INTD 100:

ANALYSIS ESSAY #1

 Please write an essay that: 

• Analyzes one scene in the novel Dracula, explaining how that scene represents one of the following two critical interpretations of blood discussed in the introduction to the novel. The interpretations are psychoanalytic/sexual, and post-colonial. This essay will require close reading of the text, with specific examples cited from the novel to prove your points. Please note that you may not analyze the novel from the straight literal perspective, as there is nothing to analyze--you would simply be summarizing.

*Your thesis should be composed the two main factors connected above.  Several specific examples of thesis statements will be provided in class.

*While you may analyze one of the scenes you were assigned to analyze in class (such as the blood transfusion scenes or the three vampire women dream sequence), you may not simply rehash what we already discussed about these scenes. In other words, if you choose to analyze one of these particular scenes I will expect serious, thoughtful, original analysis. You may find it is actually easier to analyze a scene that we did not already cover in class.

*You are required to provide plenty of evidence and examples specifically from Dracula and from at least two outside scholarly sources to support your argument. Reference sites, such as Wikipedia, Bookrags, Sparknotes, dictionary. com, or any dictionaries or encyclopedias whatsoever, are not acceptable as “outside sources.”  Instead, consult the library’s research databases and free e-periodicals (available through the library’s website); you may also use the introductions to other editions of Dracula. If you are uncertain about the validity of a source (particularly websites), please email your professor ASAP. Please ask your peer mentors for additional library research help.

*You are required to meet with one of your peer mentors prior to turning in the final draft of your essay. You will receive participation points for fulfilling this requirement.

   

*Since this is an academic analytical essay, only the use of the removed 3rd person perspective is acceptable (no “I,” “we,” “our” “your” or “you,” please). Use academic language throughout; avoid talking about your personal experiences or opinions about the novel. A good “tone” for the writing is to mimic the tone of the introduction to Dracula.

Length: 4-6 pages, double-spaced, Garamond or Times New Roman font

Your essay should include the following components:

A good title that is not too long or too vague. The title should capture the essence of your essay in an interesting and compelling way. It should also include the title Dracula as well as the name of your character—but should also indicate what exactly your essay is focusing on. For example: Blood Transfusions as a Form of Ethnic Cleansing Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a sufficient title.

• An introductory hook that captures the reader’s attention in a strong, but not over-dramatic way. Short and succinct statements go a long way. You may want to open with an image of or quotation from the scene  you are analyzing. You will then want to quickly and naturally move into a clear presentation of your thesis statement.
• A thesis that makes your position on the topic unambiguous (clear), appropriately qualified, and clearly arguable. The thesis should come at the beginning of the essay. Repeat it throughout the essay when the reader might become lost; repeat it as well at the end of the essay, though don’t necessarily repeat it word for word. The thesis is the most important part of your essay, and everything that comes after should exist to prove its validity.
• Clear transitions between paragraphs or topics, and topic sentences (mini-theses) at the beginning of each paragraph.
• An awareness of the historical time period and social context in which the novel was written. This ties into understanding the critical interpretations of blood in the novel. You will likely need to do some further outside research into Victorian England (and possibly Stoker’s Irish background) to understand this aspect of the essay fully. Your outside source(s) will be invaluable in this regard, as “proof” for the validity of your arguments. Always, always, always tie in your observations to the cultural context of the novel.
• Plausible reasons and convincing support for your thesis. You must have at least two or three specific and compelling reasons for your argument. Your support for these reasons should be taken firstly from the novel itself, as well as your outside research (both are crucial). Don’t forget that you will need to provide evidence from the scene itself in order to interpret it critically. In other words, you should use clear examples from the text as often as possible to back-up your arguments.  If, for example, you are writing about Jonathan Harker’s shaving / mirror scene with Dracula in the bedroom through the lens of the pyschoanalytic interpretation, you could utilize the quote: “The whole room behind me was displayed, but there was no sign of a man in it, except myself” (Stoker 36).
• A logical order of organization that will guide the reader through your argument in a clear, convincing way.
• An awareness of your audience. You are speaking to a general academic audience, who may or may not have read Dracula. You need to give context to the quotations you take from the text, and not assume that your reader knows the book as you do. Your audience is also secular, so if you choose to write about Dracula via the religious perspective, do not bring in your personal spiritual beliefs.
• Proper MLA documentation. Your final draft should include a Works Cited page with a list of all sources used in the paper (likely just the one outside source as well as the novel Dracula). In addition, you may use more than one outside source if you so choose. 
• If you have trouble filling up 4 pages with your scene, you may choose to analyze two corresponding or related scenes (for example, two scenes with Renfield, or two blood transfusion scenes, or a scene with Lucy's sleep-walking and another scene where she is getting a blood transfusion).

*Remember when using resources the goal is not to simply plop them into the essay and hope the reader understands their purpose.  It is the job of the writer to smoothly integrate short pieces of information into his/her prose according to proper documentary style, as well as to discuss the research’s significance to your essay.  Also, remember you will not impress a reader by presenting huge chunks of quotes and that there will be a significant grade penalty for using block quotes (quotes longer than five lines).  Finally, don’t forget to introduce your resources!