In your introduction be sure to mention the text and the author’s name. In the introduction state the author’s full name. Any other time the author is mentioned in your paper state only his/her last name (ex: Sotomayor, Cofer etc.). The last line of your introduction is where you must mention your thesis statement. Your thesis statement should be a strong assertion that you will discuss and support in your paper. If you find yourself having difficulty formulating a thesis, you can start by asking yourself a question about the text. Your answer will become your thesis. For example: How does King convey to the reader the importance of civil rights? King uses metaphors and similes to . Your thesis may evolve and/or change as your write your paper. During the drafting process, it is okay to tweak your thesis statement.
The first paragraph after the introduction should be a summary of the text. Summarize the text as if the person reading your paper has not read the text you are critiquing. It would be like trying to tell a friend about a movie without providing the background information. In the summary do not use quoted material from the text or discuss anything specific about the text. The summary should be a general overview of what the text is about.
Each paragraph after the summary should begin with a topic sentence. Do not start or end your paragraph with a quote. A topic sentence states the particular subject that will be discussed in that paragraph. Your topic sentences will come from the bulleted list you create in your outline. Those bullet points will eventually evolve into your topic sentences. Your essay must discuss and prove the rhetorical effectiveness of the text. You will need to focus on 2 rhetorical devices used in the text. Some rhetorical devices you could discuss are: the use of metaphors, similes, tone, imagery, anaphora, and personification. You will need to look at and analyze the deeper meaning behind the use of these devices. What does the author really mean? Why did the author choose to write it this way? What message is the author trying to convey to the reader/audience? Are his/her methods effective? Why or why not? You must choose 2 rhetorical devices to write about.
You must include 4 quotes from the text. These quotes will be chosen by you to support your thesis statement. You must incorporate them into your paper properly. A quote cannot be dropped in your paper. A quote should be preceded by a signal phrase to let the reader know that quoted material is coming. For example: McDonald states, He was a lumpy little guy with baggy shorts (93). You must then discuss the relevance of the quote to your thesis. Basically, your paragraph should begin with a topic sentence, the middle should be your evidence/quote from the text and end with your analysis of the information.
You must:
have a strong thesis statement that includes the 2 rhetorical devices you will examine
have a summary of the text
have a clear and thoughtful introduction and conclusion
paragraphs that begin with a clear topic sentence
have 4 quotes from the text
have a clear and logical progression of ideas
use appropriate sentence structure, word choice, grammar, spelling and punctuation
show a significant revision of ideas, language and style from the first to the final draft
include a Works Cited page
be formatted for MLA style typed, double-spaced, 1 margins, and stapled
use the same heading as the previous paper