The “NO” List

1. The “NO” List Everything you DON’T need in your writing! And some of what you do…

2. Don’t use: The informal • Contractions (can’t, won’t, don’t, etc.) • Slang phrases (he freaked out, makes death seem not so bad, etc.) • First or second person (I think Shakespeare is saying…, Donne want you to think death is not serious, etc.)

3. Do use: thoughtful writing • An interesting title • GOOD: Death: An Inevitable Circumstance • NOT SO GOOD: Compare/Contrast Essay, Death, etc.

4. Do use: thoughtful writing • 2. Tell + Show = Effect • Quote + explaining why the quote is significant to what you are saying + the effect that quote has on the piece of poetry • GOOD: “Shakespeare painted a clear image when he wrote, “When I, perhaps, compounded am with clay” (Shakespeare 10). Shakespeare defined death as a process of decay, one’s body returns to death with time….Both of these poems are describing the remains of one’s body after death. Shakespeare took a more realistic approach in describing a decrepit corpse… • NOT SO GOOD: “Sonnet 71”, for example, talks about a sullen bell, Than you shall hear the surly sullen bell” (Shakespeare 2). • NO FURTHER EXPLANATION WAS GIVEN.

5. Do use: proper punctuation • Poems need to be punctuated correctly • GOOD: “Death be not proud” • NOT SO GOOD: Sonnet 71, “death be not proud” • 2. Use the author’s first and last name the first time you refer to him: • GOOD: In “Sonnet 71”, William Shakespeare… • NOT SO GOOD: In “Sonnet 71”, Shakespeare…

6. Do use: proper punctuation • Mention the poem titles near the beginning, so the reader knows what you are talking about: • GOOD: In the poems, “Death be not proud” and “Sonnet 71”… • NOT SO GOOD: in the poems, the authors talk about…

7. Don’t: Rush • Your intro and conclusion should be at least 5 sentences each! • GOOD: Love and death are tightly twisted together. Love is most powerful when death steals one half away. The grief caused by this theft gives death a feeling of power because it is causing more pain. This power gives death a feeling of triumph because it is able to invoke such strong emotions and destroy beautiful things. Unfortunately for death, the deceased half of love wishes for its living half to not mourn its passing. It tells the living half to stay strong and that death is only trying to taunt it. The dead half tries to tell the living half to be strong and to not let death win and enslave him or her. “Sonnet 71” and “Death be not proud” are both about death and one’s feelings towards it; this is shown through imagery depicting disgusting, revolting things, tone referring to slavery, and personification of the world and death.

8. DON’T: RUSH: • 1. NOT SO GOOD: Everyone looks at death in different ways, and expresses their feelings towards death in different ways. Shakespeare’s and Donne’s poems are prime examples of the differences in views towards death as well as the similarities. Both poets use imagery, tone, and figures of speech in different ways while remaining similar.

9. Don’t: be bland • Start your intro with a hook: • GOOD: Death can be expressed in many ways, good or bad. A man can either invite and embrace death, or he can resist death and mock it. Either one he chooses, death will find him and he will have to prepare for it. • NOT SO GOOD: William Shakespeare’s poem “Sonnet 71” and John Donne’s poem “Death be not proud” both demonstrate stunning ideas about death itself, and its meanings and purposes.

10. Do: use a thesis statement!! • Without a thesis statement, you have no organization for your paper: • GOOD: • “There are many similarities and differences in the poems “Death be not proud” and “Sonnet 71” both authors demonstrate different uses of imagery, tone and figures of speech. • NOT SO GOOD: • Missing a thesis! • OR • Having a thesis without the three parts organized

11. DO: USE MLA FORMAT • Format correctly • GOOD:

12. DO: USE MLA FORMAT • NOT SO GOOD: • Not using the correct order for the heading, not including all the required info • Not including a page number, or the page number is in a different font than the rest of the paper • Not including a title • Not spacing correctly

13. DO: USE MLA FORMAT (citations) • Cite correctly! • GOOD: • “Death, be not proud” (Donne 1). • NOT SO GOOD: • “Death, be not proud”. (John Donne, pg. 115)

14. Don’t: be choppy • Blend your quotes smoothly! • GOOD: • Shakespeare uses a poignant example of imagery when he talks about leaving, “this vile world, with vilest worms to dwell” (Shakespeare 4). • NOT SO GOOD: • “Death be not proud” mocks death, “Death be not proud, though some have called thee mighty and dreadful, for thou art so” (Donne 1-2).

15. Do: end strong • Your conclusion should begin with restating your thesis and end with a thought provoker…something that stays with the reader and makes them want to give you a great grade! • GOOD: The focus on imagery, tone and figures of speech in Donne’s “Death be not proud” and Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 71” showcases symmetrical similarities and distinct differences. The power of death has long been a subject a fascination for mankind. Where do people go when they die? Is death the end? What happens when a person closes their eyes for the last time? While Donne speaks of the hopeful afterlife, Shakespeare concentrates on those left living when he is gone forever. Is the only comfort for death a belief in some sort of heaven? And what is the comfort if there is a more negative place to spend one’s eternal life?

16. Do: end strong • NOT SO GOOD: • The Similarities and differences of “Sonnet 71” and “Death be not proud” are quite intriguing and disturbing. The tone, imagery and figures of speech give a new outlook on death.

17. Write like you mean it! • "If you cannot write well, you cannot think well, and if you cannot think well, others will do your thinking for you."
    --George Orwell