As part of your revision process, you will integrate two relevant sources into your reflection. Here are some examples of how you might introduce quotations or paraphrases of the texts you choose to cite:
- The authors of A Writer’s Reference note that an effective analysis demonstrates “careful critical reading” (Hacker and Somers 69). Of all the key features of an analysis, that attention to detail is what I render most effectively in my study of Maus.
- One of the elements of the panel that drew my interest was the contrast between the lines of narration that conclude it, where Vladek Spiegelman says, “It was still very luxurious. The Germans couldn’t destroy everything at once” (74).
- In my analysis, I observe that “[t]he shift in Vladek’s final lines—from ‘luxury’ to destruction’—shifts readers’ perspective on the scene as well.”
- Dr. Karin James’ research in cognitive neuroscience reveals that writing longhand activates areas of the brain that remain dormant when we type.
The third sample does not include a parenthetical citation because I am quoting the blog post of my analysis, which is a text without page numbers.
The fourth sample does not include quotation marks or a parenthetical citation because I am paraphrasing research on a university web page, another source without page numbers. The information in the works cited entry directs readers to the specific web page.
Sample Works Cited Entries
Hacker, Diana and Nancy Somers. “How to Write an Analytical Essay.” A Writer’s Reference, GTCC 9th ed., Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2018. pp. 69-70.
James, Karin. “What are the Effects of Handwriting on Cognitive Development?” The Cognition and Action Neuroimaging Library, University of Indiana, 2016, https://canlab.sitehost.iu.edu/handwriting.html.
Lucas, Jane. “Of Mice and Menace.” Jane Lucas, 30 Oct. 2020, https://janelucas.com/2020/10/29/of-mice-and-menace/.
Spiegelman, Art. Maus I. Pantheon, 1986.
For more sample works cited entries, see the November 11 blog post, “ENG 111: Beginning Your Reflection.”
Model Reflective Essays
The essays listed below are models for your reflection, but each differs from yours in terms of requirements. The first two, written by students of mine at Catawba Valley Community College, were written for a reflective assignment that did not require the students to cite two sources. The third, written by me as a model for my students at Lenoir Rhyne University, includes both a works cited list and an annotated bibliography.
- “Remembering Pens, Envelopes, and Rhymes” by Jacob Palmer
- “A Love-Hate Relationship” by Sara Blaj
- “Another Semester of Stumbling and Serendipity” by Jane Lucas
Jane Lucas 