For this essay, combine close reading with scholarly research to write a literary essay that
makes an argument about your interpretation of one interesting aspect of Antigone. In
addition to supporting your argument with textual evidence from the primary source, you will
also find and integrate ideas from secondary sources.
Essay Requirements
Construct a logical, thoughtful, and original academic essay, following these guidelines:
Introduction and Thesis: Open with an introduction paragraph that provides relevant context
for your argument and analysis. At the end of the introduction, state your thesis, making an
insightful claim that presents your interpretation of the play.
Organization: Organize the essay logically and clearly. Organize your body paragraphs around
the central ideas of your argument, and pull examples from throughout the play to support
each point. Each topic sentence should state a claim about the play that you will prove in that
body paragraph. Your body paragraphs must be unified and cohesive, and they should end with
clear closing sentences that explicitly articulate your argument.
Evidence: Provide specific, concrete textual evidence and evidence from secondary sources
(see below) to support the claims in your thesis and topic sentences. Integrate short direct
quotations from the play to show readers the important words and phrases from the play.
Integrate all quotations into your sentences; they cannot stand alone.
Typically, writers should paraphrase the ideas borrowed from secondary sources both to
keep the essay in their own voice and to demonstrate to readers that they understood
the articles. And don’t forget to use clear signal phrases to introduce the material from
the secondary sources and to distinguish your ideas from their ideas.
Analysis: Discuss the evidence deeply and thoroughly; explain the meaning of your quotations
and demonstrate why they are significant and how they support your topic sentences. Don’t
assume readers see what you see or interpret a line the same way you do. Don’t neglect part of
the play just because it seems difficult. Push yourself beyond obvious, superficial analysis and
try to dig deeper. Your essay should strive to demonstrate original, critical thinking.
Conclusion: Conclude with a paragraph that summarizes and, more importantly, synthesizes
your essay; explain the “so what” of your essay (i.e., the larger implications of your argument). This is a formal essay: use Standard American English and avoid 1st and 2nd person POV.
The essay must be 1500 to 2000 words in length, not including the Works Cited page.
Type in 12-point font, either Times New Roman or Calibri.
Use MLA style for formatting your paper and citing your sources. Cite all sources that
you use—including the primary source—both internally and on the Works Cited page.
Please take care not to plagiarize; review your class notes about academic integrity,
which include information about how to quote, paraphrase, and cite source material.
The primary source—i.e., the literary text—is the most important source in a literary essay, and
most of your evidence should come from there. However, you will also borrow information and
ideas from at least three secondary sources, which you will carefully integrate into your essay.
Find sources that adhere to these guidelines:
All secondary sources must be scholarly sources, i.e., either an article from an academic
journal or a chapter from an academic book. Popular sources are not appropriate.
All secondary sources must be from the Blinn College Library. Sources found using
Google are not appropriate.
Do not use any overviews—sometimes called topic overview and work overviews—or
academic summaries.
Secondary sources help you develop an effective argument by providing extra support
beyond the textual evidence in the literature itself. There are several ways that secondary
sources can be useful and meaningful in a literary argument. You might look for sources that
agree with one of your sub-claims (rather than with your entire thesis),
provide a lens through which to read the primary text,
offer a fascinating interpretation of a difficult or important passage,
establish historical or social context,
analyze another primary text to which your text alludes, or
present an interpretation of the primary text with which you disagree
