Purpose:  To demonstrate our ability to comprehend a college level essay and to summarize it accurately.

Format:  2 pages; 12-point font; Times New Roman; 1-inch margins all sides plus a Works Cited page; typed and double-spaced; name, date, and title.  This paper must be submitted through Canvas.  I will not accept any papers that are not submitted through Canvas.

Assignment:  An explanatory summary of one of the essays that the instructor has assigned to you: 

• “Division Street” by Rebecca Solnit (pp. 602-607, The Bedford Reader)

Specifics:  As straightforward as it may seem, summarizing takes a great deal of comprehension and synthesis on the part of the writer.  As you summarize, you need to put the following things in your own words.

1.  Your understanding of the author’s main point(s).

2.  Your interpretation of the author’s ideas.

3.  The relationship between ideas – their logical connections.

4.  The manner in which the author supports the main ideas in the essay.  In other words, what examples, testimony, statistics, or research does the author use to prove his/her point (cause and effect?  comparison/contrast?  analogy?)  What oppositions are apparent, and how does that frame the subject(s) of the essay?

 

Important points to remember:

1.  A summary is not an evaluation or a critique.  It is a condensed version of a piece of writing. It is not appropriate to include your opinion in a summary.

2.  Annotating and outlining the essay will increase the accuracy of your summary. 

3.  Do not simply summarize each paragraph. Look for ways to reorganize the information in an original way. 

4.  Every piece of writing has an intended audience.  Your audience for this assignment is me; therefore, you need to consider what your audience will look for in a summary.  Among other things, an English professor will look for clear and precise sentences, correct grammar, accurate punctuation, and flawless spelling.

5.  Do not use quotations from the source essay. Rely on your own words to convey the author’s meaning.

6.  Remember that your summary will have a clear introduction that introduces the topic of the source essay, gives the title of the summarized essay, gives the full name of the essay’s author, and summarizes the thesis statement.

7.  Do not misrepresent the author’s positions or findings.

8.  Remember to include all the author’s important ideas, assertions, or findings.

9.  Do not include any of your opinions about the piece.

10.  Remember to use transition words for smoothness and logic.

11.  Avoid plagiarism!

Outline for Summary Essay 3

Only use your words for this outline. Do not quote from the article to be summarized.

I.          Introduction

              A. Topic                Homelessness                                                                                        

              B. Author: Rebecca Solnit                                                                                                  

              C. The title: “Division Street”                                                                                            

              D. The author’s thesis statement:  The author argues about the causes of homelessness

                                                                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                         

II.         Body

            A. Author’s first important point: The relationship between prisoners and homeless

            people                                                                                                                                 

                 Important supporting information:

   i.  lack of privacy                                                                                                             

   ii.  Vicious cycle                                                                                                              

   iii.                                                                                                                                    

 

            B. Author’s second important point: Policies of the three tiers of government               

                                                                                                                                                        

                 Important supporting information:

   i. Taxing of homeless people                                                                                          

   ii.  Turning police into de facto bill collector                                                                  

   iii.                                                                                                                                    

            C. Author’s third important point: Advancement of technology                                       

                                                                                                                                                        

               Important supporting information:

   i. Unable to afford house rent                                                                                        

   ii.  Excessive elimination of jobs                                                                                     

            iii.