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IV. Taking Notes

Pat will take notes to find some supporting ideas for the thesis: The yellow wallpaper is used by Gilman as a symbol of the repression of the 19th century woman and her response to the society that confines her.

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Table of Contents

1. Frustration with Source Material 3

2. What to Mark in Source Material 4-5

3. How to Take Notes 6

4. Review Notes 7

5. How to Use Source Material 8-9

6. Useful Links 10

7. Pat’s Next Step: Works Cited Page Unit V

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…but where do I begin?I feel lost!

I have so much

information

Frustration is part of the process.

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To begin taking notes, use a pencil/pen to underline or write on the materials printed from books, library databases and websites.

Pay attention to:• information that supports the thesis,• titles and names,• interpretations by experts in the field, • quotable passages, and• passages that just seem important.

What to Mark in Source Material

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Now I understand

how to begin!

I think I need to do some writing.

I should look for information

that is connected to my thesis.

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How to Take Notes on Source Material

• Highlight or write on the source material.

• Create a reading response journal.

• Free write some of her` thoughts.

• Create note cards of important passages.

• Make/Revise an outline.

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Review notes.

But how do I take the material from my notes and put it into the paper?

Now that I’ve taken notes, I understand the critics’ ideas about symbolism

better.

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How to Use Source Material In-text

Direct QuoteThis is a word-for-word representation of the original passage in MLA format.

Example“True, she expresses love and concern for the baby, yet she is also solicitous toward her husband, and we know that behind this surface calm lies unconscious aggression. Is she similarly hostile toward her baby?” (Berman 199)

ParaphraseTake the original passage and put it into your own words. Make sure to represent all points and give the original author credit.

ExampleBerman argues that we know that she has unconscious aggression towards her husband and wonders if she feels aggression towards the child as well (199).

SummaryCondense all of the original information and then use only the main points.

ExampleAccording to Berman, the narrator’s loving concern for the baby may mask aggression as it does in her feelings for her husband (199).

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Pat is ready to create works cited.

I have lots of good source material to

use.

But I’d better review MLA format for

citations and Works Cited.

I have a lot of questions about MLA

format..

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These links are really helpful!

• Notetaking and Choosing Supporting Ideas http://www.bergen.edu/owl

• Evaluating Content in the Source Materials http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_evalsource3.html

• MLA Format http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html

• Quotation, Paraphrase, Summary http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_quotprsum.html

Useful Links

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Pat’s Outline

I. Intro – general statement about “The Yellow Wallpaper”Thesis statement

II. Wallpaper – narrator’s deteriorating mental state

III. Wallpaper – as “pattern” of social and economic dependence

IV. Wallpaper – as symbol of restraints of “True Womanhood”

V. Conclusion