Order Description
Pamela Fletcher’s “A Dream Deferred”
Reminders from the Bedford Handbook (MLA version, pages 489 – 519): TEXT BOOK CATHERINE CORE READER
? The first time you mention an author in your paper, include the full name. For example:
In her story about her childhood, Pamela Fletcher recalls a bittersweet memory.
? After the first use of the author’s name, use just the last name. For example: According to Fletcher…
? Use the present tense to introduce cited material in signal phrases. For example: As Fletcher recalls…
? Use a variety of signal phrases to introduce your cited material. For example:
Fletcher states, claims, reports, asserts, argues, believes, suggests, implies…
See page 509 for a list of more signal phrase ideas.
? Put the page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence in which the quotation (or summary or
paraphrase) appears. Note that the period goes after the parentheses. Example:
As Fletcher recalls, “B.K. ran wild and barefoot, her straight hair swinging every which way” (105).
? Don’t repeat the author’s name in the parentheses if you used it in a signal phrase.
? If you don’t use the author’s name in a signal phrase, then include it with the page number in the parentheses at the end of the sentence. For example, Things began to change as the friends entered middle school, and “We began to see through wide eyes that there was a direct correlation between our new external selves and how the world reacted to us” (Fletcher 106). Note that there is no comma between the author and the number.
Now, put these rules into practice. Choose one of the writing prompts below. You will write one paragraph, applying the rules listed above. Use two quotations from Fletcher (“A Dream Deferred” pages 104 – 108). Introduce one quote with a signal phrase; include the page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence. In the other quotation, don’t use a signal phrase; put the author’s last name and page number in parentheses at the end.
1. In “A Dream Deferred” Pamela Fletcher paints a vivid picture of herself and a friend as free-spirited young children. Then she describes a betrayal of that friendship. Think back to your own girlhood and recall a time when you have been seriously disappointed by one of your friends. Write a paragraph about the experience, and include two quotations from the Fletcher essay.
2. In “A Dream Deferred” Pamela Fletcher uses a specific example of hair to point out the differences between herself and her white friend. Think about the feelings you have about your own hair, and what the phrase ‘good hair’ means to you. Write a paragraph about this subject, using two quotations from the Fletcher essay