[SOLVED] second essay

Help me study for my Literature class. I’m stuck and don’t understand.

Modern Japanese Literature Second Essay Assignment & Guidelines

The aim of this writing assignment is to demonstrate your critical thinking, literary analysis and interpretation skills by setting forth a clear, thoroughly articulated thesis statement and making a formal argument regarding what your take to be a key aspect or aspects of one of the literary works we have read and discussed in the course so far (“Child’s Play,” Sanshir?, Kokoro, Some Prefer Nettles, Fires on the Plain, “The Izu Dancer,” Female Masks, Sleeping Beauties or A Personal Matter). I am happy to discuss your ideas for the essay and any questions you may have about this assignment during my regularly scheduled office hours or by appointment.

Assignment:Choose ONE of the literary works listed above. Provide a brief introduction to the work and a clear thesis statement articulating what you will do in the essay, how you will do it (i.e., in terms of approach/structure) and where you will take it (i.e. conclusion, significance). Develop an argument in support of your thesis and substantiate your main points with references to and direct quotations from the text analyzed and interpreted explicitly in terms of your thesis/argument. Papers should be in Times New Roman font (12-point size), at least 5 full double-spaced pages in length, include clear citations to primary and any assigned secondary sources (do not use any unassigned secondary sources), have numbered pages and adhere to the following guidelines:

1) Title. Always provide an interesting, effective title for your essay.

2) Audience. Don’t assume detailed reader knowledge of your subject—write for a general, educated reader and provide essential context/background information.Your paper should be self-contained.

3) Clarity. Express your ideas clearly and concisely. Choose your language and technical terminology carefully, and allow ample time for editing, proofreading and polishing. Read your essay out loud to check flow and punctuation.

4) Redundancy. Avoid repeating yourself—make your points where they will be most effective and convincing and move on to your next point.

5) Voice. Write in active voice as much as possible.

6) Tense. Present tense is generally better when writing about literary works. Be consistent in your use of tense.

7) Argument. Articulate your thesis clearly and thoroughly toward the outset, and stay focused on the argument you are making throughout the essay.

8) Design. Structure your essay so that it is coherent, integrated and has smooth, logical progression and development. Divide your ideas/points into unified paragraphs and sections.

9) Substantiation. Support main points with carefully chosen references to and direct quotations from primary and assigned secondary sources. Do not assume that such references/quotations are self-explanatory. Always analyze/interpret them explicitly in terms of your thesis and interpretive framework.

10) Documentation. Always provide clear, accurate citations indicating the sources of

all quotations and paraphrased material. Use in-text parenthetical citations to indicate primary and assigned secondary sources (for literary works, simply include the page number in parentheses (99); for assigned secondary sources include the last name of the author and page number in parentheses, e.g., (Tyson, 56).

11) Conclusion. Do not simply repeat what you have already argued and established in the

body of your essay. Instead, “step back” and comment on the broader, more general

significance, implications and/or relevance of your findings.

Selected Technical Points

1) Titles of novels & books in italics; titles of journal articles, short stories etc. in “quotes.”

2) Foreign words in italics (note: proper names, place names and foreign words/terms that

appear in standard English language dictionaries are NOT italicized).

3) Diacritical marks—use macrons over vowels to indicate long sounds (i.e., S?seki).

Questions for Consideration Regarding Final Drafts

1) Is the title of the essay interesting and informative?

2) Does the opening paragraph raise reader interest, provide a suitable academic context for the essay, and focus reader attention on the most important issues to be discussed?

3) What is the basic thesis/argument? Is it adequately articulated toward the outset and kept in clear focus throughout the essay? Does the essay have an argumentative edge?

4) Is each paragraph unified by one main topic or idea? Are generalizations in each paragraph supported by appropriate concrete evidence, especially quotations from primary or assigned secondary sources? Are direct quotations accurate? Is each quotation sufficiently analyzed and interpreted explicitly in terms of your thesis and argument/interpretive framework? Are the sources of all quotations and paraphrased material clearly identified and cited?

5) Does each paragraph build upon ideas presented in preceding paragraphs? Does the discussion flow smoothly, with no jarring leaps in thinking from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph?

6) Is the tone of the essay appropriate? Are technical terms used correctly and effectively?

7) Is the expression concise, clear and emphatic? Have unnecessary words, vague expressions, digressions etc. been eliminated? Are spelling and punctuation correct?