To answer your question: no outside sources are required. IIf you have a particular question, try me at: jmacarthur@tolland.k12.ct.us.
like to focus on original critical analysis. But if you have
consulted any outside sources (in a general way), you can put them in
your bibliography. If you are using any original theories or
insights from those sources, you must include them in a bibliography,
and probably in an endnote. (General information, or information
that can be found in multiple sources do not need to be documented).
But, if in doubt, document.
See you soon.
Mr Mac
Monday, August 27, 2007
"Do We Outside Sources for our Essay?"
I've recently had to field a couple of questions regarding outside sources for the essay. Here is my answer:
Friday, July 13, 2007
Well Done, Claire B!
You've won the coveted "Early Bird" Award (and there will be a prise to be collected)!
But what's up with the rest of you? It's time to start reading and making your entries. I'll be peeking in from time to time, but I plan to keep pretty much out of it. When this classblog works, it works because people are exchanging ideas and comments.
For an idea of what I mean, check this out. It's the blog last year for The Handmaid's Tale, one of last year's books. (The first entry was July 10th, so you're not far off. But some of the other book discussions were well under way at this point.)
As I say, I'll be peeking in from time to time, but otherwise keeping my distance. If you have any particular concerns, e-mail me at jmacarthur@tolland.k12.ct.us.
But what's up with the rest of you? It's time to start reading and making your entries. I'll be peeking in from time to time, but I plan to keep pretty much out of it. When this classblog works, it works because people are exchanging ideas and comments.
For an idea of what I mean, check this out. It's the blog last year for The Handmaid's Tale, one of last year's books. (The first entry was July 10th, so you're not far off. But some of the other book discussions were well under way at this point.)
As I say, I'll be peeking in from time to time, but otherwise keeping my distance. If you have any particular concerns, e-mail me at jmacarthur@tolland.k12.ct.us.
What Are You Doing WIth Your Summer?
Anybody doing anything exciting? Interesting? Just working? How's that going? ANybody travelled?
Me, I'm having a quiet summer, but I like that. I'm catching up on my reading (mostly free choice). Doing a lot of work around the house, particularly in the yard -- which I enjoy. In the evenings I like to sit on my screen porch watching the Red Sox. We hope to get away to the Cape for a week in August, but that may not be possible.
The most interesting thing I'm doing this year is learning to row crew. It's a varsity sport at Farmington High School, where my son will be a freshman next year. His brother rowed, and he's thinking of it, too, so we enrolled him in a program that meets three evenings a week -- and somehow I ended up enrolling in the adult program.
So what are you guys doing this summer?
Me, I'm having a quiet summer, but I like that. I'm catching up on my reading (mostly free choice). Doing a lot of work around the house, particularly in the yard -- which I enjoy. In the evenings I like to sit on my screen porch watching the Red Sox. We hope to get away to the Cape for a week in August, but that may not be possible.
The most interesting thing I'm doing this year is learning to row crew. It's a varsity sport at Farmington High School, where my son will be a freshman next year. His brother rowed, and he's thinking of it, too, so we enrolled him in a program that meets three evenings a week -- and somehow I ended up enrolling in the adult program.So what are you guys doing this summer?
What Else are You Reading?
Two of your summer reading entries are quite short. This is to allow you to have some time for other things -- including reading.
For myself, ironically enough (considering that one of the reasons I became an English teacher is that I love to immerse myself in the world of books), I don't get to do that much reading during the school year. I keep up with news and various blogs on the internet, I have a subscription to the New Yorker, but I don't get a chance to read many books. That's one of the things that I look forward to about summer.
So far I've read:
Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett. Recommended to me by Ms. O'Brien, but I can't really recommend it myself. (Sorry, Caragh.) A dinner party in a South or Central American country -- featuring a world renowned soprano -- is taken hostage by terrorists. The plan goes askew and a prolonged siege occurs, where the hostages and terrorists inexorably draw closer (see "Stockholm Syndrome"). An important force in the novel is the power of music -- particularly opera. Over the years, I've become a big fan of opera, so I can relate to that. But overall I found the storyline to be a bit farfetched.
Red Legs and Black Sox, by Susan Dellinger. I'm also a big baseball fan, including old-time baseball. This is a biography of Hall-of-Fame outfielder Edd Roush, focusing a lot of attention on the 1919 World Series where Edd's Reds defeated the infamous Chicago Black Sox, eight of whom conspired with gamblers to fix the World Series and were later banished from baseball. (For a quick overview, rent the John Sayles movie Eight Men Out -- based on the book by Eliot Asinof.) The author is Roush's grandaughter, and, as such, is privy to some inside information, but is not a great writer.
Spoonwood, by Ernest Hebert. This is the sixth novel in Hebert's Darby cycle, set in southwestern New Hampshire. The cycle follows the fortunes of the citizens of Darby, Upper Darby, and Darby Depot. Some are well-to-do, some are middle class, and some are poor. (If you've been to Maine, New Hampshire, or Vermont -- away from the resort areas -- you'll recognize these people.) I've read all the previous books in the series (writing a 45 page paper on them as part of my masters at Wesleyan), and I'm afraid I was disappointed by this one. Parts of the novel are narrated by a telepathetic baby (and a telepathic cat). Now I'm as avant garde as the next guy, probably more so, but what made the other books good was their social realism. If you want the real thing, try Hebert's A Little More than Kin.
[As a sidenote: Hebert mentions two books that influenced him in writing Spoonwood: Stone on Stone, by UConn professor Robert Thorson, and Reading the Forrested Landscape by Tom Wessel -- both of which I've read. And I wonder how many other people in New England can say that. Not many, I'll wager.]
So, what else have you been reading?
For myself, ironically enough (considering that one of the reasons I became an English teacher is that I love to immerse myself in the world of books), I don't get to do that much reading during the school year. I keep up with news and various blogs on the internet, I have a subscription to the New Yorker, but I don't get a chance to read many books. That's one of the things that I look forward to about summer.
So far I've read:
Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett. Recommended to me by Ms. O'Brien, but I can't really recommend it myself. (Sorry, Caragh.) A dinner party in a South or Central American country -- featuring a world renowned soprano -- is taken hostage by terrorists. The plan goes askew and a prolonged siege occurs, where the hostages and terrorists inexorably draw closer (see "Stockholm Syndrome"). An important force in the novel is the power of music -- particularly opera. Over the years, I've become a big fan of opera, so I can relate to that. But overall I found the storyline to be a bit farfetched.
Red Legs and Black Sox, by Susan Dellinger. I'm also a big baseball fan, including old-time baseball. This is a biography of Hall-of-Fame outfielder Edd Roush, focusing a lot of attention on the 1919 World Series where Edd's Reds defeated the infamous Chicago Black Sox, eight of whom conspired with gamblers to fix the World Series and were later banished from baseball. (For a quick overview, rent the John Sayles movie Eight Men Out -- based on the book by Eliot Asinof.) The author is Roush's grandaughter, and, as such, is privy to some inside information, but is not a great writer.
Spoonwood, by Ernest Hebert. This is the sixth novel in Hebert's Darby cycle, set in southwestern New Hampshire. The cycle follows the fortunes of the citizens of Darby, Upper Darby, and Darby Depot. Some are well-to-do, some are middle class, and some are poor. (If you've been to Maine, New Hampshire, or Vermont -- away from the resort areas -- you'll recognize these people.) I've read all the previous books in the series (writing a 45 page paper on them as part of my masters at Wesleyan), and I'm afraid I was disappointed by this one. Parts of the novel are narrated by a telepathetic baby (and a telepathic cat). Now I'm as avant garde as the next guy, probably more so, but what made the other books good was their social realism. If you want the real thing, try Hebert's A Little More than Kin.
[As a sidenote: Hebert mentions two books that influenced him in writing Spoonwood: Stone on Stone, by UConn professor Robert Thorson, and Reading the Forrested Landscape by Tom Wessel -- both of which I've read. And I wonder how many other people in New England can say that. Not many, I'll wager.]
So, what else have you been reading?
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Hedda Gabler
Hedda Gabler
Henrik Ibsen
The year: 1890; the country: Norway. Hedda Gabler returns from her honeymoon to a house and life she despises, with a husband for whom she has no respect. Into this unhappy home bring two men who would become her lover – one an upstanding judge, and the other a brilliant but dissolute man with a scandalous past.
Just a word of warning about Hedda. You probably won’t like her, but she’s a fascinating literary creation. She’s more complicated than you think (if my past experience is any indicator). The actress Kate Burton (daughter of Richard Burton, who was a great Shakespearean actor as well as a movie star and celebrity) called Hedda “a female Hamlet.” I’m not sure I‘d go that far, but she’s more than just a “mean girl“.
There are reasons for everything she does, (although sometimes they are dark even to her). Take the “bonnet incident”. I think you can take her at face value when she tells Judge Brack that she doesn’t know why she does things like that.
For a key to understanding Hedda look closely at the nature of her relationship with Lovborg — especially in the past.
Henrik Ibsen
The year: 1890; the country: Norway. Hedda Gabler returns from her honeymoon to a house and life she despises, with a husband for whom she has no respect. Into this unhappy home bring two men who would become her lover – one an upstanding judge, and the other a brilliant but dissolute man with a scandalous past.
Just a word of warning about Hedda. You probably won’t like her, but she’s a fascinating literary creation. She’s more complicated than you think (if my past experience is any indicator). The actress Kate Burton (daughter of Richard Burton, who was a great Shakespearean actor as well as a movie star and celebrity) called Hedda “a female Hamlet.” I’m not sure I‘d go that far, but she’s more than just a “mean girl“.
There are reasons for everything she does, (although sometimes they are dark even to her). Take the “bonnet incident”. I think you can take her at face value when she tells Judge Brack that she doesn’t know why she does things like that.
For a key to understanding Hedda look closely at the nature of her relationship with Lovborg — especially in the past.
Enchanted Night
Enchanted Night
Stephen Millhauser
Stephen Millhauser
“Pulitzer Prize-winning author Steven Millhauser returns with a dreamy novella that calls to mind A Midsummer's Night Dream, were it set in modern day Connecticut. Under a magical full moon, the restless dreamers and lovers of the town slip out of their homes, drawn towards adventure. Children are lured from their beds by a piper while their long-forgotten stuffed animals awaken in attics all across the town. A middle-aged writer leaves his mother's attic, where he toils away endlessly on his novel, for weekly late-night philosophical jousting with the mother of his childhood friend. A gang of teenaged girls roam the streets, breaking into people's homes at night to steal toothbrushes and refrigerator magnets, always leaving a note proclaiming, "WE ARE YOUR DAUGHTERS." A fourteen-year-old girl sheds her clothing to bathe nude in the bright moonlight, while two lovers rendezvous, young men look for trouble and a mannequin finally meets her long-time admirer. Millhauser suffuses the mundane landscape of safe, boring suburbia with the supernatural and the ecstatic. Enchanted Night is told in exquisite prose that leaps off the page, inviting the reader into a bewitching world where anything seems possible.”
from the Random House website.
The Return of the Native
The Return of the Native
Thomas Hardy
Imagine yourself being a lively, vibrant young person stuck with a bunch of hicks in an insular location where nothing ever happens. (Sound familiar to some of you?) What can you do to amuse yourself? What would you do to get out?
The Return of the Native is a traditional 19th century novel by one of the great English novelists, Thomas Hardy. You’ll find that it’s kind of slow-paced for our tastes. But stick with it. The characters are interesting, and the situations they find themselves in are compelling. Hardy liked to subject his characters to the vagaries of fate, and that is certainly in evidence in The Return of the Native.
Warning: this book starts off slow. Real slow. It's a loving description of Egdon Heath, the setting for this novel. (The chapter gives you some idea of what it feels like for Eustacia to have to live there.)
Thomas Hardy
Imagine yourself being a lively, vibrant young person stuck with a bunch of hicks in an insular location where nothing ever happens. (Sound familiar to some of you?) What can you do to amuse yourself? What would you do to get out?
The Return of the Native is a traditional 19th century novel by one of the great English novelists, Thomas Hardy. You’ll find that it’s kind of slow-paced for our tastes. But stick with it. The characters are interesting, and the situations they find themselves in are compelling. Hardy liked to subject his characters to the vagaries of fate, and that is certainly in evidence in The Return of the Native.
Warning: this book starts off slow. Real slow. It's a loving description of Egdon Heath, the setting for this novel. (The chapter gives you some idea of what it feels like for Eustacia to have to live there.)
Written Assignments
In Addition to Reading . . .
1) We’ll be reprising something this year that went very well last summer – a community blog. As you start your summer reading (and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of you take a few days off after the close of this year), you’ll no doubt find yourself either with some questions or some trenchant observations. What to do?
Read and respond to what your classmates are saying. (There will be one entry for each book. Click on “Comments” to see what other people have said and to add your own comments.)
I expect that EVERYONE will post AT LEAST ONCE for EACH ASSIGNED BOOK, but hopefully a lot more. (This will be a graded assignment.)
2) And we’ll be trying something old – the traditional “Five-Paragraph” Essay. )The “Five-Paragraph” Essay, of course can be more than five paragraphs. This paper should be in the range of 3-5 pages.)
As with any good paper, be sure to include a good thesis statement in your introduction. Make sure to support the thesis with examples taken from your source material. You want to make sure that you have mastered the “Five-Paragraph” Essay before moving on to college, and this course will probably be your last chance. (See below for my guidelines on how to construct a solid essay.)
Your topic? You have your choice of:
a) Compare Hedda Gabler to Eustacia Vye. There are some outward similarities. Go through the words and make a list of behaviors, traits, and characteristics. Analyze these traits and behaviors, and come up with a thesis explaining why the two characters act as they do. Bear in mind that the suggested length of the paper is 3 -5 pages. You topic should be one that can be dealt with sufficiently in three to five pages.
OR
b) “The Price of Secrets”. (You must consider at least two of the three novels for
this paper.) The topic is large, so you will have to find a focus narrow enough that it can be dealt with in 3 – 5 pages.
[Warning: be sure to cite any and all sources consulted. Avoid plagiarism like the plague!]
The Essay will be due no later than Friday, August 31st. It may be turned in early at:
jmacarthur@tolland.k12.ct.us
1) We’ll be reprising something this year that went very well last summer – a community blog. As you start your summer reading (and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of you take a few days off after the close of this year), you’ll no doubt find yourself either with some questions or some trenchant observations. What to do?
Read and respond to what your classmates are saying. (There will be one entry for each book. Click on “Comments” to see what other people have said and to add your own comments.)
I expect that EVERYONE will post AT LEAST ONCE for EACH ASSIGNED BOOK, but hopefully a lot more. (This will be a graded assignment.)
2) And we’ll be trying something old – the traditional “Five-Paragraph” Essay. )The “Five-Paragraph” Essay, of course can be more than five paragraphs. This paper should be in the range of 3-5 pages.)
As with any good paper, be sure to include a good thesis statement in your introduction. Make sure to support the thesis with examples taken from your source material. You want to make sure that you have mastered the “Five-Paragraph” Essay before moving on to college, and this course will probably be your last chance. (See below for my guidelines on how to construct a solid essay.)
Your topic? You have your choice of:
a) Compare Hedda Gabler to Eustacia Vye. There are some outward similarities. Go through the words and make a list of behaviors, traits, and characteristics. Analyze these traits and behaviors, and come up with a thesis explaining why the two characters act as they do. Bear in mind that the suggested length of the paper is 3 -5 pages. You topic should be one that can be dealt with sufficiently in three to five pages.
OR
b) “The Price of Secrets”. (You must consider at least two of the three novels for
this paper.) The topic is large, so you will have to find a focus narrow enough that it can be dealt with in 3 – 5 pages.
[Warning: be sure to cite any and all sources consulted. Avoid plagiarism like the plague!]
The Essay will be due no later than Friday, August 31st. It may be turned in early at:
jmacarthur@tolland.k12.ct.us
Nine Stages to a Successful Essay
Stage I – Identify a Topic
A topic is an area in which to narrow your focus, but is still too broad to build a critical essay on.
Stage II – Return to Your Sources
Identify as many examples as you can which are related to your topic. Use whatever methods are comfortable for you – graphic organizers, word webs, brainstorming, group discussions, or old-fashioned jotting-notes-down-on-paper.
Stage III – Reexamine Your Examples
Re-read, re-view, re-hear those passages that you have identified as relevant. This is where you begin to narrow your topic. Decide which of those examples fit together (and how). Those examples that don’t seem to fit should be discarded at this time.
Stage IV – Select a Tentative Thesis
This is a crucial step. A thesis is a one-sentence statement containing the core of the results of your analysis. It’s what you have learned, and what you want to convey to your audience. In addition to being informative, a good thesis will be challenging and provocative.
Stage V – Choose Your Weapons
For a five-paragraph critical essay, find the three examples that will best support and explain your thesis.
Reexamine and rework these examples, bearing in mind how they pertain to your thesis. (As you do so, you may find that you want to adjust or fine-tune your thesis).
Stage VI – Outline Your Essay
Before you begin writing, think about the best order in which to present your arguments and examples. Consider how the paper will flow from one paragraph/example to the next. Will C-B-A make a better paper than A-B-C? How about B-A-C?
Make a written outline. This may seem like a waste of time, but it’s not. Organization can make or break a paper. Include the main idea of each paragraph – make sure there is only one! – and the supporting example. Check to see that the main idea supports/defends your thesis.
Stage VII – Write the First Draft
Whew! After all that preliminary work, this is the easy part. (If you’ve done your job well, written a good outline, you could even hand it off to someone else to write – and she’d be able to do it.) Pay attention to minor details: spelling grammar, word choice, etc.
(You might find yourself revising your thesis at this point. As you have to finally put ideas into words, you will find them clarifying and sometimes changing.)
Stage VIII – Comment and Feedback
You can do this yourself, and you should learn to do it yourself, but it can be helpful to have someone else do it for you (and the more unfamiliar he is with the material, the better).
Identify passages that are not clear, arguments that do not stand up. Look for silly technical errors that have crept in. Polish where you can.
Stage IX – Rewrite and Submit
Make sure that the final product is technically flawless. Careless errors send bad messages to your readers. Make sure the overall appearance is as becoming as possible. While presentation is no substitute for content, it can act as a lovely garnish.
Stage I – Identify a Topic
A topic is an area in which to narrow your focus, but is still too broad to build a critical essay on.
Stage II – Return to Your Sources
Identify as many examples as you can which are related to your topic. Use whatever methods are comfortable for you – graphic organizers, word webs, brainstorming, group discussions, or old-fashioned jotting-notes-down-on-paper.
Stage III – Reexamine Your Examples
Re-read, re-view, re-hear those passages that you have identified as relevant. This is where you begin to narrow your topic. Decide which of those examples fit together (and how). Those examples that don’t seem to fit should be discarded at this time.
Stage IV – Select a Tentative Thesis
This is a crucial step. A thesis is a one-sentence statement containing the core of the results of your analysis. It’s what you have learned, and what you want to convey to your audience. In addition to being informative, a good thesis will be challenging and provocative.
Stage V – Choose Your Weapons
For a five-paragraph critical essay, find the three examples that will best support and explain your thesis.
Reexamine and rework these examples, bearing in mind how they pertain to your thesis. (As you do so, you may find that you want to adjust or fine-tune your thesis).
Stage VI – Outline Your Essay
Before you begin writing, think about the best order in which to present your arguments and examples. Consider how the paper will flow from one paragraph/example to the next. Will C-B-A make a better paper than A-B-C? How about B-A-C?
Make a written outline. This may seem like a waste of time, but it’s not. Organization can make or break a paper. Include the main idea of each paragraph – make sure there is only one! – and the supporting example. Check to see that the main idea supports/defends your thesis.
Stage VII – Write the First Draft
Whew! After all that preliminary work, this is the easy part. (If you’ve done your job well, written a good outline, you could even hand it off to someone else to write – and she’d be able to do it.) Pay attention to minor details: spelling grammar, word choice, etc.
(You might find yourself revising your thesis at this point. As you have to finally put ideas into words, you will find them clarifying and sometimes changing.)
Stage VIII – Comment and Feedback
You can do this yourself, and you should learn to do it yourself, but it can be helpful to have someone else do it for you (and the more unfamiliar he is with the material, the better).
Identify passages that are not clear, arguments that do not stand up. Look for silly technical errors that have crept in. Polish where you can.
Stage IX – Rewrite and Submit
Make sure that the final product is technically flawless. Careless errors send bad messages to your readers. Make sure the overall appearance is as becoming as possible. While presentation is no substitute for content, it can act as a lovely garnish.
The Five Paragraphs of the Five-Paragraph Essay
I. THE INTRODUCTION
The introduction has two purposes: to INTRIGUE and INFORM.
A) INFORM – When the reader has come to the end of the first paragraph, she should have a clear idea of what the paper will be about.
1) Context. Name names. Who are these people (the characters)? Where did they come from (the author, the source)?
2) Thesis. This usually comes right at the end of the first paragraph. The thesis tells, in one sentence, what the essays intends to teach/demonstrate/prove.
B) INTRIGUE – When the reader has come to the end of the first paragraph, he should want to continue. A thoughtful, even provocative, thesis will draw the reader in. Use the first sentence or two to grab the reader, then work your way down to the thesis.
[WARNING: Never begin a paper with "This paper is about. . ." We’re more sophisticated than that now. Other openings to avoid: "The dictionary defines. . ." and "Have you ever wondered. . ." or ANY type of question.]
II. THE BODY
Here’s where you demonstrate the arguments that will validate your thesis. If this were a courtroom, these would be your witnesses. Always strive to:
A) "Keep it Simple, Stupid". Each paragraph should be devoted to one argument only. (Two witnesses on the stand at the same time are not twice as helpful.) Present your argument, then be sure to support it with specific examples from your sources. Be sure to EXPLAIN how those examples support your thesis.
B) "Go with the Flow". Keep each argument in its separate paragraph, but try to make a smooth transition from one argument to the next. Consider the best arrangement of paragraphs while composing the essay.
III. CONCLUSION
If this were the courtroom, this would be your summation. Briefly review and/or wind up your case. Restate your original thesis, and quickly review the nature of the arguments that you have made.
[WARNING: Never begin a conclusion with "In conclusion. . ." or "Therefore. . ." or anything of that ilk. There’s no rule against it, but we’re more sophisticated than that now.]
IV. GENERAL TIPS
1) Audience. Write for a hypothetical audience that has no more than a passing familiarity with your sources – a college admissions officer, or even better – "Aunt Jane". (Aunt Jane probably read that story, but that was over forty years ago. Mercy! And don’t forget, she’s not as sharp as she used to be: Speak slowly and loudly!) Don’t assume too much knowledge on the part of the reader. (Remember, "when you assume, you – don’t usually get much of a grade.")
2) The thesis should be something that would not have occurred to the casual
reader/viewer of the source materials. The response you’re going for should be "Oh?!" not "Well, duh!"
3) Never be vague if you can be specific. ("Billy" is better than "the main
character" is better than "the guy".)
4) "Just sayin’ it don’t make it so." Support any claim you make.
I. THE INTRODUCTION
The introduction has two purposes: to INTRIGUE and INFORM.
A) INFORM – When the reader has come to the end of the first paragraph, she should have a clear idea of what the paper will be about.
1) Context. Name names. Who are these people (the characters)? Where did they come from (the author, the source)?
2) Thesis. This usually comes right at the end of the first paragraph. The thesis tells, in one sentence, what the essays intends to teach/demonstrate/prove.
B) INTRIGUE – When the reader has come to the end of the first paragraph, he should want to continue. A thoughtful, even provocative, thesis will draw the reader in. Use the first sentence or two to grab the reader, then work your way down to the thesis.
[WARNING: Never begin a paper with "This paper is about. . ." We’re more sophisticated than that now. Other openings to avoid: "The dictionary defines. . ." and "Have you ever wondered. . ." or ANY type of question.]
II. THE BODY
Here’s where you demonstrate the arguments that will validate your thesis. If this were a courtroom, these would be your witnesses. Always strive to:
A) "Keep it Simple, Stupid". Each paragraph should be devoted to one argument only. (Two witnesses on the stand at the same time are not twice as helpful.) Present your argument, then be sure to support it with specific examples from your sources. Be sure to EXPLAIN how those examples support your thesis.
B) "Go with the Flow". Keep each argument in its separate paragraph, but try to make a smooth transition from one argument to the next. Consider the best arrangement of paragraphs while composing the essay.
III. CONCLUSION
If this were the courtroom, this would be your summation. Briefly review and/or wind up your case. Restate your original thesis, and quickly review the nature of the arguments that you have made.
[WARNING: Never begin a conclusion with "In conclusion. . ." or "Therefore. . ." or anything of that ilk. There’s no rule against it, but we’re more sophisticated than that now.]
IV. GENERAL TIPS
1) Audience. Write for a hypothetical audience that has no more than a passing familiarity with your sources – a college admissions officer, or even better – "Aunt Jane". (Aunt Jane probably read that story, but that was over forty years ago. Mercy! And don’t forget, she’s not as sharp as she used to be: Speak slowly and loudly!) Don’t assume too much knowledge on the part of the reader. (Remember, "when you assume, you – don’t usually get much of a grade.")
2) The thesis should be something that would not have occurred to the casual
reader/viewer of the source materials. The response you’re going for should be "Oh?!" not "Well, duh!"
3) Never be vague if you can be specific. ("Billy" is better than "the main
character" is better than "the guy".)
4) "Just sayin’ it don’t make it so." Support any claim you make.
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