CALENDAR FAHRENHEIT LITERARY ANALYSIS PAPER You don t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them. - Ray Bradbury MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY 25 Opinionairre Walk Introduction to Assignment Begin Reading pg 1-15 28 Continue Reading pg 16-34 29 Continue Reading pg 35-54 30 - Early Release Analyzing Literary Devices 1 Analyzing Themes Comprehension Quiz Non-Fiction Homework Due 2 Thesis Statement 5 Continue Reading pg 55-74 6 Continue Reading pg 75-89 7 Continue Reading pg 90-109 8 Comprehension Quiz Non-Fiction Homework Due 9 Quotation Integration 12 Continue Reading pg 110-127 13 Continue Reading p 128-145 14 - Early Release Analyzing Literary Devices 15 Continue Reading p 146-149 Comprehension Quiz Non-Fiction Homework Due 16 Continue Reading p 150-158 Body Paragraphs 19 NO SCHOOL 20 Review Activity Socratic Seminar 21 Review Activity Paper Outline Due 22 Fahrenheit Test 23 26 NO SCHOOL 27 Rough Draft Due 28 29 Paper Presentations Paper Due 30 Review Test Review for Final Exam TABLE OF CONTENTS Essay Overview!!!!! 2 Thesis Statement!!!!! 3 Body Paragraph & Conclusion!!!! 4 Citations!!!!!! 5 Citations & Punctuation!!!!! 6 Work Cited & Formatting!!!! 7 Paper Checklist!!!!!! 8 Tips & Tricks!!!!!! 9 Rubric!!!!!!! 10
ESSAY OVERVIEW PURPOSE OF A LITERARY ANALYSIS:! A literary analysis is not merely a summary of a literary work. Instead, it is an argument about the work that expresses the writerʼs personal perspective, interpretation, judgment, or critical evaluation of the work. This is accomplished by examining the literary devices, word choices, or writing structures the author uses within the work. The purpose of a literary analysis is to demonstrate why the author used specific ideas, word choices, or writing structures to convey his or her message. HOW TO CREATE A LITERARY ANALYSIS: 1. Read the text closely several times. Focus on the ideas that are being presented. Think about the charactersʼ development and the authorʼs writing technique. What might be considered interesting, unusual, or important? 2. Brainstorm a list of potential topics. Highlight important passages in the text and take notes on these passages. Later, when writing the paper, these notes help a writer to remember which aspects of the story caught his/her attention. The topic chosen should always be based on a writerʼs interpretation of the authorʼs message. Theme: What is the major idea or theme of the work? How does the author relay this theme? Is there a greater meaning to the details given? How do the charactersʼ moods affect the theme? What allusions are made throughout the work? Are there repeating patterns or symbols? What does the title say about the theme? 3. Think about what the author is trying to say. Why is this important? When viewing this work as a piece of art, what might a writerʼs response be? What might a writerʼs reaction be to the ideas presented in the work? 4. Select a topic that has sufficient supporting evidence. A writer should make sure to include specific details to support the topic. Identify sections of the book that could be used as evidence to support the topic that has been chosen. Also, ensure you can defend your topic with evidence from other resources, proving your topic is relevant and accurate. 5. Write a working thesis. The analysis will need a strong thesis that states a writerʼs perspective but also allows it to be debated. The thesis should state a writerʼs opinion, but it should also allow readers to arrive at their own conclusions. 6. Make an extended list of evidence. Find more evidence from the text to support the working thesis. Then select the evidence that will be used in the paper. 7. Create a rough draft. Creating an outline will help a writer to organize his/her thoughts and ideas. It will remind a writer of the order of the thesis, as well as the supporting points he/she would like each topic sentence to have. 8. Revise the Analysis. After completing the first draft, revise the analysis. 9. Proofread. Once the content of the essay is well developed, it should be proofread for grammar, punctuation, and spelling. SELECTING A TOPIC! In many cases, your teacher will not provide you with a topic for your paper; however, in the case of this assignment, your topic has been set by the guided question provided. Your guiding question is:!!!! How does the author use the exploration of the theme to develop Montag? Remember that the above question is broad and general in scope. Once you decide on a general topic, you will have to narrow it to a more specific and workable subject. Your thesis statement will eventually be developed from this narrowed topic; therefore, your final paper will focus on a specific aspect of the guiding question based on the patterns forming from your analysis. 2
BODY PARAGRAPHS & CONCLUSION BODY PARAGRAPHS! The body paragraphs are the supporting paragraphs of your essay. Each paragraph should include: a topic sentence, lead in to textual evidence textual evidence, commentary, and a concluding sentence. In its simplest form, each body paragraph is organized as follows: Topic Sentence Lead in to textual evidence Textual evidence Commentary Transition and lead-in to textual evidence 2 Commentary Concluding Sentence PARTS OF THE BODY PARAGRAPH 1. Topic Sentence: the first sentence of a body or support paragraph. It identifies one aspect of the thesis and states a primary reason why the thesis is true. 2. Lead-In: phrase or sentence that prepares the reader for textual evidence by introducing the speaker, setting, and/or situation. 3. Textual Evidence: a specific example from the work used to provide evidence for your topic sentence. T 4. Commentary: your explanation and interpretation of the textual evidence. Commentary tells the reader what the author of the text means or how the textual evidence proves the topic sentence. Commentary may include interpretation, analysis, argument, insight, and/or reflection. (Helpful hint: In your body paragraph, you should have twice as much commentary as textual evidence. In other words, for every sentence of textual evidence, you should have at least two sentences of commentary.) 5. Concluding Sentence: the last sentence of the body paragraph. It concludes the paragraph by tying the textual evidence and commentary back to the thesis. CONCLUSION! The last paragraph in your essay. This paragraph should begin by echoing your major thesis without repeating the words exactly. Then, the conclusion should broaden from the thesis statements to answer the so what? question your reader may have after reading your essay. The conclusion should do one or more of the following: Reflect on how your essay topic relates to the book as a whole Evaluate how successful the author is in achieving his or her goal or message Connect back to your creative opening 3
CITATIONS CITING SOURCES: DOCUMENTATION! When writing your paper, you must document every bit of information that you borrow - this includes direct quotations, paraphrases, information and ideas. Information such as familiar proverbs ( The early bird gets the worm ) or common knowledge ( George Washington was the first president of the United States ) does not need to be documented. Yet you must indicate the source of any information that you have borrowed so that readers will not mistake it for your own. AVOIDING PLAGIARISM! Plagiarism is the act of intentionally or unintentionally presenting work done by someone else as though it were your own. In most schools, including middle schools, high schools, and universities, plagiarism is considered a serious offense and can result in severe penalties, such as failing grades, loss of course credit, or even expulsion.! Because plagiarism is so serious, it is important to know exact what is it and what you can do to avoid it. Here is a simple test to determine whether something is plagiarized: Is this information, idea, or statement common knowledge? If no, then ask yourself: Did this information, idea, statement come from a source outside myself, or did it come from my own experience or as a result of my own creative activity?! If the information, idea, or statement is NOT common knowledge, and if it came from an outside source, the YOU MUST CREDIT that source. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism.! Source: Writing Research Papers. 2001 ed. Boston: McDougall Littell, 2001. PARENTHETICAL DOCUMENTATION! The works cited a the end of your paper plays an important role in acknowledging sources, but it alone is not sufficient. You must indicate exactly what information you have derived from each source and exactly where you found the material. The simplest way to supply this information is to insert brief parenthetical acknowledgments in your paper wherever you incorporate someone elseʼs words, facts, or ideas. This acknowledgment usually includes an authorʼs last name and a page number, but with the increasing variety of sources, this does have variations. Keep in mind: References in the text must clearly point to specific sources in the list of works cited. Information in the parenthetical reference must match the corresponding information in the list. Identify the location of the borrowed information as specifically as possible. Keep parenthetical references as brief as clarity and accuracy permit. If you incorporate an authorʼs name in a sentence, you do not need to repeat it in the parenthetical citation that follows. Punctuation always follows the parenthetical citation. To avoid interrupting the flow of your paper, place the parenthetical citation where a pause would naturally occur (preferably at the end of a sentence). Long quotes (four lines or more) must be indented ten spaces. In this case, you do NOT use quotation marks, and the parenthetical citation comes AFTER the end punctuation mark. 4
CITATIONS CONTINUED CITATION EXAMPLES Authorʼs Name in Text! It may be true, as Robertson mains, that in the appreciation of medieval art the attitude of the observer is of! primary importance... (136).! In his autobiography, Ben Franklin states that he prepared a list of thirteen virtues (135-37). Authorʼs Name Not in Text! It may be true that in the appreciation of medieval art the attitude of the observer is of primary! importance... (Robertson, 136)! In Autobiography, thirteen virtues are listed (Franklin, 135-37). Citing Indirect Sources! Samuel Johnson admitted that Edmund Burke was an extraordinary man (qtd in Boswell, 450) Citing a Long Quote Notice that the end punctuation is placed before the parenthetical citation on the long quote ONLY.!! John K. Mahon offers this comment on War of 1812: Financing the war was very difficult at the time.!! Baring brothers, a banking firm of the enemy country, handled routine accounts for the United States!! overseas, but the firm would take no loan. The loans in the end absorbed by wealthy American INTEGRATING QUOTES INTO SENTENCES! Ways to integrate quotations properly into your own sentences are explained below. Please not the punctuation: it is correct. There are at least four ways to integrate quotations. 1. Introduce the quotation with a complete sentence and colon. This is an easy rule to remember: if you use a complete sentence to introduce a quotation, you need a colon after the sentence. Be careful not to confuse a colon (:) with a semi-colon (;). Using a common in this situation would most likely create a comma splice, one of the serious sentence boundary errors.! Example: In Where I Lived, and What I Lived For, Thoreau directly states his purpose for going into the! woods: I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and! see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived (3)! Example: Thoreau ends his essay with a metaphor: Time is but a stream I go a-fishing in (3). 2. Use an introductory or explanatory phrase, but not a complete sentence, separate from the quotation with a comma. You should use a comma to separate your own words from the quotation when our introductory or explanatory phrase ends with a verb such as says, said, thinks, ponders, questions, and believes (and many more). You should also use a comma when you introduce a quotation with a phrase such as According to Thoreau.! Example: Thoreau asks, Why should we live in such hurry and waste of life? (3).! Example: According to Thoreau, We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us (3). 5
CITATIONS CONTINUED 3. Make the quotation a part of your own sentence without any punctuation between your own words and the words you are quoting. Notice that the word that is used in one of he examples below, and when it is used as it is in the examples, that replaces the comma which would be necessary without that in the sentence. You usually have a choice, then, when you begin a sentence with a phrase such as Thoreau says. You either can add a comma after says (Thoreau says, quotation ) or you can add the word that with no comma (Thoreau says that quotation ).! Example: Thoreau argues that shams and delusions are esteemed for soundest truths, while reality is! fabulous (3).! Example: According to Thoreau, people are often thrown off the track by every nutshell and mosquitoʼs wing! that falls on the rails (3). 4. Use short quotations - only a few words - as part of your own sentence. When you integrate quotations in this way, you do not use any special punctuation. Instead, you should punctuate the sentences just as you would if all of the words were your own. No punctuation is needed in the sentences above in part because the sentences do not follow the patter explained under number 1 and 2 below: there is not a complete sentence in front of the quotations, and a word such as says, said, or asks does not appear directly in front of the quoted words.! Example: In Where I Lived, and What I Lived For, Thoreau states that his retreat to the woods around! Walden Pond was motivated by his desire to live deliberately and to face only the essential facts of life (3).! Example: Thoreau argues that people blindly accept shams and delusions as the soundest truths, while! regarding reality as fabulous (3).! Example: Although Thoreau drink[s] at the stream of Time, he can detect how shallow it is (3). All of the methods discussed for integrated quotations are correct, but you should avoid relying too much on just one method. You should instead use a variety of methods. NOTICE THE PUNCTUATION Notice that there are only two punctuation marks that are used to introduce quotations: the comma and the colon. Note that a semicolon is NOT used to introduce quotations. Notice as well the punctuation of the sentences above in relation to the quotations. If there are no parenthetical citations in the sentence (no authorʼs name and page number in the parentheses), the commas and periods go inside the final quotation mark ( like this ). For whatever reason, this is the way we do it in America. In England, though, the commas and periods go outside of the final punctuation mark. Semicolons and colons go outside of the final quotation mark ( like this ;). Question marks and exclamation points go outside of the final quotation mark if the punctuation mark is part of your sentence - your question or your exclamation ( like this?). Those marks go inside of the final quotation mark if they are a part of the original - the writerʼs question or exclamation ( like this! ). 6
WORKS CITED & FORMATTING PREPARING THE LIST OF WORKS CITED Rules of thumb: 1. Double-space entire Works Cited List. 2. Use Times New Roman 12 point font. 3. List entries in alphabetical order according o the first word in the entry. 4. Begin the first line of each entry flush left and indent successive lines 1/2 inch. What a Works Cited looks like: Works Cited Atwan, Robert, Doald McQuade, and John W. Wright. Edsels, Luckies, and Frigidaires: Advertising the American Way. New York: Dell, 1979. Print. Bicycles. World Book Encyclopedia. 2005 ed. Tillin, Calvin. Culture Shopping New Yorker. 15 Feb. 1993. 48-51 PAGE ONE FORMAT! On the first page of your paper, type your name, the instructorʼs name, the course name, and the due date on separate lines, you should also double space between the lines which will be on the LEFT side of the page (even with the left margin).! Double space again and center the title, making sure that it is in the same size font as your name. DO NOT underline your title, put in quotation marks, put in bold, or type in all capital letters. Do NOT italicize the title.! Be sure to also double space between the title and the first line of the text.! Number the following pages consecutively throughout the research paper in the upper, right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. To do this in a Word program, follow the instructions below: 1. Go to the View menu and select Header and Footer. 2. Align your header on the right. (This is the button at the top of your Word document next to the one where you click to center the page.) 3. Type your last name and leave one space after it; on the Header toolbar, click on the # button to insert the page number. Ima Genius Mrs. Waldie English I 28 May 2014 The Keys to Successful Formatting Genius 1 It is important to follow all formatting directions for a research paper because it not only is something that you must know in order to be prepared for college, but also a simple way of earning points for your overall grade. 7
PAPER CHECKLIST GENERAL PAPER CHECKLIST! Once youʼre close to polishing your final draft, go through the following checklist to make sure you have met all of the requirements. Paper Format Does your paper include your name, teacherʼs name, the course name, and the due date all in the upper, left hand corner of your first page? Is this information double spaced, but with no extra spaces? Is your title centered? Your title should NOT be underlined, italicized, put in quotation marks, in bold or in all capital letters. Does your title fit this description? Are the important words in the title capitalized? Does your paper have your last name with the corresponding page number in the upper right hand corner? Is your paper at least 3 pages long? Citations Have you cited all of the information that is not your own? When you have a quotation that is longer than four lines, did you indent the entire quotation? The long quotations should not be in quotation marks. Is yours? Are your parenthetical citations in the correct locations? Do they interrupt the flow of the paper? Introduction Does your introduction gain your readerʼs attention and introduce your topic? Do you show your reader the importance and/or relevance of your topic? Does your introduction end with a specific focus or thesis of your analysis? Does your thesis state specifically what you are going to prove in your essay? Body Do all of your body paragraphs prove your thesis? Do you use transition words like however, furthermore, in addition to, conversely, etc. at the beginning of in the beginning of each new paragraph? Do you use a variety of signal words to introduce your quotations or citations? Are your points in a specific order? Chronological? Least important to important? What organization will benefit your paper? Conclusion Do you restate your thesis again in order to suggest to your reader that you have accomplished what you set out to prove? Do you include a brief summary about the paperʼs main points? Editing and Proofreading Does the overall tone of the paper match your audience and the subject youʼre writing about? Have you avoided slang and being overly casual; at the other extreme, have you avoided sounding pretentious and stuffy? Have you checked for the following mistakes common to high school writers? Capitalization Spelling Incomplete Sentence Run-on sentences Proper Punctuation 8
TIPS & TRICKS LITERARY ANALYSIS TIPS AND TRICKS 1. Write in the present tense. EXAMPLE: In Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," the townspeople visit Emily Grierson's house because it smells bad. NOT: In Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," the townspeople visited Emily Grierson's house because it smelled bad. 2. Normally, keep yourself out of your analysis; in other words, use the third person (no I or you). FIRST PERSON: I believe that the narrator in "Sonny's Blues" is a dynamic character because I read many details about the changes in his attitude toward and relationship with Sonny. THIRD PERSON: The narrator in "Sonny's Blues" is a dynamic character who changes his attitude toward and relationship with Sonny as the story progresses. SECOND PERSON: At the end of "Everyday Use," Mama realizes that Maggie is like her but has not received the attention you should give your daughter to help her attain self-esteem. THIRD PERSON: At the end of "Everyday Use," Mama realizes that Maggie is like her but has not received enough attention to build self-esteem. 3. Avoid summarizing the plot (i.e., retelling the story literally). Instead analyze (form a thesis about and explain) the story in literary terms. PLOT SUMMARY: In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," the mad narrator explains in detail how he kills the old man, who screams as he dies. After being alerted by a neighbor, the police arrive, and the madman gives them a tour through the house, finally halting in the old man's bedroom, where he has buried the man beneath the floor planks under the bed. As he is talking, the narrator hears what he thinks is the old man's heart beating loudly, and he is driven to confess the murder. ANALYSIS: Though the narrator claims he is not mad, the reader realizes that the narrator in "The Telltale Heart" is unreliable and lies about his sanity. For example, the mad narrator says he can hear "all things in the heaven and in the earth." Sane people cannot. He also lies to the police when he tells them that the shriek they hear occurs in his dream. Though sane people do lie, most do not meticulously plan murders, lie to the police, and then confess without prompting. Finally, the madman is so plagued with guilt that he hears his own conscience in the form of the old man's heart beating loudly. Dead hearts do not beat, nor do sane people confuse their consciences with the sounds of external objects. 4. Include a clear thesis statement which addresses something meaningful about the literature, often about the theme. 5. Use literary terms to discuss your points (i.e., character, theme, setting, rhyme, point of view, alliteration, symbols, imagery, figurative language, protagonist, and so forth). NONLITERARY TERMS: To show that women are important, Adrienne Rich writes about Aunt Jennifer and the tigers that she creates in her needlework. LITERARY TERMS: The poem "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" contains vivid images and symbols which reveal a feminist perspective. 6. Do not confuse characters' (in fiction or drama) or speakers' (in poetry) viewpoints with authors' viewpoints. AUTHOR: As a black woman, Eudora Welty faces racism in "A Worn Path." (Eudora Welty, the author, was not black.) CHARACTER: As a black woman, Old Phoenix faces racism in "A Worn Path." (Old Phoenix, a character, is black.) POET: In "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," Robert Frost is tempted to drift into his subconscious dream world, yet he knows he has other obligations to fulfill when he states, "But I have promises to keep, / And miles to go before I sleep." (The pronoun "I" refers to the speaker of the poem, not to Robert Frost, the poet.) SPEAKER: In "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," the speaker is tempted to drift into his subconscious dream world, yet he knows he has other obligations to fulfill when he states, "But I have promises to keep, / And miles to go before I sleep." (Here the "I" correctly refers to the speaker of the poem.) 7. Support your points with many quotations and paraphrases, but write the majority of your paper in your own words with your own ideas. 8. Cite prose, poetry, drama, critics, and any other sources used according to specialized MLA standards. (See the current edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.) 9
RUBRIC 4 3 2 1 0 Introduction / Conclusion -Introduction grabs attention and provides meaningful context to a persuasive argument. -Conclusion effectively restates the argument, but fresh language and meaningful insight leaves the reader wanting more. -Introduction sparks some interest and effectively introduces a reasonable argument. -Conclusion restates arguments but uses new language and shows understanding of the big picture. -Introduction provides context for the argument but does not spark interest. -Conclusion restates arguments, but recycles previous statements verbatim -Introduction or conclusion does not flow with the argument of the paper -Introduction or conclusion contains blanket or vague statements; needs development to be effective -No introduction or conclusion Thesis Thesis is a thoughtful and clear argument, which makes a unique claim about the novel. Thesis is a thoughtful argument that makes an interesting claim about the novel. Thesis is an argument that may be unoriginal or too simple, lacks specificity. Thesis is not an argument and lacks specificity. Thesis not evident; thesis is a fact or plot summary; thesis not in correct position Topic Sentences and Transitions Topic sentences contribute to the highly effective nature of the argument; clearly and logically links to the thesis; transitions used contribute to a sense of completeness Topic sentences articulate a precise argument; logically linked to thesis; transitions used strengthen the argument Topic sentences are present and make an argument connected to the thesis; however, ideas are obvious and basic; transitions are present but are Topic sentences are not linked to the thesis. Topic sentences show misunderstanding of the text or prompt. Transitions are used incorrectly. Topic sentences are not evident. Topic sentences are facts or summaries. No transitions are used. Evidence -You have chosen the best evidence to support your point. -AND / OR Body paragraphs each have 2 or more relevant examples / quotes to support the argument. -Your evidence is convincing and supports your argument. -AND/OR Most of the body paragraphs have 2 examples / quotes to support the argument. -Evidence is present, but not the best possible evidence. -AND/OR Body paragraphs include 1 example/quotation. Evidence chosen does not support thesis / topic sentence. -AND/OR Body paragraphs include 1 example/quotation. Little or no evidence is present. Commentary Creative / original ideas and insights; extensive commentary, refreshing; goes beyond obvious and basic commentary Analysis is believable and convincing, a few assertions may lack specific examples, but assertions are still clearly connected to the argument Analysis supports your argument, but ideas are obvious and basic Ideas lack development; misunderstanding of prompt or text; illogical argument Analysis not present simply plot summary Analysis does not address the prompt Style, Vocabulary, Sentence Structure Sophisticated vocabulary; sentence variety; quotations are smoothly blended; varied quotation integration Effectively blends direct quotations with explanatory words and phrases to introduce quotations; some varied quotation integration Blended quoted material smoothly, but sentence structure lack variety - basic and obvious; lacks varied quotation integration Problems with sentence clarity, redundancy; no varied quotation integration; some vague sentences; little use of class vocabulary Serious problems with coherence and sentence clarity; most sentences need revision; no varied quotation integration FCAs Capitalization Punctuation Subject & Predicate 1 or 2 errors 3 or 4 errors 5 or 6 errors 7-8 errors 9 or more errors 10