{"id":22,"date":"2019-12-12T00:21:47","date_gmt":"2019-12-12T00:21:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-jefferson-english102\/chapter\/six-tips-for-being-a-better-literature-student-american-literature-i\/"},"modified":"2019-12-13T16:36:06","modified_gmt":"2019-12-13T16:36:06","slug":"six-tips-for-being-a-better-literature-student-american-literature-i","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-jefferson-english102\/chapter\/six-tips-for-being-a-better-literature-student-american-literature-i\/","title":{"raw":"Six Tips for Being a Better Literature Student","rendered":"Six Tips for Being a Better Literature Student"},"content":{"raw":"
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Literature courses can be handled inappropriately and there is often not enough time to figure that out in a fifteen-week session.\u00a0 I have a few tips that should help us avoid recurring errors.\u00a0 Each of these tips relates to critical thinking and writing:<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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  1. The audience knows the play, poem, or story.\u00a0 Summaries that just fill space are useless, so avoid writing a review or a running account of the plot.\u00a0 It would be like telling someone the directions to their own home when you were supposed to be arguing about the best spots along the way.<\/li>\r\n \t
  2. Apply the literary terms such as verbal irony, symbolism, theme, and metaphor.\u00a0 Do more than just point them out.\u00a0 Yes, they exist. \u00a0(Skeptical readers like the ones you\u2019ll have in the course would just say \u201cOkay. . .\u00a0 so what?\u201d) \u00a0What is a metaphor doing in a given paragraph or stanza, though?\u00a0 You can always argue about functions or effects.<\/li>\r\n \t
  3. Everything we do is thesis-driven, meaning that it\u2019s argument.\u00a0 A thesis is not just a statement of what you\u2019ll do.\u00a0 It\u2019s an arguable, provable claim that should have some substance.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a question.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a fact.\u00a0 It is an opinion\u2014though you need not use I<\/em>.<\/li>\r\n \t
  4. Anticipate what the audience thinks about a piece of literature.\u00a0 It\u2019s important to realize that you\u2019re writing in a public way about works which may have been valued and argued over for hundreds of years.\u00a0 Value that and take yourself seriously as a critic.<\/li>\r\n \t
  5. Plagiarism is easy to catch and will be dealt with harshly.\u00a0 If you are in doubt, cite the material.\u00a0 Remember that MLA is exacting, so be sure you\u2019re using the correct style models.\u00a0 There is not much time to get used to this, so look at the Unit 1 mini-lectures and links on citing.\u00a0 The expectation is that you can look at a model and \u201cget it right\u201d in your writing.\u00a0 Ask questions and pay attention to the style, since how something looks is often as important as what it says.<\/li>\r\n \t
  6. Lastly, really work to avoid lateness.\u00a0 Be on the correct side of any due dates, as it\u2019s really tough to make up work.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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