This document contains the agenda and discussion questions for an EWRT 2 class on A Game of Thrones. The agenda includes analyzing characters, introducing the first essay assignment, discussing rhetorical strategies like analogy, and reviewing vocabulary. Students are asked to choose a character to analyze for their essay and provide an in-class writing using analogy to describe their character. For homework, students must read through page 400 of A Game of Thrones, submit their analogy writing, and describe their chosen character including physical traits and a short scene involving that character. They are also instructed to study for a vocabulary exam in the next class.
This presentation can become the first step in writing your Literary analysis essay. In addition to this, please read the article https://essay-academy.com/account/blog/literary-analysis-essay
This presentation can become the first step in writing your Literary analysis essay. In addition to this, please read the article https://essay-academy.com/account/blog/literary-analysis-essay
Guide méthodologique réalisé par le Cluster Green & Connected Cities pour monter un écocentre, tiers-lieu nouvelle génération, hub de services de proximité
2English 2 Literary Analysis Essay on Two Kinds” by Amy Tan.docxtamicawaysmith
2
English 2: Literary Analysis Essay on “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan
Background: Amy Tan’s story, “Two Kinds,” demonstrates the importance of the past on shaping characters’ present identity, thus reinforcing the notion that personal history shapes an individual’s cultural identity and attitudes about the world in the present. For some, the past is a stumbling block, but for others it is something to embrace and hold onto. This common theme plays out in many different works of literature. The past turns out to be an ironic force that moves forward in the present. One author explains, “Moreover, for most Asian American writers, the Old country and its culture are neither ancient nor buried history but very much alive and integral to the present, either in their own lives or in those of their parents and grandparents” (Huntley, Amy Tan a Critical Companion, 20). Keep in mind that the past is a timeless lesson taught in the present and this is something that is woven into the fabric of Tan’s story.
Purpose of a Literary Analysis: The purpose of your literary analysis paper is to analyze the story by showing and explaining your own conclusions (interpretations) about how the different literary elements (tools) work together to present Tan’s major theme in the short story. A Literary analysis is not summarizing the story—or plot summary. Your paper should explain— that is, show your own thinking on how different literary devices that you believe are relevant for proving your thesis statement, supports your thesis statement, which is the answer to the one central question your essay will answer. Your paper should be focused on supporting and proving your thesis statement with a clear method of organization: chronologically or order of importance. The point being is that this paper must have a clear purpose (thesis statement) and a method of organization that frames your analysis.
Assignment: Write a two-to-three page paper that addresses one central question about the work. The question will be the same for all papers; however, the thesis statement will be your answer to the question, which is basically your own conclusion or interpretation about how the story comes to express the central theme. Body paragraphs will prove the truth of your thesis statement with evidence and your interpretation—not plot summary. The quotes must be relevant to proving the topic sentence and your thesis statement. Limit the number of quotes to two per paragraph—avoid one word quotes. Always use a signal phrase with the name of the speaker, cite it, explain and interpret, and end the paragraph with a linking sentence. Do not simply dump a bunch of short quotations in a paragraph.
Question: In Amy Tan’s story, “Two Kinds,” how and why does Tan reinforce that personal history—heritage, is important for shaping individual identity in the present?
Thesis Statement: In answering this question, you are drafting a thesis statement that includes your concl ...
riting About LiteratureGenerally, the essays you write in lite.docxjoellemurphey
riting About Literature
Generally, the essays you write in literature courses attempt to answer interesting questions about works of literature. These questions are interesting for at least two reasons: a) their answers are not obvious, and b) their answers (or at least the attempt to answer them) can enrich other readers’ understanding and experience of those works of literature. Often works of literature seem to be intentionally posing these questions to us; they require us to do some work to get them to work.
Readers have asked many different types of questions of works of literature, for example:
· What did the author want to communicate in this work?
· What does the work reveal about the author’s feelings, opinions, or psychology?
· What does the work reveal about the society in which it was written?
· What can we learn from this work about the issues or topics it deals with?
· What motivates the characters in the work to behave as they do?
· How are literary devices used in the work?
· How does the work create emotional or intellectual experiences for its readers?
· Is this work good or bad?
· Is this work good or bad for its readers?
Some of these questions require information from outside the text itself; for example, to argue that a work reveals a writer’s psychological condition, it would be helpful to have some other evidence of that condition to corroborate your interpretation of the work of literature. Some of these questions ask about the world outside the work—about the author, his/her society, or our own society, for example—while others try to focus more on the features of the work itself. Analyses which try to make statements about the work itself is often calledformalist criticism: it attends more to the structures and strategies employed in the work. Ultimately, such arguments generally do try to move beyond the work, to claim, for instance, that it is likely to create certain effects in its readers, or that readers will understand the writer’s intent more clearly if they pay attention to its formal characteristic.
In LIT 100, we are going to be paying attention primarily to these formal features of literary works. In fiction, some of these features include tone, point of view, setting, character, etc. We will be paying less attention to extra-textual features, such as the author’s biography or the historical contexts in which the literature was produced and/or read; these elements are not less important than formal features, but they naturally vary greatly from one work to another and often require in-depth study to truly appreciate. To understand how Shakespeare’s social situation in London in the 1590s might have been reflected in his plays would require a whole course in Elizabethan history. On the other hand, the formal features we will be studying in this course can be found in literature of all eras and genres, though they may often be used to different effect by different writers at different times. A ...
5. S Why haven’t the Lannisters killed King Robert
yet?
S Is Tyrion fit to be a king?
S Who is the actual owner of the dagger? Does it
belong Imp or someone else?
6. S Q: Daenerys’s first taste of
freedom is building her
confidence. Will the commands
to her army ever bring her
trouble?
S It is known that all of the
dragons are dead and have
been for hundreds of years, so
why do Dany’s dreams and
thoughts seem to imply the age
of dragons is not dead?
S
Targaryen Family
S Q: Should Khal Drogo
help Viserys to win the
throne?
S Viserys is cruel and
impatient, and he uses
Daenerys’ life as a
pawn to get what he
wants for himself. Why
does Daenerys blindly
follow her brother’s
orders?
7. Stark Family
S Why didn’t Sansa help
Arya and/or Joffrey as
they were fighting? Who
else’s life would Sansa
put in danger in order to
protect her spot for her
future throne?
S Q: What does is the
significance of the
crow in Bran’s dream
saying “every flight
begins with a fall”
(162)?
S Q: What happened between Ned
and his mistress to make him
loathe discussing her so?
S Q: Was it right for Ned to kill
Lady?
S Q: Why was Ned reluctant to take
the position as the Hand?
S Will Jon snow find some
sense of purpose or pride in
his new family?
S Q. Why did Jon choose to
stand up for Sam?
8. S Q: Why does Petyr Baelish
have such a strong love
(that borders obsession)
for Catelyn Stark? Is his
obsession extending to
Sansa because she and
Catelyn look alike? He is a
dangerous man, is this
good or bad for Sansa and
Catelyn?
S How will the
tournament affect the
relationship between
Eddard and Robert?
S QHQ, After the
tournament, why
does Sandor
Clegane, the
Hound, tell Sansa
the story of how he
came to be burned?
S Q: What does Jon
Arryn mean when
he says “The seed
is strong”?
10. Who will you
choose?
There are more than 40
characters to choose from,
including both major characters,
like Jaime Lannister and minor
characters like Samwell Tarley
and Sandor Clegane
There are two selections for each
of the eight chapter characters
(Eddard, Catelyn, Daenerys,
Tyrion, Jon, Bran, Sansa and
Arya)
There are advantages and
disadvantages to each character.
Remember that your first essay
will be an argumentative analysis
of your character.
11. S There are character lists on the tables in front. They are organized by family,
castle, or country.
S I will call you up in order of your score. In the case of ties, you will choose
alphabetically.
S When your turn comes, write your name next to the character you have
chosen.
S Tell me who you have chosen, so I can mark him or her off of a list that will
show on the overhead.
S Keep in mind who you want as we move through the process, so when it is
your turn, you can choose quickly.
S Please, keep on eye on which characters are still on the table so that you
are ready to sign-up for yours. Please keep the noise down while people are
choosing.
13. Introduce Essay #1
S Essay #1 The Character Analysis
S Write a 3-5-page character analysis essay.
S To analyze a character, you must find out what makes him or her
“tick” by looking at social, behavioral, physical, and mental or
emotional traits. You also must examine how the author presents
those traits through actions, words, thoughts, looks, and reactions.
Select a character and write an essay answering one of the following
questions about him or her. Feel free to use the character for which
you are the analytical authority. You are not, however, limited by this
for your character analysis essay.
14. S TOPIC 1: Not all supporting
characters play an integral role in a
story; however, sometimes a minor
character is so important to the
novel that the theme, plot,
protagonist, or antagonist would be
greatly changed if that character
did not exist. From A Game of
Thrones, analyze a minor character
that plays a significant role. Write
a well-developed essay in which
you analyze the character and
explain why he or she is a
significant character in the work.
Be sure to use specific examples
and quotations to support your
claims.
15. TOPIC 2: A dynamic character is
one who changes or grows
emotionally or psychologically
from the beginning of the novel
until end. Many novels have
multiple dynamic characters.
Choose one character from A
Game of Thrones and write a well-developed
essay in which you
prove that he or she is a dynamic
character. Be sure to use specific
examples and quotations to
support your claims.
16. TOPIC 3: Often a character reflects
the culture of the country in which
he lives, that is, he or she
exemplifies the skills, arts, values,
beliefs, and ideals that of a certain
people or country. From A Game of
Thrones, choose a character that
embodies the culture of the people
he or she represents. In a well-developed
essay, define the culture
of one character and show how that
character illustrates that culture.
17. TOPIC 4: Analyze a character that reveals
his or her personality, ethics, morals, and
nature through the challenges he or she
faces. Think about the different types of
conflict that exist. Conflict can be
external, such as person versus person,
person versus nature, or person versus
society. Conflict can also be internal, for
example, person versus self. How does
your chosen character experience conflict
during the novel? Keep in mind how
conflict causes a character to change
throughout the course of the story.
18. TOPIC 5: Aristotle's ideas about
tragedy were recorded in his book
of literary theory titled Poetics. In
it, he has a great deal to say about
the structure, purpose, and intended
effect of tragedy. His ideas have
been adopted, disputed, expanded,
and discussed for several centuries
now. In a well-written essay,
analyze a character from Game of
Thrones, arguing for or against his
or her status as a “tragic hero.”
19. One Step at a Time
S Let’s just start by describing our
characters. Using analogies will help
the reader see what you mean.
S An analogy is reasoning or explaining
from parallel cases. In other words, an
analogy is a comparison between two
different things in order to highlight
some point of similarity.
20. Analogy: A Rhetorical Strategy
S An analogy is a kind of comparison that explains the
unknown in terms of the known, the unfamiliar in terms of
the familiar.
S A good analogy can help your readers understand a
complicated subject or view a common experience in a
new way. Analogies can be used with other methods of
development to explain a process, define a concept,
narrate an event, or describe a person or place.
S Analogy isn't a single form of writing. Rather, it's a tool for
thinking about a subject/
21. S Despite similarities, an analogy is not the same as a
metaphor. According to The Elements of Figurative
Language (Longman, 2002), the analogy "is a figure of
language that expresses a set of like relationships among
two sets of terms. In essence, the analogy does not
claim total identification, which is the property of the
metaphor. It claims a similarity of relationships."
22. S While analogy and simile are both comparisons of two seemingly
unrelated things, they are not the same. A simile is a figure of speech,
while an analogy is a type of argument. Generally, an analogy is more
complex than a simile.
S A simile is usually structured in one of two ways. The figure of speech
can use the word "like" to compare two items. An example using "like"
is, "Her hair shone like the sun." Hair and the sun usually are not
considered the same, but the simile describes them as shining in a
similar manner. An example of a simile using "as" is, "His teeth were as
white as clouds." In that simile, the man's teeth are compared to the
color of clouds.
S Analogies are used to make a connection between two objects or ideas
to better explain the first object. For example, a short type of analogy is,
"Coffee is to caffeine as beer is to alcohol." Coffee and beer are both
beverages, and caffeine and alcohol are the drugs they contain. In
some instances, it may be difficult to determine the connection between
the two items.
23. Analogies help people understand
complicated ideas quickly
S 1. Computer Resources (CPU, RAM, Hard Drive)
A computer is like a kitchen at a restaurant.
The computer's processor is like a chef, who works to prepare the food. The faster
the chef, the faster food is ready. A dual-core processor is like having a kitchen
with two chefs, so two things can be prepared at the same time.
The computer's RAM is like counter-top space. Everything in RAM is easy for the
processor to get at, so if you have a lot of counter space, the chef can work on
preparing more things at once. If you don't have enough counter space, the chef
can't work on as many things. Some programs use a lot of RAM, just like some
recipes call for a lot of ingredients, so it is harder to fit more stuff on the counter.
The computer's hard drive is like the cupboards and refrigerator. These things hold
the ingredients until the chef needs them. If space runs out, then the old
ingredients need to be thrown out to make room for new ones.
You, the computer user, are then the customer who is ordering things from the
kitchen. If the chef is slow, or their isn't enough counter-top space, it's going to
longer for things to get done, especially if you are ordering a lot of things at once.
24. Examples of Analogies
S Jaime’s sword is Tyrion’s book.
S Asking Joffrey to run the kingdom is like asking a
kindergartener to balance your checkbook.
S Expecting Cersei to be honorable is like expecting the
direwolves to play nicely with kittens.
S Knowledge to Tyrion Lannister is what food is for a child; it is
necessary for survival and imperative for growth. Tyrion, oft in a
struggle for survival and stunted at a short stature, is always
starving for knowledge and feasting whenever possible.
25. In-class writing: Use analogy
to describe or explain your
character.
S Eddard relying on Petyr Baelish is like a seamstress using a
pair of sticky old scissors; the tool seems to have a mind of its
own.
S The Iron Throne is a reflected blue sky: Littlefinger is the glass
window, and Eddard Stark is the dead crow in the windowsill. A
tragedy of illusion.
27. Homework
S Read A Game of Thrones through 400
S Post #6 In-class writing: analogy
S Post #7 Describe your character; include page
numbers
•What does your character look like? Include, for example, hair,
eyes, height, weight, build, or other physical characteristics.
• Now choose one aspect of the character’s appearance, a detail
(bitten nails, frizzy hair, a scar) and elaborate on it.
• Write a short scene in which your character is looking in the
mirror or write a short scene in which another character first sees
your character.
S Study Vocabulary: Exam class Seven