English

Major Essay #4: Entering the Conversation

Length: 4 pages, typed, double-spaced, 12-point font

Other Requirements: At least THREE parenthetical citations, FOUR sources,

and a WORKS CITED PAGE

In your final essay you will be “entering the conversation” about a specific short story, poem, or play that we have

had assigned in this class. You will choose your favorite reading, and find at least three scholarly criticisms written

about the subject. (Remember, criticism isn’t necessarily bad. It’s just what they call essays written about a text.)You

will then tell me what the author of the criticism is arguing, and you will state whether or not you agree or

disagree—and WHY. You will need to use the library’s online databases in order to complete this assignment.

What does it mean to “Enter the Conversation?”

In English, when you use what someone else has said about a topic to talk about the topic yourself, you are “Entering the

Conversation.” For this essay, you will be assigned to find what other people have said about whichever text you choose,

and tell me whether or not you agree with that person’s statement. To find what someone has said about a play, you will

need to research the library’s online database and find good passages from their essays to quote. After quoting what

someone else has said about the play, you will then use your own words and possibly quotes from the play itself to tell me

whether or not you agree or disagree with what has already been said about that play.

What your essay will look like

Your essay will have the usual “three points” structure, but each point will be a different thing that someone else has

already said that you are either agreeing with or disagreeing with. So, your three points could look like this:

• Introduction: Here you will introduce the short story, poem, or play that you chose, and in the thesis statement,

you will briefly state that you will be looking at critical works by (name the authors), and stating whether or not

you will be agreeing with them or disagreeing with them.

• Point #1: While (author of criticism you found’s name) claims that (tell me what they say), I disagree (OR

AGREE), because (here you will tell me why you disagree, using your own words, and, if you choose, specific

quotes from the story, poem, or play).

• Point #2: In addition, (author of criticism you found’s name) says that (tell me what they say), I disagree (OR

AGREE) with this as well, because (here you will tell me why you disagree, using your own words, and, if you

choose, specific quotes from the story, poem, or play).

• Point #3: Finally, (author of criticism you found’s name) thinks that (tell me what they say), I disagree (OR

AGREE) with this because (here you will tell me why you disagree, using your own words, and, if you choose,

specific quotes from the story, poem, or play).

• Conclusion: Restate your points.

Information about using Online Sources

Using PGCC’s website to search online databases:

The only online sources you can use for your Research Essay must be scholarly, and verified to be academic.

Wikipedia is NOT ALLOWABLE. If you plan on using an online source, you MUST go through the online

databases via the school’s library. Finding and using these sources is surprisingly easy, and helpful. Follow

these steps to find online journals.

1. Log in to www.pgcc.edu 2. In the search bar, type “library” 3. In the results, click “Library: Prince George’s Community College” 4. On the left-hand side, click on “Reseach databases” 5. From here, you have a long list of online databases to choose from. Depending on your topic,

you may want to try exploring different databases than the ones mentioned here, but a good place

to start would definitely be the following databases: Gale Literary Sources and Bloom’s

Literature.

6. Depending on the database you select, you MAY be asked to sign in using your PGCC login. 7. After you log in (or, if it didn’t ask for your info, skip step 6), simply search key terms that you

are looking for.

1. Example: If you are planning to write an essay on Wilson’s Fences, you could try searching for “Fences August Wilson.” (Note: I have tried this. GREAT essays will turn

up.)

1. Remember to check BOTH major databases listed above. If one does not have something, the other might. If you have tried both, and STILL have nothing, you

may need to ask a librarian, or find another piece to write about. I know that some

poems will be difficult to find criticism about.

8. Now, a long list of articles should come up. These are all legitimate, citable sources, and feel free to find one that most closely matches what you’re looking for. Find the quote you want to use, or

read through the article to understand what you’re going to summarize. Printing out the entire

article might be a good idea.

9. To find out the bibliographic information in order to cite it properly, each database is different. For example, Literature Resource Center, after you have clicked on an article, has a small box

on the right with “citation tools” as a clickable link. If you click on that, it will help you with the

citation for the Works Cited List. Again, if all else fails, ask a librarian!!

1. Please note that we use MLA style in English essays, NOT APA! 10. Copy/paste the citation information. This is what you will use on your WORKS CITED page.

1. For Parenthetical Citation, see above 11. If all else fails, ask a librarian. They are there to help, and will make sure that your questions are

answered.

Goals for Paper Criteria:

Papers will meet the following criteria:

• Main Idea/ purpose/ focus-The paper stays on topic, is unified, clear, defines terms and meets the requirement of the topic.

• Organization/ structure-The paper includes the effective use of modes, has an introduction and conclusion, and uses transitions.

• Content/ development-The paper contains specific details, full support, and development of ideas.

• Tone and Style- The paper is appropriately written for the declared audience.

• Grammar/ Mechanics-The paper demonstrates proper use of sentence construction, usage spelling punctuation, and capitalization.

Format for Papers (MLA):

• Put your name, instructor’s name, the name of the course/ the assignment number/ and the date at the top left of the first page, double-spaced. See MLA example.

• Have a title, centered at the top of the first page.

• Have your last name and page number at the top right side of each page. (Go to view/ headers and footers—type your last name. Then go to insert page and add the page number.)

• All papers will be typed in size 12 font, double-spaced, using one-inch margins on “8 1/2 by 11” white paper (NOTE: Microsoft Word margin default is 1.25 in.).

• You will turn in your papers via BlackBoard.

Workshops:

Because peer review is such an important part of learning to revise your work, it is extremely important that you attend

every workshop session fully prepared. Students who miss a workshop session or attend unprepared to participate will

be allowed to revise their paper, but will receive a 10 percentage point deduction on their grade for that paper. For

scheduled workshop sessions, you must bring a typed copy of your draft for your workshop partners.

Revision Policy:

You may revise each major assignment only once. Revisions do not automatically receive a higher grade. The

revision must be a substantial improvement over the original paper and meet all criteria below to receive a better

grade.

• Simply making editing changes will not constitute a higher grade.

• Revisions are due no later than one week after the due date of the original paper.

• Major papers that are missing any of the required elements (i.e. notes, drafts, peer comments, assignment sheet) will not be accepted for revision.

• Revisions must be submitted in the same format as the major papers, as listed above.

• Significant changes in your paper should be highlighted. Highlight new material in the new version and remove material in the old version. Revisions submitted without highlighting will not be graded. Written explanations of

changes in the margins or on a separate page are required.

• You must have attended all workshop sessions for a major paper for its revision to be accepted.

Deadlines:

Assignments are due at the start of class on the date indicated on the Calendar. Late assignments will be penalized 10- percentage-points for every day they are late, not including weekends and holidays. Papers later than 2 weeks will not be accepted, and the assignment will result in a zero. If you are having difficulty completing an assignment, contact me for guidance.