1. Agenda 11/5 Focus: Whipping that body paragraph into shape! Peer editing the body paragraph Time to work on gothic lockboxes (due at the end of class on Thursday) HW: Follow the website calendar.

2. How To Write the Topic Sentence of Your Dreams and More… Poo: Tan and Salinger present characters who are searching for their true selves. Decent: Tan and Salinger present characters who feel lost and search for stability. Impressive: Tan and Salinger present characters who search desperately for stability because they fear the corruption of adulthood.

3. Topic Sentences… The Arteries of Your Essay Topic sentence checklist: Is it clear? (Scale 1-5) Is it specific? Does it expand upon the thesis? Does it make an analysis/a judgment? Be sure to avoid plot summary. Does it mention the authors or titles?

4. How To Be Smooth and Suave… Quote Incorporation Pooey: Lennie is desperate for George’s approval and reassurance. “Tell me ‘bout the rabbits, George” (Steinbeck 6). Getting there: Lennie is desperate for George’s approval and reassurance. He says to George, “Tell me ‘bout the rabbits” (Steinbeck 6). Hot stuff: Lennie, desperate for George’s approval and reassurance, pleads to him, “Tell me ‘bout the rabbits” (Steinbeck 6).

5. Smoothing Out Quote Incorporation Using a new color (one that has not yet been used on the essay sitting in front of you), highlight or underline all quotations and their lead-in’s. If the quotations are standing alone, suggest ways to incorporate them. If the incorporation is present but awkward, let them know and suggest ways to smooth out the wrinkles.

6. The Colon: Your Friend If you have a quote incorporation where your lead-in (1) is a complete sentence, and (2) summarizes or analyzes the quote that it’s leading into, use a colon to connect the lead-in to the quote. Before finding her independence, she was subservient to her husband: “She would, through habit, have yielded to his desire” (Chopin 42).

7. Commas and Seamless Incorporation If you use a comma to incorporate your quotation, the sentence should sound like a normal, grammatically correct sentence when you read it aloud. Awkward: Holly is always going out with different men, and she often picks up the wealthy ones to pay for her, “Didn’t I pick up the check, five people, your friends, I never seen them before?” (Capote 17). Smooth: Holly is always going out with different men, and she often picks up the wealthy ones to pay for her. Aware of her game, one of her wealthy suitors accusingly asks her, “Didn’t I pick up the check, five people, your friends, I never seen them before?” (Capote 17).

8. Last but not least… Does the paragraph end with a sentence of conclusion that addresses an important similarity (or in some cases, a difference) between the two works without repeating the topic sentence word for word?

9. Agenda 12/6 (shortened class) Focus: Knocking people’s socks off with your essays Introduction to conclusions Editing quote analyses HW: Follow the website calendar.

10. How Close Is Too Close? Analyzing Your Quotations. Quote: “Tell me ‘bout the rabbits, George” Analysis: Lennie’s repetition of this phrase reveals his need for stability in an inherently unstable environment. Although he must move from ranch to ranch, his dream is unchanging as long as he has George to tell and retell it. Moreover, Lennie’s particular focus on rabbits exposes both Lennie’s comfort and his most threatening obstacle; while Lennie’s love is simple, as he enjoys touching soft things, it causes him to lose control and traps him in a cycle of self-destruction.

11. Did You Get Close Enough? Analysis Checklist: Does the analysis make an argument, or is it simply retelling the quote? Does the analysis clearly link the quote to the topic sentence and thesis? Is the analysis specific to the quotation? Does it examine diction (word choice)? Connotations? Which words stand out and why were they chosen?

12. Ideas for Concluding Sentences Each body paragraph should end with a concluding sentence. The concluding sentence should do the following: (1) Draw the two characters, or two settings, or two motifs, or whatever you’re analyzing together. Ex: Like Holly, Edna feels oppressed by the weight of her society’s expectations. (2) If your two works have a significant contrast, the concluding sentence is an excellent place to address that contrast. Ex: While Holly finds hope in her newly established independence, Edna’s decisions make her realize fully the tragedy of her existence and ultimately bring her to despair.

13. ALIS Folder Checklist Final draft with Works Cited Two rough drafts with peer comments Outline Annotated Bibliography Journal All secondary sources used Make sure your folder is clearly labeled with your name.