These are the instructions and outline for the paper…ENG 103

Essay Three

The focus for the essay is poems about families. In the essay you will examine the poems in Arguing About Literature p. 316-343.

In the essay you should present 4-8 interpretive points or arguments about the poems. You can focus on one to four of the poems. The points that you present should be in support of a general interpretive idea which is the thesis statement of the essay.

In the essay you are arguing that your interpretation or understanding of the poems is valid and supported by evidence in the writing. You should also use research to help support your understanding of the poems.

You need to consult one addition source outside of the textbook. This additional source can come from the Cincinnati State Library web page or another credible internet research. Please do not use Wikipedia. It is not a credible academic source.

The purpose of the assignment is to see how well you can examine the ideas in the poems and outside research. I am not looking for “correct” interpretations of the text, but instead well thought-out interpretations that are supported with quotes or examples from the poems and engage at least one outside source to help illustrate your ideas.

For this essay you should consult at least one additional source. A good place to start is the Cincinnati State Library webpage. On the Library web page, under the “Subjects Guide” click on the link to “Find Guides by Courses” then click on “ENG 103.” You will want to use the “Finding Articles” tab.

Review Chapters 41-47 in the Handbook which will walk you through how to cite your source in the essay and on a works cited page. Feel free to send me any questions as you work through this material since it can be overwhelming.

For the works cited page use rule 74 and 73 on p. 420 for any of the articles from the library database. Remember the overall layout of the works cited page should look like p. 437.

The essay should be a minimum of 4 full pages plus a works cited page that does not count as one of the 4 required pages. The essay must follow the MLA format (see The Concise Wadsworth Handbook) including 12 point Courier New font and one inch margins on all four sides. The essay should be double spaced.

There is no rough draft required for this essay but feel free to get in touch with me if you have any questions or need my feedback as you are working. The final draft of the essay is due by Saturday April 1st by 10:00 am.

Outline for Essay Three
I. Introduction
Your introduction should contain these points in any order you wish

*title and author of work(s) you are addressing
*importance of the work and/or subject matter addressed in a
minimum of 3 sentences
*main points that the essay will examine which should include
four to eight points analyzing elements of fiction
*thesis statement = main idea (literary work) + assertion (what
you will say about the story or a general direction that your interpretation will take)

II. Each body paragraph should follow the IREC format outlined below

Interpretation: begin with an interpretive point that supports
the thesis statement
Rationale: explain the interpretation in your own words
Example: give 1-3 examples from the story that support your analysis (quote passages with proper MLA citation)
Concluding Point: explain how the examples from the story
support your analysis, summarize the ideas in the
paragraph, tie to thesis statement, and transition to the next paragraph
Note: You can have as many points/paragraphs as you wish.

III. Conclusion
restate the thesis
emphasize the importance of the work
tie together main points and develop you analysis
find an interesting closing