We have been focusing on developing an understanding of the texts we have read and then developing the ability to explain the texts in our own words. For your midterm essay, you will be doing something similar. Your assignment is to write an explication of Leonard Peltiers Prison Writings. Be sure to time yourself, giving yourself two hours to complete the reading and the essay. You are on your honor here.
Keep in mind that an explication is both summary and explanation, so while you will be reiterating the main points of Peltiers essay, you will also be explaining why these points are relevant to the world we live in. You can explain through comparison and metaphor, but do remember that an explication is not your opinion. Rather, it is what the essay means, both explicitly and implicitly, in your own words.
Thus, you will be examining the authors intended meaning; drawing valid inferences; distinguishing fact from opinion; identifying the authors assumptions; interpreting figurative language; examining bias in the authors ideas and in language; examining the authors style (diction, rhetorical devices, sentence form and variety); and finally (perhaps most importantly), how the aforementioned factors contribute to the overall meaning of the text.
Hint: As with all essays, this explication will need a thesis. Since all good thesis statements suit the purpose of the paper, your thesis will be explanatory in nature and incorporate Peltiers main point. The remainder of the essay should be dedicated to explaining this point.
