Here are some examples for writing a paper according to MLA format.

First, you must learn how to incorporate quotes into your paper.

When you paraphrase material, you are rewriting information from another work in your own words. You have to indicate where you received the information by putting the author's last name and the page number next to the information you used.

E.g.

Emerson states that there is one element of human consciousness that does not change (566).

If you were to include the following in a quote, you would write the exact words of Emerson:

Emerson argues that "there is that in us which changes not, and which ranks all sensations and states of mind" (566).

Note that if I don't include the author's last name when I introduce the quote, then I should include the author's last name before the page number of the source (unless I have already mentioned the author's last name in the same paragraph):

There is an element of consciousness that "changes not, and which ranks all sensations and states of mind" (Emerson 566).

Note that you can also have a longer quote--a block quote--which is typically 3 or more sentences longer:

Emerson describes:

               ... that in us which changes not, and which ranks all sensations and states of                mind. The consciousness in each man is a sliding scale, which identifies him                        now with the First Cause, and now with the flesh of his body; life above life,                in infinite degrees. (566)

Emerson believes that there is a transcendental dimension of consciousness represented by the human spirit.

Notice in the block quote above, I press tab twice. I also do not start a new paragraph; instead, I analyze and interpret the quote. You should always interpret the language used in a quote and relate it to your thesis, the central argument of your paper.

At the end of your paper, you will need a works cited list:

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "Experience." The Norton Anthology of American Literature: Shorter                Sixth Edition. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: Norton, 2003. 556-570.        

With poetry, you should cite the line numbers and use forward slashes to indicate new lines of verse.

E.g.

The speaker describes "A noiseless patient spider/I mark'd where on a little promontory it stood isolated" (Whitman lines 1-2).  The isolation of the spider and its ability to work is a symbol of the miraculous character of life in small creatures.

When you deal with two works from the same author, list them alphabetically in your works cited.

Also, you should not write the author's name the second time you list a source from the same author. Instead, write:

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "Experience." The Norton Anthology of American Literature: Shorter                Sixth Edition. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: Norton, 2003. 556-570.

---. "Self-reliance." The Norton Anthology of American Literature: Shorter                Sixth Edition. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: Norton, 2003. 539-555.

The three dashes are used in place of the author's first and last name and indicate that the work listed is from the author listed previously.

When writing about literature, follow the following steps:

* do not summarize

* follow the MLA format

* interpret (Enlgish teachers like analysis of the language used in texts--interpret quotes by unpacking the significance of a passage) and introduce quotes (one of my pet peeves is a quote that is not introduced) by mentioning what they are about

* stick to your thesis

* look over any grammatical errors that might occur (use spell check with caution)

* focus on revision and on choosing the right words

* introduce the theme (the central message) of the work you are analyzing in the introductory paragraph

* analyze several elements of the work, such as irony, symbolism, plot, setting, mood, conflict, point of view

* avoid confusing the writer with the speaker of the poem/work (authorial fallacy

* a title page is not necessary

* use in-text citations in the body of your essay to support your thesis

* construct your argument around a general thesis

* introduce the points you will be making in your introduction

* conclude by reiterating your main argument or central question

* include literary theory and/or secondary references (optional); e.g. feminist, Marxist, New Historical criticism, ecocriticism, deconstruction, reader-response theory, psychoanalytic criticism, African American literary criticism, etc.

* include a works cited

* create a title for your essay

* Place your name, the professor's name, and the class on the upper left hand side of the page

* secondary criticism is optional for an in-class essay, but a well written literature paper should make reference to previous criticism on a writer (preferably more recent criticism of a particular work)