LIT 100 Milestone Two: Outline Worksheet Refer back to the Milestone One Thesis Statement Worksheet. 1. Introduction Introduce your chosen text (or texts if you selected poems) and explain why you chose the text(s). Summarize the author’s overall intended message or draw connections between the author’s time period, culture, etc., and the text as a whole. Craft a thesis statement that clearly states your position and argument. During this course, I have found myself drawn to William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 130” and Marge Piercy’s “Barbie Doll.” At this point, I am assuming that the poets intended to use their literary works to express love and the stereotype placed on feminine beauty. Love is a constant theme in literature as well as a common emotion. However, the stereotypical views of beauty have always plagued society. In this essay, I will analyze how the poems use tone, symbols, and both similes and metaphors to reveal this experience to the audience. Example: The story I connected to the most was “The Tell-Tale Heart,” written by Edgar Allen Poe. The reason I chose this text is because it discusses guilt, as well as the issue of madness. Both of these emotions are felt in current society. One emotion is more general, while the other emotion speaks about the torments of psychological madness. This text reveals this experience though the use of symbols, tone, and setting. Note: You may choose to focus more on the impact of the author’s time period and culture on the text, but this example is an idea of what your introduction may look like. Body Paragraphs Each body paragraph must contain one supporting argument (for a total of three) and begin with a topic sentence that makes the connection between the thesis statement and the body paragraph clear. Then, you must provide evidence from the text that supports the topic sentence. 2. Body Paragraph/Supporting Argument #1 Topic Sentence/Idea: What is the main information that will be discussed in this paragraph? How does this information relate to the major themes in the text? Firstly, Shakespeare and Piercy show love and the stereotypical views of female beauty found in our society through the tones used in each poem. You may provide a general statement and develop it into a topic sentence later, OR You may draft a topic sentence here in your outline. Example: I am going to discuss the topic of symbols in this relates to the major themes (madness and guilt) in the story. paragraph, as it OR Poe’s story reveals the issues of madness and guilt in society through multiple symbols found in the text. Supporting Points: What evidence from the text will you use to support your topic sentence? You should provide 2–3 points.     Shakespeare’s tone is used to mock the lady love in other literary works. o “Coral is far more red than her lips’ red” o “And in some perfumes is there more delight; Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.” His tone then becomes protective as he goes on to defend his mistress by stating that regardless of her physical flaws his love for her is real. Marge Piercy’s tone is angry and sarcastic as she speaks of the gifts given to the girlchild. o Society feels the need to provide young girls with items that prepare them for their lives as caretakers and nurturers as well as dolls in the images of supermodel. o This imprints the need for girls to grow into women that mimic the dolls image. The tone of the speaker in “Barbie Doll” then becomes ironic. o “Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said. Consummation at last.” o It is ironic because before her death people were not saying how pretty the girl was. They only spoke of how she needed to change her appearance and hide her intelligence. You may use point form for your outline and develop your arguments into paragraphs before submitting your essay Example:   The vulture’s eye as a symbol of madness and guilt The heart as a symbol of guilt and increasing madness --“Meantime the hellish tattoo of the heart increased. It grew quicker and quicker, and louder and louder every instant.” 3. Transition Sentence Effective transitions create a logical flow from paragraph to paragraph, making it easier for your reader to follow your message. For the purpose of this outline, you may provide your initial thoughts for your transition sentences, then refine your transitions as you develop your interpretive essay. Although the poets do a great job of illustrating the themes and the effects on society using the tone, they also use the implementation of similes and metaphors to convey the themes. Transition from Body Paragraph #1 on symbols to Body Paragraph #2 on tone Example: I will create an ending sentence that says something like symbols are not the only way that cultural meaning becomes apparent in the story. Tone also creates the meaning of guilt and madness. 4. Body Paragraph/Supporting Argument #2 Topic Sentence/Idea: What is the main information that will be discussed in this paragraph? How does this information relate to the major themes in the text? Secondly, the authors’ metaphors and similes are elements that help to convey the cultural stereotype of beauty, romantic love, and the lack of love for one’s self. This is an example of a general topic sentence to be used as a starting point Example: Guilt and madness are present in the tone of “The Tell-Tale Heart.” Supporting Points: What evidence from the text will you use to support your topic sentence? You should provide 2–3 points.    “Sonnet 130” uses metaphors to compare the mistress to the common beauty found in most literary pieces. o Shakespeare calls his love’s hair rough and untamed in the following line of the poem, “If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head,” o Most love poem speak of a woman with smooth silky hair. William Shakespeare’s poem also contains similes and what many will say were almost similes. o “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun.” Piercy emphasize that the girl’s good nature has been broken by the constant strain to fit into the mold of beauty that society has created. o “Her good nature wore out; like a fan belt.” o This line also shows that the young woman’s love for herself has been destroyed due to pressure placed on her by society to be the beautiful like the Barbie doll. Example:   The narrator presents an attitude/tone about madness in the beginning of the paper. --“TRUE!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses— not destroyed—not dulled them.” Bedroom scene presents a tone of horror and madness. -- “And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it—oh so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my head.” 5. Transition Sentence: The use of metaphors and similes also relates to the symbols found in the poems as they all connect the reader to the themes of beauty and love. Example: Like the other paragraph, I will end with a statement saying something like the tone of this story also relates to setting in connection to madness and guilt. 6. Body Paragraph/Supporting Argument #3: Topic Sentence/Idea: What is the main information that will be discussed in this paragraph? How does this information relate to the major themes in the text? Lastly, I am going to discuss how the use of symbols in the selected poems relates to the themes. Example: The last literary element that reveals madness and guilt is that of setting in the “TellTale Heart.” Supporting Points: What evidence from the text will you use to support your topic sentence? You should provide 2–3 points.   The goddess in Shakespeare’s poem is symbolic to the cliché of feminine beauty that is found in other literary works. o The image that is conjured from other works is of a woman with otherworldly beauty. (Perfection!) Her breast are a classic symbol of feminine beauty. o The speaker compares the dull brownish color of his love’s breast to the purest white snow. This forces the reader to think of breast of women from other romance novels, movies, and other literary outlets.    The Barbie doll in Piercy’s poem is a symbol to the standards of perfection that society has set for young girls. o In the poem the young girl is the doll and is being taking through a makeover to fit the goddess-like beauty of society. The “fat nose on thick legs” is everything that society saw as wrong with the girl child regardless of her strength and intelligence. It is possible that the cutting off of her nose and legs is symbolic to plastic surgery. o Many people in today’s culture will undergo cosmetic surgery to become what society says is beautiful. o This also is a symbol of a loss of love for self as the girlchild gives her life to try fit societal standards of beauty. As demonstrated in this example, supporting arguments can be general discussion, or direct lines from the text Example:   Unknown location—We are unaware of the place in this story and it gives a sense of uneasiness. This helps to highlight the madness of the scenes. It is in a random bedroom. The ending scene brings about the feeling of guilt in connection to the scene. “I foamed—I raved—I swore! I swung the chair upon which I had been sitting, and grated it upon the boards, but the noise arose over all and continually increased. It grew louder—louder—louder!” 6. Transition Sentence: The tone, symbols, and the use of similes and metaphors all helped to showcase the love and the cultural issue of feminine beauty. The last transition statement will be a brief summary of all body paragraphs, and a transition to the conclusion. Example: For this transition, I will state that the symbols, tone, and setting all contribute to a larger cultural issue present in the short story. 7. Conclusion Your conclusion should summarize your overall argument and expand on that interpretation, leaving the reader inspired or reflective. The conclusion to your interpretive essay must address each of the following:      Restate your thesis, summarizing your overall interpretation of the text Apply your argument to a larger context Explain how culture could impact interpretations of the text Explain how the text could impact culture Discuss the relationship between this piece of literature and identity As you can see, a conclusion is much more than just a summary of an essay. Keep these points in mind as you draft a conclusion in this outline. In conclusion, both works discuss love and the issue of stereotypical beauty as seen in society. Shakespeare used humor and wit to address the constraint placed on love and feminine beauty where Piercy opted to take the angry, sarcastic route. However, both poems touch on a basic emotion as well as a topic that have plagued society for centuries. My argument is valid because I am speaking of the real love for one’s self and others in connection to stereotype that society has set for feminine beauty. Due to the beauty stereotype, there is a misperceived conception of real, untainted love in society. The reality is that beauty is not about perfection and does not equate to love. This is just a start; your conclusion will likely evolve as you develop your arguments. For this outline the goal is to get a few main ideas drafted. Example: Poe’s short story “The Tell-Tale Heart” discusses the issues of guilt and madness that often occur when someone does something distinctly wrong in society. While the topic of murder is extreme in connection to cultural identity, most people have done something wrong in society and have felt a major uneasiness in connection to their wrongdoings. As such, this story may be discussing a very dramatic form of identity (guilt and descent into madness), but also an emotion that is felt at a basic level. My argument is important, because I am talking about an issue that reveals social ills and wrongdoings that are in today’s society. The issue of murder and insanity are issues that we face as a society constantly. Literature helps us to think about these social wrongs and how these stories can reflect horrors that we may not think about in the real world. LIT 100 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric Overview The final project for this course is the creation of an interpretive essay. The ability to interpret written works is a skill that transfers across not only literature, but all disciplines. The ability to critically read and interpret a text and then logically communicate and support an argument based on what you have read will serve you in many different areas of your life. Throughout this course, we have specifically applied these skills to literary works in multiple genres. We have also explored ways in which identity and culture shape literature and vice versa. You will apply what you have learned to complete this final project. For the final project, you will select a text from the course and write an interpretive essay of that work. You will focus on creating a strong thesis statement related to your selected text, and then you will build an interpretive essay that supports your thesis statement. You must use appropriate terminology throughout your essay as you develop your argument in support of your interpretation of the selected text. Reminder: If you are thinking of choosing poetry as a basis for your interpretive essay, you will have to select two poems with common themes. Contact your instructor by Module Five if you require assistance. The project is divided into two milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Three and Five. The final submission is due in Module Seven. In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:     Discern basic themes and fundamental elements of literature through critical reading Explain the larger significance and importance of literary elements using appropriate terminology Explain how literature, culture, and identity shape each other based on fundamental exploration of literary texts across genres Write introductions, transitions, and conclusions that logically communicate meaningful interpretations of literary texts Prompt Select a literary work and write an interpretive essay. Apply the process of literary interpretation to create a thesis statement related to your selected text, and structure an essay that supports your thesis statement. Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed: I. Introduction: In this section you will introduce your chosen text, including the author's background and context, and your thesis statement. A. Text: Briefly introduce your chosen text and its author to set the stage for your thesis and provide context for your analysis. B. Message: Summarize the author’s overall intended message or draw connections between the author’s time period, culture, etc., and the text as a whole. C. Rationale: Explain why you chose this text and/or author to provide context for your reader. What in your life or experiences led you to select this text for your interpretive essay? D. Thesis Statement: Craft a thesis statement that clearly states your position and argument. This should provide a clear road map for your reader for what will be presented in the essay. II. Body: In this section you will create sub-arguments or analyses that support your stated thesis. You should develop no fewer than three supporting arguments (three body paragraphs), each based on textual evidence. Be sure to use appropriate literary terminology in your arguments. A. Supporting Arguments: Develop three supporting arguments, beginning with topic sentences, that are based on your critical reading of the text and that relate back to your thesis statement. Your supporting topics should discern basic themes or elements of the text that support your thesis. B. Topic Sentence Structure: Use topic sentences (your supporting argument statements) that are clear and serve to logically organize the essay. C. Textual Evidence: Incorporate textual evidence that supports each of your sub-arguments. In other words, what themes or fundamental elements from the text support your topic sentences? D. Integration: Integrate your textual evidence in a way that allows each paragraph to flow from topic sentence to explanation of the evidence. In other words, make sure there is a logical flow from the topic sentence to your specific quote or paraphrase of the text to your explanation of the quote or paraphrase. E. Analysis of Textual Evidence: Explain how the evidence you selected from the text supports your sub-arguments and thesis statement, using appropriate literary terminology In other words, how do the facts or reasons you cited from the text support your thesis? F. Transitions: Use effective transitions from idea to idea and paragraph to paragraph so the essay flows logically to allow the reader to follow your message. III. Conclusion: In this section you will summarize your overall argument and expand on that interpretation, leaving the reader inspired or reflective. A. Thesis Restatement: Summarize your argument to communicate your overall interpretation of the text, including a restatement of your thesis statement. B. Context: Explain the larger impact or significance of your argument to literature. In other words, apply your argument to a larger or wider context. C. Cultural Significance: How could culture impact interpretations of the text? How could the text impact culture? D. Identity: Discuss the significance of identity in relation to your argument and the text. In other words, what is the relationship between this piece of literature and identity? Milestones Milestone One: Draft of Thesis Statement In Module Three, you will submit a draft of your thesis statement and introduction. Using the provided Thesis Statement Worksheet, you will create a thesis statement and introduction that will help you better understand the final paper for this course. Your thesis statement should provide a clear road map for your readers, allowing them to understand your position and the purpose of the essay. This milestone is graded with the Milestone One Rubric. Milestone Two: Interpretive Essay Outline In Module Five, you will submit an outline of your interpretive essay. Using the provided Outline Worksheet, you will complete an outline for your interpretive essay. The intention for this milestone is not to construct a perfect essay, but to organize your ideas in a way that you may use as a starting point for developing a structured essay in the coming modules. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Two Rubric. Final Submission: Interpretive Essay In Module Seven, you will submit your interpretive essay. Your final submission must be a structured essay that addresses all of the critical elements listed above. Pay particular attention to critical elements that you may not have incorporated into the milestones, such as topic sentence structure, integration of textual evidence, and analysis of textual evidence. All of the ideas you outlined in Milestone Two should be developed in your final interpretive essay so that it is a complete, polished artifact reflecting the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This final submission will be graded using the Final Project Rubric (below). Final Project Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Your interpretive essay must be 5–6 pages in length, with 12-point Times New Roman font, double spacing, and one-inch margins. All sources must be cited in MLA format. Instructor Feedback: This activity uses an integrated rubric in Blackboard. Students can view instructor feedback in the Grade Center. For more information, review these instructions. Critical Elements Introduction: Text Exemplary (100%) Meets “Proficient” criteria, and introduction exceptionally sets the stage for the thesis and analysis Proficient (85%) Briefly introduces the chosen text and its author to set the stage for the thesis Needs Improvement (55%) Introduces the chosen text and its author to set the stage for the thesis, but introduction lacks clarity or is too wordy Not Evident (0%) Does not introduce the chosen text and its author to set the stage for the thesis and provide context for the analysis Value 5 Introduction: Message Meets “Proficient” criteria and provides unique insight regarding the author’s overall intended message or connections between the author’s time period, culture, etc., and the text as a whole Summarizes the author’s overall intended message or draws connections between the author’s time period, culture, etc., and the text as a whole, based on experiences with texts across genres Does not summarize the author’s overall intended message or draw connections between the author’s time period, culture, etc., and the text as a whole 7.8 Introduction: Rationale Meets “Proficient” criteria and provides unique insight into personal experience and the chosen text and/or author Meets “Proficient” criteria and thesis statement exceptionally articulates the argument and main points of the essay Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates sophisticated understanding of the basic themes or elements of the text that support the thesis Explains why this text and/or author was chosen Summarizes the author’s overall intended message or draws connections between the author’s time period, culture, etc., and the text as a whole, based on experiences with texts across genres, but summary lacks clarity or is too wordy Explains why this text and/or author was chosen, but explanation is illogical or lacks clarity Crafts a thesis statement, but thesis statement is too wordy or does not clearly state the position and argument Develops three supporting arguments, beginning with topic sentences, that are based on critical reading of the text, but topic sentences do not relate back to the thesis statement or supporting arguments are illogical or contain inaccuracies Does not explain why this text and/or author was chosen 7.8 Does not craft a thesis statement 7.8 Does not develop three supporting arguments, beginning with topic sentences, that are based on critical reading of the text 7.8 Introduction: Thesis Statement Body: Supporting Arguments Crafts a thesis statement that clearly states the position and argument Develops three supporting arguments, beginning with topic sentences, that are based on critical reading of the text and that relate back to the thesis statement Body: Topic Sentence Structure Body: Textual Evidence Body: Integration Body: Analysis of Textual Evidence Body: Transitions Conclusion: Thesis Restatement Conclusion: Context Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates sophisticated use of topic sentence structure to logically organize the essay Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates sophisticated understanding of using textual evidence that will support each sub-argument Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates masterful integration of textual evidence Uses topic sentences that are clear and serve to logically organize the essay Uses topic sentences, but they lack clarity or do not logically organize the essay Does not use topic sentences 5 Incorporates textual evidence that supports each subargument Incorporates textual evidence, but evidence is illogical or irrelevant or does not support each sub-argument Does not incorporate textual evidence 7.8 Integrates textual evidence in a way that allows each paragraph to flow from topic sentence to evidence to explanation Does not integrate textual evidence 5 Meets “Proficient” criteria and provides unique insight regarding how the evidence selected from the text supports sub-arguments and thesis statement Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates masterful utilization of transitions between ideas and paragraphs Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates sophisticated interpretation of the text Explains with appropriate terminology how the evidence selected from the text supports sub-arguments and thesis statement Integrates textual evidence, but integration is not all logical or does not allow each paragraph to flow from topic sentence to evidence to explanation Explains how the evidence selected from the text supports sub-arguments and thesis statement, but explanation is illogical or contains inaccuracies or inappropriate terminology Uses transitions between ideas and paragraphs, but transitions are not all effective or logical Does not explain how the evidence selected from the text supports sub-arguments and thesis statement 7.8 Does not use transitions between ideas and paragraphs 5 Does not summarize the argument to communicate the overall interpretation of the text 5 Meets “Proficient” criteria and provides unique insight regarding the larger impact or significance of the argument to literature Explains the larger impact or significance of the argument to literature Summarizes the argument to communicate the overall interpretation of the text, but summary lacks clarity or does not include a restatement of the thesis statement Explains the larger impact or significance of the argument to literature, but explanation is illogical or contains inaccuracies Uses effective transitions between ideas and paragraphs Summarizes the argument to communicate the overall interpretation of the text, including a restatement of the thesis statement Does not explain the larger impact or significance of the argument to literature 7.8 Conclusion: Cultural Significance Conclusion: Identity Articulation of Response Meets “Proficient” criteria and provides unique insight regarding how culture could impact interpretations of the text and how the text could impact culture Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates sophisticated understanding of the significance of identity in relation to the argument and text Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format Explains how culture could impact interpretations of the text and how the text could impact culture Discusses the significance of identity in relation to the argument and text Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization Explains how culture could impact interpretations of the text and how the text could impact culture, but explanation is illogical or contains inaccuracies Discusses the significance of identity in relation to the argument and text, but discussion is illogical or contains inaccuracies Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas Does not explain how culture could impact interpretations of the text or how the text could impact culture 7.8 Does not discuss the significance of identity in relation to the argument and text 7.8 Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas 4.8 Total 100%
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