A SHORT JAUNT THROUGH A COLLECTION OF ERRORS FOUND IN YOUR ESSAYS AND

THE MEANS WITH WHICH TO AVOID FUTURE ERRORS IN YOUR ESSAYS.

BYTHE RESIDENT GODDESS OF L ITERARY

ANALYSIS

The Things that Drive Me Crazy

Don’t tell about the text

When you are approaching the writing of your essay, do not: Tell what the poem or story “means” Make a list of grand assertions that lack evidence Write your thesis first, and then go look for textual

evidence Paraphrase the entire work

Instead, you should: Collect evidence from the text first Make connections between said evidence to identify

patterns, draw conclusions, and/or make an assertion Use the connections between evidence to write your

thesis

Now that you know what your thesis is about

Form your thoughts into one (or possibly, but rarely, two) sentence(s), including the topic and your opinion/assertion/conclusion.

Your thesis should “take a stand” and be defensible.

Your thesis should be specific.Your job as the writer is to convince the

reader that your view is worth taking seriously.

Finally, do NOT negate your thesis in your essay. If you find this happening, scrap your original thesis and start over.

Organize, organize, organize

Consider dividing your thesis into “parts” and divide your evidence accordingly. Each part becomes a body paragraph(s) or page(s) of your essay.

If your thesis is divided into parts, make sure your body paragraphs follow the same order.

Your topic sentences/topic shifts should relate back to your thesis – keep the “golden thread.”

Back up your assertions with facts, examples, and other evidence from your text and/or research, then interpret/analyze/explain your evidence.

Introducing Literary Quotations

Mention the literary work and author (full names of both – you and Will Shakespeare are not drinking buddies) in the introduction. Novels, plays, long poems, and films are italicized while short stories, short poems, essays, and songs are enclosed in “quotation marks.”

In the body of your paper, refer to the narrator of a story, speaker in a poem, character in a play as necessary, but DO NOT confuse the author of the work with the narrator, speaker, and/or character. (Doing so implies the author has multiple personalities and the ability to time travel.)

Giving Due Credit– Books/Short Stories

If the signal phrase names the author, place the page number in parenthesis AFTER the quote but BEFORE the period.Ex: At the end of Kate Chopin’s story, the doctors report that Mrs. Mallard has died of a “joy that kills” (25).

***********************************If a signal phrase does NOT name the author, place the author’s last name and page number in parenthesis AFTER the quote but BEFORE the period.Ex: The doctors misdiagnose the cause of death as a “joy that kills” (Chopin 25).

Giving Credit where Credit is Due- Plays

If possible, give act, scene, and line numbers for play, separated by periods.

Ex: In Shakespeare’s King Lear, Gloucester, blinded for suspected treason, learns to “see how this world goes/with no eyes” (4.2.148-49).

In this citation:(4. refers to Act 4(4.2 refers to Act 4, Scene 2(4.2.148-49) refers to Act 4, Scene 2, lines 148 through 149

Giving Credit where Credit is Due- Poems

For a poem, cite the part, stanza, and line numbers, if it has them, separated by periods.

Ex: The Green Knight claims to approach King Arthur’s court “because the praise of you, prince, is puffed so high” (1.12.258).

For a poem not divided into numbered parts, use line numbers. For a first reference, use the word “lines” (lines 5-8). Thereafter use just the numbers (12-13).

Place the citation at the end of the sentence unless you have one sentence with multiple lines quoted.

Ex: The “rosy blush” (65) combines with “the stormy eyes” (69) to create a paradoxical image in the poem.

In Their Own Words…

When you quote the words of a narrator, speaker or character in a literary work, integrate the quote by naming who is speaking and providing context.

The narrator of Eudora Welty’s “Why I Live at the P.O.,” known to readers as “Sister,” makes many catty remarks about her enemies including calling Mr. Whitaker “this photographer with the pop-eyes” (46).

In Your Words

When you discuss a literary work, use present tense: “The Mariner tells his tale to a Wedding Guest.”

When you discuss a literary work, do not follow a quote with the words: “This shows that…” or “This quote means…” If you analyze correctly, you will show the significance of the quote to your thesis.

When you discuss a literary work, use literary terminology. Do not say: “The repetition of the n sound in line 6 makes

the words choppy.” Do say: “The alliteration in line 6 creates a choppy effect,

mirroring the indecision of the narrator.”

Stop the Passive Voice Insanity

As a rule, active verbs express meaning more vigorously than their weaker counterparts – “to be” verbs and verbs in passive voice.

In the active voice, the subject of the sentence does the action; in the passive, the subject receives the action. (The subject is therefore, passive.)

Active: The committee reached a decision.Passive: A decision was reached by the committee.Only keep the passive voice construction if you

wish to emphasize the action and not the actor of the sentence (as is frequently done in scientific fields).

Avoid Grand Assertions

Avoid using phrases such as “Everyone hates Mondays.” There are 7 billion people in the world. Someone out there likes Mondays.

Recognize the difference between “the” and “a.”

Ex: The baby was a gift to the world. (This refers to a specific baby.)

A baby is a gift to the world. (This implies that all babies are gifts to the world.)

-Make sure you mean what you are saying. Check your article usage!

Read it to the Dog

Read your essay out loud and identify problems with sentence fluency, verb tense, and clarity.

Vary your sentence structure by combining short, choppy sentences together and/or dividing lengthy sentences into shorter ones.

Vary sentence openings by inserting words, phrases, or clauses ahead of the subject.

Ex: A few drops of sap eventually trickled into the pail.

becomesEventually, a few drops of sap trickled into the pail.

Avoid Clichés like the Plague

Find an appropriate voice by Considering your audience Avoiding jargon unless your readers will be familiar

with it; even then, use it only when “plain” English will not do as well

Deleting clichés Avoiding slang (conversational phrases) Removing any offensive language Revising your word choice to the highest level that is

“natural” to you