10 areas to be evaluated provisional grading: temporary until finalized Content (0.5 each) Presence of certain component/element/ skill required Style (0.5 each) Quality of the performance/ execution

MLA sample cover page

Header; page number, etc. 4.humanities.washington.edu/~WG/~134/MLA %20Sample%20Paper.pdf Without the cover page, on the upper left hand, double- spaced: Student’s full name Professor’s full name Course number Date (see notes) Upper right Header: last name/page number In Microsoft Word, click Insert. so that it is easy to re-assemble your essay even if it got loose;

1. Worthiness of your choice Ripple Effect of an Artwork Something that makes us think Is the text culturally significant and/or intellectually challenging? Make use think Change our perspective Impact on art history, direction Evidence: Where and how the author has convinced us the text chosen is important to us

2. Title Focal point of Disagreement Inviting, enticing, interesting, intriguing Does the title offer some hint on the direction for the forthcoming thematic exploration in the essay? Informative vs. Argumentative Handicapped by History Eveline’s Dilemma: Trapped or Trashed? “The Road Not Taken”

3. Thesis statement/ Main idea/central claim What and where is the central idea? Informative vs. Argumentative Original Interesting Fresh Risk-taking Raise some eyebrows Ripple Effect Avoid using “I think”

4. Coherence Does the conclusion go along with the introduction? Are there any loose threads that don’t belong to this essay?

5. Organization Unity vs. Variety See Paragraph Writing What sequence has the author used to organize the text as a whole: Inductive, deductive, progressive, climactic, chronological, etc.? What structure has the author employed: the block method, the alternating structure, juxtaposition, appositional or oppositional? What patterns of inquiry in DiYanni’s words are present: description, narration, critical analysis, comparison and contrast, interpretation, argumentation, etc.?

6. Compositional approach/ Technical analysis Don’t look for a formula! focal point, the figure/ground contrast, lighting, movement, perspective, unity vs. variety, (symmetrical- formal/asymmetrical-informal) balance and harmony, proportion and contrast, leading lines, internal frames, picture within pictures, rule of thirds, depth of the field, etc.

Balance & Naturalness The Rule of Thirds If you place points of interest in the intersections or along the lines that your photo becomes more balanced and will enable a viewer of the image to interact with it more naturally.

Eye to Eye placement of points of interest

Dynamic vs. Static

7. Biographical notes Did the author offer some biographical information about the artist? Are the facts and details well summarized and accurate? How do you know they are accurate? See the example

8. Contextual information What kinds of information is present in the essay: biographical, historical, or technical? Is the information relevant, representative and revealing? See the example below

9. Transition from paragraph to paragraph/cohesiveness at the sentence level Identify two or three strategies the author has used in transition: transitional phrases, anadiplosis, etc. Does the prose flow smoothly? Are there any instances when the author jerks around for no reason?

10. MLA Style Documentation/Citation/Quotation Is everything properly quoted or documented? Check the cover page, header, page number, footnotes/endnotes/Works Cited, etc. 1. In-Text Citation 2. Notes: Footnotes/Endnotes 3. Bibliography/Works Cited MLA sample paper online