1. Gatsby Final
Bielec/Fink
11R

2. MLA In-Text Citation

3. Nick, discussing his ability to reserve judgment, states, “In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since” (Fitzgerald 5).
Notice placement of quotation marks, parenthesis, and end punctuation.

4. Since we are only using one text, you only have to cite the author’s last name once; every other time, you can use just the page number. It will look like this: (5).

5. Nick, discussing his ability to reserve judgment, states, “In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since” (5).

6. Review

7. Remember: Stay in the Present tense
Use the author’s first and last name the first time you refer to him/her. Every other time after that use last name only.
Do not use any first person pronouns (I, me, us, you, etc.) Use words or phrases like the reader or one.
Remember:

8. Titles of longer works are italicized; shorter works should be put in quotation marks.
The Great Gatsby; “Dream Deferred”

9. Ex:
“An example is when…”
“This quote shows…”
“This shows that…”
“Another way…”
Usually, all you need to do to fix the problem is eliminate the label.
Avoid

10. Use plot to set up quotes!

11. Transitions

12. 1) Where were you?

13. 2) Where are you going?

14. 3) How are those things related?

15. Your transition will go at the beginning of the next paragraph.

16. Your reader should be able to tell what was in the previous paragraph by looking at your transition.
You may include your transition and topic in the same sentence. See previous example.
Hint:

17. Example 1 (Stolen from OWL)
Poor Transition:
Amy Tan became a famous author after her novel, The Joy Luck Club, skyrocketed up the bestseller list.
There are other things to note about Tan as well. Amy Tan also participates in the satirical garage band the Rock Bottom Remainders with Stephen King and Dave Barry.
Example 1 (Stolen from OWL)

18. Amy Tan became a famous author after her novel, The Joy Luck Club, skyrocketed up the bestseller list.
Though her fiction is well known, her work with the satirical garage band the Rock Bottom Remainders receives far less publicity.
Good Transition

19. Example 2 What did this student discuss in the previous paragraph?
Once the characters lose their interest in the signal fire, the beast rises in prominence.
What did this student discuss in the previous paragraph?
What will they discuss in the new paragraph?
What relationship does this transition show?
Example 2

20. Red= Transition Green= Topic
Once the characters lose their interest in the signal fire, the beast rises in prominence.
Red= Transition Green= Topic

21. Piggy, like Simon, brings positive attributes such as knowledge and rationality to the boys who lack one, or in some cases, both.
What did this student discuss in the previous paragraph?
What will they discuss in the new paragraph?
What relationship does this transition show?
Example 3

22. Red= Transition Green= Topic
Piggy, like Simon, brings positive attributes such as knowledge and rationality to the boys who lack one, or in some cases, both.
Red= Transition Green= Topic

23. Conclusions

24. Specific  general (opposite of the intro)
Begin the conclusion with a few statements that wrap up and reflect on the main idea of your essay.
If this were an essay comparing two texts (like on the Regents), this would be a good time to connect them.

25. As you wrap up your conclusion, think of a way to get your reader beyond the text.
Hook: gets the reader into the text
You may want to come back to the hook as you end your essay.
If you are stuck, ask yourself the question, “So what?” Of what importance is your topic to the reader?

26. Things to avoid Restating your thesis.
While it is OK to come back to the idea of your thesis, there is never a need to simply restate it (unless you have written an enormously long paper).
Using phrases like, “In conclusion,” or “in summary”
Things to avoid

27. Introducing new information. (i.e. quotes or statistics)
Make sure your conclusion uses a similar writing voice to the rest of your paper.
More things to avoid

28. Specific
F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and Langston Hughes' “A Dream Deferred” both convey the negative changes in the ideas of the American Dream. Gatsby's dream slowly degraded throughout the book resulting in the deaths if multiple people, including himself. “A Dream Deferred” showed how the American Dream can be stressful on a person, and that the ideas will constantly remind you of the fact that you didn't accomplish your dream. The American dream has became unrealistic and unobtainable for most people, but as time progresses it will hopefully be changed for the better.
General

29. Specific
The American dream is success that is reachable for the people who try, like Gatsby. Both “Dream Deferred” and The Great Gatsby, show that dreams can be made into reality with hard work and not putting the dreams aside. Although when dreams are put aside, they just fester and become a burden to you. With that, all determined people can achieve their dreams of prosperity.
General