In my first essay of the semester, I was unsure of what to add before and after my quotes. I knew I needed a brief introduction to the quote, as well as an explanation after, but I was not sure of how much to write. I at first thought a sentence before and a sentence after was enough, but it was not. As I began to understand how to integrate my ideas with others, I understood how much explaining I really had to do. After including a quote, I now know I need a sentence explaining the quote, a sentence on how it connects to my thesis, and a sentence on how I can connect the the quote if possible. This process is something that I learned in “Emerging”, when I read about Barclay’s Formula. This formula has helped me throughout the semester as I grew to understand quoting more. The examples provided by the book helped me get an idea of what a proper quote should look like. In the first essay, I was not completely confident in selecting quotes. I mistakenly misinterpreted the quotes, which decreased the effectiveness of my argument. I noticed as I got better at active reading, it made interpreting the quotes easier. The notes I left in the margins helped me find quotes that directly connected to my arguments. As soon as I picked a quote, it was easy for me to explain the quote.
An example of my quoting process is below. This is from essay 2 of the semester where we wrote about technology. My paper was about the effects of technology on our mental health. I introduced my quote by explaining the concept of FOMO (fear of missing out), and explaining how it connects to teenagers feeling lonely. Following the short introduction of the quote, I included the quote on how this fear in amplified by social media. After the quote, I then explain how this connected to my thesis.
