When beginning our analysis of other works during Project One, I didn’t really know how to add compelling in-text quotations or how to build up to and then explain them either. Previously, I would rarely integrate large quotes into my work, only dropping a quotation here and there to explain my own thinking. While writing the first few drafts of Project One, I learned just how important quotes are at further explaining the point you are trying to make.
I learned that I must add a sentence or two leading up to the quote I am going to use in order to set the reader up for what I am going to say next. In my latest paper, I used this technique writing, “In Caroline’s case, she was as close as one could get to a victim of the pandemic sweeping the country in 1918. Not only was she in the house when her father was ill and died, the funeral for him was held in the close quarters of her grandparents’ home,” before inserting my quote. When using a quote, I also make sure to introduce it in the sentence I add it to as well. After leading up to Caroline’s quote, I wrote: “Caroline reflects that ‘to prevent unnecessary contagion, I was baptized at that same time and placed next to his casket,’ (Wernecke Pharris)”. This added further context to the quote, allowing the reader to understand my thought flow. I also realize now that it is important to follow your quote with a sentence or two showing why you used these particular words. Because I am talking about fear in this paragraph about Caroline, I point this out by writing “Her family must have felt an overwhelming sense of fear that one of them might catch it and meet the same fate”. With Caroline talking about her baptism next to her dead father’s casket, it is easy to understand why I believe her family may have been scared of contagion.
If you had asked me prior to this class to cite sources and use quotations in my work, I would have just plopped them down haphazardly. Now, I understand the importance of integrating quotes into my writing, introducing and explaining them for better flow. This will allow me to better connect to my audience and get them thinking deeper about the information I am giving them.
