Reading
& Comprehension
NFG: Read 11: Analyzing Texts and 60: Textual Analyses. When you read the samples, pay attention to how authors embed intertextual citations into the body of their essays according to MLA standards. You will be expected to do the same.
Purdue OWL: Read Active & Passive Voice. No matter what kind of writing you do, try to minimize the use of the passive voice, which, as the reading suggests, can lead to awkward, flat and/or uninteresting prose. This is not to say that the passive voice should be avoided altogether—used in the proper manner and in moderation, it can spruce up prose.
Purdue OWL: Read MLA Formatting & Style Guide, In-Text Citations: The Basics and Formatting Quotations.
Read
Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story "The
Yellow Wallpaper."
Wikipedia: Read Charlotte Perkins Gilman and The Yellow Wallpaper. NOTE: Wikis of this nature should be used only to provide context and background information. They should not be cited as secondary sources in formal writing. Wikipedia is an online hypertextual encyclopedia that anyone can edit. The methodology behind this encyclopdia is ideal; rather than an entry being written by one or two authors, entries are written (and updated) by a collective group of authors from multiple perspectives and disciplines. Be aware that many Wikipedia authors are not professional scholars or experts in the field, object, person, story, etc. on which they are writing, and every now and then hackers and trolls like to vandalize entries with incorrect information. For the most part, however, Wikipedia is a reliable and useful resource. To read more on this issue, see Criticism of Wikipedia.
Read these short essays on "The Yellow Wallpaper" for background, context, and insights into Gilman's story.