Writing Academic Essay En252

7/26/2019 Writing Academic Essay En252

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Writing the Academic Essay in English 252: The Process of Writing

By David Cope

Research

Choose yo!r topic and consider narro"ing it do"n according to the requirements of the essay

(number of pages). A paper on women’s issues in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and As You Like It

cannot be handled, for example, in 6 pages: you hae two older couples and two younger couples in the

first play, and four relationships in the second, which means you’d hae to write about eight women in 6

pages. !etter to narrow it down and address one from each play so that you can do "ustice to them.

Collect evidence:

a. #f you’re writing about $ermia and %osalind, for example, find all the passages where each

character appears in her play. &ou’ll need to get a feel for the arc or tra"ectory of the character, to

see how she grows and changes in the course of the play, and mar' out the ma"or quotes that

could wor' for you in your paper.

b. #t’s good to get some intelligent commentary on each character, too, to help you shape your

understanding of what you read. he simplest way is to read the essays in !loom’s Shakespeare:

the Invention of the Human, or to find a boo' on ha'espeare’s comedies. ome characters are

important enough to warrant boo's "ust on them*%osalind, for example, is studied extensiely in

!loom’s critical study entitled Rosalind &ou can also explore online, whether with high school

leel critical study, such as may be found at par'notes*generally a little simplistic, but at least

they as' the right questions and do gie some oeriew*but occasionally you can also find

serious critical studies using the same passwords. &ou should also consider chec'ing out online

databases such as Academic +nefile (clic' on atabases at the -% /ibrary homepage).

Assimilation

#tart early so that your research has time to 0coo'1*so that you can ponder it and explore how to

organi2e it in your paper, but also to raise questions about it with me or others and get second opinions.

tudents who wait until the last minute don’t hae time for this, and as a result, their papers are usually

hurried and not fully thought out.

$!tline

3%&ame plan%: an outline, whether the formal ariety or simply a list of how you’re going to organi2e

the materials of your essay, is basically a game plan*and li'e any other game plan, you may modify or

abandon it when, in the writing of your essay, you find a direction you hadn’t thought of when you first

set it up. %emember that writing is often a "ourney of discoery, and you may hae to ad"ust the essay

according to what the eidence actually gies you, rather than what you thought it was when you first

organi2ed your approach to it.

4



The academic essay in En 252 Cope 2

'irst Draft

%(etting go%: organi2e your sources and those materials you may want to quote so that they’re readily

aailable when you write*you don’t want to scramble to find something eery time you need a quote orto find a source that is necessary to a section of your essay.

)t*s often a good idea to "rite the +ody of the paper first, exploring what your premises, the

supporting eidence and critical statements actually 0do.1 he body of the paper is really the "ourney you

hae to ma'e, and when you get done with it, you’ll hae a better idea of what your thesis should be, and

how to approach it in the introduction.

)ntrod!ction: remember that you need to introduce the sub"ect clearly and concisely (in the example,

the heroines $ermione and %osalind in their respectie plays), show why their tra"ectories are important,

and proide the thesis that will gie a direction to your paper. ometimes a student will note, for

example, the oerbearing patriarchy of ha'espeare’s age, which ma'es it all the more remar'able that

his heroines hae such spun' and understanding of how to empower themseles and find the best possible

match despite the many pitfalls they face. his allows you to introduce the two heroines and perhaps

touch on the differences in the lessons they embody. ome papers een proide a 'ind of path to show

how they will proe this*naming the ma"or premises of the paper. &ou can refine the introduction, and

especially your thesis statement, once you hae finished this first 0trial run.1

Concl!sion: the conclusion is the most condensed part of the essay*transition from the body of the

text, restatement of the thesis collected together with the ma"or premises of the paper which proed it to

be true. he old critic 5aynard 5ac' used to call this the 0crowing1 section of the paper*li'e a rooster,

you imply that you said you’d proed , and haing shown the supporting premises to be true, you cannow 0crow1 oer the fact that these premises show the truth of the thesis.

-!otes, parenthetical references and Wor.s Cited: as you finish the first draft, ma'e sure you hae

enough quotes from the primary text (eidence from ha'espeare) and from any other sources you used.

&ou don’t want the paper top7heay on quotes, but you certainly want them in places where they drie a

point home beyond question. hec' with me if you hae questions.

Revision /as many times as necessary0

%&lo+al%: this sort of reision loo's at the 0big issues1 of the paper: organi2ation and deelopment.

a. $rgani1ation: 8irst, you hae to be sure that you hae introduced information in the right

order, that there’s a 0logic1 to the way you hae organi2ed it, and that you hae proided

transitions that create a flow in the essay so that the reader understands why she9he is moing

from one part of a sub"ect or of the essay to another. aragraphing is important, too: not too

long, but not too short, either. ay attention to format and other issues noted on the grading

sheet, too.



The academic essay in En 252 Cope

b. Development: &ou hae to weigh the logic and use of eidence in deelopment of the essay

*clarity of presentation (are there areas where the reader can’t figure out what you’re

saying;), whether premises*claims*are oerstated or understated, gien what the eidence

implies, whether you hae enough clear eidence to support the claim, and if you’e ignoredeidence that would contradict what you’re saying, etc. #t’s good to hae feedbac' from a

good critical reader who 'nows the text, if you can find someone*another student, an editing

session with me, or someone else.

%(ocal%: local issues include grammar and mechanics, and documentation. hese ma'e up the 0small

stuff1 that can sin' een a good paper.

a. &rammar and mechanics: see the style sheet. #f you’re fairly confident with sentence

structure, punctuation and the li'e, write the paper and put it away for a while, then come bac'

and read it aloud sentence by sentence, to be sure that each sentence is carefully constructed and

clear in its meaning, and to weigh whether you need to ma'e changes in punctuation. %emember

that, if you can’t figure out whether you need a comma at a specific place in a sentence, you can

copy it into an email and as' me. #f, on the other hand, you’re not ery confident about these

things, you can bring it to the writing lab and get help.

b.

3(A D$C43ETAT)$:

67 'or all doc!mentation 8!estions, refer to the Diana 9ac.er 3(A page:

http:99www.dianahac'er.com9resdoc9p<=>c<?>[email protected]

)7 '$R3AT

67 4se a standard font (e.g. the standard academic font, imes ew %oman, or a basic sans serif font,

such as Ariel) in 44 or 4@ point type7 3argins: one inch on all sides.

27 4se 3(A header for first pageB center your titleB double space throughout the paper, except in the

case of inset quotations of poetry (see CD and C4<, in this list).

7 Pagination: After page one, the following pages should feature your last name and page number in

the upper right hand corner, as here. Ese continuous pagination throughout, and place the For's ited

on the final page of your paper.

))7 PARET9ET)CA( RE'ERECE# for En 252

67 Doc!ment evidence (quotation and paraphrase from the text) ta'en from most essays by page

number. 8or example, when quoting from page 6= in orthrop 8ryeGs Anatomy of riticism,

your reference should read as follows: (8rye 6=). ote: onGt document in the old way, e.g.

(p. 4). 8or

http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/p04_c08_s2.html

http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/p04_c08_s2.html



The academic essay in En 252 Cope

essays ta'en from an online source, document by author’s last name (if 'nown), or by the first significant

words in the title of the essay. o not document ia homepage or E%/).

27 When one is disc!ssing more than one play, select the abbreiations of titles from the 5/A list ofha'espearean title abbreiations. ee

http:99web.cn.edu9'wheeler9documents9Abbre>ha'espeare>itles.pdf for the full list.

7 When doc!menting 8!otations from a play, the preferred contemporary format is in arabic numerals

8or example, one would cite lines from !he !empest as follows: (!mp [email protected]). he citation repre7

sents act, scene, and actual lines quoted. ote that periods*not commas*separate act, scene, and line

numbers.

7 Bro.en lines: ha'espeare’s famous iambic pentameter line (poetry) is sometimes bro'en for

dramatic purposes, or shared between two characters. #n such cases, both the first and last part of the line

share the same line number, as follows: 8or example:

4H $e was a gentleman on whom # built

4= An absolute trust.

4= I+ 5A!J$K + worthiest cousinL

57 When doc!menting a performance, note the performance you witnessed in your prose and, if you

quote from the text while discussing it, document ia textual reference, as in CH aboe.

;7 <eep 8!otations to a minim!m7 ummari2e what you see in the text largely in your own words,

using quotations to emphasi2e important points or to illustrate what youGre getting at.

=7 )ntegrate 8!otations into yo!r sentences7 onGt "ust place a quotation as a separate sentenceB doing

so destroys the connection between the quotation and the point youGre trying to ma'e, and also creates a

choppy effect in the prose. 8or example: he play has many of the qualities of saage comedy, including

the apparent aim of stripping Mself7centered society of its dearest illusionsM (-iana'aris HN).

>7 ever follo" a 8!otation "ith a 8!otation7 ee number = aboe.

?7 -!ote e@actly7 #f a quotation wonGt fit into your sentences because it would be grammatically

incorrect, or if itGs too long and you could cut sections out of the middle of it "ithout distorting the

meaning , you may use ellipsis periods (three spa#ed periods) to indicate words left out, or s8!are

+rac.ets to add a word or phrase that would integrate the quoted material more fully into your sentence.

8or example: ante summari2es his canto with !eatriceGs explanation that Mthe deep design of -od

would hae been bro'en Ihad the pilgrimK . . . not discharged the debt of penitenceM (urgatorio H<. 4=@7

=N).

667 #hort 8!otations: Fhen documenting quotations, the parenthetical reference follows the last

quotation mar' and pre#edes any punctuation (period, comma, etc.) when the quotation is placed in your

text.

http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/documents/Abbrev_Shakespeare_Titles.pdf

http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/documents/Abbrev_Shakespeare_Titles.pdf



The academic essay in En 252 Cope 5

627 (ong 8!otations: Fhen the quotation is longer (four or more lines), inset the quotation (double

indent). uch inset quotations require no quotation mar's, and the parenthetical reference is placed after

the final period of the quotation7 )f a long 8!otation is poetry, as in a ha'espeare play, quote it as in

the text, follo"ing the author$s line %reaks e&a#tl'.

he fairies in A Midsummer Night$s Dream are not simply spirits dancing in the nightB the

worldly powers of +beron and itania are made clear when itania claims that because

of their argument,

he ox hath therefore stretchGd his yo'e in ain,

he ploughman lost his sweat, and the green corn

$ath rotted ere his youth attainGd a beard.

he fold stands empty in the drowned field,And crows are fatted with the murrion floc'. (@.4.DH7DO)

4<. All prose 8!otations are to +e do!+lespaced *een those in inset quotations. Puotations of

poetry should be single7spaced, as aboe.

)))7 W$R<# C)TED: '$R3 $' T9E ETR

67 Alpha+eti1e the entry according to the first signifi#ant word in it, usually the authorGs last name, but

sometimes (when the author is un'nown) by the first significant word in the title.

27 P!+lishing ho!ses are a++reviated: %andom, rinceton E , t. 5artinGs, etc.

7 Do!+lespace thro!gho!t the Wor.s Cited7

7 E@amples (ote: hec' !he MLA Hand%ook for complete listings of the 'inds of citations necessary

for 7%+5 and internet sources) .

A single +oo. +y a single a!thor:

ollimore, Qonathan. Radi#al !raged': Religion( Ideolog'( and )o"er in the Drama of Shake*

speare and his +ontemporaries econd ed. urham: u'e E , 4DDH. rint.

A te@t "ithin a te@t /an article, essay, poem, or short story in an anthology0:

infield, Alan. M%oyal ha'espeare: theatre and the ma'ing of ideology.M )oliti#al Shake*

speare: ,ssa's in +ultural Materialism econd ed. Jd. Qonathan ollimore and Alan

infield. #thaca and /ondon: ornell E , 4DD=. rint.



The academic essay in En 252 Cope ;

T"o or more a!thors:

!oose, /ynda J., and %ichard !urt. Motally lueless: ha'espeare -oes $ollywood in the

4DD<s.M Shakespeare( !he Movie: )opulari-ing the pla's on film( !.( and video Jd.

/ynda J. !oose and %ichard !urt. /ondon and ew &or': %outledge, 4DDO. rint.

An introd!ction:

!a'er, $erschel. M%ichard ###.M !he Riverside Shakespeare econd ed. Jd. -. !la'emore

Jans. !oston and ew &or': $oughton 5ifflin, 4DDO. rint.

%yan, Riernan. #ntroduction. Shakespeare: !he Last )la's Jd. Riernan %yan. /ondon and

ew &or': /ongman, 4DDD. rint.

Emphasis on editors:

ae, %ichard, Jli2abeth chafer, and !rian Foolland, eds. /en 0onson and !heatre:

)erforman#e( )ra#ti#e( and !heor' /ondon and ew &or': %outledge, 4DDD. rint.

An essay or article from a o!rnal:

Rnowles, %ichard. MordeliaGs %eturn.M Shakespeare 1uarterl' N<.4 (pring 4DDD): HH7N<.

rint.

(ive Performance:

A Midsummer Night$s Dream !y Filliam ha'espeare. ir. 5ichael !oyd. erf. icholas

Qones, Qosette imon, aniel %yan. he %oyal ha'espeare ompany, tratford7on7

Aon. @= 5ay 4DDD. erformance.

A 'ilm:

!"elfth Night !y Filliam ha'espeare. ir. reor unn. erf. $elena !onham7arter, igel

$awthorne, !en Ringsley, #melda taunton, #mogen tubbs. 8ine /ine 8eatures, 4DD6.

!"elfth Night !y Filliam ha'espeare. ir. reor unn. erf. $elena !onham7arter, igel

$awthorne, !en Ringsley, #melda taunton, #mogen tubbs. 8ine /ine 8eatures, 4DD6.

S.



The academic essay in En 252 Cope =

An $nline Posting:

M!eginnerGs -uide to the ha'espeare Authorship roblem.M !he Shakespeare 2&ford So#iet'

Home )age .p., n.d. Feb. 4N ecember @<<D.

8olsom, Jd, and Renneth 5. rice. MFalt Fhitman.M !he 3alt 3hitman Ar#hive he

Eniersity of Sirginia, n.d. Feb. 4N Quly @<<4.

A Posting "ith a Print Analog!e:

ana, harles A. Mew ublications: Leaves of 4rassM Ne" York Dail' !ri%une @N Quly

4?NN: H. !he 3alt 3hitman Ar#hive he Eniersity of Sirginia, n.d. Feb. 4N Quly

@<4<.

chneider, Qr., !en %oss. M 5ing Lear #n #ts +wn ime: he ifference hat eath 5a'es.M

,arl' Modern Literar' Studies 4.4 (4DDN): H.47=D. 3e% Resour#es for 3illiam

Shakespeare$s Ring /ear, 4 ecember 4DDO. Feb. 4N ecember @<<?.

An Email 3essage

8ran', Jmilia. 0%e: your essay.1 5essage to the author. 46 5arch @<4<. J7mail.

Entry in a Blog

-renier, %obert. 0A estament (5artin %ichet 9 %obert reeley, T8igure of +utward’).1

Silliman’s /log . ronsilliman.blogspot.com, 4N ecember @<<?. Feb. @6 August @<4<.



The academic essay in En 252 Cope >

#tyle: Chec.list of Common Pro+lems

67 Pro+lem "ords

to: connecting word, e.g. Mwe went to the store.M their: possessie, e.g. Mtheir car.Mtoo: synonym for also there: ref. to place, e.g. Moer there.M

its: contraction of Mit is.M yo!r: possessie, e.g. Myour car.M

its: possessie, e.g. Mit went its own way.M yo!re: contraction of Myou are.M

27 'ormat

35/A header; 5/A pagination; arenthetical references all correct; For's ited;

3ouble7space throughout, except in inset quotations of poetry.

7 otations

Circled "ords: typos, improperly placed punctuation or quotation mar's.

WC: word choice*the word doesnGt ma'e sense in its context.

W$: word order*rearrange the order of words in the sentence.

spl or pls: noun7pronoun agreement.

Comma: #f you hae problems with commas, reiew the rules and chec' commas for proper

placement on your final drafts. !e careful of oerusing them as well.

Comma, intro cla!se: ependent clauses leading into an independent clause normally require

a comma.

C#: comma splice ("oining two independent clauses with a comma).

D3: dangling modifierB introductory clause doesnGt modify the sub"ect of the sentence.

RW or AW<: Mrewor'M or Maw'wardM: refers to grammatical structure of the sentence.

'rag: MfragmentM*an incomplete sentence (lac's a sub"ect or actie erb or ob"ect).

R$: run7on sentence*generally, any sentence of more than four clauses ris's being a run7on.

Choppy: a tendency to write too many simple sentences, as in an elementary reader.

'!sed: sentence lac's punctuationB you hae literally fused clauses together.

Parallel: presere parallel structure of erbs in succeeding clauses.

sv agr: sub"ect and erb donGt agree in number (singular 9 plural, ice7ersa).

/ F0 Paragraphing: oo short: deelopment; not ma'ing connections with ideas in ad"oining

paragraphs; oo long (more than @9H of a page): not enough diisions in ideas;

Trans: &ou need a transitional word or phrase to adequately indicate shifts and9or connections between paragraphs or the parts of your sub"ect.

4nity: aragraph lac's unity, usually because some sentences donGt relate to the topic sentence.

)tal: Ese italics here, as in a word understood as a word, or with titles of large wor's.

!m+ers: numbers under 4<< and used as ad"ecties should be spelled out.

Cap o Cap: capitali2e 9 donGt capitali2e.

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Writing Academic Essay En252