3.01: Develop a Claim; 3.02: Starting Out Strong; 3.04: Necessary Evidence; and 3.05: Finishing Strong.

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material and ample evidence to support the purpose of your essay. The structure of each type of essay is also similar. Examine the form both types of essays follow. As you peruse, determine the key difference between the two. Introduction: ■ The introduction gives readers a chance to get to know what the essay will address. This is the place where a writer "hooks" readers to get their interest, provides general information about the text, and presents either the thesis (literary analysis) or claim (literary argument). O Body Paragraphs: ■ The three body paragraphs are where the real substance of your essay appears. This is the place where you inform readers about your topic, and you support the thesis or claim you stated in your introduction with ample evidence from the source material. Elaborative techniques and, at times, narrative techniques are used to expand upon your thoughts and enhance the line of thought. O Module 3: Arguing About Literature Conclusion: The conclusion is where you synthesize (combine) everything you have covered in your essay, and you leave your readers with irrefutable evidence that your ideas are correct. This is not where you simply restate your thesis, claim, or your evidence; instead, your conclusion is a place to signal the end of your essay. ■ • Writing Rhetorically O O When writing a literary argument, it's imperative that you establish your expertise on the text you're evaluating. Balancing your voice with evidence and purpose is rhetoric at its best; the concept of balanced writing (and speaking) dates back to Aristotle and the ancient Greeks' love for argument and debate. Explore Aristotle's triangle to determine the three key elements of effectively convincing an audience. A Balanced Argument: ■ Purpose: Your purpose, or message, is the point of your writing. It is the perspective you are trying to change or communicate. In a literary argument, your purpose is to convince your reader that your perspective on your selected literary text is accurate. This purpose is accomplished through the use of specific support from your source material. ■ Speaker: Your job as the speaker is to convince your audience why your perspective is correct. How do you do that? Through the use of academic language, formal tone, and domain-specific vocabulary. In other words, make yourself sound like the biggest expert you can. Audience: Knowing your audience is key. Your diction and syntax need to be appropriate for whom you are speaking and will be different from a conversation with a friend. In a literary argument, you're writing to convince your instructor of your perspective. This means you should consider what they already know about the text you select to evaluate. ■ o Picking a Prompt: When it comes to writing about literature, it's important that you connect to the text on a personal level. If not, how else will you write an entire essay about what it does well? Examine your three prompt choices and consider which offers you the best opportunity to prove your literary argument prowess. Take note: each prompt deals with an allegory. Be sure that you have a solid understanding of the allegory at the heart of the story and prompt you choose. ● Prepare to Argue: o While you won't be writing your argument quite yet, preparing to write is a key factor in a cohesive and successful essay. Once you've chosen your O O O O Module 3: Arguing About Literature prompt, you'll follow these steps to ready yourself for writing. Take your time with each; these pieces help you to lay the groundwork for your literary argument. Break Down the Prompt ■ Review your selected prompt to determine precisely what your literary argument should address. Read the Text Thoroughly ■ The allegory for your selected text was provided to you in the prompt. Read the play or short story at least twice. Look closely for clues to the allegorical meaning and make a list of literary elements the author uses to develop this deeper meaning. Soak in the text's meaning and be able to summarize it in your own words. Establish the Reasons ■ Now that you're an expert on your selected text and the literary elements that are present, it's time to select the three most obvious (and easily supported) literary elements the author uses to develop their allegory. You'll carry these over in the next step in developing your claim. Write the Claim O ■ You've read, reviewed, and reasoned. Now you'll create the sentence that will guide your reader through your literary argument, presenting a case about your story's use of literary elements that will wow and impress. So, what are the do's and don'ts of effective claims? ■ Claims are rooted in fact, not opinion. ■ Claims include: the author's name the title of the work • the literary elements you selected • the effect of the literary elements on the text ● Details of the Assignment: o Complete the reading and activities in this lesson. o Check your understanding of important concepts. o Select one of the following literary argument prompts and read the related text. Please note that each text is easily accessible online. Review the 03.01 Develop a Claim Assessment and Rubric and complete the assessment. o Submit your finalized work to 03.01 Develop a Claim. O Here is an additional link to help with this assignment: https://bit.ly/301helpslides 03.02: Starting Out Strong There's no better way to interest a reader than with an introduction that screams, "Read me!" While literary arguments aren't choice reading material for most, there is an audience that finds joy in diving into the depths of literary fiction. Reaching that audience begins with your first sentence. Let's Get It Started: O An effective introduction draws interest, provides background information, and reveals the claim. While this sounds simple, introductions can often end up seeming formulaic and bland. Granted-a literary argument isn't an exercise in creative writing, but there is still room to make your voice heard in a unique and interesting way. o When thinking about your literary argument introduction, it's important to establish your credibility as an expert on your topic from the beginning. Remember: you're taking your reader on a literary analysis journey. Each step in their experience (the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion) should be clear. ● O Module 3: Arguing About Literature O Helpful Hints ■ Ethos is Essays ■ In any form of professional or academic communication, ethos is key. As a speaker or a writer, you must make your credibility and reliability on a topic clear. Basically, your reader wants to know why you're qualified to speak on the subject. So how, exactly, will you accomplish this? Have no fear-simply use this list to check your writing as you go. ● Have I established common ground with my reader? • Have I stated my position clearly and accurately? • Have I avoided opinions and emotionally-charged language? • Is my writing organized in an easy-to-follow format? ● Is my tone respectful and formal? • Have I proofread my writing to revise and edit careless mistakes? Introduction to an Argument: ■ Introducing a literary argument isn't much different from a regular academic essay. You'll still integrate the three main components: the hook, the bridging statement, and the claim. Before cementing your introduction in the annals of literary genius, brainstorm ways in which you can appeal to an audience who is already knowledgeable on the subject matter. How can you "hook" them? What general information might they need to know that they don't already? Let's examine two examples of introductions: effective and ineffective. Module 3: Arguing About Literature Assembling Your Argument: o Another contribution to your credibility? Using academic formatting to structure your essay. Even though you're only writing your introduction, you can lay out your essay using MLA formatting. Explore the opening of this literary argument. You may also refer to the MLA Style Guidelines or visit the Purdue University Online Writing Lab. Basic MLA formatting of your essay includes: ■8 1/2 x 11 paper ■ 1-inch margins ■ portrait orientation ■ size 12 Times New Roman font ■ double-spaced ● Details of the Assignment: o Complete the reading and activities in this lesson. o Check your understanding of important concepts. O There is no assessment. You may proceed to the next lesson. ★ IMPORTANT: Reminder: you are not submitting your introduction; however, you do need to write your introduction as taught in the lesson. 03.04: Necessary Evidence ● Imagine you're packing for a weekend trip. How do you most effectively fill your suitcase? With the essentials. If you pack too lightly, you won't be prepared and may have to repeat outfits each day. If you pack too much, you may become overwhelmed with too many outfits. But if you pack just right, you'll never have an issue. The same is true with body paragraphs; if you pack them with evidence that's just right, the message to your audience will be clear, • Perfecting Your Paragraphs: O Once you've crafted an interesting introduction, it's time to move on to the body of your literary argument essay. Before you begin writing, consider the feedback you received on previous essays. What are your successes and challenges when it comes to elaborating and providing evidence? As you move through this lesson, think of new ways to improve your writing. Remember your literary argument essay is based on one of the Literary Argument Prompts. O Each of your three body paragraphs will be structured similarly. By following a version of this formula, you can be sure that you've packed your paragraphs "just right”. Examine the elements of an effective body paragraph. o Straight from the Source: ■ So where do you start in packing your paragraph? With the basics: textual support. In establishing your credibility as a speaker, it's ● Module 3: Arguing About Literature imperative that you pull only the best information from your selected text. In evaluating evidence to incorporate into your body paragraphs, consider the following: Source material is for supporting your descriptions-not replacing the descriptions themselves. Choose information from your source that goes along with your points. • Always be faithful to the meaning of the source included in your paper. It's okay to take risks in your analysis, but don't invent an entirely new meaning beyond the author's purpose. Cite appropriately by consulting the MLA Guidelines. Review your claims, your reasons, and your selected piece of literature. Locate at least two pieces of textual support for each of your three body paragraphs. Remember, you won't use direct quotes for each piece of support. It's important that you use a variety of ways to incorporate your source material. ■ Can You Elaborate? O o Once you've selected only the best support from your source story, it's time to elaborate and connect your thoughts to the evidence. Combined, these techniques help to convince your reader that your perspective is correct. Without it, your essay will seem like a list of excerpts with no explanation. o Explore the elaborative techniques in the activity below. Consider ways you can use each within the body of your literary argument to enhance your reader's understanding. Elaborative Techniques: ■ ■ Definition • When you elaborate with a definition, you provide meanings of unfamiliar words or concepts. This can help you establish your credibility as a speaker and demonstrate your knowledge of the literary elements you're analyzing. Transition Words and Phrases: O To clarify, whereas, furthermore, given that, generally, as a rule, this is why, wherefore Description • A description helps to create vivid images for the reader. While you aren't telling a story, you may need to "show" your audience an example. If your short story relies on setting to reflect its message, it may be worth your time to describe the important aspects of the setting for your reader. • Transition Words and Phrases: O To illustrate, as shown, furthermore, in detail ● Module 3: Arguing About Literature Example ● An example provides more specific information about the detail to illustrate the detail. Transition Words and Phrases: o To emphasize, with this in mind, to explain, such as, in fact, including, notably, in this case, important to realize, to point out, for this reason, with attention to, namely, in particular, specifically ■ Explanation ● An explanation explains a detail by thinking about who, what, when, where, how, and why. • Transition Words and Phrases: ● o Additionally, furthermore, additionally, provided that, because of, seeing that, with this in mind, to put it another way, that is to say, in particular ■ Quote or Citation A quote or citation uses the exact words of a text that may use signal words or special punctuation to set textual support apart. Transition Words and Phrases: o According to, states, remarks, notes, comments, observes, concludes, adds, emphasizes, interprets, describes Cite with Might: O In a literary argument, your focus is always on maintaining your credibility while providing ample support and elaboration. Nothing says credibility like a citation. Without these handy internal clues, who's to say the examples and evidence wasn't entirely made up? MLA citations make your reasons foolproof by being a built-in fact-checker. While the purpose of MLA citations doesn't change, the format may, depending on what type of source you're using. Details of the assignment: o Complete the reading and activities in this lesson. o Check your understanding of important concepts. o Take the 03.04 Necessary Evidence quiz. ★ IMPORTANT: Although you are not submitting your three literary argument body paragraphs at this time, you should write them using the expertise you gained in this lesson. Module 3: Arguing About Literature 03.05: Finishing Strong ● Towards the end of any race, an athlete pushes themselves a bit harder than they did in the beginning. Why? It's that added power that proves they'll reach the finish line. Conclusions are an important piece of an essay's puzzle; without one, your writing will seem unfinished, and your reader may be confused. Once you've wrapped up your thoughts, you'll put the finishing touches on your essay and ready it for publication. A Grand Finale: o Now that you're ready to cross the literary argument finish line, it's time to learn what the function of this type of essay's conclusion is. In a typical argumentative essay, a conclusion will seek to inspire the reader to do something with the information the writer has provided like write a letter to an elected official or volunteer to make a difference. In the conclusion to a literary argument, you won't guide your reader to take action. Instead, you'll let your use of ethos do its job in changing or confirming the reader's perspective on your literary insight. • The Elements of an Effective Conclusion: ● o As you write the first draft of your concluding paragraph, think about how to synthesize all of the ideas you presented your reader in one neat little package. Conclusions are about quality over quantity: summarize your key points and leave your audience in awe of your knowledge on the topic. The exemplar conclusion contains only three sentences, but they pack quite the bunch. ● Your Writing, But Better: o All great writers evaluate their work after their last sentence goes on the page. It's the key factor in allowing you to realize your strengths and weaknesses. Once your literary argument first draft is assembled, use the evaluation rubric to review your composition. Evaluate your essay using the 1 to 10 scale for each of the nine elements. At the end, add up your score to see what you should focus on as you write your final draft. Correct and Perfect: O Now that you've self-evaluated your writing and identified areas that need some improvement, what's next? Revising, of course. Ask someone else to read your essay or read it aloud to yourself several times. Think about the areas for improvement that you noted on your essay evaluation. Locate each issue and explore the tips and tricks for revising the issue. o The connection to the claim and/or the central ideas are unclear. ■ Is one or more of your body paragraphs suffering from a little vagueness? o The topic sentence is too narrow or too broad. O Module 3: Arguing About Literature Does the topic sentence of one or more of your body paragraphs reveal too much or not enough? The topic sentences are boring. O ■ o The body paragraphs seem underdeveloped. Does the first sentence of every paragraph lack personality and voice? o The paragraphs either go on forever or end unexpectedly. ■ Would your reader feel bogged down with too-long paragraphs or feel robbed that you didn't provide closure? The ideas within paragraphs are hard to follow or don't flow. ■ After rereading your rough draft, do your body paragraphs lack convincing evidence and ethos? O o The language is dull or too difficult? ■ Do your body paragraphs leave you scratching your head to make sense of what you've written? Does your writing sound like you randomly picked the biggest words from a thesaurus? Do you repeat the same words over and over? o The sentences are dull and repetitive? ■ Do you start each sentence with the same word or are your sentences all the same length? The tone is not quite formal enough. ■ Does your essay read as informal, inappropriate, or disrespectful? The Final Product: o You've drafted, revised, evaluated, and reflected. It's time to neatly package your essay and submit the finished product to your instructor. Keep in mind: you're not just submitting five paragraphs. Formal academic essays require proper MLA formatting from start to finish. So what exactly will you need to include to make your essay official? ● Details of the assignment: o Complete the reading and activities. o Check your understanding of important concepts. O Review the 03.05 Finishing Strong Assessment and Rubric and complete the assessment. o Submit your finalized work to 03.05 Finishing Strong. O Here is an additional link to help with this assignment: https://bit.ly/305helpslides Other information I want to remember: