By the end of this week you should be able to tell the difference between Summary and Interpretation. Both are useful, but in an academic paper about literature, you should have more interpretation than summary.
When we summarize, we describe what happened.
When we interpret, we talk about what the description means.
What to Read:
Start by watching this video.
Then read this guide to summary versus analysis
Discussion One
The Discussion page will introduce you to some (hopefully) interesting ideas and topics surrounding literature, and your job is to play a part in the discussion.
To get credit, you need to make one post and respond to at least one post made by a classmate. You then need to paste your post and your reply into a Word document, and upload that Word document to the Discussion One portal in the Canvas page.
Informal Writing Assignment: Summary vs Interpretation
All work for this class should be in MLA format. MLA format involves two main areas. First, it dictates the look of your paper (doublespaced, with no additional spaces between paragraphs, with certain pieces of information appearing in certain places). Second, it establishes the format for how your sources are cited.
MLA format isn’t arbitrary. Putting your paper in MLA makes your paper easier to read, and it makes it easy to tell where you got any externally-sourced ideas or quotes. It also makes it easy if the reader wishes to track down the original source and see your quote or idea in its full context.
So to help ensure a successful paper:
- First, download the pre-formatted MLA Word template. All of your assignments must be in appropriate MLA format, including informal writing assignments. This template will make the job easier. If you are uncertain as to the specifics of document formatting in MLA, click here.
- In your Word document, choose a film or book you enjoy and write five sentences of summary describing the events, followed by ten sentences of analysis. After you’ve listed these sentences, explain in a few paragraphs how you know you know the difference between summary and interpretation (not for each one, but in general).
- Create a Works Cited page. Be sure you properly format these Works Cited entries. See this pagefor more info about citing electronic sources.
- Submit your work via Canvas. Please submit all assignments for this class as a .doc or .docx file. It simplifies the grading and commenting process. If you are using OpenOffice, Pages, or some other application which isn’t Word, please take the extra step to save your document as a .doc or .docx. Please don’t submit your work via a Google Doc link.
If you are uncertain as to the formatting required for a Works Cited page, you can use the following links from the Purdue Online Writing Lab for a better understanding:
MLA Basic Formatting for a Works Cited Page
Expectations:
The writing exercise above is worth 25 points. I will be grading you on
- your use of MLA formatting (Don’t forget the Works Cited Page!),
- whether you understand the difference between interpretation and summary,
- and whether you have completed the assignment or not.
Lesson 1 Submission Checklist:
- Informal Writing Assignment #1: Summary vs Interpretation. This and all other writing assignments should be submitted via Canvas. Minimum 500 words.
- Discussion Question #1