Revision of the Final Draft
20% of quarter grade
due Wednesday, March 14th
submit this version along with the Feb. 21st draft
(the one with instructor's comments)

Evaluation:   Part of your grade for this assignment will reflect the effort you make to incorporate the suggestions made on the previous draft and on the other assignments that culminate in this essay.   Carefully consider the remarks that I and your peers have made regarding your writing.   Recasting the first draft necessitates much more than merely correcting spelling and grammar errors.   It demands making cuts and additions, reworking sentences and recrafting paragraphs, and sometimes moving (cutting and pasting) sentences and even whole paragraphs to other locations in the paper.

In evaluating the final version, I will have the following four categories in mind:
  1. "Broad Content Issues" and "Organization and Presentation":   Pay special attention to these two categories (for help, review NSMH: [Intro pp. 5-9 and 9-12]). Take a close look at your paper's organization, the strength of its thesis, and the power and persuasiveness of its evidence and examples.


  2. "Surface Errors":   Because this essay represents the culmination of two quarters of study (a "final exam" of sorts), it must be perfect.   As a result, my earlier indulgence (when assigning grades) of surface errors such as
    • misspellings,
    • punctuation problems (including misuse of commas and overuse of dashes),
    • misplaced modifiers,
    • inappropriate diction,
    • and mistakes with regard to in-text citations and the "Works Cited" format
    will disappear completely when it comes to evaluating the final version of the researched argument.   By this point, you will have been warned at least once about the kinds of surface errors you are prone to make.   Now is the time to eradicate them altogether because, at this stage, each one will cost you at least a point.   Review "surface errors" in NSMH (Intro. pp. 12-27).


  3. The Prose:   Not only must the finished product be free of errors, but it also must show some sensitivity with regard to the nuances of language.   Because a ten-to-twelve page paper is not an onerously long assignment, you will be expected to take extra time polishing its prose.   In light of this premium on manner of expression, concentrate on making the sentences sparkle.   Search for the most accurate words.   Make certain that each sentence flows directly into the one that follows and that each paragraph transitions smoothly into the next.


  4. Figuration:   I will be looking for figurative language.   Take another look at chapter fourteen of Everything's an Argument, then search for moments in your paper in which you can enhance meaning by inserting a metaphor, simile, or analogy.

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