ENGL 472: Analytic Essay

472 Description | 472 Requirements | 472 Syllabus | 472 Critical Readings

Requirements: 1) This 5 page typed essay will analyze one section of the Shakespearean play which you have selected for your annotated bibliography and scholarly essay. The essay will explain how that section raises issues, examines concerns, and reflects patterns of language, characterization, plot or imagery that you see as central to the rest of the play. The section that you choose to analyze in your essay may include one or several scenes, or it may include a whole act of the play.

2) The essay will use specific evidence from the play to illustrate, explain, and develop your ideas about how the passages under consideration reflect larger issues and concerns and embody patterns of language or imagery that are important to the rest of the play.

3) The essay will use proper MLA documentation including a works cited page to cite from the play.

4) Once you have submitted your essay, I will read it and make suggestions for substantive and stylistic revision as well as for correction of surface errors. I will return your essays with my recommendations for revision and correction. When you have submitted your final version of the essay, which incorporates my suggestions, I will assign a final grade.

Purpose: This essay affords you the opportunity to do some original thinking about the play that you will research for your scholarly essay. It will also encourage you to look closely at the language, characterization, plot, imagery, and ideas of the play so that your thinking is deeply rooted in the play itself and grows from your own familiarity with the text. It is important that you use this essay to explore the same play about which you will complete your annotated bibliographies and scholarly essay. Doing so allows you to integrate all your formal writing and research into your scholarly essay so that you use these sequenced assignments to "build up to" that final piece.

Audience: Think about whom you wish to address in this paper. If you are going to be a teacher, perhaps you might want to address other aspiring teachers. You might address other students in the class and me as part of that community; or you might want to address other readers and lovers of Shakespeare. Think about your specific audience, and pitch your paper to that specific reader. What do you want your paper to DO for that reader? We'll talk more about this in class.

Assessment: The Analytic Essay will constitute 20% of the final grade. I will assess it according to the following criteria: 1) how specifically it looks at the section of the play under consideration and how well it incorporates quotations from the text into its argument; 2) how specifically it looks at the rest of the play and how well it explains the relationship between the particular section and the whole; 3) how analytically it looks at the particular section to distinguish important issues or concerns pertinent to the whole play; 4) how analytically it looks at the section to discern patterns of language, imagery, characterization, or plot pertinent to the whole play; 5) how effective it is stylistically, taking into consideration clarity, coherence, cohesion, conciseness, and grace; 6) how fully it masters grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and MLA documentation format. No late work accepted. See Course Description for policy on due dates, possible extensions, and late work.