Aristotle's from Poetics

1. Aristotle's from Poetics discusses the constituent parts of a tragedy. According to Aristotle, the most important part is the organization of the events, the plot. After doing a close reading of from Poetics, explain, based on Aristotle's interpretation that Sophocles' Oedipus the King is, indeed, a tragedy. (Remember to reference both pieces of literature in MLA format when you quote from the text.) Essay Guidelines What is a Literary Analysis? A literary analysis explains a work of fiction, poetry or drama by means of interpretations. The goal of a literary analysis (as with any other analysis) is to broaden and deepen your understanding of a work of literature. Your interpretation of a literary work or combination of works will often be the thesis of your paper. Remember: A paper without a thesis is not acceptable. Do not use first person (I, we, us) or second person (you). Do not use contractions (note that it\'s is a contraction and means \"it is\"). Avoid such informal terms and phrases as kids/guys/a lot/great (as in \"a great guy\"). Avoid the passive. Not a person that, but a person who (a dog that; a wheelbarrow or house that); a student who; a hero who; a singer who. Do not retell the story. I\'ve read it. (You may provide immediate context for your analysis, however.) Remember a poem should be in quotes not underlined or italicized. Titles of books, however, would be italicized or underlined. Discuss literature as if it were happening now, in the present tense, not in the past tense--and be consistent. Quote from the text we use in the course and use plenty of quotations. You cannot write an essay from memory; you must go back and do some re-reading to write an effective essay, and you must use quotes for the text to back up your assertion and thesis. Remember to follow MLA guidelines in your essay and introduce the author, the story, and include page numbers. For example: In “Young Goodman Brown” Nathaniel Hawthorne uses a young Puritan's trip into the woods at nighttime to symbolize man's inner struggle with good and evil. Brown's first struggle occurs when he must leave his new bride at home to make the journey. Hawthorne has chosen to name Brown's wife, Faith; therefore, Brown is turning his back on Faith as he journeys into the unknown. As he is leaving her side he laments, “'Poor little Faith!' thought he….'What a wretch I am to leave her on such an errand!'” (328). Your paper should include several quotes to back up the point you are trying to prove. The author[s] should be mentioned in the first of your essay by his or her complete name, and throughout the rest of your paper he or she should be referred to by last name only. The same goes if you are discussion multiple authors within your essay. Provide a separate Works Cited page--always. It's a Tragic, Tragic World Then you begin your essay by tabbing in one-half inch and continue your essay through double-spacing (for some reason, this page will not let me double-space this example). Essay form and paragraph structure is important. Each paragraph should begin with a topic sentence that contains the point you intend to prove within that paragraph. Your quotes to prove your topic sentence should be in your paragraph, and the last sentence of the paragraph should be a summary statement of what your paragraph explained. This information is a bit elementary…but some students tend to forget their grammar and writing manners, so I like to provide a simple reminder!