For a stricter New Critical analysis

Review the New Criticism PPT, particularly the definitions of affective fallacy and intentional fallacy. Go through your essay and highlight every place you have either intentional or affective fallacies and rework them to be more appropriate for a New Critical analysis. This might involve some or all of the following possibilities: Intentional fallacy: every time you mention the author (by name or just as the author or the writer). Delete these phrases wherever possible. (For example, if youve written, Wordsworth wants to show that the garden symbolizes love and vitality, revise it to The garden symbolizes love and vitality.) Another option is to shift the perspective from the author to the text. (For example, if youve written, The author uses personification to show how he feels about love, revise it to The use of personification in the text reveals the idea that love is a living, growing entity.) Dont confuse the author with the narrator/speaker! Remember, a woman can write a poem from a mans point of view and vice versa. If you see any places where youve confused the two or used them interchangeably, revise those. Affective fallacy: every time you mention the reader or we. Delete these phrases wherever possible. (For example, if youve written, This lets readers know that the speaker is struggling with the fear of aging, revise it to The speaker is struggling with the fear of aging. Or if youve written In this stanza, we can see that the tone has shifted from happy to sad revise it to, In the second stanza, the tone shifts from happy to sad) Try phrases like the text reveals the poem suggests the words work together to create It is evident that etc. In addition, look for informal language and/or waffling (for example, I think or this MIGHT mean that) and revise for a formal academic tone and a strong, confident argument.

For quotes and paragraph structure:

Highlight all your quotes. For each one, write a reflective sentence telling what that quote is evidence of and why you chose it. (For example, I chose this quote because it is the first instance of this image in the poem, and provides evidence for the use of symbolism as supporting the central theme of the fear of aging. If you cannot write a sentence like this for a particular quote, consider whether or not you should choose a different quote?) Then, one at a time, compare each quote to the OREO method as shown in the PPT (on Moodle). For those sentences that least adhere to this method, do the following: Copy/paste the whole paragraph into a new document, and then copy/paste the sentence with the quote into a separate place below. Rewrite with OREO method. Then widen your scope to include the whole paragraph that quote belongs to, and rework the paragraph to better incorporate the newly-revised quote. Refer to the EZ Paragraph structure to help you rewrite the paragraph. In addition, if you find that your paragraph doesnt state your why this quote justification clearly, consider revising for that aspect. Check your MLA: does each quote have a correct parenthetical citation? Rinse and Repeat Keep doing this throughout your paper, one paragraph at a time. Then rework your transitional phrases. THEN, when youve done all that, put your paper aside, even if its messy, and forget about it for 24 hours. Then come back, reread it, reconsider your intro and conclusion paragraphs (do they reflect the new body paragraphs accurately, or do they need an update? Pay special attention to your thesis statement!) Make sure you have at least one direct quote in every body paragraph. If you dont, rework that paragraph to include textual evidence.

For a more organized, clearly-structured paper/ For a stronger argument and so what factor
Write a reverse outline using the following steps. This will help you tighten your paper and clarify your ideas. Also, for this exercise you should work backwards; start with the last paragraph and work your way back to the introduction. For each paragraph, write a one sentence description of the paragraph. What the main idea is, what evidence supports it, and why it matters. Then, jot down a brief version of the textual examples youve used in that paragraph. Ex: This paragraph discusses personification, uses two examples from the text, and shows how this adds to the theme of recovering from rejection and dealing with unrequited love. o --stanza one, line 3 trees waved their arms o --stanza four, line 2 the river ran from her, fearful of capture After you have done this, review/revision your essay. Were you easily able to sum up the paragraph? If not, consider ways in which to revise that paragraph to better reflect its intended purpose. Try writing a sentence or two about what you WANT the paragraph to do, and then try revising the paragraph itself. Then, read each paragraph summary sentence in order and consider the following: Does each paragraph do something DIFFERENT than those around it? Do the ideas flow one into the next in logical arrangement? Does each paragraph make sense in its current position within the body of the paper? Do the introduction and conclusion paragraphs accurately reflect the content of and claims made by the body paragraphs? Do the intro and conclusion resemble/reflect one another without being exactly the same? Revise as necessary. Then, go back and rework your thesis statement. Be sure it offers a statement of argument as well as an overview of the proofs or evidence you will offer, and that your paragraphs are in the same order as your intended proofs. Lastly, rework your transitional phrases between paragraphs so that they flow smoothly from one idea to the next.