Write an Effective Thesis Statement
Objectives
For this exam, the student will Use the writing process to prewrite, plan, and organizean essay
Write an effective thesis statement
Identify, define, and analyze literary elements
Develop critical reading skills
Use responsible research methods to locate appropriatesecondary sources
Use MLA citation and documentation style to referencesecondary source material correctly and appropriately
Topic
In 2015, not many students claim to like poetry. But whenwas the last time you went a day without music? The fact is,music has always been more like poetry than many peoplerealize. Music is the new poetry. If you can understand andappreciate the language and meaning of a song, then itwouldn’t be too hard for you to read and understand a poem.
In this assignment, you’ll apply the techniques of readingpoetry to song lyrics in order to analyze the effectiveness andappeal of figurative language.
Purpose
To prepare an outline or graphic organizer that will serveas the foundation for a 1,200–1,500 word essay
To begin the research process by preparing an annotatedbibliography in MLA citation and documentation formatthat consists of at least five sources
One primary source: the song lyrics
Four secondary sources: song reviews or critiques,articles about the album, profiles of the singer and/or
songwriter that focus on the specific song and lyrics(not the individual’s personal life)
Audience
Junior and senior-level distance-education students enrolledat Penn Foster College
Process
Plan and Prewrite
1. Watch the Literary Analysis lecture notes video on yourMy Courses page. This video reviews the essay requirementsand the main elements of a literary analysis.
2. Make a list of songs you might want to write about.Remember that the song needs to employ figurativelanguage, so you’ll most likely need to spend some timeonline looking up the lyrics to ensure that you choose asong with enough figurative language to write a 1,200-1,500 word essay about.
3. Choose one song from your list to write about.
4. Develop the content for your outline or graphic organizerby first freewriting about your song.
a. What’s the song about?
b. How does the song convey that subject?
i. Does it use straightforward, literal language? If so,you may want to return to your list and choose another.
ii. Does it employ figurative language?
iii. What types of figurative language can you identify?
Review pages 688–689 in your textbook and the
Literary Analysis lecture notes video on your MyCourses page.
c. What does the figurative language represent?
5. Is the song popular? Why do listeners find it appealing?
If it’s not popular, why don’t audiences like it?
Research
1. The lyrics to the song you chose are your primarysource; they count as one source on your annotated
bibliography and toward the research requirement foryour essay. Be sure to carefully note if you found thelyrics online or in print.
2. Locate a minimum of four secondary sources. Thesesources should focus on the song’s popularity, appeal,and cultural significance.
a. If you’ve chosen a contemporary song, analyzewhy audiences have made it so popular—or, perhaps,
reviled—today.
b. If you’ve chosen an older song, explore why it wassignificant in its own time period and/or why it’s
still meaningful today.
c. You don’t need to choose a song from theBillboard charts for this assignment. You mayhave chosen a song that’s significant to a particulargroup but doesn’t have widespread popularity.
If so, focus on what makes the song meaningful tothose listening to it.
3. Go to the library. The Penn Foster Digital Library providesresources that will help you to meet the researchrequirements for your essay, but keep in mind thatresearch in a library, even a digital one, isn’t like searchingonline. To learn more, visit the Penn Foster DigitalLibrary site on the Community:
4. Search online, but be sure to carefully evaluate yoursources. Review pages 583–593 in your textbook. Someexamples of credible secondary sources are
a. Reviews by music critics
b. Profiles by journalists and other professional writers
c. Articles about the time period, cultural events,and social standards
Prepare Your Annotated Bibliography
Review pages 607–610 in your textbook for specific informationand a sample annotated bibliography. You should alsoreview MLA format for citation and documentation (640–662).
1. Annotations are three to five sentence summaries ofsources that follow the citation. Make note of contentthat’s relevant to your topic and that will support yourarguments.
2. Confirm that your citations are correct by checking themagainst the MLA section in your text.
Prepare Your Outline/Graphic OrganizerYou may choose to submit either a formal outline or agraphic organizer for this assignment. Your outline or graphicorganizer should be sufficiently detailed to illustrate yourplan for your essay. It should be as detailed as possible.
Reread pages 148–150 in your textbook on outlines andgraphic organizers.
1. This essay (both prewriting and essay) requires you toanalyze the use of figurative language in a song, andthen illustrate that song’s cultural appeal and/or significanceto its listeners. Please review pages 309–313 inyour textbook for the characteristics of an illustrationessay and a sample graphic organizer.
2. Be sure to state your main points, secondary points, andsupporting evidence. Include any references to secondarysources as well, and use MLA parenthetical citation tolink them to your annotated bibliography.
3. Revise your work to ensure that your thesis statement,main points, evidence and secondary sources all worktogether to address the purpose of the assignment.
Assignment checklist
For this assignment, you must submit your
Song lyrics
Outline or graphic organizer
Annotated bibliography
Submit Your Exam
Your paper should be formatted as follows:
1-inch margins on all sides
12-point Times New Roman font
Double spacing
1. Use the header function in your word processing programto enter your personal identification and examinformation:
Student Name [tab] ID Number [tab] Exam Number
Street Address
City, State, Zip
Email Address
2. Save your exam with the file name:
IDNumber_ExamNumber_LastName_FirstName
3. Save your exam in either MS Word or Rich Text Format
(.rtf). If an instructor can’t open the file you submit,it will be returned ungraded.
4. When your exam has been evaluated and returned to you,you’ll be able to review the instructor’s comments by clickingon the View Project button next to the grade anddownloading the Instructor Feedback File. If you havetrouble viewing the file, please contact an instructor.