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West Chester University
West Chester University
Home Course Information Notes for Introduction to Literature Notes for Basic Writing (ENG 020) General Announcements Go Exploring Join the Conversation
Lit 165 Syllabus
ENG 020 Syllabus
About the Instructor
Approaching Literature
Notes on the Art of Fiction: Early Forms
The Short Story
Graduate Students Define the Art of Fiction
Bartleby the Scrivener - Questions for Analysis
Notes on Melville
Critical Approaches to Literature
A Vocabulary for Short Fiction and Beyond
Study Guide for Fiction Exam
Reading Poetry
The Craft of Poetry
A Catalogue of Poems
Notes on Langston Hughes
Lines of Continuity
Poetry Take Home Exam
The Birth of Drama
Oedipus
A Doll House
Study Guide for the Final Exam
A Glossary of Literary Terms
The Rhetorical Situation
Essay #1 Assignment Sheet
Workshop Assignment for Essay#1
How to Write Descriptively
Building a Thesis
Overcoming Reader's Block
Analysis and the Culture of Advertising
Essay #2 Assignment Sheet
Writing Effective Introductions
Writing Effective Conclusions
Propaganda Analysis
Politics and the English Language
Propaganda: A Sample Analysis
Midterm Exam: Tips for Writing on the Spot
Notes on Rational Argument
Mapping the Parts of an Arugment
Announcements for LIT 165
Assignments for LIT 165
Announcements for ENG 020
Assignments for ENG 020
A Weblog for LIT 165
A Weblog for ENG 020
LIT 165 Discussion List
ENG 020 Discussion List
~~ Workshop Excercise for Essay#1 ~~
WORKSHEET
Writing Workshop Exercise for Essay #1
Directions: Working as a group, analyze each essay carefully according to the questions below. Work on ONE PAPER AT A TIME, discussing each question and recording each person's suggestions/responses (you can combine responses to save space). At the end of the session, each writer should have a completed worksheet on his/her own essay that will be due with the final draft next Tuesday.
Essay Focus
Locate the thesis of the essay. Copy the thesis sentence in the space below so you can analyze it closely.
Now evaluate the thesis sentence based on whether it is:
a subject and an assertion about the subject
a general statement
an explicit statement
a complex enough statement that merits extensive development
Write your suggestions below:
Essay Development: Does the writer make good use of description and narration to make the essay expressive? (REVIEW Quick Access p. 39)
DESCRIPTION (painting vivid images with words; making the reader experience something through your use of sensory language-language that appeals to the five senses). Note where the essay is especially descriptive below. What do you think the writer does well here?
Where in the essay can the writer include more description? (more adjectives, more sensory detail, more concrete, specific words, etc.)
NARRATION (telling a brief story that might help us understand a particular characteristic, or several). Note where the essay uses storytelling to involve the reader in the learning event described. Where is this use of story telling effective? Where could it be more effective?
Further considerations
Consider how well the essay is organized. Are the paragraphs unified and coherent (review the syllabus to help you define and apply these principles). Note below any problems you notice in the essay's overall unity and coherence. Note specific paragraphs that may need work.
Consider how well the essay is structured. Does it provide an engaging introduction and conclusion?
What kinds of corrections did you make to the essay? (Grammar, punctuation,
spelling?) Be as specific as you can.
How would you describe the writer's "style"? (Review the syllabus
to help you clarify this general term as it applies to writing.)