Thurs 2:15 Class

I. The Reflection Paper 

1. What it is / what it isn't

2. Considering Thesis Statements (brainstorm, practice, discuss, more practice)

3. Time permitting: brief review of using quotations

4. Ultimate synthesis of learning! (i.e. more practice writing)

 

II. Unit 1 essay on Baghdad Burning

(note: think of the Unit 1 Essay as a longer version of the Reflection Paper, with the additional use of outside sources)  

 

HW: 

1. READ TO P. 220 of BB

2. Reflection Paper

3. Know what larger theme you want to address in BB and in your research, i.e. "Women's changing roles in Iraq"Reflection Papers = Literary Analysis

The over-riding goal of literary analysis (i.e. your Reflection Papers) is to demonstrate some new understanding of the text that is unique, specific, and debatable.

(this requires a strong thesis statement)

Analysis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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For other uses, see Analysis (disambiguation).

Look up Analysis or analysis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Analysis is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts to gain a better understanding of it. The technique has been applied in the study of mathematics and logic since before Aristotle (384–322 B.C.), though analysis as a formal concept is a relatively recent development.^[1]
The word is a transcription of the ancient Greek ἀνάλυσις (analusis, "a breaking up", from ana- "up, throughout" and lysis "a loosening").^[2]

Analysis as an independent subject was created in the 17th century during the European scientific revolution.^[3] As a formal concept, the method has variously been ascribed to Alhazen,^[4] René Descartes (Discourse on the Method) and Galileo Galilei. It has also been ascribed to Isaac Newton, in the form of a practical method of physical discovery (which he did not name or formally describe).

In analyzing literature, the over-riding goal of analysis writing is to demonstrate some new understanding of the text.

Click HERE for a link concerning thesis statements 


William Shakespeare - Sonnet #18

Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And Summer's lease hath all too short a date:

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And oft' is his gold complexion dimm'd;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd:

But thy eternal Summer shall not fade

Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;

Nor shall Death brag thou wanderest in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou growest:

So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Ex. Riverbend blames those who are in power for the situation in Iraq.

vs.

Through a variety of subtle strategies, Riverbend systematically leads her readers to agree with her that the true blame for the situation in Iraq rests on the shoulders of American leaders, and the Iraqi "puppets" they have brought to power.

Some Problems with Thesis Statements

The plot summary thesis:

This poem shows the narrator comparing his lover to a summer’s day.

Proving the universal:

“Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” presents the power of love to conquer death.

The overly general thesis:

Shakespeare’s sonnets reveal how narratives can last in ways that nature cannot. [Note: if you

can plug another text into your thesis, your thesis is probably too general.]

The cliché thesis:

“Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” proves the point that the pen is mightier than the

sword.

The list thesis:

The structure, character, and dialogue in this poem show us how all humans search for knowledge. [Nothing technically “wrong” with this thesis, but it’s really boring! This is a great place to start with a thesis statement; then expand and/or finesse the what? how? and why? components.]

The reader-response thesis (as an unhelpful way of dealing with the “so what?”):

Shakespeare’s sonnets show how the narrator compares poetry favorably to nature to get the

reader to understand how narrative lasts forever. [All texts are addressed somehow to readers. This is not an analytical point.]

Successful thesis:

Despite its seeming emphasis on love and physical beauty—traits that are often considered

fleeting—Shakespeare’s sonnet “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” reveals the ways in

which humans, despite our mortality, can triumph over the vagaries of nature. The images that

the narrator uses and the structure of the sonnet itself help to privilege the power of narrative as a

means of asserting our dominance over nature.

Why is it successful?

· It’s specific.

· It addresses a potential contradiction and is arguable.

· It provides a logical way to structure the argument.

· It’s fairly daring intellectually and has an interesting “so what?”

· Can you identify the various components?

Worksheet on Using Quotes Effectively