This morning you will begin your analysis of one of the texts we have studied in class, which include these:
- The first paragraphs of “Back Story” by Michael Lewis
- “The Day Language Came into My Life” by Helen Keller
- The first paragraphs of “The Falling Man” by Tom Junod
- “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr.
- “Me Talk Pretty One Day” by David Sedaris
On Monday we will read a short story, “The School” by Donald Barthelme, which will serve as an additional option for your analysis. If you begin an analysis of one of the texts listed above and decide you would rather write about “The School,” you are welcome to change your focus.
As a starting point for your analysis planning, this morning you will read the pages in Writing Analytically devoted to analysis. Among the key points to keep in mind as you write are these:
- “One common denominator in all effective analytical writing is that it pays close attention to detail” (5).
- “In order to understand a subject, we need to discover what it is ‘made of,’ the particulars that contribute most strongly to the character of the whole” (5).
- “[A]sk not just ‘What is it made of?’ but also ‘How do these parts help me to understand the meaning of the subject as a whole?” (5).
- “Analytical writing is more concerned with arriving at an understanding of a subject than it is with either self-expression or changing readers’ views” 95).
Next Wednesday, February 15, I will return your handwritten drafts with notes, and you will have the class period to begin revising on your laptops and tablets. You will have an additional week to continue to revise. Your revisions are due on Blackboard and on your blogs on Wednesday, Febraury 22. The hard deadline is Friday, February 24
Next Up
Friday marks your fifth Wordplay Day of the semester. To up your game and increase your word power, review the tips and tools on the Scrabble website as well as my blog posts devoted to the game.
Jane Lucas 