English 102/Tenenbaum
Essay #2: Analysis of The Language of Baklava
Due Dates:
Tue 5/12:
Fri 5/15:
Mon 5/18:
Thu 5/21:
Tue 5/26:
Thu 5/28:
Fri 5/29:
Mon 6/1:
Fri 6/5:
Mon 6/8:
Bring The Hungry Ear. Discuss “Arabic Coffee” (114-15).
Reader Response #7, The Language of Baklava, pages xi-88.
Reader Response #8, The Language of Baklava, pages 88-109.
Reader Response #9, The Language of Baklava, pages 110-202.
Reader Response #10, The Language of Baklava, pages 203-end.
Thesis worksheet due in class for discussion.
Preliminary thesis sentences due for Analysis Essay 2.
Meet in Library Classroom: Introduction to the databases. You must have a NetID.
Please come prepared with your NetID so that you can log into the campus
computers.
Analysis Essay 2 due in writing groups. Bring 3 copies.
Analysis Essay 2 due.
Format: Typed and double-spaced.
Length: About 5 pages, or 1250 words. This is a general guideline. If your essay is very much
shorter than 5 pages, your thesis might not be focused or complex enough, or you might not
have gathered enough evidence, or you might not have explained your ideas enough. If your
essay is much longer than 5 pages, it’s likely that your sentences waste words and require
editing. So yes, aim for about 5 pages, but beyond that, aim to discuss an interesting idea
clearly and fully.
Required sources: Three sources are required. One of these is the book itself, The Language of
Baklava. The other two might be any of the following:
 Academic articles about the immigrant experience.
 Interviews of Diana Abu-Jaber.
 Personal interviews (conducted by you): If you have friends or relatives who have
emigrated from one country to another, ask them about their experience. You might
generate questions for this interview by considering the themes and topics in The
Language of Baklava.
 Academic or popular articles about the foods mentioned in the book. These can include
recipes and reminiscences, and can be from food websites or blogs.
Do not include more than these three sources in your essay: You’ll have to explore many more
than two outside sources in order to find good ones, but in your essay, stick with only the three
required sources. I want you to use good sources meaningfully. More sources will not get you a
better grade. If you find more than two outside sources that you feel you must use, check with
me.
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What is the purpose of the two outside sources? To support or provide more detail about one
or more of the points in your essay. The bulk of your essay will analyze the details of the book;
however, to understand these details, and to explain your thesis to an audience, it will be
helpful to find out more. Your essay will reflect this exploration, and thus will contain these
outside references. The sources are included as part of your understanding and explanation of
the book.
The Audience: The members of our class, including the instructor—people who are familiar
with The Language of Baklava but might be interpreting it in a different way or looking at it
from a different angle.
The Assignment: Write an essay which sets forth a thesis about The Language of Baklava, and
which explores and defends this thesis. Your essay can choose one of the three topics below,
and your essay will make a claim (thesis) about this topic and support the claim using evidence
and analysis of the book and using additional material from your research.



A theme in the book: This approach would explore one of the “threads” you were
following in your notes and reader responses, showing how the theme develops in the
book and supporting a thesis about what the book says about this theme.
A character in the book. This paper will support a thesis about one of the characters.
This paper could consider the following questions: Has the character changed? What
does the character represent? How does the character interact with another character
in the book? What theme or issues might the relationship illustrate?
Food as shown in the book. This essay will support a thesis about how food is used or
what it means in the book. This paper could consider the following questions: What
does food mean in this book? Do different kinds of food mean different things? What
are the different uses of food? Does the same food always mean the same thing, or
does it depend on the situation?
The three topics above are not exclusive: That is, a book analyzing a character will
probably of necessity have to talk about food and one or more of the threads we will
have been discussing.
Does this paper contain your own opinion? The entire essay is your interpretation of the book,
and so is a product of your brain, of your particular ways of looking. All your statements are
supported by evidence from the book and from your other sources, and by your analysis and
discussion of this evidence and sources. Your essay should not include any evaluation of the
book nor any opinion that is not supported by evidence and analysis.
Essay Structure:
Title and Opening Paragraph: Aim for a vivid, compelling beginning. The first paragraph
(perhaps in combination with the essay title) will also name the book and the author,
and will point out an intriguing problem or question, which will lead to your thesis
sentence at the end of the first paragraph.
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2nd paragraph: Use PIE (Point, Illustration, Explanation): The paragraph begins with a
topic sentence which is connected to an aspect of the thesis, and which says what point
the paragraph wants to make. The paragraph goes on, using quotations and paraphrases
from the text to illustrate the point, and explaining for the reader exactly how those
illustrations relate to that point. PIE is a very basic map of paragraph structure;
however, in reality, your paragraphs, if they are fully supporting their points and
engaging with the book, will be more like PIEIIEEEIEE, since you will want to offer more
than one illustration of your point, and since each of these will need to be analyzed,
explained, and tied back to the point of the paragraph.
The paragraph should contain a balance of quotation, paraphrase, and your own
thinking, and should take care to explain your reasoning. You’ll explain how you are
interpreting a particular quotation or example from the text, showing how it feeds into
your point or thesis. In other words, quotations do not stand alone, they need your
explanations and reasoning too.
3rd and following paragraphs: These take the same pattern as paragraph 2.
Make sure that the opening sentence of the paragraph connects to the idea in the
previous paragraph before it introduces its new topic sentence. Write as many
paragraphs as you need to explore all the aspects of the book that relate to your
interpretation. Be sure also to look at the parts that don’t at first seem to relate, or that
seem to contradict your thesis. How can you account for this?
Meeting counterarguments: It’s hard to say whether your essay will be doing this within
each paragraph, as each point comes up, or all at once. However, do make sure that
your essay addresses any arguments readers might have with your interpretations.
When we meet in groups to go over the early version, we’ll practice arguing with your
paper so that you’ll have more ideas about what kinds of objections your paper should
meet.
Complicate the thesis: Now that your essay has fully explored the topic, the reader is
ready for a more detailed version of your thesis. Perhaps your discussion has introduced
a “but” or “maybe” or “sometimes” that needs to be incorporated. Perhaps additional
ideas want to be added.
Final Paragraph: Your final paragraph should do two main things: 1) Leave the reader
with emotional impact, and 2) give us a new twist or introduce a new way of looking.
Your ending can:
 Emphasize an idea;
 Suggest how the idea can go further. Explore its implications;
 Think about how the book relates to the larger world;
 Discuss how the book relates to your own experience—Yes, it’s ok to bring in the
“I” at the end.
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Whatever it does, the ending gives the reader a sense of closure, a sense that the entire
essay has taken us somewhere and taught us something.
Reminder: Tips for Writing about Literature:
Reminder:
Tipsand
for author
Writingare
about
Literature:
1. Make sure that the
work’s title
mentioned
in the first
paragraph.
2. After the first mention, refer to the author by last name.
3. Write in the present tense:
Abu-Jaber suggests that food has a crucial role in helping an immigrant
adjust.
Grading: 100 points total
(These are the same criteria as for Analysis Essay #1)
Grading: 100 points total
Basic MLA formatting (5 points): The entire essay is formatted according to MLA guidelines
(double-spaced, indented paragraphs, title, heading, etc.).
Thesis (13 points): The essay has a clear and meaningful thesis, complex enough to require
discussion, to which everything in the essay pertains.
Example, Explanation, Evidence (15 points): The thesis is illustrated with plentiful evidence
from the texts, which are deeply analyzed, explained, and connected to the thesis. Alternative
interpretations and counterarguments are addressed. Material from outside sources is relevant
and helps to support and explain the ideas.
Opening and Ending (12 points): The opening is immediate and compelling. The conclusion is
meaningful, gives a sense of closure, and avoids repeating the beginning.
Organization (14 points): The essay follows the assigned structure. The paragraphs are
organized (PIE) so that each develops the point made in its topic sentence. Each paragraph
develops an aspect of the thesis. The paragraphs within the essay all relate to the whole, and
follow logically from one to another.
MLA documentation and mechanics of quotation (13 points): The essay avoids plagiarism and
correctly uses the MLA system, including in-text citations and a works cited page. All quotation,
paraphrase, and summary from sources is introduced and formatted correctly.
Style and Sentence Clarity (9 points): The writing should be clear and fluid. Verbs should be
strong and active. Word choice should be accurate and specific, and the words should be used
correctly. Clutter and wordiness have been eliminated.
Grammar and proofreading (19 points): Grammar and spelling should be standard and correct.
The essay has been proofread.
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