Literature might seem to be pretty easy but the reality is far too different. Literature poses a great challenge to students who hate reading and writing extensively about a book. Though it might seem to be a rather boring activity to many, literature plays a vital role in mind as it allows the students to pick up moral lessons and enriches their mind.
It enriches their vocabulary and increases their skills at conversations. Thus, it is said that the more you read, the wiser you become. However, for students who fail to find any interest in the subject, it can be a bit difficult completing an assignment upon it.
In high school, the life of a student becomes extremely hectic. There’s school, there’s co-curricular activities, there’s college applications, and then there are assignments. During such cases it becomes hard for the students to focus on any one thing.
Moreover, most of the college applications require an essay to be written which need to reflect how proficient the students are and how well read they are. Also, there’s the case of assignments. With so many things going around, it becomes difficult to focus on it.
What are the ways to complete literature assignment?
During times when students find it hard to focus on assignments, studying literature takes a backseat. Literature doesn’t require too much effort. A bit of dedication and it can be done within no time.
So, are you one of those students looking for various ways to finish your assignments on literature? Are you unsure as to how to go about it and be sincere about it? Well, there are essentially two ways that you can finish it. Listed below are the two methods to finish your assignments in the correct manner.
“Tell the truth but tell it slant.â€
Method 1:
Read it first
The first thing that you need to do in order to finish up your literature assignment is to read the book or the poem or the material. Without reading the book, you won’t be able to understand what it is about or even form an opinion of your own, which is a crucial part of your assignments. So, if you have to analyse a poem and have to write an answer on it, then read the poem fully and try to understand it. Try to figure out what it is about.
Research about it
After you have read the material, find out more information on it. Find out what was the agenda of the author or poet or the critic to write that material. Like for example, if you are writing an assignment on a particular poem, then find out more about the author, what their background was, the special characteristics of their poems, and so on. Also, find out the era in which they had written so that you can find a connection with the age and the material they have written and how it reflects that particular time.
Refer to other books
It is essential that you read and refer to other books while writing a literature assignment, especially if you are in college. Like for example, if you are writing an assignment on a particular novel, then read the other novels written by that same author. Also, read any material that you can find on that author. Find out what the critics feel about him, how they have analysed their work, and how sublime they found the author.
Plan your assignment
It is crucial that you plan your assignments so that you do not face any trouble while writing the answer. Plan how you will approach the question. Plan out a rough structure; what will you write in the introduction, how you will substantiate your answer with quotes form the book and from various critics, and so on. Planning is crucial as it gives you an idea about how you can complete it efficiently.
Create your drafts
Creation of drafts is as important as planning out your assignments. You might want to create a number of drafts till you are satisfied with it. Create some points first so that you can elaborate on it later. Like, for example, your first draft might contain an outline of ideas, which you can review to understand whether you are answering the question given as your assignment. Your second draft might contain more refined versions of the earlier thoughts and so on.
Write a structured answer
It is essential that you write a properly structured answer. As students majoring in literature, it is essential to learn how to write well. You need to write an assignment that has a proper introduction and conclusions and that put forward your ideas clearly. State your arguments clearly and substantiate each argument. You can do that by quoting straight from the book, or citing your own opinion.
Quote from the book
Quoting form the book to write a good, answer is very important. It leverages your answer and makes your professors assume that you have actually read the book. Moreover, you can put across your points clear through the answer if you quote readily from the book. However, keep it short and don’t over quote as well. You can even quote the critics as well and cite their opinions to substantiate your answers.
Make it personal
For literature majors, it is imperative that they write down their opinion about the particular question. It is a good way to conclude and state exactly what you feel about the book. Like for example, if they assign you to work on Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudiceâ€, you can make a small comment about how Austen criticizes the society and how the introduction is a satiric comment and so on.
Review and correct
When you are writing an assignment on literature, it is essential that you check each and every part of it and constantly review it. Many students make silly grammatical errors that bring down the quality of the assignment. No matter how many critics you have cited, or how much research you have done, a small grammatical or silly mistake can ruin everything. So check and review the answers thoroughly to complete your assignment.
Method 2:
Opt for help
Oftentimes, students don’t feel the urge to work on their own. Some can’t even understand the language of literature and feel disinterested. This feeling is common among high school students who don’t regard literature to be that important.
For college students however, the story is a bit different. The complex theories often enough makes it difficult for the students to work upon their assignments. Think about someone studying Nietzsche or reading Foucault or Simon de Beauvoir. For such cases, it is difficult to understand the book initially.
During such time it is essential to ask for help. You can either opt for online websites or ask your teachers to explain. The latter, however, might not be available sometimes. Whereas, the online websites are available most of the time to help the students understand the various facets of literature.
So, go ahead and get working on your literature assignments. Remember, if you put your mind to it, nothings too hard and this is only literature. It is all about reading the text and forming an opinion about it. How hard could it actually be?
“Reward follows work.â€