The real cowboy was a tender of cattle. He had his “roots in antiquity” since herders of animals have existed since ancient times (Frantz 248), and even today “such people exist all over the world, from those who tend yaks in Central Asia to the gardians of the Camargue or the gauchos of Argentina” (Morgan 268).
Now let's look at some specific things this author did well and poorly.
The real cowboy was a tender of cattle.
The first sentence sets up the quote by giving a general statement that will be backed up by the quote.
He had his “roots in antiquity” since herders of animals have existed since ancient times (Frantz 248),
The writer leads smoothly in and out of this short quote; the whole sentence flows well.
and even today “such people exist all over the world, from those who tend yaks in Central Asia to the gardians of the Camargue or the gauchos of Argentina” (Morgan 268).
Don’t do this! The writer ended the paragraph with a quote. Always end with an explanation in your own words.
Example 2: a college paper, "On Rereading Tess of the D'Urbervilles"
I also picked up on literary devices, like the symbolism of the dead birds that Tess sees in chapter 41, killed by hunters who “ran amuck, and made it their purpose to destroy life” and who were “so unmannerly and unchivalrous towards their weaker fellows in Nature’s teeming family” (274). With these abstract value judgments against hunters, Hardy is no longer speaking of the practice of killing birds for sport but rather of the experience of Tess, who is ruined either by a grasping man or society’s rigid moral codes or both, depending on one’s interpretation.
Now let's look at some specifics:
I also picked up on literary devices, like the symbolism of the dead birds that Tess sees in chapter 41, killed by hunters who “ran amuck, and made it their purpose to destroy life” and who were “so unmannerly and unchivalrous towards their weaker fellows in Nature’s teeming family” (274).
The first sentence explains what is significant about the quote that will follow (“literary devices,” “symbolism”) and flows smoothly into the two quotes.
[. . .] who were “so unmannerly and unchivalrous towards their weaker fellows in Nature’s teeming family” (274). With these abstract value judgments against hunters, Hardy is no longer speaking of the practice of killing birds for sport but rather of the experience of Tess, who is ruined either by a grasping man or society’s rigid moral codes or both, depending on one’s interpretation.
The sentence following the quote explains what the hunters symbolize.
Example 2, but WITHOUT the sandwiching:
Tess sees dead birds killed by hunters. “[Hunters] ran amuck, and made it their purpose to destroy life” and they were “so unmannerly and unchivalrous towards their weaker fellows in Nature’s teeming family” (274). These are not the only examples that could be given; the entire book is full of foreshadowing and symbolism. Another interesting aspect of the book that emerged was the way in which Hardy is situated between Romanticism and modernism.
This is a BAD example--there are several things wrong with it. The first sentence does do a little bit to explain the context of the quote, but it doesn't lead smoothly into the quote. Whenever possible, lead into the quote with your own words rather than beginning a sentence with a quote.
Also, in this example, the writer did not explain the significance of the quote. She mentions "foreshadowing and symbolism," but it's unclear where she saw foreshadowing or symbolism in the quote. The whole paragraph is much more abrupt and does not flow as smoothly as it does with proper sandwiching; it also does not make as much sense.
Example 3: A professional, published article,“Effects of Listening to Heavy Metal on College Women: A Pilot Study” by Becknell et al.
This example answers the question of how often you should use parenthetical references, even if you aren't including an exact quote. The answer? Use a parenthetical reference every time you include information that is not common knowledge.
Research on psychological effects of heavy metal music seems to focus on displacement functions. Arnett (1996) reports that heavy metal music preference involves mostly messages of rage, loneliness, and cynicism. Arnett (1991b) also theorizes that heavy metal music listeners engage in psychological alienation tendencies and possess poor social relationships. More recent research, however, suggests that Arnett‘s position is more representative of females than males (Lacourse, Claes, & Villeneuve, 2001). The general assumption is that heavy metal music listeners release or unload their pent-up frustrations into the loud and intense sounds which they subconsciously feel will help them cope with life demands and stress (Arnett, 1991a).
Note how frequent the parenthetical references are--there is one after nearly every sentence! This is how careful you should be when documenting your sources.
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