Due date: Monday, June 22 (in-class)

Essay length: 600 words minimum

For your editing convenience, the essay prompts are also available in the following formats:

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Choose One:

1. Identify a specific "issue" (pp. 26-33) or a single topic of literary criticism (pp. 49-55) of a specific work in Chapters 4 (stories), 5 (poems), or 12 (text and image) from Part I of the textbook, and write a literary analysis based on that issue or topic .
2. Based on your reading of a single story, poem, or text / image from Chapters 4, 5, or 12 from Part I of the textbook, identify the author's or poet's argument with reference to claims, persuasion, audience, evidence, and/or warrants (32-36). Be very specific with your thesis concerning one or more of these elements.

In-class Essay Instructions (READ ALL SIX BEFORE YOU BEGIN):

1. With the prompt as your subject and thesis guide, prepare and bring a first draft of the essay to class (600 words minimum).
2. Rewrite and revise the final copy in class on standard notebook paper (8 ½ x11 - no spiral paper).
3. Revise thoroughly with the course revision guidelines and your own cumulative markings from the marked short essays / writing exercises (grading standards).
4. Write with either a pen (blue or black ink) or pencil (dark lead, No. 2 or similar).
5. Skip a line between each line of writing.
6. Parenthetically document references to poems (quotes or paraphrases) with line numbers in parentheses following each reference, followed by a period. You will loose grade points if you do not.

In addition to the general guidelines presented in Schilb and Clifford's Making Literature Matter (66-68) for writing and revising essays or exercises, follow this triple-edged rule:

1. Choose a very specific thesis; expand, explain and analyze that thesis in great detail. Every sentence in the essay should explain or reveal or give support to your thesis. Make your thesis (an issue, an element of argument, or topic of literary criticism) or the author the subject of every sentence.
   
2. Do not summarize the plot or discuss the content of the story, poem or essay; focus instead on following your support with specific discussion, comments and analysis; do not generalize; be specific.
   
3. If you word-process your first drafts or exercises, print out and proofread the text for all typos, mechanics, style and clarity, including "be" verbs, passive voice, and usage with the guidelines below - eliminate inaccurate or informal phrasing. A spellcheck feature can only accomplish some spellchecks - proofread for spelling independently with your eyes from a printout.

For your editing convenience, the revision guidelines are also available in the following formats:

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Before you submit a writing exercise or essay, please proofread and revise for the following items:

[BNCH ..] = The Brief New Century Handbook (4th ed.) references by chapter/section with grading marks in bold soft brackets: { }.

Clarity & Conciseness | Organization & Content | Basic Grammar


 

Clarity & Conciseness

{ PV }: Revise passive voice; revise for active voice:  additional help [BNCH:  25g ]

{ be }: Omit "be" auxiliary or helping verbs (unless an ongoing action): is / are, was / were, be / being Revise or replace with active, concise verbs:  additional help [BNCH:  25c ]

{ U }: usage

Revise and avoid these inexact and ambiguous verbs: display,   exhibit,   portray,   seem,   show,   use / utilize / employ:  additional help [BNCH:  32 ]

Revise and avoid these nouns as subjects for sentences: thing(s),  the reader,  the audience, today Keep the focus on the author and/or thesis.

Revise and avoid these pronouns: I, me (my),   one, you (your),   we (us, our) Keep the focus on the author and/or thesis. [BNCH:  5d ]

{ logic } : reasoning, [BNCH:  7f-g, pp. 157-164]

{ phrasing } : informal or vague, [BNCH:  36c-f ]

 

Organization & Content

{ analysis / develop }: Follow all examples and evidence with a well-developed discussion and analysis. [BNCH:  7h, pp. 164-6]

{ example }: Introduce appropriate examples and evidence; also check for plagiarism {PL ). - see course policies (left menu). [BNCH:  10, 12 ]

{ combine }: Combine and subordinate sentences and ideas. [BNCH:  41, pp. 753-758]

{ MLA }: Paraphrase and parenthetically document examples and evidence according to the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers - document all textbook references to prose by page number and poetry by line number(s). Avoid quotes (paraphrase and cite), and check for plagiarism. [BNCH:  10, 12 ]

{ P / ¶ }: Paragraph length (4 to 7 sentences on average) [BNCH 5f ]

{ PS }: Do not write no plot summaries. Keep the focus on the author and/or thesis, and answer the prompt. [BNCH:  1, 10 ]

{ PS }: Define the thesis clearly, according to the course prompt. [BNCH:  6 ]

 

Basic Grammar

{ AGREEMENT }: Subject-verb / pronoun-antecedent. [BNCH:  26, 24 ]

Sentences: { CS }: Comma splices { FRAG }: Fragments (incomplete sentences { RO }: Run-on sentences (no punctuation) [BNCH:  28, 29 ]

Punctuation: { c / no c }: commas { sc / no sc  }: semi-colons { p  }: periods { a / no a }: apostrophes { qm  }: quotation marks [BNCH:  39-45 ]

{ SENSE }: Basic grammar and sentence structure (subject-predicate , etc.) [BNCH:  23-25, 30-31 ]

{ sp } : Spelling [BNCH:  49 ]