Essay Assignment: Critical essay
This is a critical essay of 500-700 words based on your reading of The Bingo Palace. You should think of the analysis as a persuasive essay in the sense that you will offer a convincing thesis with adequate support from the book itself and from at least one other source. Your sources should be documented, MLA style, at the end of the essay and with parenthetical documentation within the essay.
A good point for beginning to plan your essay is to list the things that impressed you in the story, focusing on one element of literature. It is common for critics to focus on one of these seven elements: Theme; Setting; Character; Plot; Symbol; Irony; Point of View). If you are comfortable with the term/concept, you are also welcome to focus on conflict. Remember that criticism of literature is not like criticism in the everyday sense of the word–there is no direct connection to “being negative”–as in “I don’t like your new haircut.” The idea of literary criticism is to react or respond to a text. The critical essay offered for your reading focuses on the theme of Home in the novel. Imagine that the audience for your essay is made up of people who have read the same book, but would like to comprehend more, or to know what other readers think.
Provide support for any statement you make about the story. You support the thesis by developing paragraphs that shed light on the thesis, as well as showing evidence from the story that what you say is true. Use quotes!!! As you begin to plan the paragraphs, try to have 5-7 passages in mind to support your main ideas. The introduction should include your thesis statement. A tradition in critical writing is to also use the introduction to share some connecting information about your author.
When you make a general statement, support it with evidence from the story. Document each quote: (Kline 184)
Remember to include a Works Cited page at the end of your essay, with a minimum of two sources. There should also be an outline in MLA format.