Both of the major writing assignments will follow the same process. Step one is to find a scholarly essay or book chapter, of at least 10 pages, and read and annotate as was discussed and practiced in class. From the annotations you are to compose a summary of the article. If you article is more than 10 pages, which it will likely be, you are to annotate and summarize the whole thing. If you cannot find an article or chapter of at least 10 pages, you my work with multiple articles and chapters and summarize them all. Having summarized the essay, you are then to write between 500 and 750 words explaining how the essay(s) helped you better understand, enjoy or appreciate the texts the essay addressed.

Writing Assignment

You are going to annotate and summarize a piece of research/scholarship (minimum of 10 pages in length) regarding any of the readings through The Scarlet Letter, in whole or part (meaning a single poem, one of the groupings of poems, or all of them, or maybe something else, but talk to me about it if you are unsure). Following the annotation and summary, you are going to write 500-750 words describing how the summarized material has informed, enlightened or confused/complicated your understanding of the essay's topic. I'll be happy to talk individually or with the whole class about this, so be sure to ask if you need to.

Introduction

The introduction should do the following: provide article/essay author's name (full name on first mention), the title of the text being summarized, and the point the summary is seeking to make. Additionally, there should be some general background information about the point that will be raised by the thesis and response section of the essay.

Summary Clearly and Objectively Reflects Original Text

An effective summary does a number of things in order to describe as accurately and briefly as possible the substance or main ideas contained in a text:

1. presents material in the same order as the original,
2. provides a clear indication of each major/main detail,
3. maintains the main idea and perspective of the original,
4. devotes a proportional amount of material to that provided in the original,
5. refrains from interjecting the summarizer's opinions (I think Orwell believes that . . . ),
6. and the ideas are clearly acknowledged as those of the original author (Didion writes . . . ).

A few specific examples are okay, but the summary should not be overload with them nor consist almost completely of them.

Response presents student views on text

The response should develop and/or refine your idea(s) on some part(s) of the original. You need not respond to the whole essay (in fact, responding to all the reading or all the ideas in the reading will likely result in an under-developed response, which is why I suggest no more than three response points; the fewer points responded to, the better), but the more the response encompasses the over-arching ideas and concepts found wending their way through in the original, the more effective the response is likely to be. An effective response will link each of its points to a clearly and readily identifiable portion of the original and/or its summary. There are specific examples to illustrate the relationship between each point of the response and the summary/original. How do the various points/ideas fit with what you see happening in the world today? In making your views clear, this is the place to use specific examples from the original text as well as examples you might pull from elsewhere. When you either quote or paraphrase, provide a citation.

Conclusion

Generally speaking, a conclusion should drive home the point of the essay (as expressed by the thesis), creating a sense of finality and understanding. Not only does an effective conclusion go beyond restating points raised by the thesis and essay, it does so in a way that leaves the present essay concluded while also leaving the reader wanting to know more.

Paragraphs

Paragraphs should be coherent units of thought. Each should contain a topic statement/sentence that limits development to one idea/point, general and/or specific examples to illustrate the point, and some explanation establishing the relationship between the paragraph and the thesis. There is a clear topic sentence/statement, exemplary development through the use of examples both general and specific, and a clear explanation tying the material to the thesis. Ideally the material is ordered for greatest effectiveness.

Paragraph elements

This applies to your response much more than your summary.

1. Open with a sentence that indicates the point of the paragraph: When considering the use of feminine rhyme schemes to highlight gender concerns, [essay author] compels future readings of the [text] to be seen anew.
2. Second part of the essay makes it clear why the topic of the paragraph matters:
3. Specific examples are provided, from both the research and the poetry/play to illustrate the point:./li>
4. Explanation is provided to tie the paragraph back to the thesis, to establish the relationship between the evidence of the paragraph and the claim of the thesis. In the writing of an argument, connecting these "dots" is essential in getting the reader to see things your way.