Due to the announcement at the end of class, we did not have time to review good analytical paragraph format. Here is the handout from last year with a formula for those who don't know where to begin.
Possible Steps to Follow When Citing Text in an Analytical Paragraph
1. Topic sentence of your paragraph (what your paragraph will be about)
2. Context of the quotation (where in the story it is written, what the situation is in which it is said, etc.)
3. Introduction to the quotation (who says this? the author? the narrator? another character? ) Use a comma to introduce the quotation; Use a colon if the quotation is introduced by a complete thought. *
4. The quotation itself (include page number in parentheses)
5. Explanation of the quotation in your own words or what about this evidence caused you to use it.
6. Analysis of the quotation (why is this important? How does this quotation relate to your thesis? How does this piece of evidence support the point you wish to convey? It is your job to make the connection explicit.)
MOST OF YOUR PARAGRAPH SHOULD BE SPENT ANALYZING - USING YOUR OWN WORDS TO EXPLAIN HOW AND WHY THE QUOTATION SUPPORTS YOUR OVERALL POINT.
(Step 1) Utterson tries hard to repress his shadow side like a good Victorian gentleman, but he knows that this repression is unhealthy and unnatural. (Step 2) For example, after he decides that Hyde must be blackmailing Jekyll for some past reckless behavior, Utterson (Step 3 and 4) "brooded awhile on his own past, groping in all the corners of memory, lest by chance some Jack-in-the-Box of an old iniquity should leap to light there"(54). (Step 5) Here Utterson forces himself to access his memories of possible shameful behavior in order to protect himself from being in a situation like he thinks Jekyll is in. (Step 6) "Corners of memory" implies that Utterson has put all his shameful behavior in the most inaccessible place in a box or trunk. "Groping" suggests that he is reaching out in confusion, in the dark for these long repressed memories. It is as if he has realized that by dealing with these memories, he can prevent the surprise should "an old iniquity leap to light" like a "Jack-in-the-Box." He seems to know that the more aware you are of your entire being and history, even the bad side, the less you will be surprise by it and the less likely you will become vulnerable to someone wishing to exploit you.
DO NOT FORGET: When you are critically reading, you want to take note of the writer's techniques. That means you need to look beyond the meaning of the words on the page. Think about how the words make meaning, evoke feelings, ideas, etc.
Also, the people who email me that they have looked at this website will receive 5 points of extra credit on the summer reading quiz.
HOMEWORK: Write the thesis statement and first paragraph for the essay on pp. 114-115 in CI.
