quote proves the entire thesis (the thesis for this paper is: The Necklace has a twist at the end, so it appeals to teen readers). Finally the twist ending brings the reader to a screeching halt. Here, Mathilde is sure she can get sympathy from her surprised friend until her friend explains, but mine was only paste. Why at most it was worth only five hundred francs! (25). Because Mathilde has just spent ten years paying back the 30,000 francs she thought she owed, the actual price of the item she replaced stops her cold or readers assume so, since the story ends there. Of course it also stops the reader cold, which makes the story particularly appealing to teens. The shocking twist gives teens something to figure out at the end of the story. It also satisfies the teen thirst for justice, since the self-absorbed Mathilde gets exactly what she deserves. 13