Description
The following outline is intended to give you a general idea of the format, content and style that you should aim for in your dramatic analysis paper.
**Remember the general rule: do not assume that I will know what you are speaking about, be clear with your examples and make sure to fully support your argument.**
For your dramatic response paper, you will choose one of the plays you have chosen to write an exploration paper for and write an in-depth analysis on the idea or theme you chose to explore.
Paragraph One: The Introduction
Introduce to your reader exactly what this paper is about, i.e. – In August Wilsons Pulitzer Prize winning play Fences, Troy struggles to release the past and accept a world that is rapidly changing around him.
Make sure you give some major facts about the piece:
oWho was it written by?
oDid it win any prizes?
oGive us a lead up to the thesis just a couple sentences.
State your thesis:
Example (you cannot use this):
oTroys failure to leave the past behind him ultimately destroys the family he has worked so hard to maintain and forces them all to confront the growing pains of a family that is required to exist on the underbelly of the American Dream.
Paragraphs:
The Story
Very brief synopsis of the play. No opinions, just important plots points (no more than 2-3 sentences).
What is the importance of this piece in the theatrical canon?
What things need to be introduced or explained here to help support your argument:
oConcept of the American Dream
oTime period of the play race relations in America
oAnything else you need to build a foundation for your argument.
Body
Breakdown your argument into a few paragraphs.
oFirst paragraph should start to dig into your thesis.
§Troys Past/ Whats holding him back?
oSecond paragraph builds on your first.
§Baseball (Images of racism used to describe past moments)
oThird paragraph builds on your first and second.
§The father/ son relationship.
oFourth paragraph builds on the previous.
§The breaking of the family.
oAnd so on
The Conclusion
Reiterate your thesis.
Find a new way to show how your examples all support your thesis. Wrap your argument in a bow! Look at what I just proved!
o It is the death of the patriarch that releases the next generation and allows Cory to pave his own way, free of the trappings and misguided beliefs of the past. Death is indeed the breaking of the generational fever (Turner 335). It isnt that Troy went about teaching their children the wrong way, or that he had the wrong dreams, but that he could not see beyond his past to believe that his sons could achieve something outside of his own misguided perceptions. For Troy, the fallacy of the American Dream is just a representation of its exclusive and ephemeral quality revealing nothing more than the unrealistic expectations we place on ourselves to find happiness in the idea of success that we adamantly pursue.
Format
Proper heading (first page only, upper left, do not double space this)
5-6 pages
Double spaced
12 point font, 1 margins
Make sure to either underline or italicize the title of the play.
Header (starting on second page) right tabbed, Last name Page #.
Use three to four sources for your paper. CITE YOUR WORK!
See Purdue Owl MLA Link for further formatting questions.
Final Thoughts
Proofread (Remember 4 or more easily spotted errors will result in a loss 20 points).
Be specific in your observations. Use specific moments from the beginning and end of the performance to support your answers.
Make it your own!
Be interesting, unique, excited, angry, poetic… be yourself!
Avoid any phrases such as I think or Could be it undermines your scholarly voice and casts doubt over the validity of your argument.
Readings For Exploration Paper 1:
Readings For Exploration Paper 2:
1.Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18HwkncwROjqbbtfR_…
2. Fences by August Wilson: https://drive.google.com/file/d/135kFBzIaEUimJQmI3…
3. Notes from the Field: https://drive.google.com/file/d/130x-nFBimGhR7Qhsa…
4. Mojada by Luis Alfaro: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yGFR42aZpjqoQD8E7…
