Format

Round 1: The Easy Stuff

• Your MLA heading should be in the upper corner (right or left):

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Student name

Ms. Leclaire

American Literature

9/26/06

Title

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More Easy Stuff

• Does the essay have an original and specific title?
• Is it double spaced, with 11 or 12 pt. professional font?
• Are the names of all characters and author spelled correctly?
• Are the titles always in italics (or underlined)?

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Citations

• Are the citations correct?

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• Ex: Abigail points at Tituba and accusingly declares, “She made me do it!” (Miller 43).

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• Ex: Steinbeck describes how Curley’s wife looks “pretty and simple…sweet and young” only after she dies (93).

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Overall Structure

Does it have one introductory paragraph, one or two body paragraphs, and possibly a conclusion?

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Does the introduction END with the thesis statement?

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Does the body paragraph BEGIN with a topic sentence that builds off the thesis?

Content

The Tough Stuff

• THESIS / TOPIC SENTENCE

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• Is it clear—eloquent and easy to comprehend?
• Is it specific—does it establish a particular character or symbol?
• Is it debatable—does it offer an interpretation instead of summarizing?
• Is it provable—is there evidence in the text to support this topic sentence?

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The Lead-in

• Do you lead into each quote with context (a little background info?)

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• Is it enough to understand the quote?

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• Is it properly punctuated?

If the quote is spoken aloud...

After Nick mistakenly calls Gatsby’s father “Mr. Gatsby” and suggests that he take Gatsby’s body back West to bury him, the father replies, “Gatz is my name...Jimmy always liked it better down East. He rose up to his position in the East...He had a big future before him, you know...If he’d of lived he’d of been a great man” (Fitzgerald 176).

If the quote is descriptive...

When Nick, Mr. Gatz, and a few servants arrive at the cemetery, one guest finally shows up: “It was the man with owl-eyed glasses whom I had found marvelling over Gatsby’s books in the library one night three months before. I’d never seen him since then...The rain poured down his thick glasses and he took them off and wiped them to see the protecting canvas unrolled from Gatsby’s grave” (Fitzgerald 183).

If the quote is descriptive...

After Gatsby’s funeral, Nick reminisces about his life in the Midwest, reflecting, “That’s my middle-west...I am part of that...where dwellings are still called through decades by a family’s name. I see now that this has been a story of the West, after all--Tom and Gatsby, Daisy and Jordan and I, were all Westerners” (Fitzgerald 184).

Tricky Lead-ins

• If you use a comma to incorporate your quotation, the sentence should sound like a normal, grammatically correct sentence when you read it aloud.

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• Awkward: Holly she often picks up the wealthy men to pay for her, “Didn’t I pick up the check, five people, your friends, I never seen them before?” (Capote 17).

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• Smooth: Holly often picks up the wealthy men to pay for her. Aware of her game, one of her wealthy suitors accusingly asks her, “Didn’t I pick up the check, five people, your friends, I never seen them before?” (Capote 17).

Another Secret Rule of Quotations

A quotation for an essay this short should never take up more than three lines of your own essay.

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If it’s longer, cut it down using ellipses (...).

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As you’re cutting, keep only what you need for analysis and to make sure the quotation still makes sense.

Close Reading, Step 1

• Are specific elements of the quote mentioned in the analysis, such as word choices, images, symbols, tone, statistical data, etc.?

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• AND/OR…

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• Do you need to put the quotation into your own words before you analyze it?

Close Reading, Step 2

• Look back to the thesis.

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• Does the analysis for each quote explain how the quote supports the thesis/your Level 3 argument?

How Close Is Too Close? �Analyzing Your Quotations

• Quote: “Tell me ‘bout the rabbits, George”
• Analysis: Lennie’s repetition of this phrase reveals his need for stability in an inherently unstable environment. Although he must move from ranch to ranch, his dream is unchanging as long as he has George to tell and retell it. Moreover, Lennie’s particular focus on rabbits exposes both Lennie’s comfort and his most threatening obstacle; while Lennie’s love is simple, as he enjoys touching soft things, it causes him to lose control and traps him in a cycle of self-destruction.

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Smoothing out the Wrinkles

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• Does the write transition smoothly from example to example in the response?

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• Give them suggestions for smoothing out the rough spots. Sometimes they just need a little more “what” / context.

Wrapping It Up

When you’re done analyzing your final example, compose a concluding sentence that summarizes your main points without restating them word for word.

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When possible, leave your reader with something slightly new to consider.

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Ex: According to Of Mice and Men, the American class system dooms those without money or power to an unending cycle of power.

Style

The Leclaire Bad Word List

I Me My You Your

Big Bad Good Thing

They felt really sad.

They felt devastated.

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She stopped very suddenly.

She stopped suddenly.

Really Very

A lot

Any word excessively repeated becomes a “bad word.”

Not

• How to get rid of “not”? Turn the negative voice into the positive voice.
• Negative voice: She was not successful.
• Positive voice: She was unsuccessful.
• Negative voice: They were not able to fulfill their dream.
• Positive voice: The were unable to fulfill their dream.

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• Negative: They could not

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• Positive: They failed to

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What’s the Spice of Life? VARIETY

• Tip #1: Vary the lengths of your sentences. If you have one or two long sentences, follow them with a short sentence. If you have several short, choppy sentences of the same length, combine two of them to make a longer sentence.

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• Ex:
• While McKenna simply loved editing to the extent of sheer, epiphanic, Fitz felt that ALIS was taking over his life with unapologetic force. Brian, however, felt ambivalent.

Sentence Variety, Continued....

• Tip #2: Vary the way you begin your sentences.
• Ex:
• Ms. Leclaire was so surprised by 6^th hour that she screamed aloud and fled the room.
• Surprised by 6^th hour, Ms. Leclaire screamed aloud and fled the room.
• Screaming aloud and fleeing the room, Ms. Leclaire was surprised by 6^th hour.

BEWARE THE “ING”

Say as much as you can in as few words possible. Here’s one easy trick to being concise:

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Get rid of some of your verbs that end in “ing.”

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Ex: Instead of “Lennie is asking George,” say

“Lennie asks George.”

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Practice with this one: Steinbeck is illustrating that…

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Highlight all of your “ing” verbs; fix as many as you can.

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Knock out Your Weak, Puny Verbs

To say (says, said, was saying, etc.)

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To be (is, are, was, etc.)

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To have (have, has, had, etc.)

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Warning: Sometimes, you must use a weak verb.

Verb Tense

Always, always, always write about literature and film in the PRESENT TENSE. It feels weird, I know.

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Wrong: After Amir left Afghanistan, he and Baba had to start over.

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Right: After Amir leaves Afghanistan, he and Baba have to start over.