WESTERN LITERATURE

 How do you eliminate 2 nd person from your writing?  If you cannot explain why with a strategy, then write an example of how you revised “you” out of a claim.

 What is 2 nd person?  Why is 2 nd person inappropriate for formal academic writing?  How can you revise 2 nd person out of your writing?  How can 2 nd person be revised out of formal academic writing? (wink wink)

 When the writer uses 2 nd person, s/he makes assumptions about the reader. How do these examples make you feel as a reader?  “One week our class wrote a sonnet together. You were graded on your use of Iambic Pentameter and your rhyming couplet at the end.”  Even though the writer means to say that s/he was the one being graded, what s/he is actually saying is that the READER was being graded, when in fact the reader was not. OR WHY “YOU” DOES NOT HAVE A PLACE IN FORMAL WRITING.

The use of the "you" voice can cause the writer to lose credibility with the reader precisely because of the assumptions that are made through the writing. It can also offend the reader. OR WHY “YOU” DOES NOT HAVE A PLACE IN FORMAL WRITING.

One way to instantly make an essay more acceptable is to change second person to third person with words like “people,” “one,” or “they.”  Example: Your interpretation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is based on whether you feel the two lovers should have been so foolish as to try to run away together.  This becomes: The reader's interpretation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is based on whether he or she feels the two lovers should have been so foolish as to run away together.  When you use the singular form of reader, you must stick to the singular form. You may not use “they” unless you say “readers’.” THIS SOLUTION OFTEN BECOMES REPETITIVE. THOUGH IT TECHNICALLY WORKS, IT IS NOT THE BEST WRITING.

ACTIVE VOICE before the verb  The subject of the sentence is present before the verb.  The student read the book.  You should pursue your passions to be happy. PASSIVE VOICE  The subject of the sentence is not usually present.  If it is present than it appears as the object of the preposition after “by.”  The book was read by the student.  Happiness can be achieved by the pursuit of passions. The pursuit of passions can provide fulfillment.

Passive voice can be effective in academic writing because it changes the focus of the subject.  Example: When you read Hamlet, you should notice clear foreshadowing of events to transpire.  This becomes: In reading Hamlet, events to come are clearly foreshadowed. Instead of putting action on the reader, the action has instead become passive, as evidenced by the "are foreshadowed.” The focus is not on YOU as the reader but instead the events.

Infinitives are verbs that are preceded by the word "to." So, "to visit," "to play," and "to weep" are all infinitives.  Example: You should always be careful when confronting teachers about their favorite sports teams’ losses, since you're bound to get punished if you are too hostile towards them.  This becomes: To avoid punishment (i.e. detention), it is crucial to be careful when confronting teachers about their favorite sports teams’ losses.

You can identify Iambic Pentameter because it makes a “da- dum” sound. HOW CAN THE USE OF “YOU” BE ELIMINATED?

Juliet’s decision to marry Romeo reveals that free will does not exist because you will always end up where your fate leads you. HOW CAN THE USE OF “YOU” BE ELIMINATED?

You know that Oedipus has fulfilled the prophecy when he blames it on Creon, which is dramatic irony. HOW CAN THE USE OF “YOU” BE ELIMINATED?

You know what is going on in the play because of the presence of the Greek chorus. HOW CAN THE USE OF “YOU” BE ELIMINATED?

Oedipus shows you how your pride can lead to your downfall. HOW CAN THE USE OF “YOU” BE ELIMINATED?

 Whenever you use information from another source, you must cite it in your writing or it is considered plagiarism.  This includes quotations or paraphrasing.  This in-text citation is a signal word or phrase that corresponds to the first thing that appears in the MLA citation.  (Author’s Last Name Page #) Example: (Wiesel 33)  (“Article Title in quotation marks”) Example: (“Asia’s Missing Girls”)

 This can be done in the sentence. If you use the signal word/phrase in the sentence, you do not need a “parenthetical” citation.  Elie Wiesel explains, “he does not want his past to become their future” (3).  “Asia’s Missing Girls” reveals the gender imbalance due to the one-child policy (2).  If your source references a page number, it must always appear in parentheses.

 Parenthetical Citation: This in-text citation is in parentheses.  He writes his memoir because “he does not want his past to become their future” (Wiesel 3).  The one-child policy has contributed to a gross gender imbalance in China (“Asia’s Missing Girls” 2).  Use punctuation on the outside of the parenthetical citation.

This should be in alphabetical order!