Step 2: Read This Week’s Story

 

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• *Note: this is step 2 of your module. If you have not completed step 1 yet, please go back and complete step 1.

1. Please read Gary Victor’s  “The Finger”
2. Reread the story and take notes. Consider the following questions:

• • Are there any symbols in the story?
  • What symbols did you find?
  • How do you know it is a symbol?
  • Consider one of the symbols you found. What does the symbol represent?
  • Is the ring in the story a symbol? What might the ring symbolize?
  • There are snakes engraved in the ring in the story? Do the snakes symbolize something?
  • What might the finger in the story symbolize?

3. Learn a little about “The Finger’s” author, Gary Victor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Victor

 

Step 3: Intro to Long Essay Assignment

For your writing this week, you will be preparing to writing a five-paragraph, long essay.  must be written according to MLA standards.

1. Read this  sample essay

. This is a strong example of the kind of essay you will need to submit for your research paper.

2. Read this  sample essay with my notes

. Click on my comments on the right to get a breakdown of the key things you need in your essay. You included a lot of these key elements in your critical responses. For example:

• Intro paragraph:
  • Your intro paragraph should have a summary of the main story you will be analyzing. This should be one of the story’s I assigned for the class.
  • Your intro paragraph should end with your thesis.
• Body Paragraphs:
  • Topic sentence: The topic sentence is the first sentence in your paragraph. It should connect back to your thesis.
  • Citations: Each of your body paragraphs should have at least two citations pulled from a primary text (the story we read in class) or a secondary text (the online articles you found for your annotated bib). The primary text and secondary text are sources. You need to have at least 3 sources for your paper, but you can use the sources as much or as little as you like.
  • Analysis: You should analyze each citation to explain how the citation supports the argument you are making.
  • Restate Topic Sentence: You should end each body paragraph by restating your topic sentence. This will remind the reader about the main idea of the paragraph.

3. Download this essay checklist

. Read the sample essay again and look for the items on the checklist. Answer the following questions in your notes:

• • Does the sample essay have all the items on the essay checklist?
  • How is the intro paragraph in the five-paragraph essay similar to the intro paragraphs you’ve written in your critical responses?
  • Does the sample essay have a thesis? Where does the thesis show up?
  • How are the body paragraphs (paragraphs 2, 3, & 4) similar to the body paragraphs you have written in your critical responses?
  • Do the body paragraphs have topic sentences? Do the topic sentences connect back to the thesis?
  • How was the writer able develop the thesis across three paragraphs instead of one, like in your critical response?

Answer these questions in your notes. You do not need to submit the answers to me.

 

*This is step 4 of the module. Before continuing, make sure you completed the previous steps.

First step in writing your essay is to come up with a research question:

1. Select a story you are interested in analyzing. Please choose from one the stories I assigned. For example, you can choose “The Finger,” which you read this week.
2. Next, come up with a research question to ask about your story. Below are some research questions you can use. You may come up with your own question but below are some examples:

• • Are there any symbols in the story? What is the symbol symbolizing? (For example, in “Eleven,” the red sweater is a symbol of the main character’s  transition from girlhood to womanhood.)
  • Does the character’s external setting reflect what is going on inside the character? Does what is happening outside the character reflect what is going inside the character?
  • How does the structure of the story speak to the theme of the story?
  • How does the structure of the story help develop the theme of the story?
  • What is the theme of the story?
  • Is the main character’s gender important? What role does gender play in the story?

3. Once you have a research question, use MDC’s online database to find sources (articles or other readings) that help you answer your research question. For this essay, you will need a total of two sources.The story you are analyzing counts as one of the sources. For example, if you choose to analyze “Everything is Far From Here” by Cristina Henriquez, the story itself will count as one of your two sources. That means, during your reseasrch, you will need to find at leastone other source for your paper. This other source is called a secondary source. To find your secondary source:

• Click here for the MDC online library. Link is also available on the left-handed side of the course page.
• You may need to login with your student login.
• Find a secondary source that supports your thesis. Remember, it does not need to talk about the story you are analyzing (although if it does, that works). But the source needs to support the idea you are discussing in your thesis.

 (Links to an external site.)

4. After doing your research online, you should have an answer to your research question. The answer to you research question is the thesis for your paper.
5. Now it’s time to collect your sources in an Annotated Bibliography. What is an annotated bibliography?

• • The annotated bibliography is a collection of the sources/texts you will be using in your essay.
  • Read this sample annotated bibliography.
  • How do you write an annotated bibliography? Watch this.
  •  Download the sample  annotated bib. Fill it out with your own information. When you are finished, you should have a thesis for your long essay and at least two sources that support your thesis.

Remember, there are two main components to your Annotated Bibliography: the thesis and the entries for each source.

• • Thesis: The thesis is the answer to your research question. Remember, the thesis is NOT the research question. It’s the answer to the question. For example: Research question: Are there any symbols in the story? What is the symbol symbolizing?Thesis: In “Eleven,” the red sweater is a symbol of the main character’s  transition from girlhood to womanhood.)
  • Entries: List and summarize the three sources you found to use in your paper. Your sources need to support your thesis statement.

5. Save your annotated bibliography to submit in the next step.

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ENC1102-2205-1829

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Step 5: Do the Research

 

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• *This is step 5 of the module. Before continuing, please make sure you completed the previous steps.

At this point you should have a research question for your essay. Now it’s time to do some research.

1. Go to library. The link is also available on the left-hand side of the course site.
2. Log in with your student login.
3. Search the online database to find at least one other source (articles or other readings) to help you answer your research question.

• • For this essay, you will need to include a total of two sources. The story you are analyzing counts as one of the sources. For example, if you choose to analyze “Everything is Far From Here” by Cristina Henriquez, the story itself will count as one of your two sources. It is called the primary source.  During your research, you will need to find at least one other source for your paper. This other source is called a secondary source.

 (Links to an external site.)

4. After doing your research, you should have an answer to your research question. The answer to you research question is the thesis for your paper.
5. Now it’s time to collect the info about your sources in an Annotated Bibliography.
6. What is an annotated bibliography? Watch this.
7. Read this sample  annotated bibliography.

Notice:

There are two main components to your Annotated Bibliography: the thesis and the entries for each source.

• • • • Thesis: The thesis is the answer to your research question. Remember, the thesis is NOT the research question. It’s the answer to the question. For example: Research question: Are there any symbols in the story? What is the symbol symbolizing?Thesis: In “Eleven,” the red sweater is a symbol of the main character’s  transition from girlhood to womanhood.)
      • Entries: List and summarize the three sources you found to use in your paper. Your sources need to support your thesis statement.

8. Now write your own annotated bib. Download the  sample annotated bib

. Fill it out with your own information. When you are finished, you should have a thesis for your long essay and at least two sources that support your thesis.

9. Save your annotated bibliography to submit in the next step.

 

This is step 7 in your module. Before continuing, make sure you completed the previous steps.

At this point, you’ve already selected a story to analyze in your long essay. You completed research on that story and submitted an annotated bib.

Now it’s time to write an outline for your essay.  The essay will be five paragraphs. But you are not writing the essay yet. First you are writing the outline:

1. Read this  sample outline

. It is an example of the outline you will be writing for your paper.

2. Read this  sample outline with my notes

. On the right-hand side of the document, you will see my comments. Click on each comment. Read them carefully to understand all the key elements you will need to include in your own outline.

3. Open the annotated bibliography you wrote for your research paper. (You wrote and submitted it on Blackboard.) You will need the thesis and other info from your annotated bibliography for step 4 below.
4. Use your annotated bibliography to help you write your outline.

• • Download this  outline template .
  • Fill it out with info pertaining to your own essay.
  • This will be the outline for your paper.

5. Save the outline. You will submit it in the next step of the module.

ANSWER

 

Conflict of Personalities

Annotated Bibliography

Research Question: What does the finger in the story symbolize?

Thesis: In “The Finger,” the finger symbolizes Lanfe while the snake engraved on the ring symbolize the conflict of Dread Lanfe’s good and dark side, struggling for supremacy.

Victor, Gary. The Finger. 2010. https://genius.com/Gary-victor-the-finger-annotated. 01 August 2020.

This source is the primary source that forms the basis for an in-depth analysis of the “Finger” story by Gary Victor. It involves Dread Lanfe, the main character who turned to violence and theft hiding behind political activism’s mask. However, one day, while stealing from Fanfayon, a wealthy businessperson, the robbery went sour with the presence of a finger and golden ring haunting him during the night. This text will profoundly help in the development and discussion of the developed thesis. This primary source outlines battles of the characters’ life (good and dark side), which is brought out through the emphasis with the finger, the snake engraved on the ring, and in the end, Lanfe dies after realizing his true nature and what side wins.

LibreTexts. 14: Literary Devices Glossary. 9 June 2020. https://human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Literature_and_Literacy/Writing_and_Critical_Thinking_Through_Literature_(Ringo_and_Kashyap)/14%3A_Literary_Devices_Glossary. 01 August 2020.

This source acts as a source of definitions for the term symbolism as used in the story. It is a valuable source. It provides a strong foundation for increased understanding of the term’s meaning and its effects in the enhancement of the story’s theme and plot. The definition increases understanding of the term its utilization and description in the story events, and effects such as giving a deeper meaning of the story, helping in reading between the lines and understanding their role in enriching and enhancing the theme of the “Finger” story.

 

 

Works Cited

LibreTexts. 14: Literary Devices Glossary. 9 June 2020. https://human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Literature_and_Literacy/Writing_and_Critical_Thinking_Through_Literature_(Ringo_and_Kashyap)/14%3A_Literary_Devices_Glossary. 01 August 2020.

Victor, Gary. The Finger. 2010. https://genius.com/Gary-victor-the-finger-annotated. 01 August 2020.