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Next time: have them look at ADDITIONAL SPECIFIC PASSAGES to practice drawing inferences and formulating thesis statements. Give them assistance with this--otherwise they wind up copying each others' boring ideas.
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English
120 Project #3:
Literary Analysis
Maximum points possible: 15
Length: aprox. 4 pages
Manuscript format: MLA, or as appropriate for audience
For help with MLA documentation, CLICK
HERE.
For help with MLA manuscript
format, CLICK
HERE.
For help with special conventions
in literary analysis, CLICK
HERE.
Finished product due:
NO GRACE PERIODFOR THIS ESSAY. LATE PIECES WILL ONLY BE ACCEPTED WITH
DOCUMENTED EVIDENCE OF SERIOUS HARDSHIP.
When you turn in
your finished version, include any drafts with teacher comments. Staple all
materials and/or use a sturdy clip.
Because works of art are generally rich with both explicit
and implied meanings, and because those implied meanings can be multiple and complex, interpretations of a given work can vary among
viewers or readers. Any art or literary interpretation is a type of argument and needs support, just like any argument. And just like any argument, it is open to challenge.
This doesn't mean that all interpretations are equally valid, or that any
interpretative argument at all is meaningful. Like any argument, interpretation needs support and is open to challenge. A thoughtful writer will pay close attention to the work in
question, will avoid merely speculating about the author's purpose, and will
base his or her claims on specific evidence, usually in the work itself.
Keep in mind that we are not talking about art reviews here. A
review is an argument of evaluation (it argues that something is
good or bad, worthy or unworthy). What you want here is an argument of interpretation.
That is, you're not judging the book; you're examining its meanings and
trying to understand it more deeply and richly.
Instructions and Purpose
For this project you will analyze and build your own interpretation
of a contemporary literary work, Rule of the Bone. As with any
commentary, your goal is to illuminate your subject for
your readers. That is, you want to
1) pose an interpretive question and then develop an argument for a particular answer to that question;
2) help the reader better appreciate/understand the book and get more
out of it.
Suggestions
A good way to focus any interpretation of literature is to build your
argument around the work's main theme or themes. That is, what, in the
largest sense, is Rule of the Bone about, and how are we encouraged
to regard that topic? Is the primary theme related to parent-child
relationships? Coming-of-age in America in the 90s? Father figures? The
meaning of "community"? The meaning of "education"?
Alternative religion? Nonconformity in America? What view of race or gender
emerges in the book? What primary effect on its readers does the book
ultimately seem to have?
For your interpretation of the novel, you might pick one of these
topics/themes/issues and analyze how it plays out in the course of the story.
It can be helpful also to ask: What significant question is raised,
explicitly or implicitly, at the beginning of the story? How is it finally
answered by the end?
Click here for some
brainstorming to help you focus your interpretation.
You're free to focus on any facet of the work which you consider
interesting or important, and you're free to interpret the story any way you
wish, as long as you carefully support your claims with clear reasoning and
specific evidence—description, examples, summaries, quotations —from the book
itself.
Finally, don't forget to acknowledge, and refute, contrasting views! This
is an argument!
Audience
Imagine that your essay will appear in a casebook on Rule of the Bone
designed for college students. (A casebook is a collection of essays
interpreting and commenting on a literary work to broaden readers'
understanding.)
Alternately, you might see this as an entry for a literary blog, your
audience being any adult, avid reader of literature.
Evaluation Criteria and Checklist
_____All pages are stapled before class time. If the materials are too
thick for one staple, you can make a couple of stapled sets.
_____Any drafts with instructor comments are stapled to the final product.
_____The paper shows a clear introduction, body, and conclusion.
_____The essay has a clear topic and focus which is maintained throughout.
_____The essay has a strong, clear, original central point (thesis) about
its topic.
_____The thesis is apparent early on, then evident and consistent
throughout the body of the essay, with special affirmation at the end. (If
the thesis is withheld until the end, there should be a good reason for doing
so.)
_____The thesis is supported in the body of the essay with lots of
good, specific details, examples, paraphrases, summaries, and quotations from
the novel or other sources.
_____Each paragraph is focused on a single, important point.
_____Each paragraph is well-developed, its point supported with lots of
detail.
_____Each paragraph includes a helpful explicit or implicit transition.
_____The essay takes care to acknowledge and refute alternative
interpretations or possible reader objections.
_____The essay includes a little plot summary where necessary to help the
reader follow the argument. Excessive plot summary, however, is avoided.
(Assume the reader is already familiar with the novel. You want to analyze
and interpret--don't merely retell the story.)
_____The essay demonstrates attention to audience (college-educated people
who read novels and would like to understand them better) and the
needs/expectations of that audience.
_____The essay shows conscientious editing to eliminate mechanical errors
such as comma splices, incomplete sentences, fused sentence, typos,
etc.
_____The essay shows conscientious editing for smooth, concise, lucid
sentence style.
_____All sources are documented according to MLA format.
_____The essay is formatted according to MLA manuscript guidelines.
_____The essay follows rules for literary writing (be sure you've read Conventions for Writing
Essays about Literature).
_____The essay demonstrates explicit or implicit understanding of our Call
to Write assignments and any relevant course Power Points.
Grade Scale
A = outstanding (stands out from the rest); fulfills all assignment
criteria with distinction; creative and insightful (thesis is genuinely
illuminating and fresh); paragraphs are extra-well crafted; sentences show
standard editing and proofreading, and also demonstrate elegance, varied
length and structure, and smoothness. Essay may have a minor flaw or two, but
these are overshadowed by the strengths. 27-30 pts.
B = very good; fulfills all or nearly all assignment criteria; may lack
creative spark or flare, or may have an undistinguished or somewhat obvious
thesis, but otherwise presents a well-written argument. Paragraphs are
focused and developed with good transitons.
Sentences are edited and proofread. 23-26 pts.
C = ok; fulfills most assignment criteria at least marginally, or may
fulfill some criteria very well and others with noticeable weakness. Some
paragraphs may be unfocused and undeveloped, and/or some sentences may lack
proofreading and editing. 19-22 pts.
D = poor; fulfills only some of the criteria, or, while fulfilling one or
two reasonably well, is conspicuously lacking for most others. Likely shows
very weak paragraphing. Likely shows poor editing and proofreading. 15-18
pts.
F = unacceptable; does not fulfill any or a reasonable number of criteria.
0 pts.
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