English 1013
Analysis
Essay
Assignment:
Write a clear, well-developed multi-paragraph analysis essay of
at least 750 words on one of the two readings below. Final essays which are
not at least five paragraphs and do not meet the minimum length requirement
can earn no better than a
grade of D, which is not passing.
In the first two essay assignments, you have discussed your own
experiences and those of others. In this essay, I am asking you to analyze or
explain what an author is saying about her own experience, and the language
used to define that experience; in other words, to analyze the writing style of
the essay.
More specifically, how do the word choices, humor, sarcasm,
dialog, repetition, figurative language, comparisons, or other stylistic
elements of writing show how the author feels about her role as a wife, or as
a daughter?
For example, Tannen says her mother has positively influenced how she
speaks. How does using the figure of speech that her mother speaks
through her communicate how Tannen feels? Brady feels very negatively
about the role a wife was expected to play in the 1970s. How does she use
sarcasm and irony (saying one thing but meaning the opposite) to show how
she feels?
Choose 3-5 elements of style which seem important in the essay you
choose. You will need to use short quotes from the essay in order to support
your interpretation of what the author is saying.
Due dates:
Reading:
Analyze one of the following two essays (
click the links to the
essays in the Analysis module, then click to open the essay in a new
window
):
Tannen, Deborah. My Mother Speaks Through Me.
nytimes.com
, New
York Times,
19 Sep. 2017.
Brady, Judy. I Want a Wife.
Literature for Composition
, Third Edition.
Editors: Sylvan Barnet, et. al. HarperCollins Customs Books
, 775-776,
1993 Annotation & Discussion:
Carefully
read the essay several times to
understand not just what the author is saying, but how she says it. What
words and examples does the author use to describe her role? How do these
choices suggest the feelings of the author about that role? What tone of
voice do you hear in those words? What do they suggest about the overall
attitude of the author towards her role as wife or daughter? What other style
elements suggest this tone?
Once you have noted examples in the essay where you can feel the
emotion of the author coming through, draw some conclusions about how the
author feels and why.
Use your notes to answer the discussion questions,
which are due by Tuesday, March 19. Also read the examples other students
have chosen, and how they interpret them.
Plan/Organization:
When you have enough ideas from your reading and the
discussion, make a plan for your essay like the following:
Introduction Introduce the topic. Give the title of the essay you are writing
about, in quotes; the authors full name, and what the essay is
about.Then give your thesis, saying what the tone and word choice
(or other elements) in the essay show about the authors attitude
toward the role or relationship they are discussing.
Body paragraphs Discuss each of the elements you have chosen (word
choices, dialog, repetition, comparisons, etc.) in separate paragraphs.
Begin with a topic sentence stating how that element helps you
understand the authors point, then give a few short quotes to show
examples, and explain how they support your thesis. You should have
3-5 body paragraphs.
Conclusion Tie together the observations about each element and show
what you have learned about the essay and its topic.
Quotations, Citations, & Sources:
Y
ou must cite the essay as your source in
the introduction, and include it in your Works Cited list, as it is listed above
under Readings. You can copy and paste the entry, but it should keep the
same format. Quotes should be short (
less than three lines each in your text
).
Avoid plagiarism! Quote exactly what is written in the essay, without using
your own words. Read
SCC
, Ch. 1.3, Using Sources, 17-19, and Quoting
Sources Directly, 178-179.
Remember that you must interpret or explain each quotation or example and show how it helps to support the point you are
making. You must NOT use any sources for this assignment other than the
essay you are analyzing.
Drafting & Revision:
For help in writing your essay, read SCC, Ch. 1.4,
Writing Thesis Statements, Ch. 1.5, Methods of Organizing Your Writing, Ch.
1.6, Writing Paragraphs, (20-44), and Ch. 2, The Writing Process,
(Prewriting, Outlining Drafting), 44-68.
Submission Format:
Follow the instructions for submitting the final essay in
the Analysis module. The essay must be typed following MLA format
conventions (see sample essay, SCC, 190-192): double-spaced, one inch
margins, headings at upper left corner, title centered on the next line below
the heading, last name and page number at upper right corner. Please use 12-
point Times New Roman (or something similar and plain) for your font style
and size. Failure to use MLA format will result in a failing grade. Submit
your essay to Canvas in MS Word (.doc or .docx) or Adobe Portable
Document (.pdf) as these formats allow me to make comments on your essay
and give you feedback. Other formats are not acceptable.
Plagiarism
: Each essay assignment is submitted to
Turn It In
, a plagiarism
checking service used by many colleges across the country. If a significant
portion of your essay is a match to sources found online or to essays turned in
previously to Turn It In, your essay will be tagged as possibly plagiarized.
Your essay must be original work for this class
, and cannot be work you have
submitted previously for other classes! Please read the
Plagiarism
lecture in
the module and be aware of these requirements.
Grading:
The final essay is a required assignment, and must be
submitted to earn a passing grade in the course. Essays are graded with
the ENGL 1013 essay rubric posted on Canvas under the Syllabus tab.
Questions?
Please do not hesitate to ask questions if you do not
understand any part of this assignment! Please mail me
through Canvas.
