The Creature From the Blog Lagoon

Just thought you should know, in case you've already visited the section on thesis statements that I've revised it (naturally) and added a middle section that gives another example of a thesis statement, as well as an example of a follow-up introductory paragraph. Thought that might help.

GC

Them's the Breaks

Ever since midterm breaks were invented, they have been a time for just getting a shipload of work done. They're not really "breaks" except in the sense that you don't have to go to class for a couple of days. Not so long ago, the midterm break was actually longer, but that's a whole other issue for another day. I hate that we've become a society that doesn't really know how to stop and stand still for five minutes. We work on Sundays now along with every other day of the week, and our beloved premier thoughtfully reflects on the question of whether the plebians who work in retail and other trades should be allowed a WHOLE day off sometime during the winter. The province's workers have given up 52 Sundays in the year that used to be days of peacefulness, family-time, and self-time and he's afraid of offending the businesses who would lose a whole day's receipts by closing down for 24 hours. Give me a break. Better yet, give workers a break. Who knows? They might actually achieve something resembling a life of quality.

It's okay to relax now and then. In fact, I recommend it...even if I don't do it all that often myself. But I always mean to. I don't think there's any great glory in working all the time to the point where you drive yourself to the brink of exhaustion or you're just being busy for the sake of being busy. But I digress.

Having said all of this, I know that most of you are working on essays over the break, including one for my English class. I scheduled it when I did so that you would have the maximum amount of time to do your best by meeting with me and reflecting on your previous essay a bit. A lot of you did exactly that because my office was a pretty busy place last week.

Today, I thought I should blog, not only about the necessity for a break now and then, but about the essays in general.

I've already told you about how to approach each question and I've also blogged about sentence structure and general essay structure, but a lot of you still have questions about the assignments, based on how you've answered my poll regarding what I should be talking about in this blog (the majority wants to see "info on assignments"). It's hard to know exactly what you want to know, so I'll try a Q & A style approach.

Q. Do I need a title page?
A. Yes. It need not be anything fancy. Just a mostly blank page that contains a TITLE, your name, my name, the course number, and the date submitted. It would be nice if your title was something halfways creative, but as long as it tells me what your topic is, it should be fine. Remember, it's not just "Morality," for example; it's "Morality in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein." It's always about the book).

Q. How should I bind the pages together?
A. A single staple in the top left corner.

Q. How long should it be?
A. Maximum 1,000 words. Maximum--meaning, at the very most.

Q. Should I double-space the lines?
A. Yes. (I had a student once who put extra space between words instead of between lines. Don't do that.)

Q. How much should I revise my essay?
A. Revise it until it has no mistakes and each and EVERY sentence flows smoothly and makes complete sense. If your essay looks like a first draft (still has spelling mistakes, comma splices, sentence fragments, and follows no kind of pattern), then I'll be passing it back to you without a grade. Not many people can write a perfect first draft. At the very least, your thesis statement should be revised until it encompasses what your entire essay is about. Your topic sentences should be revised until they reflect the content of that particular paragraph.

Q.How much attention should I pay to comments about my first essay that I just got back?
A. Lots. I take a lot of time with those comments and they are not meant to pass judgement on your essay so much as to tell you what problems to look for in future essays that you write. When you've finished your essay, go back to your other one and look for the problems you had on that one. Then go through your new essay and fix those problems.

Q. Should I use quotes from the novel (Frankenstein) in my essay, and how long should they be?
A. Use quotes, but use them sparingly. They should be mostly brief--just a few words, whenever possible and your quotes should be set up properly. Don't use hanging quotes, meaning you've just taken a quote and stuck it into your essay without any kind of proper framing. Here's an example of how quotes should be set up:
Victor's parents consider him their "plaything" (3).
Notice the placement of the page number and period. Notice the use of brevity in the quote itself and that it's incorporated into the sentence so that it flows smoothly and no words are wasted (1,000 words isn't very much if you're constantly using words, phrases, and sentences that don't need to be there at all).

If you're using a longer quote, it should look something like this:
We see an undercurrent of the them when the creature says to Victor, "'I should have been your Adam'" (95).
Always lead in to the quote by pointing out who is speaking. That's all I'm saying. Notice also that if you're quoting dialogue, you need the extra set of single quotation marks.

Avoid using really long quotes that take up several lines (unless you absolutely have to). The point is to analyze, not to repeat the novel word for word.

Also, and this is VERY IMPORTANT: if you use a quote of any length, make sure you follow it up with some sort of explanation as to why you're using it. Go back and look at the quote you've used and choose a key word (or phrase) or two to discuss in relation to your thesis statement and/or topic sentence. For example, in the quote above, you could discuss the words "Adam" and "should". Talk about how what that Biblical allusion means, especially as it relates to your topic. If you're trying to prove that Victor is a negligent parent, then the meaning is obvious: that Victor has created the first male of a new species and, instead of nurturing it as he "should" have (implying that he has moral obligations, according to the creature, as well as according to what Victor himself says when he is dying on Walton's ship). The creature's words suggest that he is aware of having been neglected and blames Victor for his actions. This novel is all about responsibility and neglect of those responsibilities. See how much you can get out one short quote, but especially by focusing on TWO little words ("should" and "Adam")? Always do this sort of thing with the quotes you use. You have used them as evidence and only by looking back at them closely can you SHOW why they are strong proof of your assertions. Sometimes, doing it this way can tell you that your gut feelings about the novel and about a certain quote is right on.

Q. Do I have to spell all the names of characters, titles, and places correctly?
A. Deep sigh. If in doubt, always check the book. If a name gives you some problems, check the book, just to be sure.

Q. Do I need to use a bibliography?
A. I don't expect one, but if you've used more sources than just the novel itself for your essay, the answer is yes. But this isn't a research essay. However, if you want some practice doing MLA formatting, go right ahead and show me what you can do. The worst that can happen is that I'll give you some feedback on whether or not you're doing it right.

Q. Do I need to use in-text citation (as in MLA)?
A. I won't deduct marks if you don't, but you probably should use them. "In-text citation" means giving the page number of a quote or reference within the body of your essay (i.e. in the text) as opposed to listing the page numbers in footnotes or endnotes.

Q. How serious are you about the 1,000-word limit?
A. Very. I rarely see an essay that can't eliminate a lot of words and phrases for the sake of clarity. If your essay goes beyond the limit even by a small amount, your content had better justify it and your essay should be devoid of clutter and redundancies.

That's about it for now. If I come up with any more things you might be wondering about, I'll blog about them later.

My best advice for now is to make sure you REVISE, REVISE, REVISE. Then REVISE AGAIN. The best work is written that way, whether it's poetry, novels, short stories, speeches, scripts, or essays. No matter how good something is when it first spills from your mind, you can always make it better. The main question to ask yourself is this: does this word or phrase express exactly what it should? (Reading it out loud might help. Scrutinize each word and sentence for clarity.)

The essays are due on Monday, February 26. Happy writing!

Next up for this blog: writing thesis statements.

GC

Your Assignment, If You Choose to Accept It...

Assignments. It seems that’s what most people want me to talk about. I will assume that means I should write about how to write a good assignment or maybe, more specifically, how to make your current or upcoming assignments better.

Let’s start in this blog entry with the Frankenstein assignment. First, I would choose whichever question I felt most comfortable with. You should only try to dazzle me with your choice of topic if you’re extremely comfortable with your writing ability, meaning you’ve been getting keen marks in the course already. There are no bonus marks for trying a really hard assignment if you still don’t write a good essay. Let your originality show in how you approach whatever topic you choose. The best answers are those that start with the best questions. So come up with your best questions first.

Here are the questions and my comments on each one:

1. Victor Frankenstein is the maker of his own destiny.
You need to figure out what this question is asking you to focus on. Obviously, it’s the protagonist, Victor. You’ll need to look at his motivations, as well as the results of his actions. Does he get what he deserves? By that, I don’t mean you should moralize as to whether he is “good” or “bad” so much as whether he creates his own destiny. Are the things that happen to him completely his own fault? Or does fate play a role? Or something else (e.g. how he was raised)? What does he seem to think? What do the other characters, such as the monster and/or Walton and/or Elizabeth seem to think? You will need to consider these angles before making a final decision. The key, as always, will be to organize your ideas, forming solid analytical paragraphs as you go (see my earlier post on paragraph structure).


2. The monster in Frankenstein deserves empathy, but not sympathy.

Some students I’ve spoken to seem confused as to the definitions of “empathy” and “sympathy”. Check a reliable dictionary. But also, set your own terms. Make sure you are clear on what it is you are trying to prove here (but start with a thesis statement that focuses on the novel first). Is it that we can understand the creature’s actions and still not feel sympathy for him? How you answer this question depends on you. Just make sure you follow some kind of structure in your argument. There won’t be any right or wrong here as long as you provide lots of evidence and rigorous discussion of your evidence.

3. Elizabeth Lavenza is the moral center in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

This one is pretty clear. You take a stand one way or the other regarding Elizabeth. It would be pretty hard to think that she is not the moral center—the character who most emblematizes the concept of “good” in the novel. But she isn’t the only one with such qualities, of course, so you might want to consider a couple of other pretenders to the title. What about Victor’s father and mother? What about the monster himself, or Robert Walton? They all have a certain morality about them. And besides, Mary Shelley’s husband, Percy, believed that we all conduct ourselves according to a personal moral code and that ideas of absolute right and wrong were nonsense, too subjective to be worth considering in such a way. Ultimately, though, you are mostly asked here to assess the character of Elizabeth in her interactions with other characters. How does she conduct herself, and why do you think Shelley portrays her this way?

4. Mary Shelley uses nature to symbolize (and/or reflect) Victor’s psychological journey.

Nature is the most obvious symbolic setting in Shelley’s novel, I would think. Whether it’s Walton being isolated in the ice on his journey towards the very symbolic North Pole, the monster living in nature and living off it while in his natural state, educating himself about the world he lives in and is yet alienated from, or Victor’s solo journey at Chamounix as he seeks solitude and salvation. At nearly every turn, we are told about nature, about the weather, the environment in general. It’s almost always significant, since it reflects the soul and emotions of the characters involved. The setting also enhances mood and, most importantly, reflects or emphasizes theme. These are just some thoughts to get you started, but I’ll be interested in seeing what you do with this one on your own. There’s plenty to talk about. I realize you can’t talk about it all, so tailor it to your own needs. You could talk about how she uses nature generally, but also narrow it down to a focus on two, three, or four key scenes.

5. Write a letter to Robert Walton, telling him that you have found the perfect friend for him, and his name is Henry Clerval. (Note: For the sake of the essay, assume he hasn’t been destroyed by the monster just yet.)

Even though this is supposed to be a letter, you’ll need to follow the form of good analysis, as we’ve discussed over and over. Your paragraphing should have structure, and there should be plenty of analysis, including evidence for all your assertions. This question will require you to discuss the characterization of both Walton and Clerval. They don’t meet in the novel, and yet the question seems to presume that they might have much in common. That’s up to you. Maybe you’ll discover something in the novel that suggests otherwise. Or not. Either way, as with all of the questions here, you’ll have to dig deep into the novel for evidence (a good, short quote here and there, or a couple of interesting details that you can make something of).


6. Write an e-mail to your English professor, telling him why you think Frankenstein is a literary masterpiece. OR Write an e-mail to your English professor, telling him why you think Frankenstein is an artistic failure.

Of course, you already know what I think. But that’s irrelevant. The main thing here is that you know how to articulate what YOU think. Many of you have already told me that you hated this novel (though a few have said otherwise too). So here’s your chance to say why. But it’s not a rant, not solely anyway. It has to have structure, lots of evidence, and strong points either for or against. What makes a novel a masterpiece anyway? Don’t get caught in the trap of simply saying you “liked” it and that “Mary Shelley did an excellent job.” I see a lot of essays like that and, really, those kinds of value judgements are relatively useless, even if you are right. What you’re supposed to do is analyze various components of the novel (how effective is her choice of narrator, her use of setting, her plotting, and so on. What makes a good novel anyway? Strong endings? Strong beginnings? Continuity?) While there is a subjective element to this question, be careful to not just sermonize based on a gut feeling. There is usually a reason for such gut feelings and your job is to find out what that is and express it in an intelligent, logical manner—not just as a matter of feeling or emotions.


7. Write a concerned letter to Elizabeth Lavenza, telling her why Victor Frankenstein is not the right man for her. (Note: For the sake of the essay, assume she’s still living and that we don’t necessarily know she’ll be choked to death by the monster.)

You could write this letter from the perspective of any character, or just from yourself. There are a lot of different approaches you could take. Either way, as with #5, you’ll need to consider the characterization of two separate characters, in this case both Elizabeth and Victor. You could take the opposite stance and say what they are meant for each other. As usual, that’s up to you. Be as creative as you like, as long your assertions are based on logic, including evidence from the story. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS consider the counter-argument or whether there is a different perspective possible on the evidence you’ve chosen to exploit. You should definitely focus on what it is that YOU are trying to prove, but always try to imagine what someone else might say if they didn’t have the same opinion as you. Just be aware of the often-multiple nuances of the English language, that’s all.

So, is Victor all wrong for Elizabeth? There are many reasons to think so and, I would think, they are obvious. But don’t just go for the obvious. Look closely at the sections where she is either talked about or actually gets to say things (such as in two separate letters to Victor). What kind of woman does she seem to be and what does she possibly see in Victor? Is she right or wrong in what she thinks about him, since she obviously wants him to marry her? Lots here to discuss.

My last comment for now on all of these questions: Make sure you dig into the novel for evidence. Get your hands dirty. Take copious notes and then organize those notes into an argument. That, along with solid writing and strong paragraphing (Remember: 1. Make a statement, 2. Give evidence, and 3. Analyze your evidence) will give you your best shot at a good essay and your best English grade yet. Oh, and come up with good questions (write them down!) designed to help you get to the heart of your subject. In answering those questions (again, on paper), you might be surprised at what you come up with.

Good luck! I hope these essays are brilliant. It makes my job of grading SO much easier and it makes me very happy. :-)

GC

Writing Better Essays

The proverbial dust has finally settled now that all the essays have been given back for now. The student traffic in and out of my office lately has been dizzying, and the next few days look to be just as busy.

Most students want to know how to write better essays. Out of the nearly 100 essays I graded last week, there was only one "A" paper and even that one could have been better. There were a few high B's, essays that were right on the cusp of greatness but were missing a certain something. Even the ones that were well below that were missing pretty much the same things, just on different scales. The infamous "NG" grades (which aren't nearly as bad as they sound. It only means "no grade" given yet; it's better than a really bad grade, isn't it?) had the same problems as the B papers, except there was less substance, not enough for me to grade.

So how do you get this substance into your papers?

A quality essay has to not only be pretty squeaky clean grammatically, but also has to express an original, engaging, thought on the subject. There are various ways of doing this, and I would never suggest that my way is the only way. But in the past couple of years, I've developed a way of showing students how to format such a paper. It's the same one I wrote on the board a few days ago, which I just call the 1-2-3 method of analysis:

Each paragraph of your essay ought to look something like this.

1. Make a statement.
2. Give evidence.
3. Discuss evidence.

1. Make a statement. This is your topic sentence or what I call "the label on the box." Think of the paragraph as a box in which you are going to pack certain things in order to organize. Organization, after all, is the key to clear expression. So if you clearly mark the box/paragraph, then there should be no doubt as to what it contains. I should be able to read your "label" (topic sentence) and know exactly what that box contains. When you look back over your essay, if you see a subject being discussed that does not belong with that label, then you need to put that statement or phrase in another box, or paragraph. If your paragraph turns out to be about something other than what you planned, you could even consider changing your topic sentence. The other alternative could be to re-write your entire paragraph. Either way, the label has to match the contents of the box, and vice-versa.

2. Give evidence. The evidence you use is simply the short quotes, details, choice words, SPECIFIC references to scenes and characters that you use to support your topic sentence. These will show your reader (me) that you are not just making broad or abstract claims; you actually have reasons for making the assertions you make, and here is the proof.

3. Discuss evidence. It's never enough just to show evidence and assume that I know why it's there. If I want to make my own connections, I will write my own paper. Your job is to show me why you think what you think about the book, story, poem (or whatever) you've read. So go back to your list of details or your quotes, look at the word choice used by the author and tell me why you think these words that you've chosen are appropriate evidence for what you're trying to prove or illustrate. If you've used a quote with at least several words in it, go back through the quote, pick out a few (or at least a couple) of key words and tell me why they help prove your point.

I'm not telling you this simply because it's right and other methods are wrong. I'm telling you this because, for most of you, it will give you a method for working. There is confidence in having a formula that workd and if you get used to doing it this way, you will always have full, meaningful paragraphs that are full of analysis and substance.

I'll be trying to blog about more of this kind of thing over the next few days and coming weeks. This is only a beginning (also see my earlier blog about sentence structure fixes). I've been paying attention to the voting (see top right of page) and this is the kind of thing that some of you want to see more of. Also, if you have a more specific question, PLEASE leave a comment or see me in person and ask me to blog about a certain idea. That way, I can address your particular needs.

GC

To Be A Writer

A couple of weeks ago, I asked a question in both of my English 1101 classes: how many of you you have written a novel? The answer: Zero. That's not surprising, considering all of you are still pretty young and writing a novel takes time and, as one student pointed out, it also requires life experience. True enough. But I will add that whatever age you are, you are, in many respects, the sum of your experiences. In other words, you do have a story to tell, even if it is the story of being eighteen or nineteen. Some people have already lived a lifetime by that age, while others feel they haven't even begun. Wherever you fit, I still think you have something to say (if you want to) because your experiences are your own, your thoughts are your own, and they are valuable if you choose to give them voice.

In one of my classes, I followed up that first question with another one: How many of you WANT to write a novel someday? Nearly half the class put up their hands. I found that intriguing because I know full well that most people who want to write a novel never actually do it. I know lots of people who have and many who have published (whether novels, short stories, or poetry), but I know far more people who aspired to write one but always think it is something they will do "someday" or in their spare time. Some even think it's an impossible dream.

I guess writing can be a hobby, if that's what you want out of it. Nothing wrong with that as long as you're being true to yourself. Personally, I believe that writers write. If you're writing, you're a writer. If you're not writing, then you're being something else. I think a lot of writers (myself included, several years ago) hesitate to call themselves writers because they think other people might think they're being pretentious, aspiring to be special or unique or intellectual or whatever. I talked to a student the other day who said she was a musician. And she was, too, because she played an instrument very well and therefore had earned the right. No one could tell her she wasn't one.

But writers are largely insecure by nature. Sometimes they think that "Writing" is so sacred and special that maybe they really are being pretentious be even claiming to be doing it or, certainly be claiming to be a writer.

The very first thing you will need to rid yourself of if you are going to be a good writer is the need to please other people, or that sense of caring what other people think about what you do. You can't always be censoring yourself because your mother won't like what you write or your best friend might decide that you're a spy and no longer trustworthy. If you want to be a writer, just write. But you have to be honest about why you're doing it and you have to be honest WHILE you're doing it. If you're doing it because you want to be artistic, then maybe there are other things you can that are less harmful to yourself. If you're doing it because you have something to say or you're gonna burst, then maybe you're in the right ballpark.

The question is: can you write well enough to be a writer?

For that, alas, you will mostly have to rely on your own opinion. I think it's valuable to ask other people what they want, and if you can find a mentor who has the time and ability to offer you their opinion, that is certainly helpful. But what happens if your chosen mentor tells you to give it up and go back to school or open your own drive-in? That's when you have to do a gut check and ask yourself if you really want this badly enough that you are willing to LEARN how to be a good writer.

That's right: I said learn to be a good writer. They aren't born, you know. Not often, anyway. They learn their craft. I think you can be born with an ear for dialogue, an eye for detail, and a talent for grammar and all the rest of it. Storytellers can be born too. But you can always hone your craft no matter who you are.

You have to be willing to revise, revise, and revise your work until it is sparkling. Then you have to revise again.

If someone tells you you're not good enough, well, then that's a test of how badly you wanted to be a writer to begin with. If you just say "Okay, I won't write another word," then you're not cut out for it anyway. But if you promise yourself that you will do everything it takes to get it right, to learn the tools and tricks of the writing trade, then maybe you have shot at it.

There's so much more to say on this. For me, it's an endless topic. If there's a specific question on your mind about writing, leave a "comment" for me. That way I'll know what to talk about here.

Meanwhile, I'll be back and forth between this and talking about course-related stuff over the next few days. Your comments and questions are always appreciated.

GC

Rock the Vote!

I'm in between grading essays now, thankfully, and can take a deep breath. Hopefully, I'll have a chance now to write more on this blog for the next couple of weeks and make it as useful and as interesting as possible. It's tough finding the time, but it seems worth it.

On that note, you'll notice on the top right of the page that I've posted a survey button that says "Vote now" or something like that. This will be a regular feature that I'll be changing every so often. My first two questions have to do with this blog: Is this blog helpful to you? and What else would you like to see here? I'll keep it going for a week or so and start making changes accordingly. But I'm really interested in hearing from you.

It's been madness around my office lately, and, starting Monday, it looks to be even busier. If you get there and there's a line-up, let me know you're there. If you have an appointment you get priority over someone who doesn't, but I plan to see everyone. I'll be in my office most of Monday, except when I'm teaching at 10 and at noon, so even without an appontment, especially in the afternoon, drop by if you have a question. A lot of people are e-mailing too, and that's a really good way to communicate. Nothing beats face-to-face though.

That's all I have to say for now. It's Friday evening, time to kick back and relax a bit.

I'll be blogging about fiction writing a bit this weekend now that I can turn my thoughts to it. I've got a short story I'm working on and want to finish in the next ten days, so I'll definitely be in the mood to talk about the process for that, maybe even the whole mystifying publication process, at least as much as I know about it.

Stay tuned!

By the way, for those students who show up to classes on Fridays (especially) and snowy Mondays, blah-blah Wednesdays, with their game face on, and are only too happy to talk about literature, culture, philosophy, and life in general, thank you! I understand and appreciate the effort it takes sometimes just to be present, literally, figuratively, and in all ways. The life well lived is the hardest life to live. And a well-lived life is one in which you are present most of the time. I mean REALLY present. Not just there, but prepared to engage.

TGIF.

GC

Assignments

Just to clarify:

On Monday, Feb. 5, I'll be handing out the topics for the out-of-class essay on Frankenstein, due February 26.

On Friday (tomorrow), I'll be handing out the topics for the research assignment that is due in late March.

The other essay will be an in-class around the middle of March.

GC