Quotation Use and Integration in Critical Essays

In your critical essay you must use textual evidence to illustrate your points of analysis. Sometimes this textual evidence will be in the form of Quotations so it is important that you know how to use them and how to integrate them successfully into your essay.

A quotation is used to illustrate or exemplify a point so you must ensure that: Quotations are properly introduced (i.e. a point must be made before you use your quotation) Therefore, quotations should NEVER be used at the start of a sentence or at the start of a paragraph. Quotations must always be followed by a full explanation of the point being made. You must analyse and explain how the quotation you have used illustrates the point you are trying to make.

Think of a quotation as the filling in a sandwich! The filling is the substance of the sandwich, it gives it flavour. Your quotation will not fully make sense or be complete without a point being made to introduce it and a thorough explanation of the point afterwards. Your quotation gives your point substance and flavour by exemplifying your point so that the reader can see and understand what you are talking about. However, without the bread on either side, the filling would fall out and you would no longer have a complete sandwich.

You should avoid using quotations in your introduction or conclusion. Quotations are part of your analysis and illustrate your argument, which will be found in the main body of your essay. Your introduction should set up what you are going to argue and your conclusion should sum up your argument and should not contain any new points of analysis. A quotation is used to illustrate or exemplify a point so you must ensure that: Quotations should be within inverted commas to separate them from the rest of the essay.

How to lay out and integrate quotation 1.If the quotation you wish to use is one or two words, or only part of a sentence then you should integrate these quotations into the main point you are making – they should be part of the sentence: Before they reach the ranch, George and Lennie’s dream is very fanciful. George tells Lennie that they can have ‘Red and green and blue rabbits’, which suggests that George considers the dream to be unattainable. Point to introduce quotation Quotation illustrating point Explanation of point - analysis

How to lay out and integrate quotation 2. If the quotation is longer than a sentence then it should be integrated using a colon (:) at the end of the initial point being made. You should then miss a line and then write out the quotation in the centre of the page. After you have quoted, miss another line and start a new sentence for your explanation of the quotation and point of analysis:

However, it is only when Candy offers his money that George begins to really believe in the dream: ‘”We’ll do her,” he said. “We’ll fix up that little old place an’ we’ll go live there.’ The fact that their dream is only made possible through Candy’s wealth suggests that economic restraints limit the ranch workers’ dreams. Steinbeck is therefore implying that the American Dream is not attainable through hard work alone. Point to introduce quotation Quotation illustrating point Explanation of point - analysis

Avoiding ‘This shows’ Often, when trying to explain the effect of the quotation, people will write ‘This shows’. This gets very repetitive and does not show sophistication of style. You can vary ‘shows’ using words such as: Conveys Highlights Illustrates Implies Suggests Reveals Depicts

You can also vary your expression by turning the sentence round in order to avoid always starting with ‘This’: Here, Steinbeck illustrates… The vivid description of the setting highlights… Through clever use of the comparison… Steinbeck clearly implies… Remember also to include evaluative language throughout the essay: Cleverly, Clearly, Effectively, Successfully, Poignantly…