For the essay, you will select one song from the album Weathervanes, by Jason Isbell and the
400 Unit. You will write an essay that analyses the song lyrics and music to make an argument
about what the song means and why its meaning is significant. Ensure you consider the advice
about thesis development below.
You may use resources such as encyclopedia, dictionaries, your class readings, your mind, and
your instructor when completing this assignment.
You
will have to write a paper that establishes the meaning of a work of literature and how that poem
or story arrives at that meaning. Simply put, you will be writing an analysis of the work of
literature.
You cannot simply make a claim about the work and cite a line, hoping that your reader will
connect the two ideas, but you should take care to develop the thesis of the paper by explicating
the quotation. Do not simply summarize the work (this is neither an exercise in paraphrase
nor plot summary). Remember to use technical terms where appropriate. You need to develop
and argue a focused, analytic, and synthetic thesis. A strong essay will engage with the work
formally and will pay special attention to supporting your analysis through specific reference
and citation of the text.