Writing Tips for Paper #1

 INTEGRATING QUOTATIONS INTO YOUR PAPER, MLA STYLE

 The Quote: “Every decent, sane man

Loves his woman and cares for her, as I did,

Loved her from my heart. It doesn’t matter

That I won her with my spear.”

     I. INTRODUCE QUOTES (some examples)

• In Homer’s The Iliad, Achilles tells the Greeks that...
• In an important passage in Book 9 of the Iliad, Achilles explains why he refuses to take restitution for Agamemnon’s insult…
• In Book 9, Achilles’ response to betraying the Greeks over an insult is…

II. CITE PAGE NUMBER AND/OR AUTHOR

(61) or (Book 9) or (Lines 349-352)

NOT (The Book), OR (The Iliad), OR (Homer)

III. RESPOND TO THE QUOTE (always explain why you quoted it or how it relates to your essay)

When confronted about his stubborn refusal to help the Greeks, Achilles explains that “Every decent, sane man/Loves his woman and cares for her, as I did,/Loved her from my heart. It doesn’t matter/That I won her with my spear” (61). This is important because it shows that Achilles isn’t just stubborn or prideful, since Briseus was more than a prize—she was almost his wife. So if other men, such as Menelaus, are insulted by the loss of their wives, how can Achilles, another “sane man” act any different?

NOTE: You can use (/) to separate lines in poetry instead of making it look like poetry in your paper, since that takes up unnecessary space—and I know you don’t want to do that! J But it’s okay if you quote poetry normally, just try not to use very long passages.

IV. WORKS CITED PAGE

Homer, The Iliad. Translated by Stanley Lombardo. Indianapolis:

Hackett, 2000.