Purpose—The purpose of this paper is for the student to develop a better understanding of and appreciation for the book by analyzing a concept from it using one of three methods discussed on page 95 of the LSH: (1) focusing on the book itself (tracing its expression of themes, characters, and language, discussing how they perpetuate meaning, tone, and/or effects); (2) exploring the way the book impacts you as a reader (noting how textual elements evoke your responses based on ethos, logos, and pathos); and (3) examining the book as part of a larger historical or cultural context or as it represents a particular genre.
Preparation—Make certain that you have read the book in its entirety. Gather the reaction assignments, reading quizzes, and discussion questions to review primary elements of the book and to see if one of the topics mentioned catches your interest and/or would be a potential idea for your literary essay.
Depending on your ultimate topic choice, you MAY HAVE TO RESEARCH TO SUPPORT YOUR TOPIC, but for many topics, no outside sources (no source besides the book) will be required.
Note: If research IS required for your paper, keep in mind that author Colson Whitehead has several works listed (in the “Acknowledgements” section of his book) that might prove helpful.
Procedure
• As a prewriting, jot down a few ideas you feel are most important or interesting to you, and from this prewriting list, decide on an area to develop into the literary analysis. Review the book to locate passages that can be quoted to support the idea/s you are developing in the paper and again, locate, highlight, and read and annotate outside sources if those will be needed for your particular topic.
• Next, write your main idea in thesis statement form—REMEMBER THAT YOUR THESIS MUST BE ARGUABLE—and construct an outline of ideas to support the thesis. Refer to page 17 of the LSH, for general information on writing a rough—or informal—outline and to my information sheet on outlining, found in Bb Module 1, for more specific outlining conventions.
• Write a rough TOPIC OUTLINE, but please use Roman numerals, capital letters, etc. when putting this together, and make sure to develop ideas with at least an A. and a B. (MINIMUM!) beneath each Roman numeral.
• I will check and return thesis statements and outlines, and you will then submit the rough draft of the paper, incorporating source material (from the book and/or other sources/s) as you write the draft.
• The final steps in the process for this paper include peer evaluations and draft checks, followed by completion and submission of the final copy according to MLA format.
In this paper, remember that you are not summarizing the book; you are ANALYZING how Colson Whitehead developed the idea you choose as your topic in his book.
To write the rough draft, I suggest the following steps:
(1) Have your response assignments, handouts, and discussion questions pertaining to the book, along with any source/s necessary, handy for possible use in the literary analysis when you begin;
(2) Re-read the book, “skimming” it in search of the parts specifically pertaining to your topic (information that will develop the idea presented in your thesis statement, or more specifically, the main points presented in your outline);
(3) Take notes on these sections, jotting down the information you will need and the page and chapter numbers on which the information is found (Remember: you have some of these quotations and page and chapter numbers already from the response assignments);
(4) Begin the draft with an interesting introductory paragraph; include an attention getter (a quote, question, funnel opening, provocative statement, etc. to catch the reader’s attention), background information (general information about the book, your topic, etc.), and the thesis statement. BE SURE THAT THE THESIS GIVES THE AUTHOR’S NAME AND THE BOOK’S TITLE, and do not forget to italicize the title and capitalize appropriate words. For example, a thesis for this novel might be this: Although Colson Whitehead’s novel, The Nickel Boys, is a work of fiction, several characters represent the life-altering effects of parental neglect and/or abandonment, specifically Griff, Turner, and Elwood.
(5) Write the body paragraphs, using transitions within and between these paragraphs, and writing a CLEAR TOPIC SENTENCE at the beginning of each one. In these body paragraphs, use paraphrases and direct quotations from the book to support the ideas you are expressing, and be certain to USE PARENTHETICAL (in-text) citations after each example of paraphrased or quoted material. See page 156 of the LSH—8. Literary Works—give the page number, followed by the chapter number, just as you did for your response assignments, except these citations will be at the end of the quoted or paraphrased material.
