Description
Choose ONE of the following short passages:
1. Sojourner Truth’s Ar’n’t I a Woman? (p. 178);
2. The Preface from Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, by Harriet Jacobs (p. 224);
3. Frederick Douglass’s first two paragraphs of his Preface from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself My Bondage and Freedom (p. 330).
In a careful reading of the short passage from your chosen text, analyze the language used, its effectiveness. Explain its meaning or implication(s). While examining the passage closely for language and style, also examine context or the larger meaning.
PROMPT:
Identify a feature that engages you, perplexes you, makes you think—and formulate a thesis that explains how this feature shapes the text. Your thesis should be original, not obvious, and defendable within the text.Please put your thesis statement in bold print.
Analysis requires we break down a piece of writing into its essential parts (language, intent, syntax) to discover an interpretation of the meaning. There is no one way to interpret a piece.
Your essay should have a title, which will offer the essence of your interpretation. The paper should be 1,000 words; about 3 pages, double-spaced using a 12-point font. This analysis does not require outside sources.
Things to consider:
First Impressions:
What is the first thing you notice about the passage?
What is the second thing?
Do the two things you noticed complement each other? Or contradict each other?
What mood does the passage create in you? Why?
What are your overall impressions?
Point of View:
Who speaks in the passage? To whom does he or she speak?
What impact does the narrator have in this passage?
All interpretations require evidence; all evidence requires analysis. Be absolutely clear on the distinction between evidence (concrete facts, examples, and details; the data) and analysis (explanation of how that data is meaningful and contributes to your overall interpretation). Your evidence must be drawn from the text you have chosen.
Structure the essay according to an argument. Avoid simply describing your chosen text or structuring your paper in the order of your observations. On the other hand, avoid “five- paragraph form,” which offers a sequence of evidence to prove the same point by reiteration. While analysis should always tie back to the thesis, a paper should proceed according to logically developmental “steps,” presenting, analyzing, and connecting each. While you’ll want to ground your reader in a context, this paper should mainly consist of close reading— analysis of specific words, phrases, images, lines, and rhetorical devices—ethos, pathos, logos.
Orient your reader. Address your essay to readers who have may have read the text but not recently or in depth and who may not remember details. This will help to discern how much history is needed. You will need to orient readers with appropriate reminders (quick summaries of narrative context, characters and their relationships only if relevant to your main theme, always making sure those explanations serve a purpose (not just summary for its own sake). Never assume (1) that readers know what to look for, (2) that they see the same details in the same way as you, and (3) that they draw the same conclusions as you. Rather, persuade your readers of your claims through skillful analysis.