Integrating a Quotation
A Quotation Should Flow From Your Writing
Even though you are incorporating another's words into your paper, it should all still sound like one piece.
What's the most common error you see?
George is good leader because he cares. George took Lennie in after his Aunt Clara died. George knew that Lennie would not make it all alone, and George being the caring leader that he is, took him under his wing. “Him and me was both born in Auburn" (Steinbeck 40).
I see sentences like that all the time from Freshmen, Seniors, and everything in between. The quote is supposed to help prove the paragraph's topic sentence, but the link between the two is awkward and feels artificial. That is because the sentences before the quote are general, and the quote is very specific. We need to transition into the quote so that it is a natural part of the story we are telling.
I see sentences like that all the time from Freshmen, Seniors, and everything in between. The quote is supposed to help prove the paragraph's topic sentence, but the link between the two is awkward and feels artificial. That is because the sentences before the quote are general, and the quote is very specific. We need to transition into the quote so that it is a natural part of the story we are telling.
So, how would you do it?
George is good leader because he cares. George took Lennie in after his Aunt Clara died. George knew that Lennie would not make it all alone, and George being the caring leader that he is, took him under his wing. In chapter three, George explains his unusual relationship with Lennie to Slim, saying “him and me was both born in Auburn..." (Steinbeck 40).
I didn't add that much. You could go into even more detail if you wanted. Here's the thing you should try to understand, though:
telling a clear story makes analysis easier.
Think of a body paragraph like this:
If you do your job right and tell your story in enough detail, most readers will probably understand how the story backs up your topic sentence automatically. The analysis after the story and quote just help to make sure that they are thinking what you were thinking. It gets hard when you rush into the quote too soon, and then spend half of your analysis trying to explain BOTH what the quote is ABOUT, as well as why it proves your point. If you tell the story clearly the first time, you don't need to explain what the quote is about. We'll get it.
I didn't add that much. You could go into even more detail if you wanted. Here's the thing you should try to understand, though:
telling a clear story makes analysis easier.
Think of a body paragraph like this:
- Topic sentence (the point you are going to prove)
- Tell a story that proves the point
- Use a quotation as part of the story
- Explain how the quote proves your point
- Transition into your next point.
If you do your job right and tell your story in enough detail, most readers will probably understand how the story backs up your topic sentence automatically. The analysis after the story and quote just help to make sure that they are thinking what you were thinking. It gets hard when you rush into the quote too soon, and then spend half of your analysis trying to explain BOTH what the quote is ABOUT, as well as why it proves your point. If you tell the story clearly the first time, you don't need to explain what the quote is about. We'll get it.