Text Quotation and Comment: Example

Of the three characters, Desdemona, Othello, and Iago, the first and the last do not change in their natures or their attitudes toward life during the course of the play. These two are polar opposites, the antithesis of each other. Desdemona represents purity and goodness; Iago represents malevolence and evil. To speak in the most general terms, Desdemona expresses in her language and actions an innocent, unselfish love and concern for others. Othello catches her very essence when he speaks of her miraculous love, which transcended their differences in age, colour, beauty, and culture as he declares that “she loved me for the dangers I had passed,/ and I loved her that she did pity them” (I.iii.166-67). Here, while defending his marriage before the Court in the first Act, Othello describes his wife as having deep compassion and an ability to openly show her empathy. In essence, he lets the whole of the kingdom know that Desdemona’s honest love and gentle spirit moved him to a vulnerable state of love. Because Desdemona’s genuine purity can bring such a strong man to his knees in adoration, it attests to the power of love and aligns her with all that is good and true - and she remains so throughout the play.

The quotation is proof of an argument – not simply proof of a fact. Why?

METHOD:

STATE YOUR ARGUMENT (not a fact, but a debatable point): Of the three characters, Desdemona, Othello, and Iago, the first and the last do not change in their natures or their attitudes toward life during the course of the play. CLARIFY YOUR ARGUMENT: These two are polar opposites, the antithesis of each other. Desdemona represents purity and goodness; Iago represents malevolence and evil. PROVE YOUR ARGUMENT: To speak in the most general terms, Desdemona expresses in her language and actions an innocent, unselfish love and concern for others. USE EVIDENCE TO JUSTIFY YOUR CLAIM - set up the quotation by CONTEXTUALIZING IT (who says it, when, why?) and incorporate the quotation into your sentence structure: Othello catches her very essence when he speaks of her miraculous love, which transcended their differences in age, colour, beauty, and culture when he declares to the Duke “she loved me for the dangers I had passed,/ and I loved her that she did pity them” (I.iii.166-67). DECIPHER the quotation AND EXPLAIN WHAT IT MEANS while explaining why it is important AND how it supports the point. Here, while defending his marriage before the Court in the first Act, Othello describes his wife as having deep compassion and an ability to openly show empathy. In essence, he lets the whole of the kingdom know that Desdemona’s honest love and gentle spirit moved him to a vulnerable state of love. Because Desdemona’s genuine purity can bring such a strong man to his knees in adoration, it attests to the power of love and aligns her with all that is good and true - and she remains so throughout the play.

CONTINUE TO THE NEXT PART OF THIS ARGUMENT:

STATE YOUR ARGUMENT (Everything about Iago’s unchanging malevolence is the opposite of Desdemona making him symbolic of evil)

CLARIFY YOUR ARGUMENT

PROVE YOUR ARGUMENT

USE EVIDENCE TO JUSTIFY YOUR CLAIM - set up the quotation by CONTEXTUALIZING IT (who says it, when, why) and incorporate it into your sentence structure

DECIPHER the quotation AND EXPLAIN WHAT IT MEANS while explaining why it is important AND how it supports the point.

CONTINUE TO THE NEXT PART OF THIS ARGUMENT: STATE ARGUMENT: Everything about Iago’s unchanging malevolence is the opposite of Desdemona making him symbolic of evil. In fact, Iago is her opposite in every way. CLARIFY: Where she is open and guileless, he is never what he seems to be: where she thinks the best of everyone, he thinks the worst, usually turning to imagery of animals and physical functions to express his low opinion of human nature; where she seeks to serve and love others, he uses others to further his own dark aims and satisfy his hatred of humankind…PROVE