Introduction Someone who has never read Macbeth should still be able to understand your essay Introduce the work Introduce any characters mentioned in your thesis Define any terms in your thesis ID: 733087
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Slide1
Title
Should clearly indicate the focus of the essaySlide2
Introduction
Someone who has never read
Macbeth
should still be able to understand your essay.
Introduce the work
Introduce any characters mentioned in your
thesis
Define any terms in your thesis
For example, if you use the term “stock characters” in your thesis, you must explain what you understand that to be (in your own words) in the introduction
If your thesis makes an argument about the “theme of delay”, you must explain what you understand the “theme of delay” to be in the introduction
Introduce important ideas in your thesis
State your thesisSlide3
Paragraphing
New topic, new paragraph
For example: I am discussing Soliloquy #1; when I begin to discuss Soliloquy #2, even if I am arguing the same point, I begin a new paragraphSlide4
Lead-Ins
Someone who has never read
Macbeth
should still be able to understand your essay.
Lead-ins need to provide clear context for your quotations: Who is speaking, what it the situation, when in the play does it occur?
Act I, Scene 2 is not enough context. Instead, explain what is happening or what has just happened.Slide5
Characters
Someone who has never read
Macbeth
should still be able to understand your essay.
If
you are mentioning a character for the first time, you must introduce the
character. For example:
Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother,…
Bernardo, one of the king’s guards,…
Fortinbras, the prince of Norway,…Slide6
Introductory Paragraphs
Must introduce the title and the author of the work before any characters, settings, or context
Italicize
titles of plays, poems, songs and magazines
Underline
(when handwriting) or italicize (when typing) book titles
Never write a title two times in an intro paragraphSlide7
Should:
Immediately focus on the text you’re discussing, rather than the author and their works or culture in general
Provide an introduction to
historical and literary CONTEXT
as well as the
dominant characters, conflicts, and techniques inherent in your thesis
Be edited for brevity
End with a literary thesis statement
Introductory ParagraphsSlide8
Introductory Paragraphs
Integrate phrases, using commas, to show relationships between just-introduced characters
Macduff
, Macbeth’s confidante, …
Obierka
,
Okonkwo’s
longtime friend, …
Also a good strategy in body paragraphsSlide9
Solid example of an intro paragraph with cited cultural evidence leading to a language-focused literary thesis statementSlide10Slide11Slide12
Body Paragraphs
Always use evidence from the whole book if your thesis is about the whole book
If you only reference half the book it looks like you didn’t finish reading or the rest of the book disproves your thesis
Don’t refer to important plot points without using quotations.
Refer to the “exposition” rather than the beginning—speak in a formal literary register.Slide13
Body Paragraphs
Without a BTS, you waste an important opportunity to show how that paragraph connects to the whole thesis.
Strong BTS/CS necessary for a 10 in Org.
Write about fiction in the present tense.
Really evaluate whether or not you need a transitional word, phrase, or sentence.
Avoid obvious or “to + word” transitions
You may need more body paragraphs to prove your thesis than you originally plan to use.Slide14
Conclusion Development
An LA conclusion should…
Restate the thesis statement in different words
Give the essay a sense of completeness
Not introduce new information
Leave a final impression on the readerSlide15
Conclusion Suggestions
Answer the question "So What?"
Show your readers why this paper was important. Show them that your paper was meaningful and useful
.
Synthesize, don't summarize
Don't simply repeat things that were in your paper. They have read it. Show them how the points you made and the support and examples you used were not random, but fit together.
Redirect your readers
Give your reader something to think about, perhaps a way to use your paper in the "real" world. If your introduction went from general to specific, make your conclusion go from specific to general. Think globally.
Create a new meaning
You don't have to give new information to create a new meaning. By demonstrating how your ideas work together, you can create a new picture. Often the sum of the paper is worth more than its parts. Slide16
Avoid the following weaknesses to have powerful literary analysis:
Generalizations
Biographical Fallacy: When you assume things about an author based on the text they wrote
Rhetorical questions
Absolute claims
Speculation
“Shakespeare must have been a fair man …
“Shakespeare believed in equal rights …
“The ending of
Macbeth
is what the audience wants to see …”
“ … the outcome of
Macbeth
would have been different.”Slide17
Editing for Brevity
ING words
TO BE
verbs
“Macbeth is killing …
“Macbeth kills …
“
Okonkwo
is shooting …
“
Okonkwo
shoots …
PREPOSITIONSSlide18
Words to hesitate and thoughtfully consider
before using in formal writing
Words that lead to generalization
many
people
society
similarities
differences
diverse
various
several
everything
Words that lead to speculation
would
could
should
might
*Use of speculative words is sometimes appropriate in history but never in language arts