Theme analysis in Orientation by Daniel Orozco

All semester long, we have discussed the idea of “cognitive closure”, which is, in Maria Konnikova’s words, “a drive for certainty in the face of a less than certain world”. Seeking cognitive closure is a process by which we find answers in a world where “answers” may seem impossible to find. Along those same lines, we have worked to “make literature matter” to us both individually and collectively, exploring the meaning behind words and symbols, the significance of setting, and tracing why we connect to certain characters and how they change throughout a story. This final paper is your application of everything we have done so far: the literary terms we have defined, the analysis we have done as a class, the writing you have done in your short papers, the personal connections you have made (or not made) to the various literary works we have read, and especially the thinking you have done about each work. For your final paper, select ANY work that has been assigned in English 112 and write a 4-6 page (of at least 1000 words) analysis paper focusing on the theme of the work. A theme is the main message/claim/moral that an author is making about a work. In trying to find a work’s theme, ask yourself this key question: What is this story trying to teach readers? Remember: There is not a right or wrong answer to this question! A theme is a reader’s interpretation of the messages present in the story… This means there might be multiple lessons! Your job is to pick the one that you feel is most important and present an argument that shows how this theme exists in the story. You may use any material from the three short papers you have written thus far in class. In fact, I encourage you to do so, and frequently, I have made comments in the margins of your papers while I graded them, suggesting areas where you might add more, clarify, or fine tune your ideas if you were to turn that into your final paper. Obviously, this is a longer paper, so you should certainly aim to add a great deal more than just what your short paper said. Further to that though, this paper is an analysis of theme, so your focus will be slightly different than it was for any of the short papers. You should still be able to use what you have written already and simply add more and edit what you have to fit the goal here: to explore the theme of a literary work. A few things you will need to include for this paper… This is a formal essay, so you need a thesis statement that makes a claim about the theme of the literary work you will be discussing. You will also need to place this thesis in an introduction that grabs your reader’s attention, introduces your topic, and presents your thesis. You will support your thesis with 3-5 body paragraphs that do the following: •Make a statement that helps prove the thesis •Find 3-5 pieces of evidence from the text to support that claim •Explain why this evidence is significant. (This is where you analyze… this is where you answer the question: “so what?”) Your paper should also have a conclusion that sums up what you have written, restates your thesis, and leaves your reader thinking (answer this question: why does this paper matter?). When using outside source material, make sure you are citing using the proper MLA standards and including a Works Cited page (even if the only work you are citing is the poem or story you are writing about). Please consult the Purdue OWL for help with citation: https://owl(dot)english(dot)purdue(dot)edu/owl/resource/747/01/ While I have not been too picky about citations in your previous essays, I will be taking them into account on this final essay, so please make sure you are citing correctly. Other things to consider for this paper: Your job here is NOT to judge the story, its characters, or the lesson itself. If you are merely responding to the story (ie. “The Lottery” is barbaric, the mother in “Girl” is judgmental) that is not true analysis; that is response writing. Try to keep yourself from judging the work, and instead, focus on what it means and how it comes to mean this. How YOU personally have responded to the work – and by that I mean whether or not you liked it and what you thought of it – is not how others will likely find value in it. Think of when someone tells you whether you should or shouldn’t like something based on what they think of it. For example, if you ask someone how they liked a movie and they say “It was boring. You won’t like it”; that is making an assumption about your reaction. Now, depending on who is saying this, you might take their word for it. However, have you ever been told you wouldn’t like something only to find out that you did later? And weren’t you grateful that you still gave whatever it was a chance? Therefore, don’t tell your readers whether they should or shouldn’t like this work, and resist passing judgment on characters, plot, etc. Instead, show them what they can learn from the story. Give them something that they can’t get from just reading it themselves. Along those same lines, do not just summarize the work and call it a day. If all you are doing is repeating the events of the story, you are summarizing, NOT analyzing. You will need to do some summary throughout your paper, and you will be using facts, details, and quotes from the text itself, but you will use these details to support your own analysis and it will give you more material to work with. A good rule of thumb is to present multiple examples from various areas of the text in each paragraph as support. This way, you are focusing on the examples and what they mean rather than retelling the story itself. Assume your reader has already read the story; they already know the events of the story, the characters, etc. Tell your reader what the story and those events, characters, symbols, etc. mean. Also, something to keep in mind: make sure the bulk of the writing is your own. This means that you should aim to paraphrase details from the text rather than quote them. In most circumstances, quotes should be a sentence long or less (two sentences at most). If you have a quote that is longer, strongly consider paraphrasing (putting it into your own words) instead. The formatting for this paper is as follows: 4-6 pages (which roughly translates to 1000 words at the very minimum), double-spaced, with 12 point standard fonts (Times New Roman, Garamond, Arial, etc.), and standard 1 inch margins on all sides. Your name should be on every page. Remember to use spell check and grammar check before turning anything in. Reading aloud yourself, or having a friend (or writing tutor!) read your paper aloud is a fantastic way to catch small errors and edit for clarity. **If you go to the PIER Tutoring Center and have your paper looked at by a writing tutor, make sure you get a “Proof of Visit” form signed by the tutor you work with and attach it with your final copy. Do this and I will add 5 extra credit points towards your total grade for the assignment.** The Tutoring Center will close for the semester at the end of the day on Wednesday, May 7th. Therefore, if you plan to take advantage of the extra credit opportunity, make sure you do so before May 7th. Guidelines for paper submission: its a alot is this not what he wants