2. DAILY AGENDA
Essay 3: Due
Exam 3: Vocab and Terms
Introduction to Essay #4: The Research Essay.
Break
In-class writing: Essay 2 Revision:
3. ESSAY 3: DUE
Essay #3 packet includes two workshop
drafts, two completed peer review forms,
and a final draft.
Please put your final draft on top, the two
peer review forms next, and the two
drafts on the bottom.
Pass them to the front.
4. EXAM 3: VOCAB AND TERMS
Answer all 25 questions; there are questions
on the back.
Extra credit to anyone who can identify one or
both of the authors of these two examples that
I used to demonstrate figurative language.
―All the world’s a stage‖
The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.
5. INTRODUCTION TO ESSAY #4:
THE RESEARCH ESSAY.
Objectives
To Lean to Write a Clear and Cohesive
Research Paper
To Learn Rhetorical Strategies:
Definition, Division and Classification,
Process Analysis, and Persuasive
Argument.
To Learn to do Library Research
To Learn MLA Documentation Style
6. INTRODUCTION TO ESSAY #4:
THE RESEARCH ESSAY.
Trickster characters have existed in stories from
most cultures since the earliest times. The long-
lasting appeal of this archetype (recurring symbol of
a recurring model) emphasizes the cultural need to
acknowledge that all is not what it seems to be, that
we need to be on the lookout for those who would
fool us. It is not hard to account for the appeal of
tricksters—they are fun in their radical assault on
the status quo, yet their trickery also strikes a
deeper chord for most people.
7. As societies have evolved, the cultural function of the trickster
has been reinvented: who or what are they in a modern society?
When and why do they appear?
Helen Lock, in her essay ―Transformations of the Trickster,‖
writes,
Contentious issues include the status of the archaic archetypal
tricksters (were they mortal or divine? can a god be a trickster?), the
relation of tricksters to gender and to ethnicity, and the vexed
question of whether modern tricksters exist at all. In one sense it
does seem entirely appropriate that these embodiments of ambiguity
(no dispute there, at least) should remain so elusive. However, it is
still important to address these tricky questions, because the
trickster performs such fundamental cultural work: in
understanding the trickster better, we better understand
ourselves, and the perhaps subconscious aspects of ourselves
that respond to the trickster’s unsettling and transformative
behavior.
8. TOPIC:
For this essay, consider trickster tales and
trickster or trickster-like characters from
our reading. Do they, as Lock asserts,
help us ―better understand ourselves, and
the perhaps subconscious aspects of
ourselves that respond to the trickster’s
unsettling and transformative behavior‖?
How? Or, do these trickster tales and
trickster or trickster-like characters serve
another purpose? Which?
9. • Due Dates: Last day of class: finals week
• Submission Requirements: Please submit a hard copy with supporting
documents.
• Format Requirement: MLA-style formatting and citations
• Length: Your finished text should be between 1000 and 1500 words,
excluding the Works Cited page.
Research Requirements
• Works Cited Page
• A Works Cited page names all of the sources that were used in an essay or
research paper; it credits the source or sources for the information you
present, evaluate, analyze, and synthesize to support your thesis. A Works
Cited page also serves as a reference to the sources that were used so that
a reader or writer can quickly refer to the original text.
• The Works Cited page for this research project must contain at least three
secondary source entries. Two of these must be either a book or article from
a scholarly journal; the other may be a website or an article from a popular
magazine, such as Time, National Geographic, or the LA Times. Remember,
you can also draw on your own experiences and knowledge to discuss,
explain, and analyze the texts you choose to support your assertion.
10. Ways to Begin:
Consider the answers to the following questions:
• What is a trickster?
• Can you provide multiple definitions? Can you
find one (or several) that supports your
assertion? Can you modify a definition based on
what you believe to be an evolution of the
trickster character?
• What is a trickster tale?
• Can you provide multiple definitions? Can you
find one that supports your assertion? Can you
modify a definition based on what you believe to
be an evolution of the trickster tale?
11. • Which, from our reading, are clearly identifiable as trickster
tales?
• Can you include others, or parts of others, that are not so easily
identifiable?
• What makes them trickster tales?
• Which, from our reading, are trickster or trickster-like
characters? What characteristics make them tricksters?
• Morrison: ―Recitatif‖
• Hughes: ―Passing‖ and ―Passing‖
• Hughes: ―Who’s Passing for Who?‖
• Chesnutt: ―The Passing of Grandison‖
• Feinberg: Stone Butch Blues
• Hwang: M Butterfly
12. ABOUT TRICKSTERS
Southern slave trickster tales focus on outwitting the
plantation masters; in this way, they deviously attacked
the very system to which they were condemned: ―They
learned what justice was, and they learned, as slaves,
they had none. But they were able to make up stories
and even laugh in the face of their tragic predicament‖
(Hamilton, A Ring of Tricksters 9).
13. JEAN HARDY PROVIDES THIS
DEFINITION OF THIS ARCHETYPE:
The archetype of the Trickster…is the existence of the unexpected
as it appears in every human society, sometimes fully
acknowledged, sometimes feared and hidden. He is the opposite
of order – but then he is opposite of everything: he can turn into a
she…He is the Green Man, the Jester, the clown, the witch or the
wizard, Mercury, a shape shifter … the Fool with the potential at
times for becoming a Savior. He upsets normality and hierarchic
order…He can change the expected world, and therefore be an
agent of transformation. (1)
14. POSSIBLE TRAITS OF THE
TRICKSTER
• Deceitful: The trickster uses trickery to bring
about change.
• Self-Serving: The trickster often feels that he or
she has been wronged and is therefore justified
in taking action to bring about change and/or to
defeat ―the enemy.‖
• Shape Shifter: The trickster may change forms,
sex, and so forth as an element of surprise to
his victim. The change may also be
psychological instead of (or in addition to) a
visual change.
15. Cultural Hero:
The trickster may be idealized as a cultural hero when, as the agent
of transformation, he or she overturns a cruel or unfair leader or
political/social system or reverses the fortunes of the more powerful
party. Prometheus, Raven, and Maui steal fire from the gods and give
it to humans. According to Helen Lock, this characteristic separates
the fool from the trickster. ―The true trickster’s trickery calls into
question fundamental assumptions about the way the world is
organized, and reveals the possibility of transforming them (even if
for ignoble [shameful] ends)‖ (6). Michael J. Carroll includes cultural
hero as an attribute as well; he characterizes the trickster as ―a
transformer who makes the world habitable for humans by ridding it
of monsters or who provides those things [such as fire] that make
human society possible (―Levi-Strauss, Freud, and the Trickster‖
305). Hardy characterizes the trickster as the source of unexpected
changes in a world where change is not always comfortable and as a
symbol of the uncertain world in which we live.
16. • Solitary creature – Many tricksters are solitary animals (or
humans), working alone rather than with a partner or within a
group – to undertake change. Michael P. Carroll notes that
―Ravens are usually sighted singly or at most in pairs; coyotes
forage independently…; hares have long been noted for their
solitariness…Spiders generally associate with members of their
own species on only two occasions: when they are born and
when they mate‖ (―Trickster as Selfish Buffoon‖ 115).
• Physically, intellectually, or socially weak creature: The trickster
is often portrayed as a much weaker character than his prey,
and yet through cleverness and trickery, he is able to overcome
all obstacles and prevail. In some cases the trickster may
appear to be weaker physically in order to confuse his prey
(false frailty).
17. • Special tools: The trickster may have special tools or
abilities that enable him to perform his acts. Often these
tools include magic and/or supernatural powers. An
example would be the Chinese Monkey who keeps a
needle behind his ear; when he removes the needle and
recites a request, the needle may turn into any tool or
implement that is required for a particular story.
• Teacher: The trickster is a purveyor of life lessons through
the stories, from manners to ethics. The teacher often
forces the reader to examine the status quo and often, ―to
break out of old stereotypes, whether they’ve been
imposed by ourselves, our families, our culture, or
circumstances (―The Trickster‖ 3).
18. BEST PRACTICES
• As you reread the primary texts that you choose to use, keep
in mind your argument; highlight specific passages, lines, or
scenes that support your thesis.
• Write a thesis that helps readers understand the point of the
essay as well as enables them to understand the reasoning
behind your assertions, examples, and explanations.
• Avoid telling the reader that something is ―interesting,‖ or
―exciting‖; instead create images or use examples that show
it.
• Use metaphors to make the reader see the intensity or scope
or depth of the trickster concept in modern literature.
• Come to my office if you are unsure, confused, or behind.
19. TRAPS TO AVOID:
• Using too many primary sources. You only have a few pages to
make your point. Cluttering your essay with examples from too
many sources will make your paper seem superficial and
undeveloped.
• Failing to assert a clear and strong argument.
• Failing to sufficiently describe the concept of trickster for readers
who may be unfamiliar with it.
• Failing to accurately convey how the primary texts and characters
qualify as trickster tales or tricksters.
• Seeking to present the subject from memory or hearsay.
• Failing to support the argument with evidence from appropriate
sources.
• Citing Wikipedia as a source for your research paper.
21. Introduction: Anecdote or other interesting beginning
Transition to thesis: William Pickens wrote, "only idiots would fail to seize the
advantages of passing, at least occasionally if not permanently. ‖
Accommodate the opposition: Even though passing can create problems for some
people,
Or
Even though passing has some superficial benefits,
Thesis: I agree/disagree with Pickens because passing _____A______,
______B________, and _______C_________
Body Paragraph One Topic Sentence referring to point A
Body Paragraph Two Topic Sentence referring to point B
Body Paragraph Three Topic Sentence referring to point C
Counterargument refers to accommodation or refutation of the opposition: Think about
the reasons someone might doubt your conclusions and respond to each of them.
Conclusion: So what?
22. What are your “reasons” for agreeing or
disagreeing with the act of passing? Your
reasons should connect to your thesis.
Find your topic sentence for each body
paragraph.
Find the textual evidence that supports
your position.
Do you explain how your examples
support your thesis?
If you have used quotations, have you
introduced them and cited them?
23. GLOBAL REVISION STRATEGY
Copy the thesis statement and each topic sentence
into one paragraph.
Read the paragraph.
• Do the ideas flow logically or do they jump around
randomly? Are all points of the argument covered
adequately?
• Is the argument balanced? Or does one section of the
paper outweigh the rest?
• If the sentences seem out of order, the paragraphs
will be out of order which will weaken the
effectiveness of the paper.
24. SURFACE REVISION STRATEGIES
READ ALOUD
Reading the paper aloud slowly can often bring to
attention large and small mistakes missed in the
writing and typing process.
• Read each sentence and ask if it makes sense.
• Is it awkward?
• Are you including words that are not actually written on the paper?
25. Grammar and Sentence Structure
LOOK FOR RUN-ON SENTENCES.
LOOK FOR FRAGMENTS.
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE COMMAS AFTER YOUR
INTRODUCTORY CLAUSES
MAKE SURE YOU USE A COMMA AND A CONJUNCTION TO
CONNECT COMPLETE SENTENCES.
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE CHOSEN THE RIGHT WORDS
ELIMINATE WORDINESS
WRITE IN THE ACTIVE VOICE.
26. PUNCTUATING QUOTES CAN BE FRUSTRATING BECAUSE WE OFTEN GET CONFUSED ABOUT
WHERE TO PUT PUNCTUATION. THE FOLLOWING CHART OFFERS A STRAIGHTFORWARD VIEW
ON HOW TO PUNCTUATE THE END OF A QUOTE:
QUESTION MARKS
& E X C L A M AT I O N
PERIODS & COMMAS
POINTS
If the original quote ends with an exclamation mark or a question mark,
They go inside the quotation marks we must include it inside the quotation marks.
even if there is no period or comma ORIGINAL TEXT:
at the end of the quoted material in Will not a righteous God visit for these things?
the original text. QUOTED TEXT:
When Douglass asks, "Will not a righteous God visit for these
Exception: If there is a parenthetical things?" he raises the question of doubt about the future salvation of
the "Christian" slaveholders.
citation immediately after the
quote, the period or comma goes Notice that we don't put a comma after the question mark, even though
normally we would if there was not a question mark. We omit the
after the parenthetical citation. comma to avoid double punctuation.
COLONS & SEMI-COLONS If we want to use a quoted statement in a question or exclamation we
create, then the question mark or the exclamation mark goes
Colons and semi-colons always go outside the quotation marks.
outside the quotation, even if the ORIGINAL TEXT:
original quoted material ends with The grave is at the door. (FD 38)
either form of punctuation. QUOTED TEXT:
How can we take Douglass seriously when he indulges in
excessively romanticized language such as "The grave is at the
door"?
27. Note that the works cited page is in alpha order and that there are no
numbers next to the entries. You may underline or italicize your titles,
but pick one and be consistent. This, like all of your papers should be
done in Times New Roman 12.
