Hi Class,

I was encouraged by everyone’s ability to identify key scenes in their chosen stories. I have a good feeling that you are all on the right track.

 

Here is the quotation example the we went over today:

Goal:

A student wants to convey the following information:

• Leon = most interesting of the main characters

• Story title, author, where published

•Quote: “Snatched from under their foreign eyes […] I should have known” from page 12

• Why important: shows he underestimated his brother and also seems proud

 

The plan:

The first sentence will introduce the character, then the story details, and then the quote. The second sentence will say why this quote is so important.

 

Final Result:

Leon, the most interesting of the main characters in the short story “Assimilation,” by E.L. Doctorow, published in The New Yorker in 2010, indicates that Ramon has saved Jelena when he says she was “Snatched from under their foreign eyes […] I should have known” (12). This is so important because it shows Leon underestimated his brother and yet, at the same time, he seems proud of him.

**Note: this example is not perfect, and it assumes that the story and author has not yet been stated. It is more common to have already stated these details. See the Student Example for how this might look.

 

Homework:

Review the Final Essay Student Example found in the Readings menu tab. Then write your own first page that includes an original title, a clear introduction, a specific thesis, and a method. Be prepared to read your first page in class on Monday.

 

Best wishes,

Prof. Scanlan