Brown Girl Dreaming: The Analysis Format Is Something That Y

Brown Girl Dreamingthe Analysis Format Is Something That You Will Enco

The analysis format is something that you will encounter on a daily basis. It is a way to use research and evidence to analyze how something is constructed. For the purposes of this paper, you will choose a part(s) of Brown Girl Dreaming to examine and then to discuss as it relates to the whole book. Please be careful as this is not a summary of the book and what happened. As you put your essay together, you need to follow these steps: Identify the part(s) of the book you will discuss—setting, characters, tone, use of poetry, use of a memoir, action, and/or symbols.

Find at least one solid research source that can educate you about the parts of the book you choose. I recommend the literary databases in the library at DCCC or JSTOR. You can use other reputable websites you feel relate to a part of the book that you can analyze with support from such research. Do not use GradeSaver, Sparknotes, Booknotes, Wikipedia, etc. For more information, refer to the material on what makes good research below.

After reading and understanding your research source, begin to craft your paper. Some notes about choosing the parts of the book to analyze: Make sure you are not just telling about the book. Tell why and how. Pick points you can develop so if the setting plays a small role then don't choose it. Support should be sufficient so your analysis makes sense to the reader.

Support can be quotes from the book and/or your research. Use proper quotation sandwich format. If you are unclear about how to write about literature, a quick Google or YouTube search will provide many helpful sites. Think of this as a slightly longer journal where you make points supported by both the book Brown Girl Dreaming and your research. As you write the paper: remember your point is not to tell me about the book in a summary.

While constructing the paper, make sure you relate everything to a bigger point, for example how the use of memoir and poetry develops characters and themes or how symbols bring more meaning into what is a very short book. A possible outline is:

Introduction

Give an introduction to the book and a short overview of main parts—the main characters, main actions, main settings, the form of the book—and end with a clear and detailed thesis statement about what you will be analyzing.

Body of the Paper

As this is a 1-2 page paper, the body will have at least one developed paragraph, but possibly more depending on your findings. The information should give enough background on each point you cover. For example, if analyzing how memoir creates characters, start with what a memoir is and how this book fits that. Then, discuss key characters and how they change and are revealed through memories. Include citations and direct quotations from the book and research, at least one per paragraph.

Conclusion

Conclude by synthesizing your points, showing that memoir and memories gradually reveal characters and parts of the main character's life in a way that keeps the reader engaged.

Throughout, use appropriate MLA 8 citations, paraphrase and quote as needed, and explain your examples thoroughly. Be original in your analysis and avoid common writing errors.

References

• Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Random House, 1969.
• Bloom, Harold. Poetry and the Human Condition. Chelsea House Publications, 2002.
• Hughes, Langston. The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes. Vintage Classics, 1994.
• Johnson, Clifton. The Song of the Trees. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1975.
• Kincaid, Jamaica. A Small Place. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1988.
• Leavy, Patricia. Research Design: Quantitative, Qualitative, Mixed Methods, Arts-Based, and Community-Based Participatory Research Approaches. Guilford Publications, 2017.
• Patricia, Smith. Poetry as Selves. University of Michigan Press, 2009.
• Smith, Zadie. On Beauty. Penguin Books, 2005.
• Sweet, Holly. The Literary Cell Phone. Routledge, 2010.
• Watson, Samuel. Analyzing Literature: A Guide. Routledge, 2015.