Quote Analysis

Use the method below to do a quotation analysis.
Example will be given at the end.

Dr. Karin Spirn developed the following assignment and it remains one of my favorites:
Quote Analysis Assignment (Documenting sources in an academically responsible way.)
For many papers in this class and in other college classes, you will need to analyze quotes.
Paragraphs centering on discussion of quotes need to give very good explanations of the
quote and what you will say about it. You should never allow a quote to "speak" for itself; you
must clearly make a point about each quote you use. The following is a basic formula for a
paragraph that analyzes a quote. While you may vary the formula, it is a good idea to try to
have the following elements in your paragraph:

1. a topic sentence that tells the main point you'll make in the paragraph (You might think
of the main point as a mini thesis);
2. some background information about the quote so that the reader is not at all confused
about what the quote means;
3. an explanation of the argument you are making about the quote (if you don't include this
first, your readers will need to re-read the quote later once you make your point);
4. the quote, preceded by a signal phrase, with quotation marks and a parenthetical page
citation. You should provide enough of the quote that it makes sense, but don't put in more
than you can discuss. One or two sentences is generally a good quote length;
5. a restatement of the quote in your own words (paraphrase) right after you present it to
make sure readers understood the quote in the same way you did;
6. The final few sentences of your paragraph should explain, being sure to include your
own experience not as evidence but to help explain your argument, your point about the
quote in more detail, and why you draw that conclusion about the quote;
7. Your final sentence should remind readers of your paragraph's main point.

For this assignment, you will integrate a quotation from “7 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Go
To College and 4 Things To Do Instead” by Michael Price

( http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michaelprice/7-reasons-why-you-
shouldn_1_b_5501111.html ) as you use the seven step model to compose a paragraph in
which you make an argument about whether or not most people will benefit from a college
education. You may read the comments to his post, but be careful. You do not want your
paragraph to be a summary of his post and someone else’s response. It is your idea I’m are
after, which is why I’m also asking you to use your own experience as part of your
explanation in step six. You are not using your own experience as an example because one
person’s experience cannot serve as evidence. You can, however, use your own experience
to explain an aspect of your argument. Please remember that you can use a quotation from
Price’s to make an argument that agrees or disagrees with his premise. In short, you need
not agree with him in order to use a quotation from his blog post. You only want one
quotation in this assignment: the quotation you make in step four. Be sure to explain and
document the quotation appropriately and ensure that your readers will understand how the
quotation supports your own idea. Please number your sentences so that the numbers
correspond with the elements numbered 1-7. Please remember that you are not simply
offering a summary of a point made by the Price; you are using the text to support an
argument that you are making–your main point.

Example: The following example, from a research paper on Satan worship, follows the above
model, Note that, although the main point is repeated several times, the paragraph does not
sound repetitive. This repetition is necessary to make sure the reader understands the quote
and your point about it.
1. Satanism often provides an outlet for the negative emotions experienced by abused or
neglected young people. 2. Timothy Zeddies argues in "Adolescent Satanism" that abused
teens are particularly prone to adopting Satanic philosophies. In his article, Zeddies
discusses several examples of teenage psychiatric patients who choose Satanism as a
means to express their negative feelings. 3. It is important that we place a teen's choosing
Satanism within the context of the teen's life because often time such choices reflect a teen's
angst more that a teen's belief in Satanism. 4. Zeddies writes, "Satanism is both liberating
and familiar. It allows them to express and receive validation for their rage and hatred toward
authority figures who have abused, neglected, betrayed, or abandoned them" (24). 5.
Zeddies claims that angry teenagers feel comforted by the angry and dark spirit of Satanic
cults. 6. Understanding that some choices teens make, which at first might seem to suggest
teens are stereotypically evil, are usually choices that reflect deep feelings of powerlessness
and betrayal experienced after years of abuse could give us have a more sympathetic view
of teens who choose Satanism. In my working with disenfranchised teens at the YMCA, I

have found that many or their choices that might mark them as "evil," are usually their
attempts to have some sort of control in their lives. 7. Rather than viewing Satan-worshiping
teens as dangerous others, we could sympathize with the pain that led them to Satanism.

Answer Preview……………..

College education turns students into corporate clones by capitalizing on perceived demand of jobs in the economy. 2. Price, in his article “7 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Go To College and 4 Things to Do Instead,” discusses the various reasons why people go to college. He notes that one of the main reasons people cite is how in-demand career fields are. 3. It is important to note that college education is good but when placed within the context of finding jobs and living a satisfying life, a college education does not deliver. Instead, it turns one into a corporate clone along with many others with the same qualifications. 4. Pierce notes, “When you go to college and spend tens of thousands of dollars to get a job that is in-demand, you become one of a million other clones that have your same specs” (para 20). 5. Pierce argues that when people spend a lot of money to fund a college education, they are really trying to become like the countless others who have the same qualifications and who…………………
APA 295 words