Babienko English
For your first major writing assignment you will be writing an analytical essay focusing on
Orwell’s 1984. Please choose from the prompts below.
1. In 1984 the protagonist, Winston, attempts to “stay human” in the face of a
dehumanizing, totalitarian regime. What, according to Orwell, does it mean to be
human? How does the governing body in 1984 exploit certain tendencies,
weaknesses and even strengths that human beings possess in order to, ironically,
control and dehumanize humankind? Based on Winston’s fate, what is Orwell
ultimately arguing (advocating, criticizing and/or warning against)?
2. Although 1984 presents us with a dystopian vision of the future, Orwell does suggest
that there is hope for humanity yet (this novel is, after all, a warning, not a
description of what already is): analyzing ample evidence from the text, explain
what Orwell’s vision of hope consists of, and what, based on the depiction in the
novel, is necessary for this hope to be realized.
3. How relevant is Orwell’s vision of the future? In what ways does our contemporary
society compare to that of 1984? More specifically, to what extent can parallels be
drawn between the tactics of the fictional Party and O’Brien (for example, the
manipulation of emotions in order to achieve and maintain power, Crimestop, etc.)
and the tactics of today’s politicians/political groups? You need to base your
analysis on Orwell’s novel and on at least one contemporary political speech,
television ad, or similar text by a political group or politician that provides evidence
of the tactic you select. As with other prompts, you must address the “SO WHAT?”
(Warning – this prompt requires more evidence than other prompts, since you have to
use at least two sources of evidence – the novel and examples from today’s world. DO
NOT choose this prompt because you think it is easier; it’s not).
In order to write an effective piece of literary analysis, you will need to develop a strong claim
(a.k.a. thesis statement). Please read the attached handouts for additional reminders/pointers.
More tips:
Thesis Statements (a.k.a. a CLAIM):
 YOU MUST HAVE A THESIS – can we argue about your thesis? Is it possible to debate
the thesis? If not, it isn’t a real thesis statement.
 Does your thesis answer the “SO WHAT?” question? Your thesis needs to matter, in a larger
context (see the last section of Magic Thesis Statement Formula); if I have to write “So
what?” on your paper, your thesis isn’t sufficiently developed.
 REMEMBER, a thesis statement is NOT A STATEMENT OF FACT or simply an
OBSERVATION OF THE OBVIOUS.
 YOUR THESIS MUST DIRECTLY ADDRESS THE PROMPT. Look at the entire prompt;
does your thesis answer the questions the prompt poses? IF NOT, REVISE IT.
Integrating Quotes & Evidence:
 NO DROPPED QUOTES! A QUOTE CANNOT FORM ITS OWN SENTENCE IN YOUR
PAPER. Consult handout so you know how to integrate quotes to avoid this.
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 NEVER insert a quote without providing sufficient context for the quote. YOU HAVE TO
LET YOUR READER KNOW WHAT’S HAPPENING AND WHO IS SPEAKING – “In
Act II, Scene 3…” is NOT context!
 NEVER leave a quote to “speak for itself”; you should have at least twice as much analysis
as of the quote as quoted text. E.g. if you cite four lines of text, you need at least eight lines
of analysis.
 USE EVIDENCE FROM THE TEXT INTELLIGENTLY. NO RANDON QUOTES!
Quotes do you no good if they do not directly support the point you are making.
Pronouns:
 DON’T use “you” in an analytical essay unless it is part of a direct quote.
 Do not use “I” unless there’s a real purpose behind it – “I think” is pointless.
 AVOID VAGUE PRONOUNS! Circle all instances of “they”, “them”, “their”, “it” etc. and
change them if it is not ABSOLUTELY clear what nouns these refer to.
Topic Sentences:
 ALL topic sentence should address a SPECIFIC ASPECT OF YOUR THESIS. Do your
topic sentences read like PLOT SUMMARY? If so, change them.
Formatting and Citation Guidelines
 DO NOT ADD A SPACE BETWEEN PARAGRAPHS;
 DO NOT USE ANYTHING BUT 1” MARGINS;
 DO NOT USE ANYTHING LARGER THAN 12-POINT FONT;
 YOU MUST USE A TIMES-TYPE FONT.
General:
 AN ANALTICAL ESSAY IS NOT A PLOT SUMMARY. I know the plot of Macbeth, as I
assume you do as well. If your essay is nothing but plot summary (i.e. no argument or
insight), it’s not an essay. REVISE.
 AN ANALYTICAL ESSAY IS NOT A BOOK REVIEW – Do not EVALATE whether
Shakespeare is a proficient writer (no “amazing” comments, etc.); just analyze the text and
say why your analysis matters (the universal question).
Careless Spelling and Grammar Errors (You should have none):
 Read your paper aloud, at least twice (no kidding); does what you have written make sense?
 Look for homophones (there vs. their, wear vs. where, etc.) – fix them!
Analytical Essay Taboos – ABSOLUTE NO-NO’s
Use this list to avoid some of the typical essay writing pitfalls – Please note that these do not
apply to personal essays, expository essays, etc.
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You, your, etc. unless part of a direct quotation.
I think, I believe (It’s your paper – I know this is what you think! Just make the statement)
The word quote, as in “In this quote….” or “This quote just shows.…”
Referring to page or chapter numbers in the body of the essay, as in “A quote on page 100
shows that…”
This, that, it, etc. if it is not ENTIRELY clear what the pronoun refers to. Use nouns instead.
Using a plural pronoun (e.g. their) for a singular noun (e.g. someone, one, a person, etc.)
So at the beginning of a sentence, as in “So, Bernard is a hypocrite because….”
The reader, as in “Huxley is trying to tell the reader….”
The author is trying, or The author tries
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The phrase paints a picture, as in “The author paints a picture” (gag!)
This essay will show, This essay has shown, or any similar phrase
maybe, probably, perhaps if used to water down your claim – take a stand!
stuff, things, etc., as in “The novel deals with many things”
amazing, excellent, and other “book review” adjectives
Citing textual evidence without first providing context for the quotation
Ending a paragraph with a quotation (no analysis following the quotation).
Including quotations in the introduction – sometime in the future you may be allowed to do
this, but not now.
Dropped quotes
Having less that a 2:1 ratio of analysis to quoted text
Homophones (there vs. their, wear vs. where, accept vs. except) etc.
Stating that an author does something for emphasis (This is code for "I know it's important,
but I am not sure why")
Stating that the author does something in order to make the text “more interesting” (this has
nothing to do with the meaning of the work).
The phrase In conclusion
Concluding an essay by speculating that had the author done anything differently, the text
would have been "boring", etc. – Discuss with WHAT IS, not WHAT IF
Using the past tense when discussing the contents of a literary work, as in “Huxley’s novel
showed that happiness and free will could not coexist” or “Winston went to see O’Brien”
Sweeping generalizations about life and the universe, as in “Man has puzzled over the
question of free will since the beginning of time” – Do discuss universal questions in relation
to the meaning of the text!
Plot based topic sentences – connect explicitly to your thesis instead
“Observational” thesis statements (no claim, just statement of obvious fact), as in “1984 is
about the dangers of totalitarian rule.”
Babienko English
Integrating Quotations into Sentences
You should never have a quotation standing alone as a complete sentence, or, worse yet, as an
incomplete sentence, in your writing. The quotation will seem disconnected from your own
thoughts and from the flow of your sentences. Ways to integrate quotations properly into your
own sentences are explained below. Please note the punctuation: it is correct.
There are at least four ways to integrate quotations.
1. Introduce the quotation with a complete sentence and a colon.
Example: In "Where I Lived, and What I Lived For," Thoreau states directly his purpose for going
into the woods: "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the
essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die,
discover that I had not lived."
Example: Thoreau's philosophy might be summed up best by his repeated request for people to
ignore the insignificant details of life: "Our life is frittered away by detail. An honest man has
hardly need to count more than his ten fingers, or in extreme cases he may add his ten toes, and
lump the rest. Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!"
Example: Thoreau ends his essay with a metaphor: "Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in."
This is an easy rule to remember: if you use a complete sentence to introduce a quotation, you
need a colon after the sentence. Using a comma in this situation will most likely create a comma
splice, one of the serious sentence-boundary errors. Be careful not to confuse a colon (:) with a
semicolon (;).
2. Use an introductory or explanatory phrase, but not a complete sentence, separated from
the quotation with a comma.
Example: In "Where I Lived, and What I Lived For," Thoreau states directly his purpose for going
into the woods when he says, "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front
only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I
came to die, discover that I had not lived."
Example: "We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us," Thoreau says as he suggests the
consequences of making ourselves slaves to "progress."
Example: Thoreau asks, "Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life?"
Example: According to Thoreau, "We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us."
Babienko English
You should use a comma to separate your own words from the quotation when your introductory
or explanatory phrase ends with a verb such as "says," "said," "thinks," "believes," "pondered,"
"recalls," "questions," and "asks" (and many more). You should also use a comma when you
introduce a quotation with a phrase such as "According to Thoreau."
3. Make the quotation a part of your own sentence without any punctuation between your
own words and the words you are quoting.
Example: In "Where I Lived, and What I Lived For," Thoreau states directly his purpose for going
into the woods when he says that "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to
front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when
I came to die, discover that I had not lived."
Example: Thoreau argues that "shams and delusions are esteemed for soundest truths, while
reality is fabulous."
Example: According to Thoreau, people are too often "thrown off the track by every nutshell and
mosquito's wing that falls on the rails."
Notice that the word "that" is used in two of the examples above, and when it is used as it is in the
examples, "that" replaces the comma which would be necessary without "that" in the sentence.
You usually have a choice, then, when you begin a sentence with a phrase such as "Thoreau
says." You either can add a comma after "says," or you can add the word "that" with no comma.
4. Use short quotations--only a few words--as part of your own sentence.
Example: In "Where I Lived, and What I Lived For," Thoreau states that his retreat to the woods
around Walden Pond was motivated by his desire "to live deliberately" and to face only "the
essential facts of life."
Example: Thoreau argues that people blindly accept "shams and delusions" as the "soundest
truths," while regarding reality as "fabulous."
Example: Although Thoreau "drink[s] at" the stream of Time, he can "detect how shallow it is."
When you integrate quotations in this way, you do not use any special punctuation. Instead, you
should punctuate the sentence just as you would if all of the words were your own.
All of the methods above for integrating quotations are correct, but you should avoid relying too
much on just one method. You should instead use a variety of methods.
Notice the Punctuation!
Notice that there are only two punctuation marks that are used to introduce quotations: the comma
and the colon.
Notice as well the punctuation of the sentences above in relation to the quotations. Commas and
Babienko English
periods go inside the final quotation mark ("like this."). For whatever reason, this is the way we
do it in America. In England, though, the commas and periods go outside of the final punctuation
mark.
Semicolons and colons go outside of the final quotation mark ("like this";).
Question marks and exclamation points go outside of the final quotation mark if the punctuation
mark is part of your sentence--your question or your exclamation ("like this"?). Those marks go
inside of the final quotation mark if they are a part of the original--the writer's question or
exclamation ("like this!").
Babienko English
USING QUOTATIONS
QUOTING ACCURATELY
Above all, you must be careful to quote accurately. Attribute all information from outside sources,
unless that information is common knowledge. Be sure that you understand the source from which you
are quoting. If you misquote because you misunderstand the material, you will still be held
accountable for that. Writers must make sure that they fully understand the meaning of source material
before using it in an essay.
In direct quotes, copy exactly what the author has written, and give credit to the source with
parenthetical documentation. If the source material is paraphrased, credit must still be given to the
original source.
INTRODUCING QUOTATIONS
Creative works
Assume that not all of your readers have read the creative text (book, movie, story) that you’re talking
about. However, they don’t need to know all the details of this text in order to understand what you’re
doing with it. You will probably want to offer a basic plotline, and then whatever contextual
information the reader needs to understand your quote. The first time you mention it, you should also
identify the author and the work.
Example:
The woman tells her lover that the world “isn’t ours anymore” (87).
Near the climax of the lovers’ conversation in Hemingway’s “Hills Like White
Elephants, the woman tells the man that the world “isn’t ours anymore” (87).
Critical works
Identify the source of the quotation within the text. This information will let your reader know that the
source you are quoting is legitimate and isn’t, say, your roommate Joe who happened to be up when
you were writing your paper at 2 am. It will also help your reader distinguish the quotation’s ideas
from your own. The first time you use a quote from a critical source, give the author’s name and name
of the article/book, and/or the author’s claim to authority. If you mention the author in the preceding
sentence, you do not need to include the author’s name in parentheses.
Example:
“A fully articulated pastoral idea of America did not emerge until the end of the
eighteenth century” (Marx 236).
Leo Marx, in his book The Pilot and the Passenger, claims that a “fully articulated
Correct:
pastoral idea of America did not emerge until the end of the eighteenth century” (236).
Correct:
Prominent American critic Leo Marx claims that a fully articulated pastoral idea of
America did not emerge until the end of the eighteenth century” (236).
Correct:
GRAMMAR AND QUOTATIONS
A short quotation is a grammatical extension of the writer’s own sentence, so when using quotations, it
is important to remember to punctuate correctly. A comma separates brief, informal, grammatically
incomplete introductions from quotations that complete the sentence:
Babienko English
Example:
Correct:
Prufrock says “I am no prophet – and here’s no great matter” (Eliot 83).
Prufrock says, “I am no prophet – and here’s no great matter” (Eliot 83).
Use a colon to separate grammatically complete introductions or statements (complete sentences) from
the quotation:
Example:
Correct:
Edith Hamilton describes Hera perfectly, “She was the protector of marriage, and
married women were her peculiar care. There is very little that is attractive in the
portrait the poets draw of her.”
Edith Hamilton describes Hera perfectly: “She was the protector of marriage, and
married women were her peculiar care. There is very little that is attractive in the
portrait the poets draw of her.”
Babienko English
When integrating a quote into your sentence, keep all tenses the same. Change the tense in the quote to
match the tense of your sentence. When you change words in a quote to your own words, be sure to
put your words in brackets to let the reader know they are your words.
While the legislators cringe at the sudden darkness, “all eyes were turned to Abraham
Davenport” (239).
Correct:
While the legislators cringe at the sudden darkness, “all eyes [turn] to Abraham
Davenport” (239).
Make sure your sentences are complete sentences and not fragments or run-ons.
Example:
Yeats asks if, “before the indifferent beak.” [incomplete sentence; makes no sense.]
Example:
Yeats asks if Leda “put on [the swan’s] knowledge” before his “indifferent beak could
let her drop” (8).
Clarify pronouns that have no clear antecedents. You may know who the author is talking about,
but your reader needs to be told. Do this by adding words in square brackets (as in the examples above
and below).
Correct:
Example:
Captain Wentworth says, “It had been my doing – solely mine. She would not have been
obstinate if I had not been weak” (45). [Who the heck is “she”?]
Captain Wentworth says, “It had been my doing – solely mine. [Louisa] would not have
been obstinate if I had not been weak” (45).
Make sure subjects and verbs agree.
Example:
Wilfred Owen says that the only prayer said for those who die in battle is war’s noise,
which “patter out their hasty orisons” (17). [noise is singular; patter is plural]
Correct:
Wilfred Owen says that the only prayer said for those who die in battle are the noises of
war, which “patter out their hasty orisons” (17).
When do you capitalize the beginning of a quote? Capitalize quotes that are grammatically
complete. If the quote is a fragment (and could not be a complete sentence), do not capitalize.
Correct:
Correct:
Captain Wentworth says, “It had been my doing – solely mine. [Louisa] would not have
been obstinate if I had not been weak” (45).
Correct:
Yeats asks if Leda “put on [the swan’s] knowledge” before his “indifferent beak could
let her drop” (8).
MAKING EDITORIAL CHANGES IN QUOTATIONS
There are two acceptable ways of making changes in a quotation.
Ellipses (dot dot dot…)
Use ellipses to show that words have been omitted in the middle of a quote. However, do not use
ellipses to show material has been omitted at the beginning or end of a quote.
Babienko English
Example:
Example:
Eagleton points out that one critic says, “Oedipus is guilty for two reasons: because of
the deeds he actually committed…and because of his desire to commit them…” (50).
Eagleton points out that one critic says Oedipus “…is guilty for two reasons: because of
the deeds he actually committed…and because of his desire to commit them” (50).
Eagleton points out that one critic says, “Oedipus is guilty for two reasons: because of
the deeds he actually committed…and because of his desire to commit them” (50).
Square brackets [ ]
Use square brackets to indicate editorial changes that you, not the quote’s author, make to clarify the
quotation or make it fit into the grammatical structure of the sentence. Do not use parentheses to
indicate such changes, or your reader will see them as part of the original quote.
Correct:
“She looked carefully for the place where (Elizabeth) had entered the garden” (Holst
89).
Correct:
“She looked carefully for the place where [Elizabeth] had entered the garden” (Holst
89).
INDENTING LONG QUOTATIONS
Sometimes a short quote – a sentence or two – may not be enough to make the author’s ideas clear.
While you should always try to make your quotes as brief as possible (so they don’t overshadow what
you are saying), you do need to make sure they’re comprehensible. A long quotation is one that is
more than four lines long. Indent the entire quotation by one tab mark (10 spaces), and do not indent
its first line any further. Do not put quote marks around indented quotations. Introduce the quote with
a short comment. If your paper is double spaced, you do not need additional blank lines between your
text and the quote.
Example:
Correct:
In his book Powwow Highway, David Seals describes the main character’s sister
through typical stereotypes about Indians, and about Indian women in particular.
Nobility lay heavy on upon Bonnie Red Bird. It had been her destiny to be an
Indian princess, and she had accepted that destiny. She had the immaculate auburn
skin that made the Cheyenne among the most handsome of all the Plains Indians…
[and] the restrained features that gave the Cheyenne a pure and peaceful look. (19)
EXPLAINING AND INTERPRETING QUOTES
You cannot simply plop a quote down in the middle of your paper and expect that the reader will
understand why it’s there. You need to explain the quote and interpret it in the context of what it is
you are arguing. Show the significance of the quote to your argument.
Correct:
In his book Powwow Highway, David Seals describes the main character's sister through
typical stereotypes about Indians, and about Indian women in particular.
Nobility lay heavy on upon Bonnie Red Bird. It had been her destiny to be an
Indian princess, and she had accepted that destiny. She had the immaculate auburn
skin that made the Cheyenne among the most handsome of all the Plains Indians…
[and] the restrained features that gave the Cheyenne a pure and peaceful look. (19)
Babienko English
With this introduction of Bonnie, Seals demonstrates the way that stereotypes about
Indians have shaped Bonnie's perceptions of herself. She has modeled herself as an
Indian princess within white society - which leads, ultimately, to her downfall. The
implications are clear: Stereotypes, whether held by whites or Indians, have the power to
destroy.
http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~schacht/rhe309k/quote.html
Useful Verbs for introducing quotes acknowledges
adds
admits
agrees
argues
asserts
believes
claims
comments
compares
confirms
contends
declares
denies
disputes
emphasizes
endorses
grants
illustrates
implies
insists
notes
observes
points out
reasons
refutes
rejects
reports
responds
suggests
thinks
writes