Quotation Marks and Writing about Literature

1. Quotation Marks and Writing about Literature Taken from Rules for Writers 7th edition pages 602-818

2. What are Quotation Marks? Quotation marks are used around direct quotations: someone’s speech or writing repeated exactly, word for word. DIRECT QUOTATION:The narrator says, “Elisa Allen, working in her flower garden, looked down across the yard and saw Henry, her husband, talking to two men in business suits” (2). Signal Phrase is in RED!

3. Indirect quote Quotation marks are not used around indirect quotations: restatements of what someone said or wrote, not word for word. INDIRECT QUOTATION: In the beginning of the story, Elisa Allan works in her garden as her husband speaks to the business men. Indirect quoting is like Summarizing!

4. Enclosed embedded quotations in single quotation marks or HOW TO QUOTE DIALOGUE p. 615 in Rules for Writers In the beginning of the story, Henry looks at his wife as she tends to her garden and says, “’You've got a gift with things’ Henry observed. ‘Some of those yellow chrysanthemums you had this year were ten inches across. I wish you'd work out in the orchard and raise some apples that big’” (2). Always provide context for quotations!

5. Do not confuse the author with the narrator! Which thesis statement would work better? Ocatvio Paz and the Wave represent human relationships. The narrator and the wave represent both the difficulties and rewards of human relationships.

6. Use consistent verb tense and brackets when changing words When Elisa Allen meets the Tinker, she [sees] “that he [is] a very big man”(27). By seeing him as a big man, she is drawn into him immediately. If she truly loved her husband, she would not be so easily distracted by this man. This is another example of why she should leave Henry.

7. Breaking up the quote and putting it all together! The final reason Elisa should leave and find her happiness occurs during the climax of the story. Elisa Allen feels sexually attracted to the Tinker. The narrator describes,“Kneeling there, her hand went out toward his legs in the greasy black trousers…her hand dropped to the ground. She crouched low like a fawning dog” (27). The images of her falling to the ground towards his legs indicates that she is not in love with Henry. A woman in love would not put herself in that position. She is unhappy in her marriage and is seeking something more.

8. What about my Conclusion? • How did you start? Did you use an anecdote, description, quote, catchy phrase? • End with a reminder of how you started and make a personal connection.

9. Introduction Morrissey, the former lead singer from the Smiths, in his famous song titled “I will Never Marry” says, “Thank you but no. I will live my life as I will undoubtedly die, alone.” In our society, few individuals consider the option of never marrying and never having children. Perhaps Elisa Allen, the main character from “The Chrysanthemums” would have lived happier if she had chosen not to marry. In John Steinbeck's famous story, he describes the marriage between Elisa Allen and Henry. They are not completely miserable, but they are missing something. When an outsider comes in, Elisa Allen discovers something about herself. Due to the unhappiness we see in her character, I believe she should leave her husband and seek her true happiness.

10. Conclusion Through reflecting on Elisa Allen’s character, I am reminded once more of Morrissey’s lyrics. I do not want to live alone for the rest of my life; however, I dream of finding love and happiness. Perhaps through finding true happiness within ourselves, we can find a way to be happy. Whether we choose to be alone or if we are lucky enough to find a companion, we should always put our own happiness first. That is the lesson Elisa Allen teaches us.