Instructions: • Choose one of the following essays and write a 750-word analysis of it (minimum 700 words; maximum 800 words). o Dana Goldstein’s “Why Kids Can’t Write” o Peg Tyre’s “The Writing Revolution” o John Warner’s “Why American Students Can’t Write: Responding to the Atlantic” • You will find the readings for this assignment in the “Analysis Assignment” subfolder in the “Readings” folder on mêskanâs. • Think of your analysis as a document you could give to someone who has read the essay and needs a very brief summary of its central argument but is chiefly interested in your analysis and evaluation of it and your ability to support that analysis and evaluation through close reading. • Your analysis should address the following two questions: how is this essay’s argument constructed? What is your evaluation of the essay’s argument and its construction? • Identifying different aspects of the essay’s rhetorical situation (the essay’s publication venue, context, audience, author, and purpose) is a useful first step in thinking about the how the essay’s argument is constructed and how effective that construction is. • Use your introductory paragraph to accomplish two tasks: 1) introduce the essay’s title and author, and offer a very brief summary of the essay’s central arguments; and 2) present the overall findings or takeaways of your analysis—in other words, your key points, which you will develop in your body paragraphs. • Remember to organize your assignment, using body paragraphs to divide your analysis into different components, introducing each paragraph with a topic sentence. ● Whenever you quote or paraphrase a specific part of the essay, cite it using MLA-style in-text (parenthetical) citations. ● Include an MLA works cited page with one entry (for the essay you have selected). ● Ensure that the entire assignment is formatted in MLA style (appropriately formatted page numbers, information in the top left-hand corner of the first page, double spacing, indentation of paragraphs’ first lines, 1” margins, etc.). ● Important note: I am asking that you not consult online resources or any other prohibited aids as you prepare your assignments. Instead, please use the essays themselves, your own brains, and me (and, if you wish, MacEwan’s Writing Centre) as your sole other resource: if you have any questions or concerns as you undertake your work, ask me. I am always happy to help students. There is no reason whatsoever that you would need to go online or to consult with anyone other than me or MacEwan’s Writing Centre for anything in connection with this assignment; doing so constitutes a contravention of MacEwan’s academic integrity policy. More Information on MLA-Style Page Formatting: • Upper left-hand corner of the first page only: Your name, e.g., Jane Doe Professor Sarah Copland ENGL 102 AS__ (your section number) March 8, 2024 Word count: 776 words • Title on the first line, centered (not italicized or in boldface or quotation marks— although the essay’s title itself should, of course, be enclosed in quotation marks): Analysis of “Essay Title” • Double-spaced • 12-pt. font in Times New Roman or Arial • 1” margins on all sides • Page numbers and student last name in the top right-hand corner of every page (e.g., Doe 1, Doe 2, etc.) • Text justified left: meaning that the text is aligned on the left-hand margin, not both left and right margins (as in newspaper and magazine formatting, for example) • No folders, covers, or title pages Notes and Drafts: Please remember to keep all your notes and drafts. I may ask to see them. If you write your summary from start to finish on your computer, please save versions of the draft periodically (renaming the file “Draft 1” and “Draft 2,” for example) so that I can see how your work has progressed.
