English 101: Seminar Prep. Paper 2
DUE: Monday, February 2, 2015
Read: James Baldwin, “Notes of a Native Son”; Virginia Woolf, “What if Shakespeare Had a
Sister?”; and Maxine Hong Kingston, “No Name Woman”
Reading Actively
As you read these essays, underline, highlight, and annotate (make notes about) sentences and
passages which seem to raise important questions about social justice and equity issues. You might
also mark passages that are rich in imagery or simply “speak” to you.
This Seminar Prep. Paper will allow you to start working towards an argument for Essay 2. Essay 2
will be an analysis paper. Your thesis will focus on answering the following questions: “Why does
the writer tell his or her personal story in this specific way? What point might he or she be making
about larger social structures and relationships? (NOTE: In these essays, it would be useful to focus
on the themes of race and ethnicity, class, and gender.)
For this Seminar Prep. Paper, please choose ONE essay as your focus. However, please read and
annotate all of the essays in preparation for seminar. (I’ll check your annotations in class.)
Themes to keep in mind:
1. Race/Ethnicity
2. Gender Identity
3. Social Class and Economic Inequality
Writing the Seminar Preparation Paper (Please remember your paper needs to be typewritten
and double-spaced.)
1. Choose one of the themes from the list above. Then, write a 1-2 sentence statement about
what is revealed about the theme in through this narrative. What do you discover about
gender identity or race and racism or social class and economic inequality?
2. Identify 4 passages of 2-4 sentences that develop/reveal something about the theme you are
working with. Quote each passage accurately and cite them using MLA format. If you have
questions about MLA citation style, please head over to the “Class Handouts and Resources
Page” (link on our course homepage) or email me.
3. Then, choosing two of these passages, write TWO PIE paragraphs, each that makes a
distinct point in support of your theme based statement. Each passage should illustrate a
different POINT or show a different dimension in support of your statement.
For each PIE paragraph do the following:
.

First, choose one of the passages you have quoted and decide what POINT it makes about
your statement. Your point should say how this passage relates to the theme you chose and
what you have said about what this essay reveals about this theme. You might use a key
word or two from your initial statement so it’s totally clear what the connection is.
To reach your point, ask yourself what is revealed about the theme in this passage. In a
sentence or two, state the specific POINT you are making about what the passage reveals in
support of your statement. Be sure that this is not just a description of what is happening in
the essay, but a clear POINT—an assertion, claim, or interpretation of the text.

Second, introduce the passage in a sentence or two by setting up the context in which the
quote appears. In other words, BEFORE you quote the passage, first make sure to explain
who is speaking or narrating and about what. Use a signal phrase if needed to properly
introduce the passage. Tell your reader a bit about what is happening at this point in the
story where the quotation appears.

Then write out the quote exactly as it appears in the text, including quotation marks and the
MLA page citation. This is the ILLUSTRATION of your point.

Finally, EXPLAIN how the passage helps the reader to understand the theme. In other
words, make sure to connect the passage back to your point. Point out key words, main
ideas, and implications of the passage. Spell out, explicitly, what this passage reveals to
support your statement. Show how it helps the reader to understand your larger idea. Your
explanation should be the largest part of your paragraphs; a MINIMUM of four full
sentences
You will write TWO of these PIE paragraphs and each will make a DIFFERENT POINT
about the same theme.
Your seminar paper should include the following:



One theme that you have chosen from the list above and a statement about what is
revealed in the novel about this theme. This should be your controlling idea or
focus.
Four passages from the text that support or relate to that theme.
Two PIE paragraphs—one for each of the two passages connected to the theme that
you have chosen.