WRITING
WORKSHOP 2.0
G I F T E D WO R L D L I T & C O M P 2 0 1 6
EASY FIXES
1.
MLA Formatting
2.
Double Space (ctrl + 2)
3.
NO I think, I feel, I believe, ect.
4.
NO 1st or 2nd person personal pronouns! (I, my, we, you, us)
5.
Book vs. Novel
6.
Title of a novel “Things Fall Apart” or Things Fall Apart NOT Things Fall Apart
7.
CORRECT MLA in-text citations are not optional.You are plagiarizing if you do not use them.
1.
Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263).
2.
Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263).
3.
Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263).
N O N S H OW
WO R D S
LITERARY PRESENT
• Always write in the literary present. Do not switch back and forth between
tenses. Do not write in the past tense. Always write in the literary present.
• For example, “Shakespeare writes Hamlet as a young man torn with
indecision.” As opposed to, “Shakespeare wrote Hamlet as a man who
struggled with making choices.”
QUOTE INTEGRATION
• How to Use Quotations in a Literary Essay:
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW43ok4ur_E
• Using Citations Effectively by Shmoop
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aC6qT8WB8c
INTEGRATING QUOTES: PATTERN # 1
• 1. An introducing clause plus the quotation:
Gatsby is not to be regarded as a personal failure because
"Gatsby turned out all right at the end" (Fitzgerald 76), according to
Nick.
PATTERN # 2
• Fitzgerald gives Nick a muted tribute to the hero: "Gatsby turned
out all right at the end" (Fitzgerald176).
• This works best if your quotation is a complete clause
PATTERN # 3
• An assertion of your own with quoted material worked in:
• For Nick, who remarks that Gatsby "turned out all right" (Fitzgerald176), the hero deserves
respect but perhaps does not inspire great admiration.
This works best when you pull only power words from the quotation.
• Note: The words in bold effectively introduce the quote. No quote ever stands alone. Follow
your quotes with commentary. Do not begin commentary with words such as “this quote
shows” or “this quote reveals.”
• Note how the following commentary flows from the quotation and has substance.
• The story alludes again and again to the sheltering
comfort of the garden. The man tries to maintain an
illusion that nothing serious has happened to him, that in
time he will “feel as if he had always been like that” (Fitzgerald
397). The garden is his refuge against reality.
STUDENTS EXAMPLE 1:
On a sheet of paper (that you will turn in) label each of the following examples and re-write selection
adhering to the quote integration rules we just discussed.
Clarisse has color on her chin and Montag doesn’t. She says “What a shame.
You’re not in love with anyone.” He says “I am, very much in love”. This scene
also shows how Montag’s life isn’t what it actually seems.
STUDENT EXAMPLE #2
• On the other hand, he [Captain Beatty] likes books and once
sought out knowledge of the universe like Montag. His passion for
books and evidence of how well-read he is, is shown in this quote:
“I’m full of bits and pieces,” said Beatty. “Most Fire captains have to
be. Sometimes I surprise myself” (Bradbury, 38). {End of paragraph}
STUDENT EXAMPLE #3
• The seashells and sleeping pills symbolize Mildred’s dependency on
technology and other items to complete every day tasks like
sleeping. “You took all the pills in your bottle last night.” (Bradbury
19). Mildred unknowingly overdosed on her sleeping pills and nearly
died, yet she doesn’t seem to recall this or care.
INTRODUCTION
a. Hook: The beginning sentences of the introduction that catch the reader’s interest. Ways of
beginning creatively include the following:
• A startling fact or bit of information
• A meaningful quotation (from the work or another source)
• A rich, vivid description
• An analogy or metaphor
• c. Introductions should identify the work of literature being discussed, name the author, and
briefly present the issue that the body of your essay will more fully develop (your thesis).
• Basically, introductions suggest that something interesting is occurring in a particular work of
literature.
ANALYSIS TEMPLATE
• Hook. In his/her ____________________________(genre),
_______________________(title), ___________________________(author)
uses/employs ___________________________(rhetorical device) to establish the tone of
___________________________________(tone word).
• Write one elaboration sentence in which you explain how using the rhetorical device helps
makes the author’s point.
• _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________.
STUDENT EXAMPLE 4
• Ever wonder what it is like to completely embody personal freedom and love for the world. In
Fahrenheit 451, Clarisse McClellan is a total example of this statement. She not only loves
nature and her surroundings but also loves life as a whole and is very pleased with her role in
Fahrenheit's dystopian world.
STUDENT EXAMPLE 5
• Guy Montag started off as a very bland character. He was just like everyone else in the society.
There was something different about him deep inside. When he met Clarisse, that “different”
came out of him. As time went on, he continued to transform into the non-conformist he was
by the end of the story.
STUDENT EXAMPLE 6
• Ray Bradbury wrote hundreds of stories throughout his life, but probably the most famous is
the novel, Fahrenheit 451. Inspired by Nazi book burnings in Germany, and the advent of the
television in America, Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit as a warning to future generations, and a call
to remember the valuable place of literature and history in our society. I created a body
biography for the main character, Guy Montag, using several symbol to represent different
aspects of Montag’s life and place in Bradbury’s story. Symbols such as a magnifying glass,
seesaw and card pyramid, and the separation of Montag’s hands from his body, all demonstrate
different facets of Montag’s character and show reasoning behind his actions in the book,
Fahrenheit 451.
BODY PARAGRAPHS
• III.
Paragraph 2: First Body Paragraph
• A.
Topic sentence (what this paragraph will discuss, how it will prove your thesis)
• B.
Context for the quote
• 1.
Who says it?
• 2.
What’s happening in the text when they say it?
• C.
Quote from the text (cited appropriately)
• D.
Analysis of the quote: How does it prove your thesis?
• E.
Closing sentence (wrap up the paragraph to effectively transition to the next paragraph)