Rule Britannia!British Literature and Composition, 2013-2014

Skip SaundersEmail: lsaunders@floydboe.net

Webpage: http://floydmodelhigh.sharpschool.net/directory/english/mr__saunders/ 2. Course Description and Assessments

3. Types of Assessments, Making Up Missing Work, Contact Info4. Classroom Expectations and Behavior

5-6. CCGPS Standards for Literature and Composition 7. Setting Up Your Notebooks 8. Reading Journals 9-10. Writing For This Course: Expectations for Each Type of Essay 11-12. Writing The Analytical Essay – Structure, Philosophical Writing 13. Standard Academic English 14. A Sample Essay in MLA Format

15-16. MLA Rules for Quotation 17. Avoiding Plagiarism 18. Works Cited 19. Revising Your Essay 20-21. The Major Convention Errors: Symbols, Symptom, Fixes

22. BritLitComp Units 2013 - 2014

Course Description

British Literature and Composition will train you in reading, writing and speaking – and through these, in thinking. Every day our brains should hurt a little from our workout!

Reading will push you to ponder the most basic human questions, and will develop thinking and language skills that will serve you well in college, work, and life.

Writing will allow you to develop and express your thinking, and to learn the research techniques and basic prose competence expected in the academic and business worlds.

Speaking to the class, in discussions and oral presentations, lets you practice presenting ideas with the clarity and confidence which professors, bosses and spouses will expect.

Assessments600 points: Major Grades

200 points: Formal Essays matter more than any other assessment. They require original thinking and academic language focused on issues raised in class reading and discussion. Essays submitted on time may be revised; bonus for online submission.

o 20 points: Diagnostic Essay, written early in the year to see what you can do.

o 180 points: Three Analytical Essays, 60 points each, each quoting sources.

120 points: Four Tests, one each Unit, worth 30 points each. These assess understanding of and engagement with each unit’s literary study. Tests feature short answer, passage analysis, and short essays, but NEVER multiple choice.

60 points: Four Notebooks, one each Unit, worth 15 points each. Keep everything neatly in a binder! I will provide a rubric for each.

100 points: Four Reading Journals, one each Unit, worth 25 points each. Directions are found in Syllabus. I will provide a rubric for each Unit.

120 points: Projects and Presentations, in which individuals or groups produce writing and art according to some model, then present results to the class.

250 points: Daily Grades

Freewrites are short pieces (100 words or so) graded for thinking, done most class days.

Lecture CLOZEs follow lectures, obviously, and usually are “open note” affairs.

Worksheets and Reading Guides will allow us to be sure you’re “getting” whatever we are reading or discussing at a particular point.

150 points: Final Examination – Major Project Essay. The capstone assessment for all your training as a student of Language Arts is not a test but instead the biggest, baddest Formal Essay you’ve ever written, quoting and citing from numerous sources. We’ll discuss this in the Spring.

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Types of AssessmentsFormal Essays must be composed in Standard Academic English and submitted in MLA Format. Essays submitted complete and on time are eligible for revision; there is a bonus for emailed submission. Guidelines for writing and submitting essays are found later in this Syllabus.

Daily Work includes CLOZE quizzes, worksheets, Reading Guides, and especially, freewrites. These short essays let you reflect on the day’s major ideas, and explore areas for further inquiry; often they lay the ground for upcoming essay assignments. Typically you have about ten minutes to write 100 words on a philosophical question. Write with wit and full engagement; I am grading for thinking and effort, not for grammar. Keep ALL freewrites in your notebook.

Notebooks include all notes, handouts, quizzes and freewrites from a particular unit. Notebooks must be submitted neatly in a binder. A rubric of required materials will be provided each unit.

Reading Journals ask you to reflect on and respond to a Unit’s reading. Basically, you write intelligently about an assigned number of quotations from a Unit’s reading; often, you will have done so already as part of your daily classwork. Rubrics will be provided each unit.

Tests assess your mastery of a unit’s material. They include short answer, analysis of quotations from our reading, and essays – NEVER multiple choice. Expect to write for a class period.

Projects and Presentations may be done in groups or individually. They include written, visual and spoken components. As in “real life,” a group must be ready to go even if some are absent! You must be focused, serious, and ready to answer questions from me and your classmates.

The Final Examination/Major Project Essay will build on all of the above.

Making Up Missing WorkMaking up missed work is your job, not mine. Be responsible about making arrangements.

If work is missed for an excused absence, please see me the day you return to arrange to make up the work for full credit. Usually you will have a week to get it done.

If work is missed for an unexcused absence, or is simply not turned in, see me about making up the work for partial credit – usually 70% of original credit.

Understand that zeroes KILL an average, and that late work is graded LAST – it might be semester’s end before it’s entered, so if you’re late, don’t gripe about it! Also, my school webpage – http://floydmodelhigh.sharpschool.net/directory/english/mr__saunders/ – has all classwork, readings, assignments and rubrics linked, so there are no excuses!

Contact Information, and Getting HelpI am on campus until about 4:00 each day, and am happy to help. Just ask; or, if you need to contact me, email lsaunders@floydboe.net or call Model High School at (706) 236 - 1895.

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Classroom Expectations and Behavior

The First Few Minutes: Enter quietly, sit where you wish; I will assign seats only if needed. Chatter amiably and move freely as I take and enter attendance. Use restroom and gather materials (pencil, pen, book, paper) quickly and quietly, and be ready to go when I start class!

The First Half: Once I start talking, chatter must cease. Usually we begin with a common task – lecture, freewriting, presentations. Raise a hand to speak or ask questions – and please do both, often! – but stay seated, alert and focused, and do not distract others. During this time no leaves are granted; take care of needs beforehand, or wait.

The Second Half: Here we shift to tasks allowing more freedom – writing, group work, and so forth. During this time you may leave class one at the time to attend to legitimate needs. Do not announce your needs like a child; walk quietly to the door, take the pass, sign out, go and return. If leaves are lengthy, trivial or distracting, they may be refused later.

I expect you to behave as your professors and employers will. Adhere to the following:

Be here . Repeated tardiness earns discipline referrals and penalties.

o COROLLARY – You are not a bookbag or purse. Don’t drop your stuff and leave. You will be marked absent or tardy if not in the classroom personally when bell rings.

Be focused . Pay attention, participate, and keep yourself and others on task.

o COROLLARY – Don’t be distracted, and don’t be a distraction. Particularly during the first half of class, activity which takes energy or focus away from assigned tasks will not be tolerated. Food and drink are allowed until they become distracting.

o COROLLARY – You Are Not A Gadget! “BYOT” encourages using electronics when called for in classroom tasks – but this must never interfere with or distract from class work. When it might, I will ask you to put it away. Use of personal technology for non-academic purposes (texting, Tweeting, Pinning, Facebooking, all that), or refusal to put devices away when asked, brings disciplinary action.

o COROLLARY – Don’t advertise stupidity. Passing notes, sleeping (or seeming to), applying makeup, drawing on your desk – these sorts of acts scream “Imbecile!”

Be prepared . If you lack materials, get what you need without making a scene.

o COROLLARY – Sell yourself as a competent person. As Hamlet says to his mother, “Assume a virtue, if you have it not” (I don’t suggest you say this to your mother).

Be nice . Respect each other, me, and the work. Pleasant, engaged interaction is expected.

o COROLLARY – NO BULLYING. Ever. It’s not funny just because you think it is.

o COROLLARY – NO WHINING! No coach, parent, drill sergeant, professor or boss is swayed by “I don’ wanna!” or “This is hard!” Why expect it to work on me?

These are easy to remember, but if you forget I will warn you in a polite way. If politeness does not work, I will call home. If misbehavior continues, you will be referred to the office.

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CCGPS Standards: Literature and CompositionReading Literary (RL) & Informational (RI)ELACC12RL-RI1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what a text says explicitly and implicitly, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.

ELACC12RL-RI2: Determine two or more themes or central ideas of text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.

ELACC12RL3: Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., setting, sequence, characterization).

ELACC12RI3: Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text.

ELACC12RL4-RI4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful.

ELACC12RL5: Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.

ELACC12RI5: Analyze and evaluate effectiveness of the structure an author uses in exposition or argument, including whether it makes points clear, convincing, and engaging.

ELACC12RL6: Analyze a case in which grasping point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant.

ELACC12RI6: Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness, or beauty of the text.

ELACC12RL7: Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem, evaluating how each version interprets the source text.

ELACC12RI7: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.

ELACC12RI8: Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal British texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning.

ELACC12RL-RI9: Analyze works of British literary and historical importance for theme, purpose and rhetoric, including how texts from the same period treat similar themes or topics.

ELACC12RL10: Read and comprehend complex literature independently and proficiently.

Writing (W)ELACC12W1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

ELACC12W2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine & convey complex ideas, concepts, information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

ELACC12W3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

(5)ELACC12W4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

ELACC12W5: Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

ELACC12W6: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.

ELACC12W7: Conduct research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

ELACC12W8: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.

ELACC12W9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, research.

ELACC12W10: Write routinely over extended time frames (research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Speaking and Listening (SL)ELACC12SL1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners and topics, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

ELACC12SL2: Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.ELACC12SL3: Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, evidence and rhetoric, assessing stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone.ELACC12SL4: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range or formal and informal tasks.ELACC12SL5: Make strategic use of digital media in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.ELACC12SL6: Adapt speech to various contexts/tasks – formal English when indicated / appropriate.

Language (L)ELACC12L1: Demonstrate standard English grammar and usage in speaking and writing.

ELACC12L2: Use standard English capitalization, punctuation, spelling in writing. ELACC12L3: Demonstrate understanding of how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend when reading or listening. ELACC12L4: Determine/clarify meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases.

ELACC12L5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances. ELACC12L6: Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words phrases.

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Notebooks

No activity separates successful students from their hapless counterparts quite as predictably as notetaking. Some people are blessed (or cursed) with memories like camcorders; the rest of us need help. Writing – not just highlighting but physically writing stuff down – cements information into memory, because reading, writing and thinking activate different areas of the brain. When one writes, the brain pays attention to information right away and stores it not only in the neural but in the motor memory; and, of course, one creates a record to viewlater. It is true that one may miss something while writing, but one gets better with practice.

You will submit a notebook for a grade each Unit – and materials must be in a binder. Unbound material will not be accepted; you may resubmit it in a binder for a late grade. If the material is not in the order requested on the Rubric, your Notebook grade will suffer.

You will get a Rubric each Unit, but I will look for the following each time:

1. Syllabus (Rule Brittania!) and its CLOZE, kept at front of binder all year.

2. Literary Unit Notes, including:

a. Cover Sheet for each Unit. This must display the Unit’s title, and must come at the start of that Unit’s section in your binder. Otherwise it can look as you wish: elaborately decorated, stark and plain, whatever.

b. Schedule of the Unit’s Assignments.

c. Handouts – all CLOZEs, Reading Guides, worksheets, supplemental texts and essays, Project materials – anything I have given out. All material must be COMPLETED as assigned; if you didn’t complete it when it was due, do so before submitting it in the notebook. Uncompleted handouts receive only partial credit, and blank handouts get no credit at all!

d. All freewrites written during that Unit, in order.

e. Test Review Materials.

This is a Major Grade – easy if you keep up with it, a killer zero if you don’t. Binders must be left with me; don’t use for Math unless you can do without it for a couple of days.

You may keep all four Units’ notes in your binder all year, or you may submit only one Unit in your binder each time. In that case, put each Unit’s notes away in a safe place as we start

a new Unit., because at the end of the year you can submit a Course Notebook containing all four Units’ work for a major grade. This is an EASY grade, so keep your stuff!

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Reading Journals

Keeping a journal of words and thoughts is something writers and scholars have done forever. It helps to grab information and ideas passing through your ears and eyes, and helps you to file them in your mind for use in upcoming Test, Analytical and Project essays.

Unit Reading Journals are 25 point Major Grades, submitted at the end of each Unit. Each consists of an assigned number of quotations and reflections. Some reflections will have been done as part of our regular course work; some you must do on your own. Your journal will take the form of a double-entry journal:

On the left side or at the top of each entry, quote correctly from Unit reading. Number each entry, and cite the quoted passage according to MLA Rules.

On the right or below each quotation, write a reflection, at least 100 words, on the passage you quoted. Explain what the passage is “about,” why that passage matters, and “reflect” on it – i.e., give an opinion, or explain how it relates to you. This is graded for thinking, not grammar; don’t worry about making errors, but don’t just fill up 100 words’ worth of space, either; engage the text.

Your journal should look something like this:

1 She should have died hereafter;There would have been a time for such a word Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow ….

– William Shakespeare, Macbeth V v 20-23

Here Macbeth has just found out that his wife is dead, and he doesn’t seem to care. Basically he is saying that she was going to die anyway, so why should he care? And it also says she should have died later because he doesn’t have time to deal with it right now. This is especially sad since the couple started out so happy, sharing everything, and now Macbeth has no feeling at all. It reminds me of one time when my little brother wanted to play and I was too busy and told him to go away and he asked me why I didn’t love him anymore.. That was a sad day.

2 Of course I cannot break through the wall by battering my head against it if I really have not the strength to knock it down, but I am not going to be reconciled to it simply because it is a stone wall and I have not the strength.

– Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes From Underground. New York: Dover

Thrift Editions, 1992, p. 8.

Like Dostoyevsky’s narrator I have a hard time accepting limits. This guy is in prison and will not accept the reasons. I have a hard time accepting the reasons for anything between me and what I want, even when I realize that wishes are impossible. I was never quite able to dunk a basketball. I know now that that is unlikely, but I haven’t given up, though realism says I should do so and find a more attainable goal.

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Writing For This Course: Assignment Expectations

Freewrites, given daily. Quick writing on a given topic in a short time (e.g., 100 words/5 minutes) Informal: graded only for ideas; format/grammar/wording not checked. Evaluates –

Thinking – Can you respond intelligently to a given question? Writing – Can you discuss an idea clearly without repeating yourself? Efficiency – Can you form, articulate and present an idea in a limited time? Discipline – Can you “stick to it” and do the assignment without griping or straying?

Test Essays, one per Unit. +/- 300 words as part of Unit Test; quote from Unit readingSemi-formal: ideas, quotation format closely graded; formality, grammar not checked.

Evaluates all of the above PLUS – Self-Reliance – Can you follow directions from a syllabus, assignment, rubric? Quoting – Can you select quotations that support your thesis (and show how they do)? MLA Format – Can you format and integrate long and short quotations by MLA guidelines? Formality – Can you write in compliance with Standard Academic English?

Diagnostic Essay, given first week. +/- 200 words responding to short article; quote from article Formal: document & quotation format closely graded; Standard English, grammar checked.

Evaluates all of the above PLUS – Reading – Can you respond intelligently to a piece of writing? MLA Format – Can you follow MLA rules for document format? Proofing/Editing – Can you avoid major errors, and proofread to identify and correct errors?

Analytical Essays, one per Unit. 500+ words arguing philosophical point; quote from Unit reading Formal: document & quotation format, Standard English, grammar all are graded.

Must submit online. Evaluates all of the above PLUS – Discipline – Can you get the essay submitted on time? Thinking: Can you develop a thesis and explore it philosophically?

Writing: Organization – Can you develop a series of well-designed paragraphs:o Introduction leading reader to your essay’s thesiso Body Paragraphs developing and proving thesis with argument and evidenceo Conclusion reminding reader why thesis matters, and calling for action

Project Essay, End Of Year. 1500+ words arguing philosophical point; quote from year’s reading. Formal: document & quotation format, Standard English, grammar all are graded.

Must submit online. Evaluates all of the above, on steroids.

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Writing For This Course: Analytical Essays

TURN IN essays at the start of class on the due date. A late essay is penalized ten points per day from the start of class on the due date and is ineligible for revision. After three days any essay submitted will receive no more than half credit. Printer, disc, email or other electronic problems do not excuse lateness. Unexcused absence on the due date earns a late penalty.

SUBMIT essays by email as a Word document. This is encouraged with bonus points, and you usually will have time in the Computer Lab to work, but the process is your responsibility; you must learn how to submit documents online. If you send it and I don’t get it, I don’t have it, so you haven’t submitted it. Handing me a thumbdrive is okay, but earns only half of the bonus. Paper copies will be accepted, but they get no bonus and take longer to grade.

WRITE essays in Standard Academic English, the language used in college and business communication. All is explained fully on page 13 of this syllabus, but basically: avoid slang, direct address (“you”), abbreviations (etc.), nonstandard usages (“hissself”, “he don’t”).

FORMAT essays according to MLA rules. On page 14 of this syllabus is an essay formatted by to standards developed by the Modern Language Association (MLA). Get this right on the Diagnostic Essay and use that as a template for the rest of the year (change dates, though!). MLA sometimes tinkers with particulars, but their format always demands certain elements:

a. Top Left of page 1: Header – your name, teacher’s name, name of course, date.

b. Centered over essay body, page 1: Essay Title. Make title original, focused on your thesis – not “Hamlet” or “Wrestling” but “Would Hamlet Shoot or Crossface?”

c. Top Right of EACH page: your last name and each page’s number (Saunders 1). Be sure to change page number for each page – not “Saunders 1” throughout!

d. Double space consistently – highlight entire paper, click “Paragraph,” make spacing “Before 0, After 0, Line Spacing Double” so that you have no weird gaps.

e. Standard Font – Times New Roman or similar; 10-12 point; same for entire essay.

f. Standard Margins – essay aligned left, paragraphs and long quotations indented.

g. Quotations formatted, integrated and cited according to MLA rules.

h. Works Cited section at the end of your paper – separate page if needed.

GRADED essays will be emailed to you as a Word Document with margin comments which detail strengths and weaknesses and errors. Essays that were seriously attempted and submitted on time may be corrected or revised for an improved grade; see “Revising Essays” on p. 19.

“Life has no easy answers, but sometimes we must publish anyway,” wrote John Leo, summing up your situation nicely. Writing can be challenging and frustrating, even to professionals, but I can help you so long as you are trying. The most important thing is to submit the work seriously and on time; this will allow you to revise, and to pass all assignments, no matter your challenges.

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Writing The Analytical Essay

An Analytical Essay must answer a philosophical question. It must analyze (from the Greek for “break into pieces”) a topic and/or texts to find a universal truth. You will not summarize the work (your reader already knows the story), but will instead use ideas and words from that work to persuade a reader that your answer to the question is the best answer.

Structure can vary considerably, but any Analytical Essay must include all of these components:

Introduction: first paragraph, leading from a general topic to a rhetorical question to your specific answer to that question. This specific answer is your thesis; and the entire paper must develop, support, and extend that thesis – and no other idea.

Body: several paragraphs developing and proving your thesis in several different ways. It’s not enough to “give three examples”; each paragraph must develop thesis differently:

o Philosophical Discussion should come right after Introduction, before examples and evidence and other discussion specific to the topic. Figure out and discuss the philosophical question behind the topic question. If you’re asked “Is Beowulf a good king?”, discuss what makes a good king for all times and places; THEN, in later paragraphs, bring examples from the text and history that support this idea. That way, your thesis will convince a broad audience in all circumstances.

o Text Evidence. Find examples and quote passages from Unit reading. Text evidence must support thesis; you can’t just stick stuff in to fulfill a requirement. Quotations must be formatted, integrated and cited according to MLA guidelines.

o Personal Reflection. Bring in your own experience of history and the world, showing how your own life and reading supports to your thesis.

o Counterargument is absolutely necessary. To convince others, you must anticipate and answer the arguments of people who think you are wrong.

o Prediction: In persuasive writing as in science, a good thesis predicts future events. Examples: How will things be better if your idea is accepted? How will things be worse if your idea is rejected? Who will be helped or injured?

Conclusion. End your essay with the strongest possible statement of why your thesis matters; propose action to bring your thesis into reality. If your thesis is true, how must the reader now think or act differently?

The biggest weakness in most student writing is the philosophical development. This is where the real thinking happens. Philosophical writing separates merely competent “B-” essays from the memorable, life-changing, “WOW” essays that make professors and GPAs happy. Some suggestions for brainstorming philosophically are on the reverse of this page.

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Philosophical Writing

Every good essay proposes an answer to a question, and argues that yours is the best answer available. So the first step is to figure out what question the topic is really asking.

Sometimes that will seem easy, because the topic will be stated as a question, for instance: Which is college football team is the best? Here’s the problem: you want to start by praising your favorite team, but you won’t convince others else unless you first answer a philosophical question: What makes a college football team great? Even this has “sub-questions”:

o What makes a college team great – as distinct from a high school or pro team? Is it just win/loss, or is it pro-caliber players, or do things like graduation rate count?

o What makes a college team great? Again, is it just win/loss, or does a balance of offense and defense, or a team attitude, count?

If you can get your reader to agree with your definition of the topic – i.e., THIS is what makes a college team great – then it will be easier to convince a reader that your answer is the best answer. So don’t dive right in, but back off a little, and look at the question philosophically:

o Topic question: What is a new class that should be added at Model?o Philosophical question: What IS the purpose of a class – and of a school?

o Topic question: Who is your personal hero?o Philosophical question: What MAKES a person heroic?

o Topic question: Was the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq justified?o Philosophical question: What MAKES ANY war justified?

Now, practice coming up with a good philosophical question for each of these topic questions.

o Topic question: Who is the greatest musician of all time?

o Philosophical question:

o Topic question: Should there be a strict dress code at school?

o Philosophical question:

o Topic question: Are the salaries of professional athletes too high?

o Philosophical question:

o Topic question: Is there too much writing at school?

o Philosophical question:

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Standard Academic English

Standard Academic English does not allow first or second person, abbreviations, contractions, slang, goofy fonts, emoticons – in short, anything beyond grammar or rhetoric which has the effect of diminishing the seriousness of your essay. Violations will appear as “NS” (short for “NonStandard”) on your graded essay. There are excellent rhetorical reasons for some prohibitions, but some exist simply to give academic writing its distinctive air.

Use of the second person (“you” in all forms) is like an uninvited hug; it turns the reader off. “The Hunger Games makes you think, so go see it” can repulse a reader who does not wish to be commanded by a mere student; that reader is now doubly ready, even eager, to wreck your case. A case which cannot be made without using “you” is a weak case, so again, stick to logic and evidence. In the example above, change “you” to “the viewer” or “we,” and drop the command. The most common and egregious offender is “direct address,” i.e., using “you” in any form to speak directly to the reader. A simple fix: search your Word Document by typing Ctrl+F and typing in “you,” and changing all you find (unless “you” is in a quotation).

Slang works only if the reader both understands and likes it, so once more one risks losing a reader. “Hamlet is a bad play” can mean “Hamlet is a great play” among friends, but not in an academic paper. Some familiar slang – mom, dad, kid, guy, stuff, a lot or alot, sucks and so on – usually does not confuse, but does blunt the seriousness of an essay. If there is any doubt about whether a word or phrase is slang, find another word or phrase.

For the same reasons avoid chatty language (“Well, Hamlet is a great play”), emoticons (), visual emphasis (boldface, italics, underlining, CAPS, exclamation points!), or goofy fonts.

Inappropriate language or content – profanity or “near profanity,” extolling the virtues of weed – kills your credibility immediately, and can result in disciplinary action. Don’t go there.

The use of first person is not forbidden, but it is discouraged, because it makes your legitimacy as a person part of the argument. This can be useful if personality needs to be part of the argument – if, for instance, one is a teenager refuting stereotypes about teenagers – but usually it just makes it easy for a reader to wreck an argument. “In my opinion, schools should not have sports teams” is easily refuted: “Well, in my opinion, they should.” Never make personhood the issue; instead, argue on logic and evidence: “Sports teams should not be sponsored because they distract from a school’s purpose.” EXCEPTION: plural first person (our, we, us) is permitted when used to refer to all of humanity: “We are creatures of both brawn and brain.”

Similarly, the use of contractions and abbreviations rarely injures clarity – everyone knows what “don’t eat 20 hot dogs” means – but it simply is not formal, so is discouraged. Before using an abbreviation, use the full form of the word or phrase; “United States” first, then USA. Numerals which can be written in a single word should be; write “twenty” instead of “20.”

Remember that your content, not your attitude, should set your essay apart.

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[A Sample Essay in MLA Format]

Lemmy Kilminster Kilminster 1

Mr. Saunders British Literature

October 31, 2009

"Signifying Nothing": Nihilism in Macbeth

William Shakespeare’s Macbeth features witches, ghosts, devils, and lots of blood – but scariest of

all is a man who believes in nothing. Soldiers call him “brave” (I ii 45), but his wife thinks he is “too full

of the milk of human kindness” (I v 86) for power; but Macbeth himself says that “nothing is / But what

is not” (I iii 126-8). Never happy with what he has, even when he gets what he thinks he wants, Macbeth

spends the play killing for, believing in, and seeing what does not exist – literally, nothing.

Nihilism – the belief that nothing matters or is even real – pervades the play, even in the “comic”

scene of a drunken Porter pretending to be a devil welcoming sinners into Hell:

Here's a knocking indeed! If a man were porter of hell-gate, he should have old

turning the key. Knock, knock, knock! Who's there, i' the name of Beelzebub?

Here's farmer, that hanged himself on the expectation of plenty: come in time;

have napkins enow about you; here you'll sweat for't (II iii 1-3)

But even this drunken Porter realizes that, whereas Hell is famously hot, “this place is too cold for Hell”

(II iii 12). Macbeth, however, spends the entire play in an awful dance with fantasy, focusing on things

that do not exist – things he wants, but also things he fears – until, near the end of the play, he comes to

believe that life itself is Nothing. In his most famous soliloquy, Macbeth contemplates his long life,

which has been full of honor and bravery as well as horror and treachery, and decides that

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

And then is heard no more: it is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

Signifying nothing (V v 24-28).

Macbeth begins by having everything – friends, power, and the most loving marriage in all of

Shakespeare – but risks and loses it for things he does not have, does not even want. He is Shakespeare’s

most profound treatment of nihilism, and of the terrible consequences of believing in nothing.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William, Macbeth. London: Folger Shakespeare Series, 2003.

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MLA Rules For Quotation

FIRST AND FOREMOST, AVOID PLAGIARISM!! Plagiarism is using of someone else’s words or ideas without attribution. Even if you paraphrase information in your own words, you still must cite source. I’m awfully good at detecting plagiarism; remember, if you can find it online, so can I. There is no “accidental” plagiarism, and it earns any assignment a zero.

A full discussion of plagiarism is found on page 17 of this syllabus, but it’s easy to avoid: basically, just quote and cite your sources. This is the best way to establish credibility, proving to a reader that you know your material and are in full control of it. There are some differences in how one formats quotations from different kinds of texts, but all involve these steps:

1. Formatting – visually setting off the words you’re quoting. Use “quotation marks” for short passages (1- 3 lines on your page); indent passages longer than that.

2. Citing – showing the reader the source of the quotation, in parenthesis just after the quote and, if necessary, in a Works Cited section at the end of your essay.

3. Integrating – merging the quoted passages with your own writing, so that the essay is smooth and controlled rather than clumsy, awkward, artificial.

Quoting Prose (books, essays, articles, etc)

Format short quotations using “quotation marks”; long quotes (3+ lines) are indented. Cite author in text, page number in parentheses after quotation. No author? Cite title. Integrate your quotation smoothly into your own prose.

Integrating means that you NEVER quote chunks of undigested material, like this:

Robert Frost is popular. "He has been recognized with so many awards, sold so many books, and given so many speeches, that he must be called extremely popular" (Avery 23).

Instead, quote only the words you really need, and integrate the quotation into your own prose:

According to Frederick Avery, Robert Frost has won “so many awards, sold so many books, and given so many speeches, that he must be called extremely popular" (23).

If you quote more than three typed lines, indent the quotation, like this:

Measuring Frost’s influence exactly is difficult because, as Frederick Avery has written,

Frost is more widely read in his native land than any other poet. He has been recognized with so many awards, sold so many volumes, and given so many speeches, that he must be called extremely popular. Also, his impact is seen not only among writers but in popular films and even greeting cards (23).

No quotation marks are used with indented quotations. Integration and citation are still required.

(15)Quoting Verse (poetry, songs, etc)

Format short quotations using “quotation marks,” placing a slash between lines. Long quotations (3+ lines) are indented; keep lines exactly as they appear on page. Cite author in text, line number in parentheses after quotation. Integrate your quotation smoothly into your own prose.

The biggest difference in quoting verse involves the use of the verse line. Lines must appear in your quotation as they do in the poem or song itself, and the line numbers must be cited (NOT page numbers). Show the separation of lines with a slash (/) in short quotations; indent quotations longer than three lines, and make the lines look just as they do in the poem itself. And just as you did with prose quotes, integrate the quotations smoothly into your own writing.

The roads in Frost's poem are identical; they "equally lay/In paths no step had trodden black" (11-12). But the narrator says that he will pretend the roads were different:

I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. (16-20)

Quoting Plays (especially Shakespeare)

Format short and long quotations according to Prose or Verse rules listed above. Shakespeare often uses both Prose and Verse in his plays.

Cite author in text, Act/Scene/line number (III, ii, 34) in parentheses after quotation. Integrate your quotation smoothly into your own prose.

Quoting Sacred Texts (Bible, Qu’ran, etc)

Sacred books’ titles are capitalized, but NOT underlined/italicized. I don’t know why. Format short and long quotations according to Prose or Verse rules listed above.

Sacred books often use both Prose and Verse forms. Cite book, chapter and verse (Matthew 6: 1-6) for Bible; see me for others. Be sure to

indicate which translation you are using – KJV, RSV, NISV for Bible, name for others. Integrate your quotation smoothly into your own prose.

Quoting From The Internet

Cite internet address (URL) of webpage from which you got the quotation. Follow all other rules as above.

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Avoiding PlagiarismIn his excellent and rascally book William Shakespeare (Oxford: Basil Blackwell Ltd., 1986), literary critic Terry Eagleton wrote the following sentence, found on page 8:

The Macbeths are torn apart in the contradiction between body and language, between the frozen bonds of traditional allegiance and the unassuageable dynamic of desire.

An essay on Macbeth could benefit greatly from this insight, but problems arise when a writer fails properly to quote, cite and integrate borrowed material. The worst situation, plagiarism, occurs when a writer uses borrowed material in a way that hides the true author. Here are some ways a student using the Eagleton source material might commit plagiarism:

Macbeth is a tragic play because the Macbeths are torn apart in the contradiction between body and language, between the frozen bonds of traditional allegiance and the unassuageable dynamic of desire.

This is flagrant plagiarism. The student simply copied Eagleton's sentence onto the end of his own. The essay receives a zero; the student must rewrite the essay to earn any credit.

It seems clear that Macbeth is a tragic play because the Macbeths are torn apart in the contradiction between body and language, between the frozen bonds of traditional allegiance and the unassuageable dynamic of desire (Eagleton, p. 8).

This, too, is plagiarism. The student has cited Eagleton – good – but has copied Eagleton's wording without using quotation marks – bad.

Macbeth is tragic because Macbeth and his wife their bodies and their words seem to contradict each other, and by the fact that they want what they cannot legally have.

This, too, is plagiarism. The student has used his own words – and that’s good – but he still must cite Eagleton, since the idea was Eagleton’s.

Macbeth is a tragic play. "The Macbeths are torn apart in the contradiction between body and language, between the frozen bonds of traditional allegiance and the unassuageable dynamic of desire" (Eagleton, p. 8). This shows that the play is tragic.

This is not plagiarism, but the essay loses points because although the student has attributed both words and ideas, he has not integrated the passage into his own text. The student has not shown that he has any idea of what Eagleton is writing about.

It seems clear that Macbeth is a tragic play because Macbeth and his wife are separated by the fact that their life is a "contradiction between body and language," and by the fact that they want what they cannot legally have (Eagleton, p. 8).

Hooray! This student has properly quoted, integrated and cited Eagleton. An "A" awaits!

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Works Cited A Works Cited list must appear at the end of each Formal Essay, with an entry for each source quoted used in your essay. Each work needs its own entry, with author, title and publishing information listed in order. A long essay may require a separate Works Cited page, but a short essay may simply list Works Cited after the last paragraph. A good list will look like this:

Works Cited

Dickens, Charles, A Christmas Carol. New York: Dover Thrift Editions, 1992. (book)

Johnson, Mark, “Santa Baby.” www.xmasfun.com/Stories/Rudolph/Rudolph.asp (webpage article)

Milton, John, “On His Blindness,” in The Norton Anthology of British Literature: Second Edition,

ed. Sarah Lawall. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 2002. (poem in textbook)

Nietzsche, Friedrich, Thus Spake Zarathustra, tr. Thomas Common. Oxford: Oxford University

Press, 1922. (translated work)

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. New York, NY: Sony Wonder Video, ©1964, 2000 (film)

Van Zant, Ronnie, “I Ain’t The One,” Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd. ©1973 ASCAP:

MCA Records/Duchess Music (song on album/CD)

Notice that the list follows these rules:

The words Works Cited are centered above the list of entries.

The entries are aligned left.

The entries are double spaced, then indented if an entry runs long.

The entries are alphabetized by author (list last name, then first name). “Anonymous” sources are not allowed except in rare cases, like Beowulf or The Bible, with no known or attributed author. In those cases, start with the work’s title.

After author comes title of the work from which you got the information or quote.

o If piece stands alone (book, play, long poem, film, webpage, CD), underline or italicize.

o If piece is part of a larger work (short story or poem, chapter, song, article), put title “In Quotation Marks,” followed by larger work’s title underlined or italicized.

After title comes publication information. This depends on the type of source:

o book – Publishing City: Publishing Company, Publishing Year.o webpage – entire URL (web address can be copied/pasted from address bar).o other kinds of sources (films, CDs, etc.) will be discussed as needed.

If unsure, visit http:// owl .english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html or ask me.

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Revising Your Essay

Essays submitted complete and on time are eligible for revision – and I expect you to revise.Writing is a process involving writing, rewriting, editing, rewriting, then submitting to an editor or audience for feedback, then writing again, and finally deciding not to write any more. This is what “real” writers (pros and collegians) do. One never “finishes” a paper – one abandons it.

Check your email at the account you used to send me your original. If I have emailed back, open attachment in Word on a “real” computer, the click “Download Original Document”. You will see comments in the margins of your essay, and a marked Evaluation Rubric at the end of the essay. If you have followed these steps and see no comments, let me know.

NOTE: your essay will NOT have a number grade calculated on the Rubric because you still must go through the process outlined below.

Next, use the Evaluation Rubric to complete a Revision Plan. Each section of the Rubric scores an essay for a particular component, and details what was done well and not well. The Revision Plan exactly corresponds to the Rubric. Fill in each component’s score at the left; to the right, make notes about how what I marked. At the bottom of the Rubric are “Penalty Points for Convention Errors” – numbers in blanks by abbreviations (explained on pages 20-21 of Syllabus). Use this to complete the “Conventions” section of the Revision Plan.

Next, complete Convention Error Worksheets. You must do this for each error committed more than twice; you may do this for all errors. Completing Worksheets will teach you how to correct (and, in the future, detect and avoid) errors, and will earn half credit for those errors.

Next, turn in BOTH Revision Plan AND Convention Error Worksheets. Doing this makes the essay eligible for revision (earning a brand new grade); also, these are worth a daily grade.

Next, revise your essay. Make improvements to Cogency and Content according to the suggestions I have made in the margins, and fix Format and Convention errors.

Next, email your revised essay just as you did original. This needs to be a clean document without my margin comments or new errors. There is no fixed “due date” for Revisions; take your time and do it completely, and send when you are done. Your Revision will be graded, and a new grade entered, within a week of my receiving it. Do not need to send original or Rubric.

If you choose not to revise, you will receive the grade I give you based on the marked Rubric, and must not complain. Again, I will not have figured this grade for you; by now you should be able to add up the Component scores, add Bonus points, and subtract Penalty points.

“Life has no easy answers, but sometimes we must publish anyway,” wrote John Leo, summing up your situation nicely. Writing can be challenging and frustrating, even to professionals, but I can help you so long as you are trying. The most important thing is to submit the work seriously and on time; this will allow you to revise, and to pass all assignments, no matter your challenges.

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Major Convention Errors: Symbols, Symptoms, Fixes

Some convention errors are minor, but those listed here confuse or distract a reader, and hurt an essay’s effectiveness and grade. As you ready for revision, look for these in your marked paper.

1. NS indicate Nonstandard English – slang, direct address (“you”), abbreviations, “hisself,” “he don’t,” chattiness – all this and more is discussed on page 13 of this Syllabus.

2. SP means Spelling Error, especially names of books, characters, places. LOOK IT UP!

3. WW indicates a Wording problem or a Wrong Word – you’ve phrased something awkwardly, or you’ve used “their” for “there” or “too” for “to,” or something like that.

4. CAP indicates a Capitalization Error. By now you should know this stuff – proofread!

5. TP indicates an error in Title Punctuation. Underline or italicize stand-alone works (books, films, magazines, CDs); don’t do both. Titles of shorter works (songs, poems, essays, stories, articles) go “in quotation marks.” Exceptions: many sacred works (The Bible, The Koran) take no such punctuation.

6. TS indicates Tense Shift. Use past tense to discuss a historical event. Use present tense to describe action within a work of literature. Be consistent, or your reader gets dizzy. BAD: Beowulf is composed 1400 years ago, then a monk wrote it down. As the story

unfolded, Beowulf kills monsters and saved his people, then died and is buried. GOOD: Beowulf was composed 1400 years ago, then a monk wrote it down. As the

story unfolds, Beowulf kills monsters and saves his people, then dies and is buried.

7. FR indicates a Fragment, a pseudo-“sentence” that cannot stand alone; it lacks a subject or verb, or is subordinated somehow. Fix by adding words, or combining with other sentences. BAD: Aaron despises Belinda. Because she bench presses more than he does. GOOD: Aaron despises Belinda because she is bench presses more than he does.

8. RO indicates a Runon, two or more sentences improperly joined or incompletely separated. Just inserting a comma makes a Comma Splice! Use conjuction or semicolon, or a period. BAD: Jaron beat the computer at chess the computer won at tennis. (Runon) BAD: Jaron beat the computer at chess, the computer won at tennis. (Comma Splice) GOOD: Jaron beat the computer at chess, but the computer won at tennis. (conjunction) GOOD: Jaron beat the computer at chess; the computer won at tennis. (semicolon) GOOD: Jaron beat the computer at chess. The computer won at tennis. (separation)

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Major Convention Errors (continued)9. REF indicates a problem with Pronoun Reference. If one must reread your paper to

figure out what “he” or “it” or another pronoun means, your writing is confusing; be clear. BAD: With Claudius and Hamlet, he kills him as he sleeps. (Who sleeps? Who dies?) GOOD: Claudius kills the sleeping Hamlet as soon as they are alone.

10. PA indicates Pronoun-Antecedent Disagreement. Some constructions SEEM plural but are not. Constructions like “a person,” “each student,” variations on “one” and “body” (anyone/anybody, everyone/everybody, no one/nobody, someone/somebody) are singular, and need singular pronouns, just as plurals need plurals. Mixing these up creates the error. BAD: Everyone is entitled to their own opinion on how they should live. (mixup)

NOTE – you KNEW “everyone” was singular because you used singular verb“is”! GOOD: Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion on how s/he should live. (all

singular) GOOD: Individuals are entitled to their own opinions about how to live. (all plural)You can use Ctrl+F to detect this error: type in those plural pronouns (they, them, their, themselves) and then check to be sure that they refer only to plural antecedents like “people.”

11. SV indicates Subject-Verb Disagreement. Again, singular nouns need singular verbs; plurals need plurals. Problems arise with inverted or interrupted constructions like these: BAD: There is many reasons people fail. Beowulf, like other folks, fail sometimes. GOOD: There are many reasons people fail. Beowulf, like other folks, fails sometimes.

12. PUN indicates Punctuation error. Most common are comma or apostrophe errors. Use commas if reading reveals a pause or shift of emphasis, often after an adverbial

phrase or clause: “In other words, he is grumpy.” Learn to listen for this. Apostrophes go in contractions and possessives.

o EXCEPTION: “It’s wise to keep a gun in its holster.” Apostrophes are placed AFTER “s” in plural possessives, but are NOT used to

indicate plurals themselves: “The girls’ locker room is for girls only.”

Again, this is not about grammatical fussiness. Certain minor errors – split infinitives, for instance – may be marked on your paper, and will call for correction; but they will not be penalized in your grade. But the errors listed here can cause confusion for a reader, and so hurt your essay, and so hurt your grade. Learn to avoid them!

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BritLitComp Units, 2013-2014Subject to Change; see Unit Calendar or Website for specific dates

Unit One: The Legacy Of 1066 (August 5 to September 27) Literary Texts: Beowulf, Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, other medieval poems Informational Texts: Jaron Lanier, John Gardner, Orwell, Kierkegaard, Machiavelli, others

Daily Assessments: Diagnostic Essay, Freewrites, CLOZEs, Reading Guides Major Assessments: Notebook, Reading Journal, Unit Test, Unit Project, Analytical Essay #1

Holidays: Labor Day September 2; Fall Break September 30 – October 4

Unit Two: Chaos, Paradox, and Madness (October 7 to December 17) Literary Texts: Hamlet; Much Ado About Nothing; Sonnets by Shakespeare and others Informational Texts: James I, Heisenberg, Orwell, Chesterton, other essayists

Daily Assessments: Freewrites, CLOZEs, Reading Guides Major Assessments: Notebook, Reading Journal, Unit Test, Unit Project, Analytical Essay #2

Holidays: Early Release (Short Class) October 24-25; Thanksgiving Break November 25-29

Unit Three: Reason, Truth, and “Monstrous Designs” (January 6 – March 13) Literary Texts: Paradise Lost, Gulliver’s Travels, poems by Pope and others Informational Texts: Essays by Milton, Swift, Orwell, Chesterton, Jaron Lanier, others

Daily Assessments: Freewrites, CLOZEs, Reading Guides Major Assessments: Notebook, Reading Journal, Unit Test, Unit Project, Analytical Essay #3;

Major Project Essay introduced Holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday January 20; Early Release February 13-14;

President’s Day February 17; Student Holidays March 14-17

Unit Four: The Modern Vision (March 18 – May 21) Literary Texts by Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats, Byron, Percy and Mary Shelley,

Tennyson, Hopkins, Eliot, Yeats, and others

Informational Texts by Wordsworth, Coleridge, Wollestonecraft, Eliot, Orwell, Chesterton

Daily Assessments: Freewrites, CLOZEs, Reading Guides Major Assessments: Notebook, Reading Journal, Unit Test

Holidays: Spring Break April 18-25 Final Examination – Major Project Essay is the focus of May work

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