5. Allegory
• A form of extended metaphor, in which objects,
persons, and actions in a narrative, are equated
with the meanings that lie outside the narrative
itself. The underlying meaning has moral, social,
religious, or political significance, and characters
are often personifications of abstract ideas as
charity, greed, or envy. Thus an allegory is a story
with two meanings, a literal meaning and a
symbolic meaning.
6. Example of Allegory
Animal Farm
• In an allegory, characters and events stand for something else.
In this case, the characters in the novel stand for significant
figures in twentieth-century Russian history. Orwell makes the
characters easily identifiable for those who know the historic
parallels, because he gives each one a trait, or has them
perform certain tasks, that are like that of a historical figure. Old
Major is identified with Karl Marx because, just as Old Major
develops the teachings that fuel the Animal Rebellion, Marx
formulated the ideas that spawned the Russian revolution.
Napoleon and Snowball, both pigs, stand for Russian leaders
Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky. Stalin and Trotsky had a falling
out much like Napoleon and Snowball do. Events from history—
the revolution itself and the Moscow purge trials of the 1930s—
also appear in allegorical form in the novel.
7. Scenario
1. An outline or synopsis of a play.
2. A sequence of events especially
when imagined; especially, an
account or synopsis of a possible
course of action or events.
8. Scenario Example
• You are walking the halls of the school when you
hear shouting coming from the main office. As
you get closer, you see a man arguing with a staff
member. Just as you are getting ready to
intervene, the man turns and walks away from
the office, toward the classrooms. You try to find
out what he needs, but he ignores you and keeps
walking.
9. Allusion
• A diction-based rhetorical strategy
in which a writer briefly refers to
an event, book, myth, place or
work of art that the reader is
expected to recognize so the
writer can evoke a vivid
impression
10. Example of Allusion
• “I was surprised his nose was not growing.”
• “When she lost her job, she acted like a Scrooge.
• “He was a real Romeo with the ladies.”
• “Chocolate was her Achilles’ heel.”
• "She was breathtakingly beautiful, but he knew that she was
forbidden fruit.”
• "I was not born in a manger. I was actually born on Krypton
and sent here by my father, Jor-el, to save the Planet Earth.”
• “ask not just what our government can do for us, but what we
can do for ourselves.”
12. Evidence
• In order to help a reader see your argument , you have to
provide, explain, and analyze evidence that supports your
thesis.
• In this type of essay, evidence (examples) acts as supporting
material to explain or clarify the your thesis.
• The key to a good essay is to use enough detailed and
specific examples to get your points across. Examples should
be carefully chosen so that they will appeal to readers and
help them understand your argument.
• Effective examples should enhance your writing, giving your
essay vitality and intensity.
13. • Your essay may contain both brief and
comprehensive examples.
• Brief examples may occur relatively frequently
within the essay, with just enough concise details to
illustrate clear-cut ideas.
• Comprehensive examples are used to illustrate
complex ideas that can not be adequately explained
using brief examples. For instance, if you are trying
to show nuanced characteristics, you might have to
group multiple examples to make your point.
• Be choosey about what you include, using the
strongest examples. Make every example work in
your favor.
14. The examples used in your essay must also be
representative. Unless you are specifically discussing
exceptions to a rule, your examples must reflect the
majority (i.e., what is usually the case, or what is “on
average” true). You might, for example, hear a drinker
try to deny the risks of heavy drinking because he
knew someone who drank every day until he was
ninety. This is not a valid example since most people
could not drink a lot over an extended period without
succumbing to some ill effects. The example does not
represent what would usually happen to most people.
15. Organization
• A fundamental skill in writing this essay is that of
organization.
• Consider the order in which sub-claims are presented in the
essay that supports the thesis statement.
• Writers call this the order of importance, and multiple
methods exist:
1. Chronological
2. Ascending order of significance
3. Descending order of significance
4. By attribute: emotional characteristics, physical
characteristics, public or private characteristics, or another
organized strategy.
16. Chronological order
• This system of organization is often used in
narrative/descriptive essays because events have to be
told from beginning to end, process-analysis essays
because the sequence of steps is crucial to the
understanding of the topic, and cause and effect essays
since one thing leads to another. There is cause to use
this strategy in some argument essays. For example, you
might use this method if you are showing that your
character is dynamic. Development of your character
throughout the novel will be germane to your argument.
17. With ascending and descending order of
importance, chronology or time sequence does
not matter. What's more important is the degree
of the sub-claims.
In the ascending order of importance organizational
method, arrange the paragraphs from least significant to most
significant so that the reader is left with the strongest point that
has to be made. The points gradually build up to a
powerful, loud crescendo at the end of the essay.
On the other hand, descending order of importance
organization works in the opposite direction. The main body
paragraphs begin with the most compelling reason or point and
gradually work down to the least important point.
18. By Attribute (or another schema)
• If you assert in your thesis one main attribute of
your character, you might then break that
attribute down into smaller characteristics that
support your point.
• For example, if you assert a character is
honorable, you might use categories like
honesty, courtesy, respect, responsibility, and
trustworthiness to demonstrate his or her honor.
• If you assert a character is a victim of society, you
might use categories like
race, class, sex, ability/disability, and others to
demonstrate how society has marginalized him or her.
19. Traps to Avoid
• Do not just randomly toss reasons or
examples into the main body section.
Careful readers will detect that this is a
sloppy arrangement and give up reading if
they have to struggle with the lack of
organization.
20. A Counterargument
• Address opinions your readers might have regarding your
character.
• Think about instances when your character appears to act in a
way that could be perceived as contrary to your thesis. Explain
why you don’t see the behavior as contrary.
• Consider the arguing exercises we have done in class. How
might you address your peers’ questions and comments
without the obvious question/answer format?
• Explain behaviors that are out of the ordinary or out of line with
your thesis by analyzing text to show extenuating
circumstances.
22. The Conclusion
You could discuss how this character fits
into the work as a whole.
You could address how the work would
be changed if your character were gone.
You could apply insights about this
character to a real-world situation. Do we
grow as readers from interacting with your
character?
You might SUBTLY remind the reader of
your central idea and thesis.
23. Integrating quotations
Citing summarized material
MLA formatting
Works Cited page
SKILL REVIEW:
24. Integrating Short Quotations
• To indicate short quotations (fewer than four typed lines of
prose or three lines of verse) in your text, enclose the
quotation within double quotation marks. Provide the author
and specific page citation (in the case of verse, provide line
numbers) in the text, and include a complete reference on the
Works Cited page. Punctuation marks such as
periods, commas, and semicolons should appear after the
parenthetical citation. Question marks and exclamation points
should appear within the quotation marks if they are a part of
the quoted passage but after the parenthetical citation if they
are a part of your text.
25. For example, when quoting short passages of
prose, use the following examples:
• According to some, dreams express "profound
aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184), though
others disagree.
• According to Foulkes's study, dreams may
express "profound aspects of personality"
(184).
• Is it possible that dreams may express
"profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes
184)?
26. Long Quotations
• For quotations that extend to more than four lines of verse or
prose, place quotations in a free-standing block of text and
omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, with
the entire quote indented one inch (10 spaces) from the left
margin; maintain double-spacing. Only indent the first line of
the quotation by an additional quarter inch if you are citing
multiple paragraphs. Your parenthetical citation should come
after the closing punctuation mark. When quoting
verse, maintain original line breaks. (You should maintain
double-spacing throughout your essay.)
27.
28. MLA style: Integrating quotations
According to the St. Martin's 3. With a statement that ends in that.
Guide, there are three main ways to The importance of Auld's prohibition to
set up a signaling phrase: Douglass is clear when he states that "It
1. With a complete sentence was a new and special revelation" (29).
followed by a colon.
The effects of Auld's prohibition You can, however, build your own
against teaching Douglass to read signal phrases by mixing these three
were quite profound for Douglass: basic styles with different verbs
"It was a new and special admits agrees argues asserts
revelation" (29). believes
2. With an incomplete claims compares confirms contend
sentence, followed by a comma. s declares denies
Douglass argues that Auld's emphasizes insists notes observ
prohibition against literacy for him es points
was a profound out reasons refutes rejects res
experience, saying, "It was a new ponds replies suggests thinks
and special revelation" (29). writes
29. Periods & Commas
Colons & Semi-colons
Periods and Commas
• They go inside the quotation marks even if there is no period or
comma at the end of the quoted material in the original text.
• Exception: If there is a parenthetical citation immediately after
the quote, the period or comma goes after the parenthetical
citation.
Colons & Semi-colons
• Colons and semi-colons always go outside the quotation, even
if the original quoted material ends with either form of
punctuation.
30. Question Marks
& Exclamation Points
• If the original quote ends with an exclamation mark or a question mark, we must
include it inside the quotation marks.
• ORIGINAL TEXT:
Will not a righteous God visit for these things?
• QUOTED TEXT:
When Douglass asks, "Will not a righteous God visit for these things?" he raises the
question of doubt about the future salvation of the "Christian" slaveholders.
• Notice that we don't put a comma after the question mark, even though normally
we would if there was not a question mark. We omit the comma to avoid double
punctuation.
• If we want to use a quoted statement in a question or exclamation we create, then
the question mark or the exclamation mark goes outside the quotation marks.
• ORIGINAL TEXT:
The grave is at the door. (FD 38)
• QUOTED TEXT:
How can we take Douglass seriously when he indulges in excessively romanticized
language such as "The grave is at the door"?
32. MLA format: on our website: “Writing Support” :
“MLA Formatting Video”
MLA (Modern Language Association) style is most commonly used to write
papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities.
MLA style specifies guidelines for formatting manuscripts and using the English
language in writing. MLA style also provides writers with a system for
referencing their sources through parenthetical citation in their essays and
Works Cited pages.
Writers who properly use MLA also build their credibility by demonstrating
accountability to their source material. Most importantly, the use of MLA style
can protect writers from accusations of plagiarism, which is the purposeful or
accidental uncredited use of source material by other writers.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
34. Margins and Formatting Header: Last Name 1
• 1” all around • Double Click in Header
• Go to “Layout” and Area
adjust margins or use • Type your last name
custom settings • Justify right
• Times New Roman 12 • Go to “insert” and
• Indent body click on “page
paragraphs ½ inch number”
from the margin
35. Heading:
Double Spaced Title
Your Name • Original Title (not the
title of the text we
Dr. Kim Palmore read)
• No italics, bold,
EWRT 2 underline, or
quotation marks
20 October 2012 • Centered on the page
• No extra spaces (just
double spaced after
your heading and
before the body of
your text)
36.
37. • Note that the works cited page is in alpha order and that there are no
numbers next to the entries. The new MLA requires you to italicize
titles, This, like all of your pages should be done in Times New Roman 12.
38. HOMEWORK
• Read A Game of Thrones through the End
Post #14: Write a sentence that might fit
into your essay that alludes to an
event, character, or piece of literature.
• Post #15: Rough Draft Essay #1
Bring three clean copies to our next class
