1. Saving the Reader from an Untimely Death…
IQE
Saving the Reader from an Untimely Death…

2. The Basics
IQE is what we use when providing textual evidence (quoting!) and stands for:
I: Introduce the quote
Q: Quote
E: Explain the quote

3. …so then she loses the necklace at the ball!
Why IQE?
We must understand that we are writing for a stranger!
This person knows NOTHING of the story or the class.
Therefore, when you’re throw in a random quote from a story and they don’t even KNOW the story, this is turbo confusing.
Therefore, you have to really explain things for your dolt-of-a-reader to understand them.
…so then she loses the necklace at the ball!
You
Your reader

4. Example Let’s pretend that you are the reader:
You are supposed to read a paper based on the short story “Two Kinds.”
“But wait!” you say. “I’ve never read ‘Two Kinds’!”
Well too bad. You still have to understand this paper! Wua ha ha!

5. Example
Let’s pretend that the reader’s main argument about the protagonist (main character) in “Two Kinds” is that she is defiant (which means she goes against others).
Here is the student’s quote to support that June is a defiant character:
“Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient kind!” (Tan 45).

6. Example
The first problem is that this is a QUOTE BOMB! You just threw this quote into your paper and they have no idea what you’re talking about, so it exploded in their faces!
“Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient kind!” (Tan 45). HUH? Who is talking here?
Why is this person yelling?
Who is he or she yelling at?
I AM SO LOST!

7. i! This is why you need to i (introduce the quote)!
When we introduce a quote, we should include all the important background on what’s going on BEFORE we read the quote, so when the quote comes along, we understand it.
I usually like to include some of the “W Questions” as a good introduction. For instance… “Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient kind!” (Tan 45).
Who said it?: June’s mother
To whom was it said?: June
When?: After June refused to practice piano
Why?: She no longer wanted to be controlled by her mother

8. i! Now we put it all together:
No longer wanting to be controlled by her mother, June adamantly refused to practice the piano after the disastrous talent show; however, June’s mother refused to accept this answer shouting that only obedient daughters are accepted within her household: “As long as you in this house, you will be obedient one!” (Tan 45).
Now the quote makes sense!
Notice the COLON (:) after the “introduction”! If an introduction is a complete sentence, use a colon. If it’s not, use a comma (,).

9. i!
For example:
Although June defiantly refused to practice the piano, her mother also refused to accept a stubborn daughter and commanded she obey saying, “As long as you in this house, you will be obedient one!” (Tan 45).
Notice that since I ended my introduction with “saying,” it’s no longer a complete sentence, so I need a comma to continue the sentence.

10. E!
Ok, now we’ve introduced the quote, and we have the quote, but we’re missing E! The Explanation!
The explanation explains how the quote supports your thesis statement.
It “makes the connection” between your quote and the argument in your paper!

11. E: Makes the Connection!
HE WOULD PLUMET TO HIS UNTIMELY DEATH! AHHHHHH!
What would happen if your reader tried to go from the text to your ideas on his own?
This road is the text/your quote.
This road is your thesis/main argument.
This is your reader.
These are shark-infested waters.
Ah! Help me!

12. E: Makes the Connection!
Please don’t kill your reader.
E: Explains the connection between your textual evidence (direct quotation) and your abstract ideas (your argument).
This road is the text.
Wow, I completely understand the connection now!
Explanation!
This road is your abstract ideas.
This is your reader.
These are shark-infested waters.

13. Example Ok, let’s try an example.
Abstract idea: June (the protagonist) is defiant.
Textual evidence as proof: “Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient kind!” (Tan 45).
Explanation connecting the two: Because June’s mother so angrily demands that June be an obedient daughter, the reader sees that June has previously demonstrated defiance, which has elicited this passionate and furious reaction from her mother.

14. The protagonist, June, is defiant.
Example
June’s mother angrily demand June obey her orders, which suggests that in the past, June has not. This reveals June’s defiance to her mother’s wishes.
“Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient kind!” (Tan 45).
The protagonist, June, is defiant.

15. Practicing IQE
First, we determine your “abstract idea,” which in this case is your answer to a test question:
Which of the following describes Mme. Loisel?
a) Guilty
b) Thoughtful
c) Impatient
d) Ungrateful

16. Practicing IQE
Now, we find a direct quotation (with citation) to prove that Mme. Loisel is ungrateful. (There is more than one correct answer for this.)
Example: “Then one evening, her husband came home proudly holding out a large envelope…Instead of being delighted, as her husband had hoped, she scornfully tossed the invitation on the table, murmuring, ‘What good is that to me?’” (Maupassant 28-29).

17. Practicing IQE
Next, we have to INTRODUCE this quote so it’s not a quote bomb!
Who said it?: The narrator; Mme. Loisel
When?: After M. Loisel worked hard to bring home a coveted invitation to the ball.
To whom?: The reader; M. Loisel
Why?: Mme. Loisel refused to attend thinking she had nothing suitable to wear.
Now we put them together and choose punctuation:
After much effort, M. Loisel was able to obtain a coveted invitation to a fancy party he knew his wife would love. Her reaction, however, was not exactly what he had planned: “Then one evening, her husband came home proudly holding out a large envelope…”

18. Practicing IQE
Now we must EXPLAIN the connection between our answer and the quote. It is important to include information from both your answer and the quote in an explanation.
Explanation: Because M. Loisel went through great trouble to proudly acquire this invitation for the sole reason of pleasing his wife, the fact that she carelessly tosses it aside proves her ingratitude.
Where do you see information from both the quote and the answer? Highlight it.

19. Practicing IQE Let’s try another example: Abstract idea:
Which of the following is true of the necklace?
a) It isn’t valuable.
b) It is ugly.
c) It provided a positive influence on Mme. Loisel’s life.
d) It made Mme. Loisel ungrateful.

20. Practicing IQE First step, textual evidence with citation:
“Mme. Forestier, quite overcome, clasped her by the hands. ‘Oh, my poor Mathilde. But mine was only paste. Why, at most it was worth only five hundred francs!’” (Maupassant 34).

21. Practicing IQE Next step, introduction: Put it together!
Who said it?: Narrator; Mme. Forestier
To whom?: Mme. Loisel
When?: At the park, after Mme. Loisel had worked ten long years to pay her exorbitant debt
Why?: Mme. Loisel discovered it was all for nothing since the necklace had been fake all along.
Put it together!
Ten years after Mme. Loisel had lost the “diamond” necklace, she encountered Mme. Forestier, the loaner, in the park deciding it was finally time to reveal the truth about the lost original. As the narrator reveals, however, Mme. Loisel was the one in for a shock since she had spent ten years replacing a necklace that had been fake all along: “Mme. Forestier, quote overcome…”

22. Practicing IQE
Last step, explanation. Explain the connection. How does the quote prove it was fake?:
Although Mme. Loisel thought that the necklace held significant value, in reality, it was worth only a fraction of what she thought, a mere 500 francs.
Highlight where you see details from your answer, as well as from the quote in order to show a clear connection between the two.

23. The End!
…or is it?