Workshop

ROUGH DRAFT WORKSHOP GUIDELINES

DIRECTIONS: As always, take time and care in responding, as you will be graded on these handouts. Make sure to write about 3-5 sentences in response to each section; you should be addressing all questions within a given section with specific answers. “The thesis answers the prompt,” or “The essay looks organized to me,” are NOT specific answers—for example, if the essay is that organized, then you should be able to tell me what specifically is so organized about it.

Questions:

1) Does the writer have a strong hook for the introduction? If not, suggest one. Does the writer introduce their topic clearly and succinctly, providing the necessary historical, cultural, and plot background information for both tales so that the reader is not confused about the topic at hand? Give one or two suggestions for improvement in this area (do not skip).

2) Does the essay’s thesis seem to be undeveloped or too broad, or is it just specific enough to argue in an 4-6 page paper? Does it have two sentences, the first addressing one specific critical interpretation or overarching cultural observation? Does the second sentence outline the main topics that will be discussed in the essay? Many any necessary suggestions for clarification and more specificity as well (do not skip). Lastly, please remember that the thesis needs to address the prompt.

It is really important to note that this paper is supposed to compare two fairy tales in order to argue how culture has or has not changed in some way since the time of the original tale. If it is not clear both in the thesis or the entirety of the paper the specific way in which culture has shifted or not shifted, then the paper is incomplete.

3) Please note any places in the essay where further clarifying details could be added. This is something everyone in the class needs to work on. Is the writer clear about which scene(s) they are analyzing? What is happening in those scenes? Who are the characters involved, how are they defined, etc? Make sure historical context information is also provided.

4) Is the writer incorporating research from three extra scholarly sources into the essay (not .com sources or dictionary/encyclopedia sources)? Do the sources seem to be strong and ON TOPIC? Why or why not (do not skip)

5) Does the writer have plenty of strong quotes from the two versions of the fairy tales that they intend to use in the essay? They should! Are those quotes “murder weapon” quotes? Which quote is the strongest and which is the weakest? Suggest an ordering for the quotes that would help the writer work from their strongest point to their weakest (keeping in mind the importance of chronology/topic organization as well)—do not skip! Are the quotes smoothly integrated into the essay and not plopped? 

6) Does the writer have sufficient analysis for their quotations? Remember, analysis is even more important than the quote itself. Make sure the writer is not simply explaining the quote in a summarizing fashion, but connecting it to its larger significance (relationship to their thesis, which is about a cultural shift). Make suggestions for improvement below, and be specific (do not skip).

7) Is the essay organized? Do the body paragraphs seem to build logically upon one another? Give at least one suggestion for improving the organization of the essay (do not skip). Starting at the beginning of the scene and then going forward from there is a good idea.