English
300, Section 001
Fall, 2005
Dr. Susan Stewart
Hall of Languages 221
903-468-8624
e-mail: susan_stewart@tamu-commerce.edu
website: http://faculty.tamu-commerce.edu/slstewart/
Office Hours: M/T 3:00-4:00;
W 10:00-noon or by appointment
Fiction and Poetry Essays
Your fiction essay will be an analysis/interpretation of "A Rose for Emily." Your poetry essay will be an analysis/interpretation of "My Last Duchess." You will need to identify, explain, and prove a claim or thesis regarding a theme that is based on one or more of the literary terms or elements from the terms/elements I have provided. Ultimately, you'll want to find a common theme in the two so that you can write Constructed Response 1.
Things to consider as you write:
Some Basics
The Title:
Make your title something interesting and relevant that will encourage the reader to begin reading.
The Introduction:
Your introduction should include the author, title, and a short summary of the text you are analyzing along with a sentence or so about the common theme (the thesis or claim you are attempting to prove).
Avoid introductory statements that are broad generalizations and have little to contribute to a reader's understanding or insights: "Literature can be interpreted in many different ways." I might be tempted to write "duh" beside a statement like that. Don't worry, however, I won't
Your thesis should be a "blueprint" or promise about the argument. In other words, it should outline the order in which you will discuss the terms.
The Body:
The body of the text should include short summaries, paraphrases, and short quotes (evidence) from the text as you set out to prove your thesis or claim.
The evidence should show how/why the evidence proves the claim, not just tell that it proves the claim.
The paragraphs that prove the claim should be fully developed with sentences that connect the argument in the thesis with the evidence using key words and/or phrases.
The Conclusion:
The conclusion should do more than restate what you have set out to do. Rather, it should make a connection to something outside the paper as a way of showing how important the theme and the texts are for the reader. This could also be called the "so what factor."
The Thesis Statement:
Specifics: