/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.2405897]

Hello English buffs of /lit/

I need a bit of help for a paper. My English professor requires this particular paper to have a "dynamic" title. The topic I'm doing has to do with how the true ending to a short story is hidden/reflected in the title of the story.

Is there some sort of English idiom or expression that implies something that is fairly obvious, but overlooked? That hopefully would make a great title for my essay.

I'm in Engineering, and English is by no means my strong suit. But I do need to fill my option requirement so please kindly help me out.

[Anonymous No.2405899]

Foreshadowing?

[Anonymous No.2405906]

>>2405899

Yeah something along the lines of that. But I'm having trouble thinking of a title for the title page of my paper. Something like "a witty thought that captures the interest of the reader with a few words" according to my professor.

I don't think rearranging and slapping on my thesis statement is gonna do. But if I can't think of anything by the end of the day that's exactly what I'll do.

[Anonymous No.2405928]

Some input? Anyone?

[Anonymous No.2405927]

see the reason these guys can never convince anyone to help out with their english such and such is because they never learned how to craft a persuasive argument, which is the goal of every writing project

sad really

[Anonymous No.2405931]

devil in the details

it may have been used before. a few million times.

[Anonymous No.2405934]

>>2405927

I've got no where else to turn to. My English class only as one TA and no one can reach her.

I wouldn't even be doing English if not for the option requirement my major needs. English isn't gonna do a hell lot of good with my intended profession.

But I would still like to do well. Since having a low GPA reflects would not help me get into a good graduate study program with a major Engineering firm.

[Anonymous No.2405937]

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

[Anonymous No.2405943]

>>2405931

See that sounds pretty good. Thanks.

Like I said. Better than slapping in my thesis statement and calling it a day.

Also if anyone else has anything. Please feel free to contribute. I will constantly check on this thread as I'm trying to figure out this MLA citation guideline. I'm normally only used to APA.

[Anonymous No.2405944]

>>2405937

HAHA

Thanks for the laugh. I needed that. Stressful times.

[Anonymous No.2405959]

>>2405934

SEE THIS IS GOOD RHETORICAL PERSUASION

solid appeal to emotion, bro

[Anonymous No.2405961]

Put "fuck" in the title.

[Anonymous No.2405963]

Depends on the actual execution of your paper. I'm fond of bad puns coming from my students, personally, but it's up to you to really think of it.

You'd be surprised how much you use writing, by the way. A friend of mine got completely fucked out of his Ph. D. in particle physics thanks to terrible writing and inability to properly argue his points in a paper.

Yeah, the literary analysis bit probably won't be a huge help, but keep up on the writing skills. And snappy titles can occasionally spice things up.

"As Above, So Below: Reading From Beginning To End" might be a clever little way to say it.

[Anonymous No.2405966]

>>2405959

I'm getting better already!

>>2405961

So...Crouching Tiger Fucks Hidden Dragon?

[The Importance of Being On Time and Being !dAqyKvNZuA No.2405967]

>>2405897
"The Sense of An Ending" ?

[Anonymous No.2405969]

>>2405963

It astounds me that I can find educators on 4chan. Thanks for your help and advice.

[Anonymous No.2405978]

>>2405967

I'll put that in my essay somewhere. Thanks for your help.

[Anonymous No.2405984]

>>2405969
You'd be surprised. Just make sure to use plenty of quote support for your argument, read it over before you hand it in (reading 'awkward sounding' sentences out loud can help you figure out how to fix them), and get the formatting correct, and you should be fine.

I'm assuming you used the Purdue OWL guide for MLA? It's a useful resource that I tend to point students towards, because Hacker's RFW is apparently impossible for bookstores to order.

Also; don't try to force in overly-complex structure. I've noticed a lot of students coming from a hard science background try that, assuming that instructors are looking for purely mechanical skill in writing. If you've got a good teacher, then they should be looking for clarity in your argument, not at how much jargon you can toss in. Find a nice balance between formality and readability; your writing will be all the better for it.

[Anonymous No.2406007]

>>2405984

Why aren't you my English Professor? The only useful hint she gave us was to quote lots, but quote short.

Thank you again sir, for your assistance.

[Anonymous No.2406024]

>>2406007
One reason is because I teach world literature, not English lit, because I wanted to pick up a few more useful skills while in undergrad.

Professors vary in their teaching ability, and English is a very bad field to find good professors in; you'll normally end up getting a lot of professors who are there only to publish and see teaching as an onerous duty.

The quoting advice is somewhat helpful, though they should clarify why it's good; block quotes tend to look like you're trying to artificially lengthen your paper. Avoid them when possible, and intersperse your quotations with your analysis of the quotes in relation to the text as a whole. Understanding how to form an argument by using evidence from a text is a key skill; we're looking for your argument, with support from the text, and block quotes tend to create a clear division between your argument and the text.

Remember to clear out any contractions, as well; it's an aspect of formal writing that a lot of students don't get at first, because they're used to writing how they talk. You should also avoid first-person voice and broad generalizations, unless you can back them up with evidence.

Finally, avoid the Intro - Three Body Paragraphs - Conclusion structure; write to your argument, not to a formula. It's one of the things that pisses me off about the American education system; paper writing shouldn't be a formula, it should be a tool to demonstrate how well you grasp the concept of the text. Sticking to a rigid formula only hurts your ability to articulate your ideas.

[Anonymous No.2406033]

>>2406024

Useful advice, once again. Rest assured I will put them to good use.

Also I go to a Canadian University, but I'm guessing that doesn't really change anything as we pretty much share the same post-secondary education structure.

[Anonymous No.2406050]

>>2406033
Yeah; the only difference I've seen is that we get a lot more leeway in terms of critique of students. The shit one of my colleagues wrote on papers he corrected made me long for the day I can safely flee there.

Still, it's a shitty world out there for academics, and I'm just glad I managed to get started on a tenure-track position. It's full of horrific politics; just look at David Foster Wallace for an example of someone who hated the system, but knew that it was pretty much impossible to change due to how ingrained the bullshit is. It'll take a lot of failure before anything can change, and it's depressing to think about sometimes.

[Anonymous No.2406066]

>>2406050

It must be a burden to have such liberal and active mind.

Most of us Engineering majors are dead set on data and results. It really doesn't allow us much room to contemplate "the big picture", so to speak.

But could it be that we're the lucky ones? Haha.

[Anonymous No.2406078]

>>2406066
Big difference; you're generally aiding the world in a technical sense. I know that at the end of the day, most of what I do is related to understanding a small segment of the world, as encapsulated in literature. What you do is a hell of a lot more practical than what I do, and I admire engineers and other hard science guys for that.

I contribute in different ways, but we're all here for humanity in the end. I may not be revolutionizing technology, but I am helping someone to understand a mindset that's different than their own. I'm perfectly fine with that, because that's just what I had the knack for and opted to develop.

Just look for satisfaction in life. I knew I was taking a gamble when I started down this path, and I was just lucky enough to make something of it.

[Anonymous No.2406086]

>>2406078
>look for satisfaction in life
>become an english teacher
lol one of these is not like the other

[Anonymous No.2406091]

>>2406078

I have to admit that my area of study is actually Process Engineering, which is a subsection of the Chemical Engineering department. Most of what we cover in our studies and co-op programs is methods and theories on how to most efficiently extract and predict viscosity of Oilsands blends and bitumen.

Or as my sister quite bluntly puts it: more efficient methods of draining the planet we live on.

In the end you would have made a way more positive impact than my entire department combined. Or less of a harmful impact, depending on how you look at it I guess.

[Anonymous No.2406092]

>>2406086
It's what I enjoy. If you don't enjoy that sort of thing, then I understand why you wouldn't find it satisfying. I'm not you, and you're not me. I'm satisfied with my life and I love what I do, so it seems to have worked for me.

[Anonymous No.2406103]

>>2406091
Eh, positive is a relative term. I've certainly killed a lot of trees throughout my career.

You're improving the world in a concrete sense (with 'world' here being defined as the living conditions of mankind, rather than the big blue rock you're pulling resources out of). I'm just glad when an undergrad learns how to appreciate good writing.

Well, that and mocking poor applications of feminist critique. It can be a useful tool at points, but so many people use it to try and push their own agendas that it's rapidly getting difficult to take seriously.

[Anonymous No.2406102]

>>2406092
how many children do you have?

[Anonymous No.2406108]

>>2406103

See now I have a good counter next time my sister tries to guilt-trip me again.

I can't thank you enough good sir.

[Anonymous No.2406111]

Lively discussion between a student and an educator? Oh my /lit/?

[Anonymous No.2406114]

>>2406102
One. Adopted once the wife and I managed to find a good, stable place to live. She's still stuck in a post-doc position, because the university I'm with has a number of painfully ancient chemistry professors who refuse to retire and so there aren't any openings for a more permanent position for her.

How the hell did you guess that I had a kid?

[Anonymous No.2406125]

>>2406114

An air of maturity that can only come from a parent.

[Anonymous No.2406136]

Realtalk, I'm pretty sure that /lit/ has to have one of the highest proportions of married/parent posters on 4chan

/ck/ is probably higher though

[Anonymous No.2406138]

>>2406136
yeah but housewives aren't quite as interesting as university teachers.

[Anonymous No.2406141]

>>2406125
And yet, here I am on 4chan. Ah well, I suppose bad habits from the dissertation-writing phase die hard.

[Anonymous No.2406152]

>>2406111

holy shit, you have to tell where that image is from

please