Writer's WorkshopDay 1

Using Evidence from the Text

Today we'll see...

Three ways use evidence from the text.

Three ways to incorporate quotes.

Way One, Summarizing:

Using the ideas from a key event or series of events without the exact words.

Summary:

Holden walked to the Museum of Natural History and on the way thought of how all the exhibits in their glass cases never changed (122 Little). Wishing one could stick certain things in those cases is yet another way Holden wants to hang onto an idealized past rather than allowing things to grow and change.

Way Two, Specific Details:

A word or two from the text used to give concrete support for your idea.

Adds credibility.

Gives a flavor of the language.

Specific Details:

Sammy's descriptions of the A & P present a setting that is ugly, monotonous and rigid. The fluorescent light is as blandly cool as the “checkerboard green-and-cream rubber tile floor” (486). The dehumanizing routine is suggested by Sammy's offhand references to shoppers as “sheep.” The “usual traffic” moves in only one direction, and everything is categorized in tidy aisles (485).

Way Three, Direct Quotations:

Ain't nothing like the real thing.

Use only what's necessary.

Direct Quotations.

Holden is very compassionate. He goes out of his way to point out to Stradlater: “Jane had a lousy childhood. I'm not kidding” (32), thus showing his concern for and fascination with children.

Direct quotations can get crazy...

...so there are three basic ways to format them.

1: Use a comma after a speaking word like “said” or “explains.”

The climax of the novel comes during a fight between Marjane and her mother when Marjane says, “You are the Guardian of the Revolution of this house!” (113). Marjane directly compares her mother to the oppressive government and paints herself as a revolutionary and victim of cruelty.

2: Use a colon if you don't use a speaking word directly before the quote.

Later in the story, Marjane becomes fed up with God: “Shut up, you! Get out of my life!!! I never want to see you again! GET OUT!” (70). Marjane rejects her faith and the ultimate comforting presence of her childhood, a break that leaves her feeling lost and without a clear identity.

Use a colon for a quote longer than four lines.

The first paragraph introduces the reader to a narrator who is very negative:

If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born. and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. (1)

3: Use no punctuation if you are embedding the quote into your sentence.

After Marjane learns of the water torture her grandfather endured, she wants to take a long bath to “know what it felt like to be in a cell filled with water” (25). She describes her hands as “wrinkled…like Grandpa’s” when she got out. This is an example of Marjane losing her innocence, a recurring theme throughout Persepolis.

Hold up. What's wrong with this use of evidence?

Holden walked to the Museum of Natural History and on the way thought of how all the exhibits in their glass cases never changed. (122 Little) Wishing one could stick certain things in those cases is yet another way Holden wants to hang onto an idealized past rather than allowing things to grow and change.

How 'bout this one?

Sammy's descriptions of the A & P present a setting that is ugly, monotonous and rigid. The fluorescent light is as blandly cool as the “checkerboard green-and-cream rubber tile floor (486).” The dehumanizing routine is suggested by Sammy's offhand references to shoppers as “sheep.” The “usual traffic” moves in only one direction, and everything is categorized in tidy aisles (485).

The climax of the novel comes during a fight between Marjane and her mother when Marjane says “You are the Guardian of the Revolution of this house!” (113). Marjane directly compares her mother to the oppressive government and paints herself as a revolutionary and victim of cruelty.

After Marjane learns of the water torture her grandfather endured, she wants to take a long bath to, “know what it felt like to be in a cell filled with water”. (25) She describes her hands as “wrinkled…like Grandpa’s” when she got out. This is an example of Marjane losing her innocence, a recurring theme throughout Persepolis.

Finally, as you get started, an easy formula for writing an analysis paragraph around your evidence:

Context (what’s going on in the story prior)

+Quotation

(your awesome textual evidence)+

Commentary (your brilliant, analytical thoughts about

what it means)