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Interboro
Institute Course
Number: HUM200 Course
Name: World Literature
Prerequisite:
EN101
Humanities
200
World Literature
Professor
Cruz
Fall 2005
Critical
Essay Guidelines
General
Recommendations for Success on the Critical Essay and the Essay Portion of
the Final Examination:
1--Proficiency
with the essay form argument--your first sentence must contain a clear
thesis statement that will state what you intend to prove in the essay. It
is argumentative in the sense that you are taking a position that will
require substantiation through analysis; not paraphrase.
2--General knowledge. It is expected that you are familiar with
works covered in the World Literature course. The materials chosen for
this course were selected because many are recognized to have literary
merit. This means interpretive literature that is universally applicable
to the human condition and could be reread many times while still engaging
the reader’s consciousness and revealing with each reading more meaning.
Yes: it is necessary to read selections more than one time.
You should be familiar enough with some of the readings to make
mention of them in your essay – those that apply to your subject.
3--Do not summarize the plot--presume the reader knows it. Do not
define common literary terms or figures of speech--again presume the
reader knows.
4--Critical analysis--you must be able to do a close reading of the
text you select. You should know it well enough to be able to quote a line
or two from memory. Do not paraphrase. Interpret the text and select
scenes that you think substantiate the thesis. It is the same process as
quoting from a primary source to prove a thesis in a paper.
5--You must be able to make value judgments based on what you
select. Some scenes and lines are more important than others, and you
should be able to select what is most significant.
6--Criticism is important--for each work we have done plus your own
research, you should be able to cite a critic who has reflected on the
material. You may agree or disagree with what he/she says, but this kind
of recollection adds depth to your work. For each genre, you should know a
critic whose work has become standard for explicating a given work.
7--Allusion--several years ago, nine students took the class, and
five of the nine scored extremely high on the test. One reason was the
ability to allude to other works that impacted on the one under
discussion. References to classical authors, novels, short stories, the
bible etc. add depth to your work. Don’t
be afraid to compare and contrast.
8--Write a conclusion that refers to the thesis, and reminds the
reader that you have substantiated the thesis.
9--Using
standard written English, spelling, punctuation etc. Generally do not use
slang.
10--It is unwise to cross out, erase, insert lines with arrows from
the margins. The readers have a lot to do, and looking at this kind of
work creates a negative first impression. Scratch out an outline first
somewhere other than the answer paper before you begin to write anything.
Study the question so you know what is asked before you begin to work.
11--Critical vocabulary is important. Readers expect you to be
conversant with the major terms for each genre and use them appropriately:
Final
Exam: Review & Sample Question
The
emphasis of this course has been on close textual reading, critical
interpretation, and appreciation. You have been introduced to key literary
terms and required to produce thoughtful essays based on the material
studied.
The
Final Exam will include an 80-minute
in-class writing in which you will respond to a question about a short
story. Please respond in a
5-paragraph essay (also known as the Standard College Essay); 80 minutes
is plenty of time to write your response.
As you review the assigned text, consider the author’s use of plot,
character, setting, point of view, style and voice, and finally, theme. If
you are not familiar with these terms, please review “A Note on
Fiction” pages 1099-1102, and “A Note on Poetry” pages 1103-1106;
for a quick reference, see the “Glossary of Literary Terms” in the
back of the text book, as well as the terms of literary analysis handout
provided in class, and do not be afraid to do additional research on your
own.
To prepare for the exam, read the “How to Write Literary Analysis”
handout and consider the following sample question:
Sample
Question: Contrast the three worlds—family, community and church
—in which John moves. Why does Baldwin introduce them in that order?
(This
is not the actual question for your exam, but it is similar in
complexity.)
Please,
don’t give up: we’re almost there….
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