American Lit

1. American Lit Literary analysis: Post writing

2. CONTROLLING PURPOSE: Review • The controlling purpose is similar to a thesis statement. • It serves as somewhat of a blueprint for the entire paper by telling the reader what position the writer is taking; or what will be discussed in the paper; or what will be revealed; what will be argued, etc. • A well-written essay has a clearly defined controlling purpose, with evidence to support it. • An effective conclusion reasserts the controlling purpose, but it also leaves the reader with a unique thought to take away from the paper.

3. CONTROLLING PURPOSE • Little Crow analyses: • Be sure to give your controlling purpose context: Let the reader know right away that you are writing about Dakota Chief Little Crow; then indicate that he both affirms and contradicts the stereotypical American Indian. • Let’s look at Shelby’s:

4. CONTROLLING PURPOSE Prominent Native American history centers on Chief Little Crow, Minnesota’s distinguished Dakota leader. The actions he pursues within the role can be seen as unnecessary or crucial, but indisputably notable. Illustrated in Curt Brown’s Star Tribune articles, “A Man Lost in History,” Little Crow showcases the challenges that come with leading a struggling community. The aspects of his will, honor, and downfall reflect the construction of Native American stereotypes, and how perceptions of these stereotypes require re-examination.

5. CONTROLLING PURPOSE • What has Shelby accomplished? • She identifies Little Crow as the subject of her analysis. • She cites the source of her information: Many of you neglected this. In revision, refer to the packet this way: • A six-part series titled “A Man Lost in History,” written in 2012 by Minneapolis Star Tribune writer Curt Brown. • Then your in-text citation should refer to the specific article in the series.

6. CONTROLLING PURPOSE • She also establishes that the paper will look at the ways that stereotypical notions both apply and do not apply to Little Crow: • For example, she notes that he was a determined figure who advocated for his people and fought for them. She quotes from the packet, that “He remained unconvinced that war was the Dakota’s best option,” and became frustrated with the violent nature many of his warriors assumed. • She then writes: However, as noted in the Brown article, “Little Crow believed there was honor in his soldiers fighting U.S. soldiers.”

7. THE BODY OF THE PAPER • This allows her to make this definitive statement: • Little Crow’s determination to assist his people demonstrates how he defies the stereotypical depiction of a Native “warrior.” He powerfully rallies with the Dakota in time of battle, but didn’t eagerly turn to violence to accomplish his goals. • This is the framework for her (and your) paper. Choose three qualities Little Crow demonstrates; give context to these traits, quoting and citing the packet for background information.

8. THE BODY OF THE PAPER • Establishing the other important source of information: “Reel Injun.” • Cite it as the 2009 Neil Diamond film documentary, “Reel Injun,” which examines Hollywood’s depiction of Native Americans through a century of cinema. • That’s the reference point for the stereotypes. Let’s look at how Shelby uses it.

9. THE BODY OF THE PAPER In contrast, Little Crow’s admirable qualities may be overlooked as a result of his flaws. He was involved in gambling and established relationships with many women when he was younger. These characteristics guide Little Crow away from the notion of being a stereotypical “noble Injun,” as represented in Hollywood films such as “The Silent Enemy.”

10. THE BODY OF THE PAPER My advice to Shelby would be to insert the “Reel Injun” citation and then refer to the specific movie. So it would read like this: In contrast, Little Crow’s admirable qualities may be overlooked as a result of his flaws. He was involved in gambling and established relationships with many women when he was younger. These characteristics guide Little Crow away from the notion of “noble Injun,” one of the stereotypes explored in the documentary, “Reel Injun.” This 2009 Neil Diamond film examines Hollywood’s depiction of Native Americans through a century of cinema, including the “noble Injun” stereotype in the film “The Silent Enemy.” • For good measure, I might even do a quick Google search for a bit more background on “The Silent Enemy.” The full paragraph would then look like this:

11. THE BODY OF THE PAPER In contrast, Little Crow’s admirable qualities may be overlooked as a result of his flaws. He was involved in gambling and established relationships with many women when he was younger. These characteristics guide Little Crow away from the notion of “noble Injun,” one of the stereotypes explored in the documentary, “Reel Injun.” This 2009 Neil Diamond film examines Hollywood’s depiction of Native Americans through a century of cinema, including the “noble Injun” stereotype fostered in the film “The Silent Enemy.” The makers of the 1930 silent film are hailed by film critic Benjamin Schrom for “their intention and commitment to honor the heritage of a noble and disappearing people” (www.silentfilm.org).

12. Other Considerations • Place Little Crow in Minnesota; be sure to mention he leads the Dakota tribe. • Avoid “absolute” statements that cannot be supported by evidence: words like “everybody,” “all,” “never” “always.” • “All people have stereotypes of Native Americans.” • “He has been blamed for everyone’s problems.” • Accuracy: The information has to be correct. • “Little Crow starred in Hollywood films.”

13. Literary analysis: Scarlett and Emily Big picture The comparisons are pretty strong. One I questioned is whether Scarlett is stuck in the past. Some clarifications are in order: for example, Emily and Homer never do get married. Full development of points: explain the phrase “spiritual mother of Atlanta.” This is a nickname assigned to Scarlett by literary critics that means she demonstrates the traits that helped resurrect Atlanta after the war: resiliency, determination, courage. But she had nothing to do with rebuilding Atlanta itself, outside of running a business there.

14. Literary analysis: Scarlett and Emily The biggest oversight resulted from not supporting the analysis with evidence from the text. This means directly quoting the characters or the narrative; it can be as simple as using Faulkner’s words to describe the condition of Emily’s home; or perhaps quoting Gerald O’Hara as telling Scarlett, “Land is the only thing that lasts.”

15. Literary analysis: Scarlett and Emily Here are two good examples from the papers: Empowered by her dreams of impressing Ashley and her vow to never again re-enter the clutches of poverty, Scarlett transcends the social norms of the South and becomes a working woman. Earlier in the film, Scarlett declares, “With God as my witness, I will never go hungry again.” This is scene in the line, “Only Miss Emily’s house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps – an eyesore among eyesores.” This demonstrates that even Miss Emily’s home clings to the past, aging without a hint of grace.

16. Other Considerations Be sure to include the names of the works and the authors in the introduction: Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind; William Faulkner’s “A Rose For Emily.” Establish the time period as the Civil War and Reconstruction eras. When referring to the region of the country, capitalize “South.”

17. Proofreading Ignoring careful proofreading produces glaring errors like these, which just kill a paper’s effectiveness: • Emily is stuck in her past just as Emily is, although for entirely different reasons. • Scarlett takes up the responsibility of keeping up Tara and looking after the sick, such as John Wilkes, her true love. • This is certainly the case in Margaret Faulkner’s “A Rose For Emily.” • Scarlett also goes to desperate measures and controls the men around her through marrying both Charles Hamilton and Jack Kennedy. • Scarlett O’Hara grows up in a solid, secure family in the town of Tara. • And my favorite from a past paper, from a writer with an obsession with the “g” key: • Scarlett O’Gara is the heroine in “Gong With The Wing.”

18. Literary analysis: Overall General observations about writing structure: Great command of third-person writing voice: just a couple of exceptions here. This simply means removal of “I” “me” “my” “our” “us” “we.” Tense: a few people writing in past tense but still very strong. Plus, it’s a quick fix: simply a matter of converting verbs to present tense.

19. Literary analysis: Grammar Quick grammar lesson: comma splices Two independent thoughts (or two complete sentences) within one sentence cannot be separated by a comma alone. Example: Emily ends up sick and alone, she never recovers from the death of her father. We have two independent clauses: Emily ends up sick and alone. She never recovers from the death of her father.

20. Comma Splices • Fix the comma “splice” in three ways: • Simply replace the comma with a semi-colon. • Emily ends up sick and alone; she never recovers from the death of her father. • Keep the comma, but add a subordinating or coordinating conjunction. • Emily ends up sick and alone, and she never recovers from the death of her father. • Replace the comma with a period, and form two sentences. • Emily ends up sick and alone. She never recovers from the death of her father.

21. Miscellaneous • Commas and periods always go inside quotation marks: “A Rose For Emily,” by William Faulkner. • Colons and semi-colons go outside of quotations marks. • Entire paper is double-spaced, including title page info. • Also, just to learn or remind ourselves how to do it, format the title page in MLA style. Your last name 1 • Your first and last name • American Literature •  Mr. Johnston • 19 December 2012 • TITLE IS CENTERED

22. Literary analysis So, here is what happens with the grade. If you revise following the suggestions mentioned on your paper and making corrections, you can earn additional points. If you choose not to revise, the grade stands as marked. You must staple the revised copy to the one I have marked up. Revisions are due Wednesday, Dec. 19.