i need help with my paper.

1

Essay # 1: Summarize/Explicate/Respond

This essay is designed to cultivate your critical reading skills. You should read the article as many times as necessary to understand them. By fully understanding the article, your expertise in summarizing and explaining will likewise improve. Why: You need to be able to understand the various elements of the discourse—who is saying what about the topic. When you understand the points-of-view of a subject or discourse, you will be able intelligently enter the conversation yourself. By thoroughly understanding the material you will also be able recognize how effectively (or ineffectively) the writers present their message which will allow you to integrate into your own writing the positive aspects and avoid the negative.

Read this assignment fully and carefully. Everything you need to know about the assignment is here.

The assignment: choose one of these articles from Monsters:

>Mellor: “Frankenstein: A Feminist Critique of Science,” 43

>Wilson: “Civilized Vampires and Savage Werewolves…”155

>Freud: excerpts from: The Uncanny, 179

There are 3 parts to this assignment, but they will be integrated into one narrative.

· You will read and summarize one of the articles. Be sure to properly acknowledge the source in the text and cite according to MLA guidelines. Use third person in the summary. Do not use quotes in the summary—it is your job to present the main points of the article objectively. There is detailed summary guide below (Basics of Summarizing).

· After you summarize, you will explicate: (see page 77 in UR). There is a lot of leeway here, but one possibility is to explain how other examples in popular culture reflect (or contradict) the arguments that the writers are making. You may come up with your own examples and /or use examples from other stories in the Monsters book. For example, you could compare the choices above to the article about “Evil Dolls…” (195) or the werewolves in “Strange Transformations…” (95). You might use the prompts on page 52 (Invent) and 53 (Compose) to help you along. Other prompts that might be helpful: pages 172, 99, 201. Below are a couple of other potential areas to look at:

· Some monsters are driven by their appetites (sex, brains, blood) how do these appetite reflect the negative aspects of our consumer culture? (Our society’s drive to buy and acquire “stuff”)

· Do monsters reflect the manner in which people who live in the US and humans in general look at people who are different as “others.” On the other hand, some monsters have evolved into less scary versions (Count Chocula, Shrek). Does this mean we are becoming more accepting of differences?

*Do not focus on EP&L for this assignment: save it for Essay #2

· Finally, respond with some personal thoughts about the articles. You may say whatever you want. You do not need to support your assertions with research but explain sufficiently and use examples to support your explanation. Some potential directions: Were you surprised at the conclusions the writers reached? Can you see yourself being more aware of the messages that film and art and music are sending in subtle or not so subtle manner? What are your feelings about the claims and comments of the author? How do you relate to the arguments on a familiar level?

Specifics:

· Due date: Essays must be in the dropbox 30 minutes before class on Feb 17 for 047 (end date: Feb 19).

· Draft: we will hold class-wide workshops on Feb. 15 (047) A full length draft needs to be completed and uploaded 30 minutes before class (No late drafts accepted). Drafts that meet all requirements will receive 10 daily points.

· Points: 100

· Length: 3-4 pages (roughly 1 full page for each section). Whatever you do, don’t make it all summary.

· MLA format, including in-text citations and a Works Cited page—the articles in Monsters which are not written by Blake and Cooper will be cited as a reprinted article. Reprinted articles require the original publication information, which can be found either in the article introduction or on page 247-250 of Monsters in “Works Cited.”

· IMPORTANT: You must have a Works Cited (WC) page as stated above, but I have decided you will not be required to use in-text citations (we’ll start in-text for Essay #2). The exception is that if you use a quote from the book, you should cite the quote by page number. Web sources don’t have page numbers.

· You cannot make above a “D” on this assignment if you don’t have a WC page.

Some further guidance:

· For the sake of this assignment, the summary, explication, and response should be about the same length–a page or so each. This is an exercise focused on developing specific skills (critical reading, summarizing, etc.) What YOU say is the most important thing.

· Summary: Focus your summary into the area that you plan to address in your explication and response In long articles, you won’t be touching on every aspect of the topic. You’ll identify the thesis and main point(s) as necessary for your response. Focus the information in the area you plan to address. Also, to reiterate: you are not allowed to use quotes in the summary portion of the essay.

· Explication and Response: think of the explanation or personal response as your side of the story: It requires a claim or idea that requires support though explanation and examples (IEE). You must always have these three elements in order to successfully support an argument (or claim, reason, evidence) and maintain (or establish) your credibility. You may use quotes in the response section. Don’t go quote crazy, though. I want to hear what you have to say.

Basics of summarizing:

· In the first paragraph (or even the first sentence), introduce the article by title and author, then state the author's main point or thesis.

· Present the key points.

· Maintain a neutral tone and be objective. Do not critique.

· Always use the present tense when referring a piece of writing—called the historic present tense. The piece exists in the present, no matter when it was written.

· Focus on the text. Do not present the work as your own. You must refer back to the author or the article: “according to ....” ; “the article goes on to say....” 

· Use your own words. NO quoting allowed for this assignment

· Be concise.

· Use third person for the summary, but use first person for the response.