Chapter+13

= = "Writing About an Author In Depth"

"Writing About an Author in Depth" provides specific examples of author and poets Langston Hughes and Robert Frost and explains the process used to writer about these authors. The text gives an example of a student, Mark, who writes about the recurring theme in Langston Hughes' poetry. Mark chooses three of Hughes' poems and approaches his assignment by doing an in depth analysis of one poem, then searching for key elements similar within the other poems. Mark "was assigned to write about a theme (which he had to define himself)" (Barnet and Cain 260). Having the student define their own assignment gives them a hands on approach. Tobin encourages this method of academic writing believing that if students feel more connected to what they are writing, they will produce a better product. "...students actually have something important and original to say and will find ways to say it if we can just get out of their way, give them the freedom to choose their own material, and show them that we are interested" (Tobin 5). Giving students the opportunity to choose their writing topics keeps them from producing "the canned, dull lifeless student essay that seemed the logical outcome of a rules-driven, teacher-centered curriculum that ignored student interests, needs, and talents" (Tobin 5).

Besides giving actual writing examples that apply process, the guide provides bullets of questions the student should ask while formulating their thesis. Questions like, "Does one work seem the key to the others? Does one work strike you as very closely related in some way to another?" (Barnet and Cain 262). This encourages the writer to step back and think about exactly what they want to say before they write.


 * Note:** This wikispace can be used as a guide to decide whether or not the text //A Short Guide to Writing About Literature// will be effective for your classroom probably at the college level. Throughout the review of this book, several composition theorists and their writings are referenced. Familiarity with these articles and theories will be helpful in accessing this guide and deciding whether or not to use this book as a source. For your convenience, on the Annotated Bibliography page of this wiki an annotated bibliography including extensive summaries of each work references can be found.