Annotated Bibliography

CP2 Cape Ann Project
annotated bibliography, or

Annotated works cited

Annotated Bibliography Partial Draft (three annotated citations) due Friday, May 2

Annotated Bibliography Final Draft (all ten annotated citations) due Friday, May 9

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WHAT IS AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY (OR ANNOTATED WORKS CITED)?

• A bibliography (or works cited page) is a list of citations of books, articles, and documents.
• An annotation is a brief (usually about 100 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited. Annotations are descriptive and critical. They summarize the information provided by the source, and they analyze the author's point of view, clarity and appropriateness of expression, and authority.

• An annotated bibliography is, essentially, a works cited page in which each citation is followed by an annotation.

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WHAT WILL YOU DO?

• You will write an annotated bibliography that includes five reliable and informative sources that represent a diverse range of perspectives on your topic. A draft of three will be due Friday, May 2. A final draft will be due Friday, May 9.

· You will cite your sources—books, articles, documents, web pages, etc.—using MLA format.

o The Landmark Project Citation Machine (http://www.citationmachine.net) will help with this step.

o The Compass and the handout available in the library may also help.

o Finally, consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (a copy of which can be found in the high school library).

· You will write a concise annotation (of about 100 words) beneath each citation. Each annotation will:

o (1) summarize the content of the source. (In other works, what is the book, article, web page, etc. about, what particular information related to your topic did you find there, and what conclusions does the source come to with regard to your topic?),

o (2) analyze and evaluate the content of the source:

§ (a) evaluate the reliability of the source, which have to do with authority or background of the author and/or organization or with a bias or lack of professionalism you perceive in the source (Does the source seem reliable? Why? Why not?),

§ (b) comment on the intended audience (Is the source intended for a general reader? An expert only?),

§ (c) compare or contrast this work with another you have cited,

§ (d) discuss any limitations or difficulties the source may have (Is it written clearly?, Is it written with jargon?, Is it up-to-date?, etc.),

§ (e) explain how this work relates to your topic (How does it provide useful information or insights about your topic?).

[Notice that there are essentially two steps to the annotation: summarizing the source (1) and analyzing the source (2: b-e). Also, [a] and [e] are most important.; [a-d] can often be covered in a sentence or two.]

· You will arrange the annotated citations into alphabetical order based on the first word in the citation.

· Your citations should use a “hanging” indentation. (See Hamlet example.)

· Your annotations should be indented. (See Hamlet example.)

· For this project, citations and annotations should be double spaced.

[Note: MLA format for citations is the same throughout the U.S. However, format for annotations varies from college to college.]

· You will create a title for your annotated bibliography that reflects your topic.

(Flawed) Example

Annotated Bibliography

Bloom, Harold. “Introduction.” Modern Critical Interpretations: William Shakespeare's Hamlet. Ed. By Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1986. 1-10.

Bloom deals with Hamlet as the hero; Horatio, the source of the play, and introduces the other works in his anthology. He discusses the changed Hamlet at the end of the play, claims he uses “wise passivity” in waiting for Claudius to act. He also talks about Hamlet’s disinterestedness, which he calls a positive characteristic. Bloom also claims Shakespeare himself is great because he is so original; we can trace influences but not his genius back to precursors. Horatio is our surrogate in the play. Bloom has a command of the play but does not always support his claims with convincing supporting detail.

Bowers, Fredson. Hamlet as Minister and Scourge and Other Studies in Shakespeare and Milton. Charlottesville, VA: University Press of Virginia, 1989.

This book more than any other helped me to understand Hamlet. Bowers explains the difference between a minister—an agent of God—and a scourge—someone so evil he is already condemned to Hell, and suggests that Hamlet wants to be a public minister, bringing evidence against Claudius to an open court, but fears he has been chosen by the ghost to “revenge [his] foul and most unnatural murder” because he is already so sinful that he is past redemption. He argues for the Closet scene as the climax of the play (rather than the Mousetrap scene) and especially the killing of Polonius, since that act alone brings Laertes back from France, and it is only Laertes’ plot of the poison on the tip of the foil that actually kills Hamlet at the end of the play. He discusses how Hamlet has changed by the end of the play.

Goddard, Harold C. The Meaning of Shakespeare. Vol. 1. Chicago: Phoenix Books. 1970.

The chapter on Hamlet discusses the play-within-a-play, the Christian view, revenge, Hamlet as ultimate Shakespearean hero, anti-Freudian views, the ghost, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Ophelia, the players, the Mousetrap scene, Prayer scene, Ophelia’s death, the duel scene. Goddard’s displays a comprehensive, masterful understanding of the text itself. His ideas are also accessible to non-scholars (in other words, the general reader).

Holland, Norman. The Shakespearean Imagination. Bloomington, IN: Indiana, 1964.

This article is one of the best works on Hamlet so far. Holland discusses Hamlet’s delay, the ghost, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, parallels, Horatio and Fortinbras, the Players, Ophelia, Polonius, Gertrude, disease, food, nunnery speech, Pyrrhus speech, nationalities, revenge.

Wilson, J. Dover. What Happens in Hamlet. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1935.

Wilson gives a good explanation about the ghost and about Hamlet’s madness. He also analyzes Gertrude, the Mousetrap scene, the turning point of the climax of Hamlet, the funeral of Ophelia, and the source for the players.

This annotated bibliography is adapted from the following source:

Barkley, Chris. "Hamlet Annotated Bibliography." English 250. 25 January 2006. Palomar College`. 1 Jun 2006 .

Hamlet Links

When you miss class you can go to this website.
There you'll find the full text of Hamlet. You'll find the act and scene you need by looking at the left hand column.

Boyz N the Hood: Decisions & Environment Essay

Boyz N the Hood essay: Decisions & Environment

I. Introduction (5+ sentences)

A. Grabber (Grab the reader's attention with a question, quotation, or brief story related to the way that the characters' own decisions and the characters' surrounding environment both affect what happens in their lives.)

B. Connect grabber to thesis by discussing the main idea: the effect of decisions and environment on outcomes.

C. Thesis (Answer the key question: To what extent is each character’s outcome determined by choices and to what extent is each character’s outcome determined by the environment?)

II. Tre (7+ sentences)

A. Topic Sentence (Answer the key question: To what extent is Tre’s outcome determined by decisions and to what extent is Tre’s outcome determined by the environment?)

B. Supporting Details that support the topic sentence

C. Clincher (Restates the topic sentence, reminds the reader what you have proven, reflects on the paragraph’s meaning.)

III. Ricky (7+ sentences)

A. Topic Sentence (Answer the key question: To what extent is Ricky’s outcome determined by decisions and to what extent is Ricky’s outcome determined by the environment?)

B. Supporting Details that support the topic sentence

C. Clincher (Restates the topic sentence, reminds the reader what you have proven, reflects on the paragraph’s meaning.)

IV. Doughboy (7+ sentences)

A. Topic Sentence (Answer the key question: To what extent is Doughboy’s outcome determined by decisions and to what extent is Doughboy’s outcome determined by the environment?)

B. Supporting Details that support the topic sentence

C. Clincher (Restates the topic sentence, reminds the reader what you have proven, reflects on the paragraph’s meaning.)

V. Conclusion (5+ sentences)

A. Restate the thesis (In other words, restate your answer to the key question.)

B. Remind the reader how you developed and supported that answer.

C. Reflect on what is meaningful about your answer and the subject of the essay.

You found it.

Here you'll find assignments, links, discussions, etc. related to College Preparation 2 English at Gloucester High School with Mr. James Cook.