English 1013Analysis 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 1970’s. 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:Carefullyread 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 author’s 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 author’s 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 author’s 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: You 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 aremaking. 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 formatconventions (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.
