More notes on argument, evidence, interpretation
1. Include An introduction that ends with an argument, or claim about how we should
read/interpret the text (often arising from a QUESTION we have about the text).
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The introduction should give a brief overview of what the text is about. Consider, in other
words, what we need to know about the plot in order to understand your argument.
2. The argument should:
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be specific and clear
debatable (not just a fact about what goes on in the text),
answer the question “so what”/”why should we care?”
be a full sentence that is a STATEMENT, not a question.
o NO: “the role of women in Sir Gawain” or “what is the role of women in Sir
Gawain.”
o YES: “Although Sir Gawain and the Green Knight appears to present its female
characters as conniving and manipulative, the poem actually works as a feminist
story that shows female characters who are the subjects, rather than the objects, of
male desire.”
To fulfill the above goals: see the attached argument template, which should help you to
make sure all the above elements are included in your argument.
3. Include body paragraphs that contain the evidence for your argument (actual lines from the
poem or story, as well as paraphrases). Your evidence tells the reader HOW the text shows us the
argument you are making is true.
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Some ways you can find evidence in literature include:
o Noticing images/patterns of imagery
o Attending to repetition (what's the effect of the repetition of each hour in
Gilgamesh as he runs through the tunnel of the sun?)
o Comparing translations of a line or two (as we did with the first line of book 4 of
the Aeneid--"too long" vs. "too late")
o Observing characters and what their behavior over the course of a text tells
us/what their actions vs. their words tell us.
o Looking for different voices in the text (for example, parts of Gilgamesh seem to
celebrate the city, while other parts may seem to criticize separation from nature;
Dido and Aeneas present two very different ideas of what duty should consist of;
Krishna may make the argument for following one's dharma, but Arjuna's critical
voice is still present in the Gita)
o Considering tone
o Looking for themes like honor and what they tell us about the characters/world of
the characters, and considering how the individuals in the text do or do not clash
with the social values of their world
o Examining word use/language choice.
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EX: You might notice that the lady/lord/Green Knight often challenge whether Gawain
deserves his name. What are the different ways his right to his name/reputation is being
challenged in these repeated references to Gawain’s name? You also might notice that,
though the focus of a text like Gilgamesh seems to be on male characters like Enkidu and
Gilgamesh, there are still moments when women are referenced to and speak. Paying
attention to those moments, can you explain something about their role, or what power
they have?
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Remember to close read, or to read with a pen/pencil in hand and take notes on
words/lines that strike your attention, and ask yourself: what makes me interested in these
passages?
4. Include your interpretation of the evidence that comes before and after each of the
lines/words you cite.
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This interpretation should involve paying attention to the word choice of your evidence:
what is striking about the passages you have pointed us to--is it that an image that has
shown up several times changes in a subtle but important way, or that a word that means
one thing earlier now means something different? Is it that you find a moment where a
character’s actions contradicts his/her earlier words? Is it that you think that the word
choice shows the poem is celebrating, questioning and/or critiquing the heroic values of
the text? Does it tell us something about what the society of the text in question fears?