Own It

So, your first assignment has been distributed and it's due in a few weeks. Your initial instinct may be to stash your handout in a folder, zip it up in your backpack, or ... wait a second, you've already lost it. Thank goodness for extra copies on Huskyct!

The thing is, not waiting until the last minute can really work to your benefit. By taking small, achievable steps, that 5-7 page paper is not something to be stressed about; it's something of which to be proud.

Here's what I'd like you to do. Open up your backpack, take out your folder, download from Huskyct, and read the assignment sheet. What are you being asked? Do you have a choice of texts or topics? What kind of paper is being assigned?

-Academic exploratory essays strive to incorporate literary analysis, interpretation, and purpose.

-Comparison and contrast papers may seek to address the literary converstation between texts.

You may be asking yourself What's a literary conversation? And if you are, great. That means you're trying to make sense of your assigment in order to make it your own. Now, in a literary conversation, authors aren't actually talking to each other, per se, but certain texts may build off of a specific theme or argument. If you can connect the literature in your own analysis, then you can effectively add to the conversation.

So, in short, know your assignment. Not so that you can give your instructor what you perceive he or she "wants," but so you can take ownership. Put your individual stamp on your essay within the assignment's framework. Be bold, be unique, but most of all ... be yourself.

~Mary

Return to Writing

It may be 80° outside right now, but summer is slowly fading away. One minute we’re reading on a beach, the next we’re reading in a classroom. Backpacks replace tote bags, boots replace flip-flops, notebooks replace Facebook. Soon leaves will be crunching under our feet as we head to our classes, our daily planners filled with assignments and deadlines and projects and, yes, essays.

Don’t worry, though, because the Writing Center is here to help. We’ve expanded our hours (check the sidebar) and are available to assist you throughout the writing process. In addition, I will be undertaking a semester-long project of my own on our blog. Each week, I’ll be posting a step-by-step guide on how to write a literary analysis. I hope to demystify the writing process, break it down into smaller parts, and offer you an accessible resource to turn to as you tackle that paper.

Until then …
~Mary