LIT 3180: ANALYTICAL PAPER
As the semester has progressed, we have read a number of graphic novels that have engaged with gender roles, sexuality, queerness, violence, class, and race in various ways. Just as your creative interpretation helped expand your thinking about graphic novels and other literary texts, and analytical writing helps you focus your thinking. For this paper you will analyze the representation of one theme that engages gender roles, sexuality, queerness, violence, class, or race (or another theme of your choosing) in some way in a graphic novel of your choosing that we have read together as a class thus far. This will be a claim-based paper, so you will be developing that claim throughout the essay and supporting it with a discussion of specific panels and pages within the work. In other words, you are forming an academic argument.
Most analyses grow out of questions you have about elements of graphic novels; for this reason, it is likely that this paper will emerge from one of your response papers so look to them for ideas.
Whatever your focus, make sure you engage the ideas found in Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics and explain how the methods he has identified are used to aide in shaping your theme. In other words, you aren't simply analyzing the written language of the graphic novels. You are expected to analyze the images as well.
NOTE: Analysis goes beyond simply description. You must explain WHY the author uses the visuals in the ways that they do and WHY (for what purpose).
NOTE: THE IDEAS FOUND IN THIS PAPER MUST BE YOUR OWN. YOU MAY NOT USE OUTSIDE SOURCES!
What is Literary Criticism and How Do I Write a Paper of This Nature?
At its very basic definition, literary criticism is a written evaluation of a work of literature that attempts to enlighten a reader about the underlying meaning of the text, whether it is a play, poem, short story, or novel (or graphic novel).
Purpose
In this type of paper a writer is forming an academic argument. As the writer you are arguing that your interpretation of the text is a valid - not the only interpretation - in an attempt to aid the reader in “seeing” the text in a new light or from a different perspective that perhaps may be different from their own.
Audience
Your audience is made up of academics, scholars, literary critics, professors, and students (who are academics, scholars, and literary critics). You should assume that they have read the text and are familiar with its contents. Because of this you would never merely retell the story because your audience is already familiar with it. This would also conflict with the purpose of this type of paper. You are to discuss underlying meaning, not retell the events of the story.
Because your audience is a scholarly one, your paper must be presented in a formal manner. You should use high diction and avoid first person, personal pronouns, and contractions.
Essay Focus & Organization
The Essay Purpose and Your Overall Claim:
Your essay should respond to the following questions:
What is the most important idea found in this graphic novel and why? What is its significance to the text as a whole?
Answer these questions in one sentence. This becomes the overall claim/thesis for your essay (the point you are attempting to prove).
Title: Did you give your essay a title? Keep in mind that this title should reflect the entire content of your paper and set up an expectation for your reader about your paper’s topic. It should mention three things: 1) The title of the work you are discussing 2) The author's name (of that work) 3) Mention what you see as the important idea
Introduction: Your introduction should be a general preview the entire content of your essay (and never present specifics/quotes). In your opening line, you also need to mention the author and titles of the text you plan to examine. You must also state an overall claim/thesis in the intro (usually toward the end of the paragraph). You also need to include a “so what” statement. In other words, explain the significance of your claim in the broader context of the text as a whole. Remember that what you are writing is academic argumentation. Convince your reader that your interpretation is valid. You shouldn’t argue that it is the only interpretation. You are simply claiming that it is the most important one. The intro is your chance to explain why you think so.
Body: The body of your paper is where you must provide the reader with all of the minute details of your argument and interpretation. Here you will make sub-claims (statements and assertions that support your overall claim/thesis). These are the equivalent of topic sentences for a paragraph. Just remember that each of these statements must relate back to your claim/thesis and don’t’ leave it up to your reader to guess what this connection may be. They are readers of criticism, not mind readers. Explain to them what you think the connections are. Do this for each example that you provide.
Remember, you want to repeat these steps throughout the body of your paper:
1)Make an assertion (sub-claim) about the text(s) you are discussing. This becomes a topic sentence/sub-claim that you will place at the beginning of your paragraph.
2)Provide evidence from the text that illustrates or supports this assertion (a quote or quotes from the text).
3)Explain how this evidence illustrates the assertion/point you are attempting to make. Explain this example’s connection to your thesis/overall claim.
Steps 2 & 3 are the supporting points of the paragraph for the sub-claim you created in step one.
Essay Conclusion: The conclusion should be a general summary of the entire content of the body of your paper and restate the claim/thesis. It should also re-emphasize the “so what” explanation.
You cannot have new information in a conclusion.
NOTE: WHEN READ TOGETHER THE INTRO AND CONCLUSION SHOULD FORM ONE IDEA.
Also be sure that:
-You use present tense verbs when relating the events of the story/poem/play/novel.
-Do not summarize the plot. Your readers are familiar with the text and have read it. Only relate events that are relevant to your INTERPRETATION of the text.
-Keep in mind that your readers are highly educated. Don’t, for instance, provide definitions for words (i.e., Webster’s Dictionary defines confusion as …) Your audience would consider this an insult.
- Don't use first person, contractions, or personal pronouns (such as you, we, me, mine, my, our, ours). These are considered too informal. Instead, use phrases like "a reader may notice that," "one could interpret this to mean," etc.
-Be sure that you set up your quotes in the body of your paper.
-Discuss the text or the historical context of the text only. Never include personal examples from your own life, etc.
-Do not use floating quotes: Read this explanation.
FORMAT
Your essay should have a title and be formatted using MLA format. It should be typed, double spaced, with one-inch margins all around, Times New Roman Font, & 12 pt. Your paper should be 4 FULL PAGES up to 5 FULL PAGES; in addition, you must include a works cited page. Refer to OWL at Purdue for questions about MLA format and citations.
This paper will include a rough draft, a peer review, feedback from SmartThinking, a revision plan based on that report, and a reflection.
Your grade for this essay will be determined as follows:
Total Possible Points: 80/
Focus (22 points): Does essay have a clear purpose (show how the page advances a clear theme or show the relationship between multiple themes? Provide the images/story line on the chosen page? Present a clear meaning/interpretation?
Development (22 points): Are there detailed descriptions of how artist's use of style, space, size/shape, line, transitions,symbol, and design to advance the theme? Does the writer use this knowledge to create a basis for breakdown with the purpose and audience squarely in mind? Help others understand the image as they do?Does the writer avoid giving detail without illustrating importance? Does the writer break the work down into individual components and discuss their importance to the work as a whole? Does the writer appropriately use outside scholarly sources as backing (further evidence) to support their claims and engage with their theme?
Organization (22 points): Do ideas and paragraphs proceed in logical and apparent sequence or pattern? Does writer use sufficient audience cues to let the reader know what has been discussed, what is being discussed, or what will be discussed? Does writer use attention-getting title and lead-in, paragraph hooks, transitional words and phrases? Does writer guide the reader from beginning to end?
Style (7 points): Is language clear direct and readable? Are sentences clear, concise, and easily read by intended audience? Is word choice appropriate for audience? Do sentences reveal and sustain appropriate voice and tone?
Mechanics (7 points): Are there obvious errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar? Are there patterns of error? Cite outside sources appropriately and include a works cited page in the appropriate format?
NO INVENTION WORK (-7 POINTS) (Annotations per instructions)
NO 1ST DRAFT ON DUE DATE (-7 POINTS)
NO PEER CRITIQUE (-7 POINTS)
NO CONFERENCE (-7 POINTS)
NO REFLECTION (-7 POINTS)
NO PROCESS=NO GRADE
Grading scale:
A 72-80
B 64-71
C 56-63
D 48-55
F 0-47
