LORAIN COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

English 161: College Composition I

OUTLINE for Essay #4

Due: Sunday 11/28 by Midnight via Canvas

GOAL: To demonstrate your ability to plan an essay that presents an argument of your own on a topic of your choice based on Sophocles’ drama Oedipus Rex, while adhering to MLA formatting conventions.

You must include at least 3 direct quotes from the text. This time you are required to use a block quote in your paper. This means 3 quotes total. Try to use different formats (quote, colon, ellipses, bracket, paraphrase, block, etc…) as well.

DIRECTIONS: You are to organize and plan you Essay #4 to be submitted prior to the due date of Essay #4. You must include a Working Thesis Statement and at least 3 direct quotes (1 MUST be a block quote) from the text in MLA formatting. Outlines must be typed and submitted to CANVAS prior to the start of class the day they are due. Outlines are worth 10 points. Outline formats can be anything! This means that you can use the format below, a format that you have used in the past, a bulleted list of ideas and support, or a working draft of your paper. Some people work better just sitting down and writing and some people work better with planned out lists. Any format of pre-writing will work for this assignment. Just make sure that you include all required items on the Rubric so that you get the points possible.

Your argument can be on any number of topics: a character’s development, the theme or lesson of the play, a specific scene or section of dialogue, how the play is relatable to modern readers, what you think Sophocles was aiming for in the whole play/one part of the play, how characters communicate (or don’t), Tragic Heroes, Dramatic Irony, etc… the list goes on. Have some fun with this one!

Possible Outline: Literary Interpretation

Introduction

State what text you are writing about and who it is by.

State and briefly summarize the aspect of Oedipus Rex you will be focusing on.

Directly state your thesis statement with a strong argument (must go further than critiquing what you thought was good or bad about the text).

Include your Working Thesis Statement (in BOLD for outline only) somewhere in the intro paragraph information.

Expanded argument

Give more background information or summarization of the parts of the play that a reader would need to understand to get what you are trying to “prove” to them.

Expand your argument (elaborate on your thesis and what you hope to “prove” with the paper).

This will work as your transition to the arugment/analysis part of your paper.

Argument/Analysis (largest part of your paper).

Present evidence (quotes) from the text that support your point (not just quotes to tell the story or Oedipus).

(QUOTE and CITE THESE using MLA).

at least 1 block quote is required.

Explain how these quotes support your point.

Provide counterarguments and/or concessions to make your point more relatable for all readers.

Make sure that everything that happens in this part of the paper is focused on “proving” your thesis statement.

Conclusion

Restate your thesis.

State what is significant about your analysis and why the reader should agree with your arguments.

Outline Rubric

Criteria Ratings Pts

Working Thesis Statement

Identifies what your argument is and why in BOLD. This area will be used by the assessor to leave comments related to this criterion. 3.0 pts

Supporting Evidence

Quotes you plan to use/paraphrase to support your claim. Includes MLA citation. This area will be used by the assessor to leave comments related to this criterion. 3.0 pts

Argument Organization

Does your outline show the progression of your argument? This area will be used by the assessor to leave comments related to this criterion. 3.0 pts

MLA Formatting

Typed with MLA header. This area will be used by the assessor to leave comments related to this criterion. 1.0 pts

Total Points: 10.0

LORAIN COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

English 161: College Composition I

ESSAY #4: Literature Analysis

Due: Sunday 12/5 by Midnight via Canvas

GOAL: To demonstrate your ability to write a literary interpretation of Sophocles’ drama Oedipus Rex while adhering to MLA formatting conventions.

DIRECTIONS: You are to, in at least 1250 words, write a literary analysis on Sophocles’ drama Oedipus Rex. You should be making an argument of your own about the text and backing that argument up with the source material. Make sure that your literary analysis is properly balanced (your whole essay should not be a summary and then a rushed analysis at the end).

Your argument can be on any number of topics: a character’s development, the theme or lesson of the play, a specific scene or section of dialogue, how the play is relatable to modern readers, what you think Sophocles was aiming for in the whole play/one part of the play, how characters communicate (or don’t), Tragic Heroes, Dramatic Irony, etc… the list goes on. Have some fun with this one!

You must include at least 3 direct quotes from the text with at least 1 block quote (quote, colon, ellipses, bracket, paraphrase, block, etc…) [This means 3 quotes total]You also need to have a Works Cited page.

All quotes must match up with their listed citation on the works cited page. They should all have the author(s) name(s) and page number of information being quoted in parenthesis at the end of the sentence the quote is used in. You may also use paraphrased information, but it must be cited properly as well.

MLA EXAMPLES for DRAMA

Block Quote:

Tiresias’ soliloquy clearly restates what Oedipus is blind to and the audience already knows:

to his own sons he shall be found

Related as a brother, through their sire,

And of the woman from whose womb he came

Both son and spouse. (Sophocles 17)

This shows that the prophecy of his parents has still come true despite their best efforts. He continues on to state that Oedipus “has murdered him [Laius his father]” (Sophocles 17). Therefore Tiresias’ soliloquy acts as a summary of what the audience experiences as dramatic irony.

Dialogue between multiple characters;

Oedipus clearly does not hear what Tiresias says the first time:

TIRESIAS. Did you not understand me at first hearing,

Or are you tempting me, when you say “Speak!”

OEDIPUS. Not so to say for certain; speak again.

TIRESIAS. I say that you are Laius’ murderer—

He whom you seek (Sophocles 13-14).

Basic Quote (1 character):

In his decree to the people of Thebes, Oedipus states “And for myself I pray, if with my knowledge / He should become an inmate of my dwelling / That I may suffer all that I invoked” (Sophocles 10).

-Look to the Purdue OWL website or the posted examples on Canvas for examples of the MLA requirements.

Formatting:

-You need to have a Works Cited page with a citation for Sophocles. They should be MLA formatted properly. The citations should be spaced with all lines after the first one indented. Papers with multiple sources must list them in alphabetical order. Textbook citations should include (crossed out parts not needed for our textbook):

Author. “Title”. Title of container (self-contained if book), Other contributors (translators

or editors), Version (edition), Number (vol. and/or no.), Publisher, Publication Date,

Location (pages, paragraphs URL or DOI). Date of Access (if applicable).

*If you quote the intro to Oedipus Rex, you must cite the introductory author in the text and on the Works Cited page (it will look different than the Sophocles citation). This does not count as one of the 3 required quotes.

Don’t forget: use MLA formatting for the Heading, Header, Font, Spacing, Quotations. Should be formatted in 12-point Times New Roman font, double spaced, with no bold thesis for final draft (only in the Outline). Look back at the MLA Practice “answers” and the Purdue OWL for examples.

*Do NOT use I, my, me, or you in the paper. Try using one, consumers, people, readers, etc. instead.

Audience: Your essay should be written for a general academic audience who is unfamiliar with the source you are using to make your argument about your chosen topic. This will involve summarizing your source used as the basis of the analysis. Do not assume they know who the characters are or the background of the culture from the text. Explain these things to the reader when needed. Make sure to explicitly state and demonstrate for your reader how the ideas in the text are directly related to your argument about your topic and show them the connections that you’ve discovered and how it affects or reflects the reader’s perceptions about these topics.

RUBRIC: Papers will be graded as A, B, C, D, or Fs using this Rubric based on the Grading Criteria adopted by the English Department. Late papers will lose a letter grade for each day it is late. Turning the Essay in after the scheduled due date time counts as turning the paper in one day late.

*Remember: You are trying to tell the reader what you see in your analysis of your chosen topic and then brining in the source material (Oedipus Rex) as your support (for or against) what your analysis is stating. Your source material this time will be textual and plot examples, not other people’s claims, so make sure to find a way to use them to further your own claims.

Criteria

CONTENT 1

Demonstrates a thesis and arguments that are: -clear -logical -creative -insightful -developed.

CONTENT 2

Displays advanced critical thinking skills for: -summary -analysis -synthesis -evaluation of text sources.

ORGANIZATION

Demonstrates: -thoughtful ordering of ideas -unified, detailed and analytical paragraphs related to thesis -smooth and logical transitions.

STYLE

Demonstrates: -correct, precise diction -eloquent style -varied, complex sentence patterns -mature authorial voice.

FORMAT

Demonstrates: -adept research and documentation skills, including effective integration of source material.

MECHANICS

Demonstrates: -correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling.