This morning in class, you will begin your analysis of one of the texts we have studied in class, which include these:
- The first paragraphs of “The Falling Man” by Tom Junod
- “The Day Language Came into My Life” by Helen Keller
- “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr.
- The first paragraphs of “Back Story” by Michael Lewis
- “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.
Directions
- Review the essays, essay excerpt, and chapter excerpt you’ve read, and determine which one appeals to you most as a subject of analysis.
- Reread it and identify three or more elements that contribute to its effectiveness.
- Develop your analysis through a close examination of those elements.
- Write in dark ink, preferably black. You are welcome to use both sides of the page.
- Before you leave class today, staple your assignment handout on top of your draft and submit it to me. Next week I will return your draft with notes, and you will have the class period to begin revising and editing on your laptop or tablet.
Think of your preliminary draft as your down draft; your aim in the early stage of the process is to get your ideas down on the page. You may need the process of drafting to discover what you think the essay, essay excerpt, or chapter excerpt means and how it makes its meaning.
Sample Works Cited Entries
Junod, Tom. “The Falling Man.” Junod, Tom. “The Falling Man.” Esquire, vol. 140, no. 3, Sept. 2003, pp. 176+. Gale Academic OneFile Select, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A106423422/EAIM?u=hpu_main&sid=bookmark-EAIM&xid=ce48797f.
Keller, Helen. “The Day that Language Came into My Life.” The Story of My Life. https://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/keller/life/life.html.
King, Martin Luther, Jr. “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, Stanford University, https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/sites/mlk/files/letterfrombirmingham_wwcw_0.pdf.
Lewis, Michael. Chapter One: “Back Story.” The Blind Side. 2006. Norton, 2009, pp. 15-23.
Sedaris, David. “Me Talk Pretty One Day.” Me Talk Pretty One Day. Little Brown, 2000. pp. 166-73.
Next Up
Wordplay Day! To prepare for class, revisit the Dictionary and World Builder pages on the Scrabble website, and review the posts on my blog devoted to Scrabble tips.
Jane Lucas 