Using Quotes in Your Essay: Literature Essay as
Example
Basic Structure of a Paragraph with a Quote:
1. TOPIC SENTENCE of your paragraph (what the paragraph will be about). It is like a mini-thesis. This is one point of your argument, your opinion.
2. CONTEXT of the quote (where in the story do these words appear? What is the situation in which it is said? etc.).
3. INTRODUCTION to the quote. Tell us who says it. The author? The narrator? A specific character? To whom is the quote addressed? About what are they speaking (if it isn't self-explanatory). Use a comma before the quote, or a colon if the introduction of the quote is a complete sentence in itself.
4. THE QUOTE ITSELF followed by a page number in parentheses.
5. EXPLANATION AND ANALYSIS of the quote*. Tell why it is important and how it relates to your thesis. Be specific about what in the quote, which words, lead you to that conclusion. Be thorough and logical.
Example of this paragraph structure (in a
literary essay):
(step 1) Once Pip is exposed to the upper class life of Miss Havisham, he begins to reject his family. (step 2) After a visit to Satis House with Joe, (step 3) he admits, (step 4)"it is a most miserable thing to feel ashamed of home" (120). (step 5) Pip feels guilty that he is embarrassed by Joe's behavior and the way in which he's been raised. Although he is in love with Estella and wants desperately to be a gentleman, he wishes he did not have such shame about his background.
This is a very basic paragraph; you may need both more of an introduction to set up the quote and more explanation and analysis.
Dos
Don’ts
|
Do put double quotation marks around quotes –
they’re clearer to see than single ones and they don’t look like lost
apostrophes. |
Don’t ever say: ‘And I quote…’ |
|
Do quote accurately. If you can’t remember the
quotation properly, don’t use it. |
Don’t ever say: ‘The writer quotes…’ The writer
doesn’t quote, that’s what YOU do! |
|
Do comment on words you quote. |
Don’t quote huge lengthy passages and then think
you’ve worked miracles. As a rule of thumb, there should be at least twice
as many of your words commenting on the quotation, as there is in the
quotation. |
MLA and Quoting Quiz
Name: ____________________________
Which of the
following is the correct way to use a quote, employing in-text, MLA
documentation?
a) Without competition, many corporations “may resurrect the dreaded monopolies of history.” (Gregory 42)
b) Without competition, many corporations: “may resurrect the dreaded monopolies of history” (Gregory 42).
c) Without competition, many corporations, “may resurrect the dreaded monopolies of history” (Gregory 42).
Which of the
following is the best example of “couching” a quote?
a) Harrison strongly argues that Freud had little business treating patients, because he “suffered from a serious personality disorder” (567).
b) Harrison states, “Freud suffered from a serious personality disorder” (567).
c) “Freud
suffered from a serious personality disorder,”
In the space below,
correctly cite Gerard Jones’s essay:
What is the correct
documentation for a paraphrase?
a)
b)
c)