Critical Lens Analysis

ENC 1102
Researched Critical Lens Essay Instructions
Purpose
The purpose of the Researched Critical Lens Essay is to write an argumentative literary analysis that
successfully persuades your classmates to interpret a work of literature through the perspective of a
critical lens: Psychoanalysis, Feminism, or Cultural or Historical Perspectives.
The key to writing a successful literary analysis is to
• Draft a thesis statement based on your informed opinion that will be supported with
evidence from your chosen literary work and required outside scholarly sources (1 literary
work + 3 required outside sources = 4 total sources)
Assignment
Your assignment for your Research Critical Lens Analysis Essay is to write an argumentative literary
analysis about ONE of the following literary works you have read during class:
• Edgar Allan Poe, “The Cask of Amontillado”
• Susan Glaspell, Trifles
• Sandra Cisneros, “Woman Hollering Creek”
• Owen Wilfred, “Dulce et Decorum Est”
• ee cummings, “next to of course god america I”
• *Danez Smith, “Dinosaurs in the Hood”
• *Danez Smith “not an elegy for Mike Brown”
Once you have selected the literary work you want to write about, you will need to select one of
the Critical Lenses we have studied in this course:
• Psychoanalysis
• How a character’s mental state influences the work
• Feminism
• How the treatment of women and/or the perspectives/experiences of women influence
the work
• Historical Perspectives
• How the time and place in which the work was written influences the work
• How the historical events that took place at the time and place in which the work was
written influences the work
• Cultural Perspectives
• How cultural norms, social expectations, or social issues at the time the work waswritten
influence the work
Please remember that there is no correct way to interpret a text. Your instructor is interested in your
ability to generate an argument, articulate that argument, and support it up with sufficient, relevant
examples from the literary text and outside, scholarly sources.
Steps to Writing a Successful Literary Analysis
• Find, cite, summarize, and evaluate required outside scholarly sources in Annotated
Bibliography (M10A1)
• Plan Literary Analysis Essay using the Essay Planning Worksheet (M10A2)
• Draft Literary Analysis Essay, share draft with SMARThinking, and submit both draft and
SMARThinking feedback (M11A1)
• Revise Literary Analysis Essay and submit final draft (M11A2)
Assignment Details
• Word Count: 800 – 1,200 words
• Scholarly sources required: THREE outside sources from the IRSC Library Databases
o Outside sources from websites, general Google search, etc. WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED
*unless you have instructor or librarian approval.
o To earn credit for your scholarly source, you MUST
▪ Quote, paraphrase, or summarize the scholarly source.
▪ Use the quote sandwich method to properly integrate the source.
▪ Include an in-text citation wherever you use information that is not
common knowledge or is not your original idea or words.
▪ Include an accurate MLA Works Cited entry for the scholarly source on
your Works Cited page.
• Other source required: your chosen literary work.
o While you are expected to quote, paraphrase, and summarize the literary text you
have chosen, IT DOES NOT COUNT as a scholarly source.
o Include accurate in-text citations wherever you quote, paraphrase, or summarize
the literary work.
o Remember to include an accurate MLA Works Cited entry from your chosen literary
text on your Works Cited page.
• In-text citations in accurate MLA formatting wherever needed.
• Works Cited page in accurate MLA format.
o The Works Cited page is NOT INCLUDED in the 800 – 1,200 word requirement.
• Rhetorical Situation:
o Audience: Classmates
o Purpose: To persuade
o Tone: Conversational
o Formality: Semi-Formal
o Language:
▪ No contractions. Expand all contractions to two words, e.g., don’t to do
not.
▪ No second person (you/your/you’re).
▪ No first person (I/we/our).
▪ No slang.
▪ No text abbreviations.
▪ No emojis.
▪ Use proper punctuation. Do not expect the word-processing program to
autocorrect your punctuation.
▪ Use standard capitalization. Do not expect the word-processing program to
autocorrect the capitalization of proper nouns, important words in titles,
etc.
How you will be evaluated:
• Please consult the Researched Critical Lens Rubric posted on Blackboard for details.