How to Quote and Paraphrase, Lesson 1 with The Glass Castle

The job: Become an Expert on a Symbol – Arrival in NYC Students are assigned to one of 5 symbols (page numbers will be provided) and will become experts on it. They will DISCUSS and then PRESENT the following: Explain when the symbol appears— describe it clearly. Explain why Jeannette remembers it. Etc.

The excerpt: “It was dusk when I got my first glimpse of it off in the distance, beyond a ridge. All I could see were the spires and blocky tops of buildings. And then we reached the crest of the ridge, and there, across a wide river, was a huge island jammed tip to tip with skyscrapers, their glass glowing like fire in the setting sun.” from The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls, page 245

1 st job: Decide which part of the quote is relevant. “It was dusk when I got my first glimpse of it off in the distance, beyond a ridge. All I could see were the spires and blocky tops of buildings. And then we reached the crest of the ridge, and there, across a wide river, was a huge island jammed tip to tip with skyscrapers, their glass glowing like fire in the setting sun.”

Answer: Decide which part of the quote is relevant. “It was dusk when I got my first glimpse of it off in the distance, beyond a ridge. All I could see were the spires and blocky tops of buildings. And then we reached the crest of the ridge, and there, across a wide river, was a huge island jammed tip to tip with skyscrapers, their glass glowing like fire in the setting sun.” The whole quote is relevant because it is all description of NYC. Now I must decide which part to use.

1 st job: Which words are really important, and should be included in my own writing? “It was dusk when I got my first glimpse of it off in the distance, beyond a ridge. All I could see were the spires and blocky tops of buildings. And then we reached the crest of the ridge, and there, across a wide river, was a huge island jammed tip to tip with skyscrapers, their glass glowing like fire in the setting sun.”

Answer: Which words are really important, and should be included in my own writing? “It was dusk when I got my first glimpse of it off in the distance, beyond a ridge. All I could see were the spires and blocky tops of buildings. And then we reached the crest of the ridge, and there, across a wide river, was a huge island jammed tip to tip with skyscrapers, their glass glowing like fire in the setting sun.” Most people mark these parts. Some people want even more. I will use the important words and phrases, and paraphrase the rest. Some of what I write will be analysis, too.

Try it! Actually use the highlighted words, or most of them, and paraphrase the rest. Your job is to describe the symbol when it appears & tell how Jeannette feels about it. (1-3 sentences) “It was dusk when I got my first glimpse of it off in the distance, beyond a ridge. All I could see were the spires and blocky tops of buildings. And then we reached the crest of the ridge, and there, across a wide river, was a huge island jammed tip to tip with skyscrapers, their glass glowing like fire in the setting sun.”

My writing: When Jeannette Walls approaches NYC at “dusk,” she sees only the “tops of buildings.” She is excited and amazed when she finally can see the whole city, and remembers always “a huge island jammed tip to tip with skyscrapers, their glass glowing like fire in the setting sun.” Compare to the excerpt: “It was dusk when I got my first glimpse of it off in the distance, beyond a ridge. All I could see were the spires and blocky tops of buildings. And then we reached the crest of the ridge, and there, across a wide river, was a huge island jammed tip to tip with skyscrapers, their glass glowing like fire in the setting sun.”

Purpose of Using Quotes Quotes are evidence. Using someone else’s work makes my own writing stronger!

Purpose of MLA in-text citation to carefully identify someone else’s words and ideas, and not claim them as my own to identify the original source of the quoted material to refer the reader to the correct entry on the Works Cited page

How To In parenthesis, give the author’s last name, 1 space, and the page number. –Example: (Walls 245) Put this after the quote and before the period. There are, of course, all kinds of special rules. For now, we’ll include author & page # every time, for practice.

Finished! When Jeannette Walls approaches NYC at “dusk,” she sees only the “tops of buildings” (Walls 245). She is excited and amazed when she finally can see the whole city, and remembers always “a huge island jammed tip to tip with skyscrapers, their glass glowing like fire in the setting sun” (Walls 245).

Try again! Explain when the symbol appears. Use important words and phrases from Walls’s writing. You might also explain how she felt, or why she remembers it. (1-3 sentences) fire (15, 33-4) Joshua tree (35, 38) Venus (39-41) braces (201-2) cheetah (106-9)