ENGL 1102H Summary Assignment

Write a one-paragraph summary of one of the following articles: either Twitchell’s “How To Advertise a Dangerous Product” (544) or Gefter’s “Photographic Icons: Fact, Fiction, or Metaphor?” (208).

·         Length: minimum 2/3 of a page, maximum 1 ½ pages. No more, no less.

·         Format the summary in MLA form (double spaced, MLA heading, etc.)

·         Follow all the rules for writing a summary (see grammar handbook).

·         Follow all the rules for correct quoting and paraphrasing (see grammar handbook).

·         Use at least one direct quote and use an MLA-style citation for it. Do not over-quote, though. Summarize.

·         Your title will be A Summary of [fill in the blank]

·         At or near the beginning of your summary refer to author’s full name and title of article, and brief publication information (in your text itself, not just in your title).

·         Make sure you summarize and do not respond or analyze or critique or evaluate in any way.

·         Include a Works Cited page listing the article you are summarizing.

Turn the summary in with the final copy on top, any drafts underneath, then planning, etc. Staple together. Remember to give me both the paper copy by the beginning of class on the due date, and to submit the summary electronically to TurnItIn.Com by midnight on the due date. You will not need a Letter to the Reader for the Summary.

Sample One-Paragraph Summary

            In Michael Korda’s “How to Be a Leader,” published in 1981 in Newsweek magazine, Korda asserts that leadership does not exist in a political position but in both particular leadership qualities and in timing. He explains that leaders must have a clear identity and be able to inspire others, but that leaders must also come at a time when people want to be led. Korda argues that great leaders need traits that make them stand out: special talents, grace, firmness. They also need to be able to inspire others by simplifying issues, using power effectively, stirring their followers, and convincing them that problems can be solved. Korda concludes by returning to the issue of timing and stressing the need for followers to show some of the courage and strength they want in a leader so that both can move forward.