Literary Analysis: Introductory Paragraph

TASK: Write the introductory paragraph for your literary analysis essay.   

 

PROCEDURE:  Your introductory paragraph should clearly introduce the topic of Transcendentalism.  You should define Transcendentalism using all the information presented in class.  Make sure to: 

• Write in the 3rd person (don't use the pronoun "I")

• Cite and explain at least 2 pieces of evidence from the Emerson text to help you define Transcendentalism

• Use FORMAL academic language

Your finished introductory paragraph should be 150-250 words long.  

 

You may use any of the websites that we visited, Youtube videos on Transcendentalism, a dictionary, and the Emerson text that you annotated.

Here you will find videos for the Emerson text that we read together in class: 

Emerson Paragraph 1

Emerson Paragraph 2 

Example Introductory Paragraph

This is an example introductory paragraph that I wrote for you to see what your writing should look like.  Pay attention to the language that I use and how I was able to cite and explain evidence that helped me to clearly introduce my topic:

Buddhism is considered to be one of the major religions of the world.  Buddhism began in India with the teachings of a man named Sidhartha Guatama and eventually spread throughout many of the countries in Asia.  During the 1950s a group of poets and writers called the “Beat Generation” began to experiment with some Buddhist ideas in their writing, thereby exposing many American people to this way of thinking.  Some of the most prominent ideas in Buddhism include the concept of karma and the belief in reincarnation.  According to Thanissaro Bhikkhu, a Western monk, “Indian schools believed that karma operated in a simple straight line, with actions from the past influencing the present, and present actions influencing the future.”  Basically, this means that Buddhists believe that the things you do today will affect your future.  Reincarnation on the other hand is defined by M. O'C. Walshe as, “a soul that exists and passes on from life to life, occupying successive bodies.”  As you can see, these Buddhist ideas are vastly different than those of traditional American families.  Despite that fact, Buddhism is one of the fastest growing religions in America and continues to influence many people that have never set a foot in Asia. 

Trancendentalism

What is Trancendentalism? 

To find out, complete the following web quest.  (Make sure you are sitting in the correct number group and complete the task below that corresponds to your number.)  You may use the Dictionary.com app to define any unfamiliar vocabulary. 

Level 1

Watch this VIDEO on Youtube.  Answer the following questions:  

1. Explain the connection between nature and trancendentalism.   
2. According to the video, what do you need in order to figure out "the great mysteries of life?"
3. List 3 people that helped to develop Transcendentalism as a movement in American Literature.  

Level 2

Use the information on Philosophy Slam to answer the following questions about Henry David Thoreau:

• Why did Thoreau have to live away from society to learn about himself?
  
• Choose a quote from Thoreau. Explain what you think it means. How does it fit into transcendentalism? What does it tell you about your life?

Level 3

Use the information presented on the PBS Website to answer the following questions:  Name 3 Americans that are considered to be Transcendentalists.  Describe the main beliefs of each person that you listed by citing evidence from the website.   

Level 4

Use the information presented on the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy to answer the following questions:   What is Transcendentalism?  List 5 beliefs common to a person that is a Transcendentalist.  

Exit Slip

Answer the question that corresponds to the number you received.  Submit your answer by email before the end of the day. 

Level 1: Summarize the main idea of the Emerson excerpt.  Make sure to include at least 3 supporting details. 

Level 2:  Is Emerson a Transcendentalist?  Why or why not?  Use evidence from the passage to support your answer. 

Level 3:  If Emerson were to give a speech about global warming, what would he say?  Be sure to include 1 quote from the passage you read. 

Level 4:  Based on what you know about Emerson, how do you think he would feel about the use of technology in our present-day world?  Use evidence from the passage to support your answer. 

Literary Analysis

Literature begs for readers to read, react to, think about, and interpret the text.  Literary analysis gives you a chance to deconstruct the symbols, language, setting, plot, character, and foreshadowing in order to suggest the true MEANING of a text.

In literary analysis, you make a claim about the text and support your claim with evidence, reasoning and analysis. 

Task

• Visit Teen Ink
• Find an example of a literary analysis essay
• Read the essay
• Send Harriciones an email with the following information and answers to the following questions: 

                         Title and author of the essay you read

          1. How do you know that the essay you read is an example of literary analysis?
          2. Copy and paste a passage from the essay that shows "deeper understanding" of the text.     
          3. Explain the passage you copied above in your own words. 

Reading Can Help You Form Strong Relationships

Today we begin a new writing project: Literary Analysis. 

To prepare yourself for an in-depth look at complex literature, take the following quiz:

Emotional Intelligence

Download this article from the New York Times:

For Better Social Skills, Scientists Recommend a Little Chekhov

Questions for Shared Inquiry Discussion

1. How can reading literary fiction help you socialize? 

2. How is reading literary fiction different from reading popular fiction? 

 

Publishing

The best feedback for a writer comes when you share your writing with the outside world.

For middle school writers, using the internet to connect with writers across the country can be extremely powerful.  In class we will be choosing a website or app to use for sharing writing and I'd like to have your input!

Here is your task: 

Take a look at the following websites to get an idea of these kind of websites and be prepared to share your opinion with the rest of the class.  Explore, investigate, and decide which site you like better:

Teen Ink
Watt Pad
Booksie
Mibba
Figment
Young Writer's Society

If you are finished exploring these sites, do a Google search for other sites like these.

Once you are completely finished and know which site you like best, send me an email that contains the following information:

1. Which site you like best.
2. Why you like that site.

I will count up the votes and make a decision next week!

This is an example of the kind of email I'm expecting from you: 

My view on Wattpad is it's a great place to read, connect and have a good laugh. The pros is that it's free and everyone can make an account and share work. I no doubt love Wattpad, but I don't think its appropriate for a school environment. Most stories are really incomplete and have yet to be updated. It's a constant wait, but at the same time it's very worth it. The reason I would even consider it as a option is because the people who share their stories sound real. They sound like normal kids that everyone can relate to. They share their pain and stories and it's just more than just reading it feels like your there. The problem with TeenInk and other websites like that is that they are made for the specific purpose of sharing work and publishing. The kids on those websites are not connecting they are just publishing and it's not very fun. On Wattpad you can relate and connect with many minds. It's incredibly hard to choose. On one hand you have Wattpad that's unprofessional, lacks structure, but is also very connecting and on the other you have some fancy pants TeenInk website that  is professional, has the structure but it just feels like you're sharing with robots. I believe that we should use both. We need structure but we also need to connect.

This is an example of the kind of email that I DON'T want to get from you: 

I like WattPad because it's fun.  Teenink is not as fun.  

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