You must have a thesis that makes an assertion (opinion) about the meaning of the song. Your introduction and opening clearly identifies the literary work and the author and summarizes song in a sentence; writing explicitly and creatively states a specific thesis about what the author is doing thematically and forecasts the literary elements that the work uses to bring forth its theme.
Development and Support
The final draft of this essay is five pages long, fully developed, organized logically and evenly, and easy to follow; interpretations are supported in depth with detailed evidence from the work by quoting important lines, at times paraphrasing, alluding to key events, and describing characters, symbols, etc. You will want to find at least three (3) outside sources for information/quotes. You will use MLA citation style to format your quotes and in-text citations.
Quotations
Writing does not simply string together a series of quotes from the work (without interpreting them) or rely on overly lengthy ones, but uses them as a tool to advance a thesis and clarify the essay; quotes are well chosen, clearly introduced, sufficiently explained, and smoothly integrated into the analysis. You will want to find at least three (3) outside sources for information/quotes.
Conclusion
Closing provides a sense of finality by creatively reaffirming paper’s thesis, generally referring to the essay’s literary techniques (without repeating them verbatim), and reflecting on some important insights that have come from the explication; author’s full name and title of work are repeated here to enhance finality.
To start, develop an outline for Module Three Discussion 2
Here is how I would approach this assignment, so please read the following SAMPLE Rough Draft Outline & Interpretation of the song “Hotel California” by the Eagles Due as an example of your Essay Two Analysis of a Song outline for Module Three Discussion 2. (You can’t use “Hotel California” for your song.)
For both your Module Three Discussion 2 AND for Essay Two, you are going to work on YOUR OWN thesis about the song and create a rough draft outline and interpretation of the song that you selected. You are going develop some talking points around each passage, develop a working thesis and outline/interpretation.
This is what you should strive for in trying to initially interpret your song and providing some talking points for your essay. This would be a good sample of what an outline should look like.
I. Start with an introduction of your song an short thesis statement:
I’ve decided to pick “Hotel California” by The Eagles. This song is about the temptation and danger of materialism. We are bombarded by societal messages to accumulate material goods, be it fancy cars, or expensive jewelry. We feel drawn to these status symbols, but they also can cause us great unhappiness.
II. Now break down the lyrics a line or two at a time and analyze the meaning:
> On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
> Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
The singer is free and liberated at the start of the song. Highway, isolated desert, wind blowing through his hair: all symbols of freedom. Colitas is marijuana (little buds), which of course also symbolizes a liberated mental state.
> Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
> My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
> I had to stop for the night
The shimmering light is the materialism. It shimmers and glows like gold. The singer feels intoxicated by it. It casts a spell on him.
> There she stood in the doorway;
> I heard the mission bell
> And I was thinking to myself,
> ‘This could be Heaven or this could be Hell’
The doorway is the transition into this new life, of materialism and greed and away from freedom. “She” is his way into this life, whether it be newfound wealth or sudden status. He sees that the world of materialism and flashy possessions could be glamorous (heaven), or it could be torturous.
> Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
> There were voices down the corridor,
> I thought I heard them say…
> Welcome to the Hotel California
> Such a lovely place
> Such a lovely face
> Plenty of room at the Hotel California
> Any time of year, you can find it here
California represents materialism in many ways. It is the place of the gold rush (lovely place). It has Hollywood (lovely face). People come out to California to try to strike it rich. This is repeated over and over like the chorus of the song, like the mantra of the people who live there and “buy” into the materialism that pervades the collective social conscious of the people.
> Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends
Tiffany’s for expensive jewelry, Mercedes for expensive car. Both status symbols. People’s perspectives get distorted by these things, which explains the words “twisted” and “bends”. I like the wordplay here.
> She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, that she calls friends
Arm candy is another status symbol.
> How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat.
> Some dance to remember, some dance to forget
All these people are bought into the materialism, the “dance” of pursuing possessions. Some do it to remember back to their childhood or earlier in their life when they had more money. Some go after money to forget about something else more painful in their life.
> So I called up the Captain,
> ‘Please bring me my wine’
> He said, ‘We haven’t had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine’
Not sure what this means just yet. I have to research it.
> And still those voices are calling from far away,
> Wake you up in the middle of the night
> Just to hear them say…
> [chorus]
> Mirrors on the ceiling,
> The pink champagne on ice
> And she said ‘We are all just prisoners here, of our own device’
Pink champagne is another symbol of luxury. The last line is saying that we are trapped in the pursuit of wealth, but we did it to ourselves by buying into the idea.
> And in the master’s chambers,
> They gathered for the feast
> They stab it with their steely knives,
> But they just can’t kill the beast
The beast is the primal desire within us to go back to freedom, away from the trappings of society. These people who have been suckered in want to kill that part of themselves which still longs for the liberated days, but they can’t defeat it.
> Last thing I remember, I was
> Running for the door
> I had to find the passage back
> To the place I was before
The singer wants to get back to his former, free lifestyle.
> ‘Relax,’ said the night man,
> We are programmed to receive.
> You can checkout any time you like,
> but you can never leave!
We are brought up and conditioned by society to be receptive to its messages about status and wealth. We can mentally “check out” and decide to resist those messages, but we can never really get away from them or their strong pull.
III. Forge a Rough Conclusion to be expanded:
So there you have it. Money, status, societal messages, California, getting trapped, hell…the greed and jaded people of Hollywood….etc.
IV. Now some research plans (possible sources):
You will gather good sources and pick 3. Here are some examples of links. Make sure that you place these kinds of links in MLA citation format when you complete your annotated bibliography.
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6595894/hotel_california
http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/VOLUME09/Locked_into_the_Hotel_California.shtml
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1121
Next, turn your outline into your essay.
Next, you will write your paragraphs, turning your outline from bullet points to full paragraphs, while inserting quotes from both the original song AND your three sources to support your interpretation and analysis. Make sure to adhere to MLA citation formatting when inserting your sources and line quotes!
Your final essay will contain the following three elements, in ONE Word document, in this order:
1. Your 1500-word essay
2. Your annotated bibliography with at least THREE outside sources and your original song = 4 sources a total minimum
