Hello, I am trying to hire someone who can assist me with completing class work for EnglishA, English B (black literature) and humanities class. Please find the syllabus for each class below
English B- /file/d/1pTnxZ540DPesQ6FhFs3G02EPEx6vZ3cC/view?usp=share_link
ENGLISH A-
“INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE” CLASS SYLLABUS
Spring 2024
February 12 – June 5
“What I like best is a book that’s at least funny once in a while… What really knocks me out is a book that, when you’re all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn’t happen much, though.”
1. D. Salinger (b. 1919), U.S. author. The narrator (Holden Caulfield), in The Catcher in the Rye, ch. 3 (1951).
“Art is only a means to life, to the life more abundant. It is not in itself the life more abundant. It merely points the way, something which is overlooked not only by the public, but very often by the artist himself.”
Henry Miller (1891–1980), U.S. author. The Wisdom of the Heart, “Reflections on Writing” (1947).
MATERIALS REQUIRED
• Backpack Literature (Sixth Edition) by X.J. Kennedy, Dana Gioia, and Dan Stone (Pearson) ISBN 978-0134756790
• King Hedley II, a play by August Wilson (Theatre Communication Group), ISBN 978-15599362603
• A Pocket Style Manual by Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers – or any grammar reference book that offers the MLA rules. ISBN 978-1319169541
For an extra credit assignment, any two stories from any one of these three books:
• The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea by Christopher (Optional), ISBN 978-1411647619
• The Benefits of Breathing by Christopher (Optional), ISBN 978-0986326554
Optional: any of my three collections of short stories or any of my five novels may be used for extra credit. To get extra credit, you’ll compare and contrast any two of my stories. Some stories are free online. More specifics will come. I’m happy to answer any questions you have about my work. It’s another way to learn what goes into fiction.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course is part two of two that prepares you to write and read well and think critically. This course introduces students to literature and to literary analysis through the genres of poetry, fiction, and drama. By reading, discussing, and writing about literature, you should, by the end of the semester, be able to:
(1) read literature carefully and with comprehension;
(2) think critically and organize your thoughts;
(3) command a clear and effective prose style;
(4) write critical papers.
Your writing and tests must demonstrate your successful completion of these objectives.
Student Learning Outcomes
Given full-length, college-level texts, the student will plan, write, and revise a well-articulated essay of at least 1000 words that demonstrates familiarity with genre conventions and the ability to analyze, interpret, and evaluate such texts. Students will be assessed by their critical abilities in homework assignments and at least one essay.
The student will identify the ways in which narratives, poetry, drama, and literary analyses are shaped by an author’s social, historical, moral, psychological, and/or philosophical assumptions. The student can recognize and examine in writing the assumptions and values that frame his or her own critical responses. Students will be assessed by homework, unit exams, and oral presentations.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
This Particular Class
This is a college class. It’s not like high school, where you had to attend. No one must attend college. College is for people who want to learn and get ahead in life. English is required because in the workplace, great writing and communication skills are needed for well-paying jobs. My job is to get you writing and thinking at a more advanced level. It requires your curiosity and effort.
That means you must figure out what you need to do to write at a polished level. If you are not used to writing essays, writing critically, or proofreading your writing, you should get extra help. You know your strengths and weaknesses. If you don’t, you will soon with my feedback on each of your assignments.
This course is designed with the idea that you may not start off writing at a high level, but my feedback should get you there. Therefore, get extra help immediately on your weak areas.
Third, you can schedule an office hour meeting with me, and we can meet on Zoom.
Attendance
Regular attendance is vital. This is a scheduled class, so please show up on time. If you are late and miss roll-call, then be sure to see me after class to mark you as having attended. Otherwise, you will show up as absent for that date.
policy allows you to be dropped if you miss more than four regular classes. Excessive absences lower your participation grade, or you simply may receive an “F.” Three unexcused tardies (including leaving early) equals one absence. Grading is done on a point system, so when you are absent more than twice, you lose one point per absence. Again, if you are late, meet with me at the end of class to check that you are on the day’s attendance roster. If you don’t tell me that you were late, you’re marked as absent.
Attending a play
We are going out to see a performance of King Hedley II at the A Noise Within Theatre We will also be reading it in class. You will also write a review of the performance you see.
Thanks to A Noise Within, the expensive tickets are only $20 for you. If you want to bring a friend or family member, you can get an extra ticket at the same student price. There are two dates, Thursday, April 4, 7:30 p.m. or Sunday April 7, 2 p.m. Thus, you’ll have a choice of an evening performance or an afternoon show. I’ll ask for payment at the second and third class.
If you can’t make either of those two performances, you can go on your own, buying tickets from the box office on your own. If you simply can’t make it, I have an alternative, a different play you will watch online and review. I will explain more in class.
Class Meetings
We will be spending four and a half weeks on each unit (drama, poetry, fiction)—and the days go quickly. If you miss a class, you miss part of that unit, and it’s easy to fall behind quickly. If you hope to get an “A” in this course, don’t try to miss any class. If you miss a class, you are responsible for getting the notes from another student. The following schedule is the plan:
Feb. 12 – Introduction
Feb. 14 – Fiction
Feb. 19 – no class, Presidents Day
Feb. 21 – Fiction
Feb. 26, 28 – Fiction
Mar. 4, 6 – Fiction
Mar. 11, 13 –Fiction
Mar. 18 – Test on Fiction
Mar. 20 – Drama
Mar. 25, 27 – Drama
Apr. 1, 3 – Drama
April 4 or 7 – Go to Play at A Noise Within, Pasadena
Apr, 8, 10 – No classes, Spring Break
Apr. 15, 17 – Drama
Apr. 22, 24 –Drama
Apr. 29 – Test on Drama
May 1 – Poetry
May 6, 8 – Poetry
May 13, 15 – Poetry
May 20, 22 – Poetry
May 27 – no class, Memorial Day
May 29, Jun 3 – Poetry
Test on Fiction on Day of Final – June 5
Writing format
For in-class writing, you will use a pen and paper and a blue book (available in the bookstore at Cayton, if it’s ever open). All homework assignments need to be typed and double-spaced in the MLA format. The MLA format you should have learned in English 1. You should get a reference book so that you can refer to the finer points of the MLA format and grammar. A Writer’s Reference by Diana Hacker is a good one. Double spacing, too, gives me room to insert corrections. If you do not know how to type or use word processing on a computer, you should learn on your own or get help.
Homework
To pass this class, you need to do the homework. Everything you do in this class earns points. Typical homework earns close to two points per assignment. Reviews and essays earn four points each on a 100-point scale. When you don’t turn in homework, you do not earn points. (See the Grading section near the end of this to get specifics.)
To get the homework assignments, you need to go to Canvas, SMC’s online interface. Assignments will be posted there weekly. You will upload your homework to Turnitin. Turnitin accepts DOC, DOCX, and PDF files, so if you’re not using Microsoft Word, then be sure to save your file in one of those three formats. Microsoft Word is free on the Cloud for SMC students.
You are expected to have all reading completed on the assigned dates. To enjoy the course, you must do the work. You will be asked to respond to most readings. As your student manual says, expect at least an hour and a half of homework for each hour of class. If you do not think you can keep up, drop the class now.
The only way to get an “A” is to attend nearly every class and do all the work well and on time. If you do less, you will earn less.
Studying
I encourage you to underline or highlight while you read, much as you might do in a science or math class. What do you highlight? It might be a line that pops out to you where you feel something. It might be a “truth,” something that speaks to you. It might be a character’s realization. It might be a turn in the action, where the plot now goes off in a new direction.
Feel free to write in the margins, such as “What’s this mean?” or “funny” or “Is this foreshadowing?” You might not know something is foreshadowing until you reach the end.
If you are renting your book, then use sticky notes to write on and stick onto the page. The point is to be interactive with the text. It makes you more aware. If you are using an eBook, learn how to make notations. It’s best to work with printed books, as I will explain in class.
Grammar and punctuation
This is not a developmental writing class. You are expected to know how to write in the MLA format. We will spend most of our time working with content, ideas, and approaches to writing. In entering this class, you are expected to write grammatically. If you are having specific grammatical problems, I will point them out in your writing, and I expect you will then learn how to avoid those errors. Feel free to use the Writing Center on the top floor of Dresher Hall. You will get a free one-on-one tutor.
Late Homework
Homework received at the due date gets the most credit; papers received after due date will be lowered in grade. I call it a late fee. Homework more than two weeks late will not be accepted at all. Homework with discussion threads only have a one-day extension as no one will be on the thread after a day. Not all professors accept late homework, but I do for a short time as I know sometimes life causes problems. If you’re often late, however, you won’t be able to get an “A.”
Failure to complete all assigned work will adversely affect your grade. Any student not officially dropped after the official final drop date must receive a grade in the class.
Tests
There will be an hour-and-twenty-minute test after we complete each section. The final test date will be used for a test on fiction. Each test will assess your knowledge of terms and will include a short essay.
Writing Style
Learning to write does not have to be dull. Reading does not have to be boring. The trick is for you to write interesting things that readers (often me) will enjoy. Writing can be considered a performing art.
Writing material that is interesting is easier than writing something colorless and dreary. When you like the subject you are writing about, the words flow. The same goes for reading. Which would you rather read, an essay that begins with A or B below?
1. The study of epistemology can be edifying, as it is both an educational and, even, an epistemological experience that unifies those who wish to ascertain the history of human knowledge.
1. “I think, therefore I am,” said the philosopher Descartes. What if, however, the moment you rise, you have to leap into your McDonalds’ uniform, sling Egg McMuffins and cheeseburgers for eight hours, ride your rusty bike over to an office building that you have to clean for $7 an hour—vacuuming the same gray carpets—before crawling into bed with dirty sheets? What if you don’t have time to think?
The first one has bigger words, so is it better? Too many college students think they must use big words and generalized meanings to be “correct.” Wrong. You have to be interesting. Don’t make your readers prefer to watch paint dry.
The best way to write is to engage yourself. In other words, begin in a way that grabs your own interest. During the semester, the search for good beginnings will be one of your challenges.
Quoting from ChatGPT or artificial intelligence is plagiarism. I will not accept it.
This course requires electronic submission of essays, papers, or other written assignments through Turnitin, an online writing evaluation software. Turnitin’s Originality Check conducts textual similarity reviews of submitted papers and for artificial intelligence. When papers are submitted to Turnitin, the service may retain a copy of the submitted work in the Turnitin database for the sole purpose of detecting plagiarism in future submitted works. Students retain copyright on their original course work. Please note that Turnitin does not accuse you of plagiarism; it is only identifying similarity to content in its database, and you or I will determine whether you used source material accurately and ethically.
The use of Turnitin is subject to the Terms of Use agreement posted on the website.
Grading
Tests 45% (45 points; each test is 15 points)
Group project in Poetry 3% (3 points)
Two essays, four points each 8% (8 points)
Turnitin Homework & Discussion Boards 29% (29 points)
Attendance and participation 15% (15 points)
Do not use Canvas’s grading tally for your grade as everything there has equal weight, when that’s not true AND it does not take everyone’s test grades or group projects into consideration. I use a precise spreadsheet that tallies all your points. If you do not turn in all your homework, for instance, then you will be missing points. Extra credit gives extra points.
Grading Guidelines: A student’s final grade in this class is based on the student’s total performance throughout the semester, not on any single individual work. If you want an “A” then you must perform more than just average. I don’t “give” grades—you earn them. If you show up sporadically and turn in assignments late, is that reflective of the best students? No. The following guidelines are intended to suggest the qualities that distinguish the performance of one student from another.
A grade of A is 90 to 100 points.
A grade of B is 80 to 89 points.
A grade of C is 70 to 79 points.
A grade of D is 60 to 69 points.
Below 60 points is an F. If you plagiarize, that is an F for the assignment and possibly for the course. Do not use ChatGPT. It’s cheating and Turnitin recognizes it. I want your thinking, not a computer’s thinking.
Suggestions for Success
–Your role is to come to each class prepared. Read the assigned reading and do the assigned writing before class and be ready to participate in class discussion. This course’s content will likely require you to re-read text to grasp the concepts covered.
–Students are encouraged to ask questions. The only wrong question is an unasked question.
–Never miss class; take advantage of this most valuable and productive learning time. Missing class will leave huge gaps and may leave you like a ship adrift in the fog. Take good notes, participate in class, and always ask when you are confused. Stay awake and aware.
— See the instructor during office hours. Study your notes immediately after each class session and review them frequently.
–You are not “given” a grade in this class. You will earn a total number of points (see Grading), which should reflect what you’ve learned. The points you earn will determine your grade.
Fairness and Respect
No matter who you are, what you do, or where you come from outside our class, you have entered an environment (our classroom) that is fair, where everyone begins and works on the same level playing field. I will show no favoritism for any reason. If you ever feel that I have treated you unfairly or have disrespected you in ANY way, please let me know so we can quickly fix the problem. My job is to work with you so that you will learn as much as possible in our class. Your success and future are solely your responsibility.
Further Notes
The instructor reserves the right to change or alter the schedule or amend any portion of this syllabus by announcing such changes in a regularly scheduled class meeting. You are responsible for knowing and following any such changes. For your own benefit, it is best to make the acquaintance of at least two of your fellow students and exchange phone numbers or e mail addresses so that you can find out about any classes that you miss.
Last Note
A syllabus can seem intimidating. English, however, can be an exciting subject, and I will make all attempts to show you the magic in this field of study. When presented well, English covers a huge range of ideas and touches your life. My goal is to get you to read and write more assuredly and feel more confident in your abilities. If you have a sincere desire to learn, you will do well. Reading and writing well can only help you in your future careers.
SYLLABUS: HUMANITIES
Principles of Humanities
Syllabus is tentative and subject to change by the Instructor
Text: The Humanities: Culture, Continuity & Change, 3rd or 4th edition, Volume I (Prehistory to 1600), by
Henry M. Sayre (Pearson Publishing) – (we will read Chaps 1-13 from Volume I)
All texts and all supplemental handouts are required for this class, and must be read prior to the
appropriate classes for discussion and note-taking. (See syllabus’ Assignment schedule for readings.) You
can purchase this through our Canvas page, as well as in our College Bookstore, and an ebook is also
available.
Humanities Student Learning Outcomes:
Students in humanities classes are expected to read at or beyond college level, write in the expository style, and
demonstrate critical thinking skills in the humanities. Evaluations may consist of, but are not limited to
Reading comprehension and analysis,
• Expository writing, and
• Critical thinking skills demonstrated through oral and/or written communication, and assigned
research and/or projects in the Humanities.
Course Objectives and Outcomes: The objectives for this Principles of Humanities course are to (1) increase
student knowledge of humanities’ origins from both (a) an historical and (b) a topical perspective, (2) give
students the tools with which to identify and analyze basic genres in the humanities discipline, (3) provide
students with the tools to write in an expository fashion about the humanities, and (4) provide the basis for
students’ own critical thinking skills in response to the academic discipline of Humanities across cultures and
times. These areas will be “tested” via discussion/participation, writing assignments, presentations, and/or
exams – as indicated on the syllabus.
Themes: The humanistic genres including myth, poetry, history, religion/philosophy, art, music, science, etc.
will be presented by a look four components: (1) art (and/or artifacts), (2) writing and/or literature, (3)
architecture, and (4) power and hierarchy, which are foundational in the study of humanities as related in theme
to cross-cultural and cross-time examples. Other historical references up to the modern and contemporary
period may be added, along with the incorporation of art and music via lectures, internet sites, and/or film.
Writing Assignments: All writing assignments are to be typed (12-font and 1” margins is the preferred standard),
double-spaced, stapled, and written in the expository (rhetorical argument) style. All writing assignments are to
be turned in on the morning of the date assigned and must be submitted as Word documents (.doc or .docx) via
Canvas. The Professor reserves the right to refuse to grade a paper that is turned in past the due-date or time
when there has been no prior communication with the Professor, or if late (without permission), a writing
assignment will be marked down one letter grade for each day it is late. If a rewrite is expected or allowed by
the Professor, the student must first meet virtually with the Professor regarding the initial essay within one week
of the graded paper’s return and the subsequent rewrite must be turned in no more than two weeks after the
initial graded paper’s return except when preceded by the end of the semester. No essays or rewrites will be
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accepted after the final class of the semester. Each writing assignment comprises 1/5 of the total grade for
the course.
Paper due on the first class meeting during the week of:
Week 3 3-page essay on Chapters 1-4
Week 7 3-page essay on Chapters 9-11
Exams:
Week 5 Exam on Chapters 5-8
Week 8 Exam on Chapters 12-13
There are no make-up or re-scheduled exams unless there is a significant health issue or the like that can be
proven with sufficient documentation. Each Humanities exam comprises 1/5 of the total grade for the
course.
There are five equal components of a student’s grade for the course, as listed (in bold) above:
Participation; Writing assignments #1 and #2; and Exams #1 and #2.
Class: Assignment:
Week 1 Canvas Studio Videos: Syllabus, Overview of class, 4 Themes, etc. (Watch)
Read Chap 1 “The Rise of Culture: From Forest to Farm”
Discuss as per 1st paper assignment with last two pages of syllabus on writing
Watch the recorded Canvas Studio videos!
Read Chap 2 “The Ancient Near East: Power and Social Order”
Group work on your themes: art/ifacts, architecture, writing/lit., OR power/hierarchy (for
first paper on Chaps 1-4), as discussed in the recorded Canvas Studio Videos (Watch)
Week 2 Read Chap 3 “The Stability of Ancient Egypt: Flood and Sun”
Group work: your 1-sentence predictive thesis statements (for paper on Chaps 1-4)
Attend/Watch the recorded Canvas Studio Videos!
Read Chap 4 “The Aegean World and the Rise of Greece: Trade, War, and Victory”
Contine to revise your 1-sentence predictive thesis statements (for paper on Chaps 1-4)
Week 3 Essay 1 due on Chaps 1-4
Read Chap 5 “Golden Age Athens and the Hellenic World: The School of Hellas”
Attend/Watch the recorded Canvas Studio Videos!
Read Chap 6 “Rome: Urban Life and Imperial Majesty”
Group work: your themes for the upcoming test on Chaps 5-8
Week 4 Read Chap 7 “Emerging Empires in the East: Urban Life and Imperial Majesty in China
and India”
Bring in and workshop your 1-sentence predictive thesis statements (Chaps 5-8)
Attend/Watch the recorded Canvas Studio Videos!
Read Chap 8 “The Flowering of Christianity: Faith and the Power of Belief in the Early
First Millenium”
Group work: your 1-sentence predictive thesis statements (Chaps 5-8)
Week 5 Exam 1 on Chaps 5-8
Read Chap 9 “The Rise and Spread of Islam: A New Religion”
Group work: your themes for the upcoming paper on Chaps 9-11
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Watch episode 2 of Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s documentary Africa’s Great Civilizations
(2017), Episode 2 “The Cross and the Crescent” (53 minutes) embedded on Canvas and
this streams on:
(1) Films on Demand: /p_?seriesID=147146. (2)
And it can also be found at /video/x749270,
(3) as well as streaming on Amazon Prime, I believe.
Week 6 Read Chap 10 “Fiefdom and Monastery, Pilgrimage and Crusade: The Early Medieval
World in Europe”
Group work: your 1-sentence predictive thesis statements (Chaps 9-11) Attend/Watch
the recorded Canvas Studio Videos!
Read Chap 11 “Centers of Culture: Court and City in the Larger World”
Continue to revise your 1-sentence predictive thesis statements (Chaps 9-11)
Week 7 Essay 3 due on Chaps 9-11
Read Chap 12 “The Gothic Style: Faith and Knowledge in an Age of Inquiry”
Attend/Watch the recorded Canvas Studio Videos!
Read Chap 13 “Siena and Florence in the Fourteenth Century: Toward a New Humanism”
Group work: your theme and 1-sentence predictive thesis statements for the upcoming
test on Chaps 12-13
**See the Extra Credit Option (due before end of semester)
Week 8 Finish discussing Chap 13 “Siena and Florence in the Fourteenth Century: Toward a New
Humanism”
Attend/Watch the recorded Canvas Studio Videos!
Group work: your revised thesis statements (for test on Chaps 12-13)
Exam 2 on Chaps 12-13 – no later than Sat., March 23, 2024
EXPOSITORY WRITING (EW)
Sample Introductory Paragraphs
1. The book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible tells the stories of many Jewish leaders before the period of the kings
begins. One of the best known of these leaders, or judges, is Samson, whose life is described in Chapters 13-16.
Although Samson is ultimately a victorious Jewish leader against the Jews’ arch-foes of the time, the Philistines,
Samson nevertheless does not exhibit the customary qualities of a Jewish hero. Samson’s motives seem to be
self-interested rather than national, his morality appears contrary to his elevated role, and he repeatedly falls short
of his promises to his people and his God.
2. Major league baseball in the United States is divided into two divisions, the American and National Leagues. The
playing rules between the two leagues are not exactly the same. In 1973 the American League adopted a rule that
allows a non-fielding player to come to bat as a substitute for the weakest hitter on the defensive team. This
permanent substitute batter is known as the designated hitter (DH), and since 1973 baseball fans have been
divided over the institution of this rule. Even though the DH rule has added some offensive excitement to the
game, it ought to be eliminated. The DH rule has upset the tradition and uniformity of the game, it has distorted
the statistics between the two leagues, and it has reduced the cat-and-mouse strategy that is so important to
baseball.
Sample Thesis Statements
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1. Although baseball has a book of fixed rules and infield measurements, United States baseball parks differ greatly
in foul territory, outfield distance, and homerun fences. (Not a good thesis statement as it merely states facts and
should instead pose an argument.)
2. Although I had gone to camp every summer of my childhood, when I left for college I felt for the first time that I
had left home. My appetite, my growing pile of laundry, and my need for family contact all created a sense of
estrangement. (Not a good thesis statement as it is two sentences and should instead be a single sentence.)
3. Admitting that sequels are usually second rate, I found Return to Snowy River to be fresh in its cinematography,
characterization, and plot development. (Good thesis statement.)
4. While small town life has its advantages, growing up in rural America can produce a limited vision due to
inadequate schools, geographic isolation, and homogeneous populations. (Good thesis statement.)
Sample Ending Paragraph (aka “Conclusion”)
1. Entering college opened many doors to the future, but it also more or less closed the door to my parents’ home for
me. I had left home. This was first apparent to me through the little inconveniences, such as providing my own
meals, and later when I realized that my family was not readily available. Breaking one’s ties with home is one of
the principle passages in growing up. It is often more psychological than physical. For although we are usually
back and forth to our homes throughout our lives, there is one particular experience when we realize that we no
longer belong to our parents’ household.
Keyhole Pattern for Expository Paper
1. Introduction – broad opening
– narrow down to the 1-sentence thesis statement which
predicts the body paragraph number, order, and topics
2. Body – 2-4 or more paragraphs in body, each beginning with a topic
sentence that repeats a thesis prediction
3. Conclusion – restate thesis statement succinctly (1-2 sentences)
– summarize main ideas
– briefly expand to broader application
FORMAL WRITING (FW) (as per the MLA handbook, summer 2010)
Following are some dos and don’ts to observe in final drafts. Keep in mind that the style of a formal piece of writing should have the
look of thoroughness and elevation about it. By no means is this an exhaustive list, but enough to start with.
1. Papers must be typed in a 12 point font, with easily readable type-face (e.g. Times New Roman), double spaced on 8 1?2 x 11”
paper and stapled. (MLA Rule 4.2) “…Most instructors prefer papers printed on a single side, but some instructors encourage
printing on both sides as a means of conserving paper.” (MLA Rule 4.6)
2. Titles are not necessary, but may be used. Do not use such division-markers as “Introduction,” “The End,” etc. Do not use
numbers or letters as outline guides. “A research paper does not need a title page. Instead, beginning one inch from the top of
the first page and flush with the left margin, type your name, your instructor’s name, the course number, and the date on
separate lines, double-spacing between the lines. Double-space again and center the title.” (Rule 4.3)
3. Title pages are not necessary, but may be used. Title pages, like each subsequent page of the paper, must include your name,
class, date, and perhaps other pertinent matter. If using a title page, the numbering still begins with “1” being the first page of
written material, not the title page. (Rule 4.3)
4. In formal writing, avoid the look of haste and “short cuts”:
• Do not use contractions (e.g., I’m, don’t, should’ve – write these out) (Rule 3.2.7)
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• Avoid abbreviations except for the most accepted ones, such as “Mr.” (Rule 7.1)
• Spell out numbers written in one or two words (one, two hundred, three million) represent other numerals by
numbers (2 1?2, 101, 1,275) unless the numbers are used in dates, statistics, addresses, and text citations (e.g., act,
line, page, chapter). (Rule 3.5.2)
5. Avoid the use of first person (“I”) and second person (“you”). The use of “I” is unnecessary, as it is your paper, and is a less
authoritative and universal tone. The use of “you” implies and informal, personal tone between you and the reader. Formal
writing should be more objective, detached and universal. Also, do not refer to the essay you are writing or yourself as
author; it is obviously an essay and unless you are plagiarizing, it is obvious who wrote it.
6. Do not use clichés or slang. These expressions are suitable for speech and informal writing, but they are inappropriate for a
more elevated and exact style of writing.
7. This is closely related to “6.” above: Do not use words that are vague and general in meaning. Words like “good” and “nice”
mean so many things that they mean nothing in particular. Choose words that have a precise meaning. Never use “etc.”
formally.
8. Reference citation: When you try to prove or demonstrate a point in literary analysis, often you will need to cite supporting
passages (quotations). Check your MLA Handbook as the final source, but here are some guidelines:
• “If prose quotation runs no more than four lines and requires no special emphasis, put it in quotation marks and
incorporate it into the text.” (Rule 3.7.2)
• If you quote a passage fewer than four lines, you must keep the passage within the normal margins and spacing of
your paper. (Rule 3.7.2)
• At the end of a quoted passage, or where you merely refer to a passage, you must cite it. Use in-text source citations
(see MLA Handbook). Here abbreviations and numbers should be used. Put citations in parentheses. If possible, try
to use references that will allow a reader to find the passage in any edition. In other words, use line, verse, act and
book numbers rather than page numbers. Examples: (Gen. 3:2-7) (Od. XX, 359-65) (Inferno V, 13-19) (Hamlet IV,
ii, 7-12). (Sayre, Henry M. The Humanities: Culture, Continuity & Change, Volume I, Fourth Edition, Chapter 7,
pgs. 253-254) [Rule 6.1-6.4]
9. Italicize the titles of long, complete works (plays, novels, symphonies, books of poems, record titles, and long pieces within a
bigger work, such as Genesis from the Hebrew Bible). In typing you can use capital letters instead of underlining or
italicizing, but not both. Put quotation marks around titles of short works or generally parts of a longer work (chapter titles,
shorter poems, short stories, song titles); these cannot be capitalized, underlined or italicized. (Rule 3.6.2)
10. Avoid wordiness, especially tautological expressions that say the same thing twice: “new innovations,” “basic fundamentals,”
“a sweet and dear friend.” Also avoid unnecessary adverbs, particularly those which also fall under “7.” above (e.g., very).
11. Generally (this is not always possible or logical) try to remain in present tense when speaking about literature: “Odysseus is
(not “was”) a Greek warrior.” “God appears (not appeared) to Moses in Exodus.” “The character Dante, in Dante’s Inferno,
takes a journey in the afterlife, thanks to the intervention of Beatrice on his behalf.”
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