Plot Summary

This paper is meant to be an analysis, not a plot summary. Plot summary is obvious to anyone who has read the text. Assume that your reader has read both the literary work and the philosophical theory. You should not include everything that happened in the text; only include the elements of the narrative that are relevant to your thesis.

Mechanics

·         Use the historical present when writing about a character or an author’s style. For example, “Hester Prynne is banished (not was banished) to the fringes of society.” However, use the traditional past tense to write about actual things that happened in the past. For example, “Steinbeck wrote (not writes) about a period in American history during which workers were alienated by the development of machinery.

·         Titles. For titles of parts of works, (i.e. short stories, most poems, articles, songs) use quotation marks. For titles of complete works, (i.e. novels, epic poems, albums) italicize or underline.

·         Author’s Names. It is conventional to refer to authors by their last names only. Sometimes, lesser-known authors are referred to by their first and last name. However, never refer to an author simply by his/her first name.

MLA Format

Since you are only allowed to submit ONE piece of paper, you are not required to conform to Modern Language Association (MLA) standards for your heading or margins. However, I do expect you to format your citations according to MLA guidelines.

            The MLA recommends a system of in-text citations. Here is how the system works:

1.      The source is introduced by a signal phrase that names its author.

2.      The material being cited is followed by a page number in parentheses. Be sure that your citation is punctuated following this format:

·         last word” (page #).    OR

·         properties” (2267).

3.      At the end of the paper, a list of works cited (arranged alphabetically according to authors’ last names) gives complete publication information about the source.

Your citations should look like this:

·         Bishop also utilizes the setting to help express this contrast. The Man “does not see the moon; he observes only her vast properties” (2267).

Grading Criteria

You will be graded on the quality of your analysis. I am looking for a strong thesis and relevant support from the text—due to paper length constraints, this means that your writing must be concise because you do not have room to discuss anything that is not essential to your argument. I am also looking at how you structure your essay, and how well you proofread.