Formal Language and Effective Quote Usage English II

Formal Language and Effective Quote Usage English II April 2, 2009

How do we define language? § There is no such thing as one “proper” type of language. Appropriateness depends on context. § Informal language: Casual language appropriate for everyday social situations. § Formal language: Serious, often complex language used for professional and academic interaction.

Is it possible to go too far? § Observation: Kids always cry when they fall down. § Translation: § Methodological observation of the behavior tendencies of prematurated isolates indicates that a causal relationship exists between groundward tropism and lachrimatory, or 'crying, ' behavior forms. -- Dave Barry

To begin… § Place your research notecards on your desk. § Get your preliminary outline back from the student helper. § Get out a sheet of paper to take notes on.

Writing the Research Paper Skill Focus: Quote Usage

Question 1: How do I know if a quote is appropriate for use? § Is it from an appropriate source? § Is it interesting? § Is it an appropriate length? § Does it connect to your topic? § Does it support a specific claim you want to make? § Do you understand it?

Yea or Nay? § “I admired her ability to capture the pathos of petty destinies, the whimper of the wounded, the tiny incidents that plague the lives of the desperately poor, and the problems of common prejudice” (Wright, as quoted in Thomson-Gale, 92). § “Shakespeare’s main focus for all his poetry was love” (www. bookrags. com). § “By 1860, Dickinson lived in almost total physical isolation from the world” (Jax, ¶ 10).

§ “[Whosoever] looks searchingly into the characteristic genius of Wordsworth will see that he does not willingly deal with passion in its direct aspect or present an unmodified contour, but in forms more complex and oblique, and when passing under the shadow of some secondary passion” (Twain’s American Authors, ¶ 12). § “Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusets” (www. kirjasto. sci. fi).

§ “He published his first edition in 1855, seeking to force public approval. He also caused one of a series of anonymous articles to be printed in the Brooklyn Times. He wrote ‘very devilish to some, and very divine to some, will appear the poet of these new poems, these Leaves of Grass: an attempt, as they are, of a naïve, masculine, affectionate, contemplative, sensual, imperious person to cast into literature not only his own grit and arrogance, but his own flesh and form, undraped, regardless of modesty or law. ’ Whitman revealed far more than he intended in these anonymous tributes to himself” (Smith, 12).

Question #2: How do I use a quote? § Example: § Quote: “Walt Whitman’s use of obscenity in his collection Leaves of Grass deterred audiences in his time from reading. ” § from Gay Wilson Allen, p. 113. § Idea/connection: Since homosexuality was not common in Whitman’s time, it was looked down upon. This lowered the popularity of the book in his time.

Use a Signal Verb § A signal verb is a verb that signals the presence and purpose of a quote. Some examples are… Argues Illustrates Posits Demonstrates Affirms Clarifies Emphasizes Claims Illuminates Explains Insists States Implies Suggests

Incorporate the quote into your sentence by combining. . . 1. The name of the author (of the quote) 2. The page or paragraph number of the quote 3. The idea you are illustrating or supporting 4. The most important part(s) of the quote 5. A signal verb

Gay Allen states that Whitman’s references to homosexuality were seen as a “use of obscenity … [which] deterred audiences in his time from reading” (113). or Whitman’s references to homosexuality were seen as a “use of obscenity … [which] deterred audiences in his time from reading” (Allen 113).

Brooks § “Her work exhibits a realistic and unsentimental understanding of what it means to be a black woman in twentieth century America” (Bender 74). § Bender, p. 74 § This quote shows the motivation behind Brook’s poetry. She believes that black women, in spite of their great potential, are held back by a society that thinks they have nothing to offer.

Clifton § Quote: “The woman in the poem mourns the loss of creative potential and the seeming erasure of her sexual history. ” § Source not indicated § This quote clarifies the basic situation of “Poem to My Uterus. ” It is about the way a woman loses part of her identity when she loses the ability to have children.

Cullen § Quote: “If I am going to be a poet at all, I am going to be a poet and not a Negro poet. ” § Cullen, as quoted in Poetry for Students, p. 28 § Cullen states that he wants to be seen as equal to poets of other races, and that his race should not change the way people read his poetry.

Dickinson § Quote: “Many stories had grown up around Amherst’s mysterious woman. Some said she wrote beautiful poems about nature and feelings and she didn’t share them with anyone but her sister…They said she stayed in seclusion for fifteen years because she was nursing a broken heart from a love that was lost. ” § Carol Dommermouth-Costa § This explains the ways in which Dickinson was misunderstood by her society and the reasons behind her isolation.

Dunbar § Quote: “Dunbar faced a cultural environment that was repressive yet hopeful, segregated but not isolated, hostile but stimulating…He continued to straddle the two cultures, separate and unequal. ” § Valerie Smith, p. 185 § This quote tells about Dunbar’s background and how he was able to learn about and succeed in both the black and white parts of his society.

Frost § Quote: “ ‘The Road Not Taken, ’ introductory to Mountain Interval, can be read as a further commentary on the price of the poet’s dedication. The two roads that “diverged in a yellow wood” represent a critical choice between two ways of life. ” § John T. Ogilvie, p. 16 § The critic is saying that the two roads represent two choices the speaker must make, and that the speaker may be Frost himself, as he chooses to dedicate himself to being a poet.

Poe § Quote: “This poem has become one of America’s best examples of onomatopoetic affect, or use of words that recall the sound of what they describe. ” § § Source not indicated This quote explains Poe’s ability to use poetic language to imitate life.

Shakespeare § Quote: “Shakespeare could be vulgar as well as tender in his language; he could write equally convincing lines for characters who were going into battle as for those falling in love. § § Poetry for Students, p. 28 This quote explains how Shakespeare could write in a variety of ways. He was very versatile in his ability to portray all human emotions.

Whitman § Quote: “In New Orleans, he experienced at first hand the viciousness of slavery in the slave markets of that city. ” § The Academy of American Poets § This quote is significant because Whitman believed that all people were connected and should be treated equally. It is likely that this experience in New Orleans influenced this belief.

Wordsworth § Quote: “But the great distinction of Wordsworth, and the pledge of his increasing popularity, is the extent of his sympathy with what is really permanent in human feelings. ” § § Source not indicated. This quote explains that the power of Wordsworth’s poetry comes from his ability to portray emotions as we really experience them.