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This week, you will begin working on your second paper for the course – an analytical paper. You will develop an outline and a thesis statement for your analytical paper.
Using the critical reading skills practiced during this course, you will formulate a thesis statement that presents a unique and specific interpretation of a literary text. In order to analyze effectively, you will need to engage in close reading, or reading “between the lines.” This means that you will be choosing representative passages and carefully deconstructing them, highlighting connotations that may not be immediately obvious to fellow readers.
This week’s assignment:
Develop a thesis statement in which you present your interpretation of a literary text. Note: Your instructor will provide further details on your text options and other requirements in announcements.
Develop an outline using the provided template to help you organize your points to support your thesis statement. Think of it as a skeleton that you will “flesh out” when you write your paper. You must write full sentences for the thesis statement, the topic/transition sentences, the passages, and the restatement of thesis.
Note: The passages will be direct quotes from the text, so include quotation marks and a citation in APA style.
Do not include any information from research yet. You first want to make sure that you have enough evidence from the text itself to defend your thesis.
Analytical Paper Outline Template
Running head: SHORT PAPER TITLE HERE 1
Analytical Paper Outline Template
When you write an analytical paper, your paper focuses on developing a nuanced interpretation
of a particular work. Each paragraph should further that interpretation and must relate directly
back to your thesis statement from your introduction paragraph.
For this assignment, you will develop an outline for your analytical paper. An outline is meant to
help you organize your points. Think of it as a skeleton that you will “flesh out” when you write
your paper. The more detail you include in the outline, the more likely you will develop a strong
paper. Further directions below:
You need to use a formal outline format; use the outline template provided below to help
structure your outline.
You must write full sentences for the thesis statement, the topic/transition sentences, the
passages, and the restatement of thesis. Note: The passages will be direct quotes from the
text, so include quotation marks and a citation in APA style.
Do not include any information from research yet. You first want to make sure that you
have enough evidence from the text itself to defend your thesis.
How to use the outline template: Erase each line before typing into the space. You may add or
delete supporting points or details. To add, simply place your cursor at the end of a line, hit
Enter, and you will see a new number or letter appear. To delete, simply highlight the line and hit
Delete or Backspace.
I. Introduction
A. Background info: ___________________________________________________
B. Background info: ___________________________________________________
C. Background info: ___________________________________________________
D. Thesis statement: ___________________________________________________
II. Body Paragraph 1
A. Topic sentence: ____________________________________________________
1. passage: ____________________________________________________
a. interpretation: __________________________________________
2. passage: ____________________________________________________
SHORT PAPER TITLE HERE 2
a. interpretation: __________________________________________
3. passage: ____________________________________________________
a. interpretation: __________________________________________
4. passage: ____________________________________________________
a. interpretation: __________________________________________
5. passage: ____________________________________________________
a. interpretation: __________________________________________
6. passage: ____________________________________________________
a. interpretation: __________________________________________
III. Body Paragraph 2
A. Topic/transition sentence: ____________________________________________
1. passage: ____________________________________________________
a. interpretation: __________________________________________
2. passage: ____________________________________________________
a. interpretation: __________________________________________
3. passage: ____________________________________________________
a. interpretation: __________________________________________
4. passage: ____________________________________________________
a. interpretation: __________________________________________
5. passage: ____________________________________________________
a. interpretation: __________________________________________
6. passage: ____________________________________________________
a. interpretation: __________________________________________
SHORT PAPER TITLE HERE 3
IV. Body Paragraph 3
A. Topic/transition sentence: ____________________________________________
1. passage: ____________________________________________________
a. interpretation: __________________________________________
2. passage: ____________________________________________________
a. interpretation: __________________________________________
3. passage: ____________________________________________________
a. interpretation: __________________________________________
4. passage: ____________________________________________________
a. interpretation: __________________________________________
5. passage: ____________________________________________________
a. interpretation: __________________________________________
6. passage: ____________________________________________________
a. interpretation: __________________________________________
V. Body Paragraph 4
A. Topic/transition sentence: ____________________________________________
1. passage: ____________________________________________________
a. interpretation: __________________________________________
2. passage: ____________________________________________________
a. interpretation: __________________________________________
3. passage: ____________________________________________________
a. interpretation: __________________________________________
4. passage: ____________________________________________________
SHORT PAPER TITLE HERE 4
a. interpretation: __________________________________________
5. passage: ____________________________________________________
a. interpretation: __________________________________________
6. passage: ____________________________________________________
a. interpretation: __________________________________________
VI. Conclusion
A. Restatement of thesis: _______________________________________________
B. So what? Address the wider implications of your interpretation:
1. ____________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________
from Milena Avagyan
In the music video to “This Is America” by Childish Gambino, the representation of violence and racial inequality appears as a strong critique against the overall problems in America, displaying deep issues within the nation by way of juxtaposition between moments of distraction with entertainment versus brutal reality. And among them, one of the staggering things was the contrasting imagery in this video. Gambino’s energetic dance sequences are contrasted by sudden, jolting instances of violence, such as the shooting in the church of a choir. In an instant, rhythm and engagement become violence, which goes on to show how entertainment often works as a distraction from harsh realities that permeate society. The very captivating dance is violently interrupted to connote how everyday life is brutally disrupted by violence, often overlooked in the consummation of entertainment.
The warehouse setting with hectic and seemingly random activities happening in the background symbolizes the chaotic America where violence and joy are juxtaposed. It reflects how societal issues have been in the periphery and often ignored by mainstream focus on entertainment and consumerism. It can be read in the metaphor: the abandoned cars and burning things in the background as remnants of violence and unrest, therefore, signifying a history riddled with unresolved issues. The elements create a sense of chaos that is continuous but out of sight, much like the pervasive nature of systemic violence and inequality in America.
Interspersed with scenes of violence are Gambino’s poses and dance moves clearly pulled from African and African American cultural traditions, quite obviously suggesting some sort of commentary on the richness of African American culture with itsonus of historical suffering. First, the video identifies itself with the Jim Crow caricature in exaggerated expressions on Gambino during the opening scene. It therefore underlines a clear linear heritage of historical origins for racial stereotypes and violence. Such cultural dancing nowadays incorporates violent imagery and thus attaches deep historical meaning to racial oppression and a long-lasting struggle for identity and survival within American society.
The children dancing around Gambino represent the young generation that has to grow up with all this violence and chaos but seems to become numb, only being interested in the performance—that way showing how the normalization of violence affects the young. Moreover, synchronized dances underline how social media and pop culture distract from these serious social problems. This depicts a young generation being sucked into the vortex of distraction and losing vision of the very problems—at the root—which have plagued their communities for centuries.
One ends the video with Gambino running desperately for his life, and metaphorically, this is meant to represent that African Americans always have to turn around to face the threat in a society beleaguered by racial violence. This somber, ominous feeling the scene conveys, accompanied by a haunting melody, sets up a viewership that will be left reverberating with unresolved tension and fear. This echoes the fact that racial oppression is an ongoing phenomenon. The final scene can be said to encapsulate, taken together, what was coded into the video’s message: the perpetualistic state of fear and urgency in the face of systemic violence standing before the African American experience.
Thus, in “This Is America,” Childish Gambino presents powerful visual contrasts and symbolic elements that bring out the depth with which violence and racial inequality are grained into the fabric of American society, often camouflaged by the dazzle of entertainment. The video is a somber reminder of culture identity, systemic violence, and distraction that keep society from paying attention to the real issues
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