White Noise Analysis
For your analysis paper, pick a motif from White Noise and discuss how that motif serves a theme Don DeLillo presents in the novel. Although you can discuss multiple motifs, you need to pick one unifying theme. For your thesis, you should explain what motif you are writing about and explicitly state the theme of the novel.
For example, if you want to write about the “simulation” motif, you could combine that with “technology” to argue the thesis statement that “DeLillo uses Simuvac to show how people within society treat simulations as being more real than reality.” You would then discuss the broader implications of this and cite places where Simuvac is either talked about or shown. You could then use technology to further discuss the breakdown of reality into the simulation by citing segments of the novel where television and radio breakthrough the narration.
In order to arrive at your theme using your motif answer some of the following questions:
• How do the characters react to/talk about your motif?
• How does DeLillo use tone to share his perspective on this motif?
• How does this motif serve the plot, if at all? If it doesn’t, what purpose does it serve within the novel?
• How does the motif apply to things happening in the real world?
• Is this motif prevalent in the text or is it a more in the background?
• What message does the motif serve?
Don’t just say “Don DeLillo talks about death to serve the major themes in the book.” Instead, you need to discuss to what end DeLillo talks about death. How is he talking about death? Why is he talking about it? What is he saying about it? What theme is this motif serving? The most important factor in writing your paper is being specific. In order to avoid being vague, read your claim to someone else. If they can’t get some understanding from the book based on what you wrote, you’re being too vague.
Your paper will be graded on the following criteria:
Thesis: You need to have a strong thesis that specifically addresses a theme and motif from the book.
Grammar: I will be grading on grammar this time around so make sure that you don’t have any glaring errors. Make sure your writing is clear and concise. If you are concerned about your grammar, have someone else take a look. The Writing Center will be conducting sessions online. You can also read your paper out loud. Circle any sentence where you have to stop and reread it. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Summary: Avoid summarizing. Don’t just go chapter by chapter explaining what is happening within the book. Focus on places where your motif can be found and contextualize it in terms of other places where your motif can be found. A good way to avoid summary is by organizing your paper by idea as opposed to by chronological events in the book.
MLA Format: Make sure you have a works cited page and your paper is formatted with the page number in the right-hand corner, a title, and a header.
Focus/specificity: Keep your ideas focused on your thesis. Avoid veering off subject. Every paragraph should serve your thesis in some way. Make sure that you are explaining your ideas thoroughly.
Analysis: I will be grading on how you analyze the quotes you are using, yes, but I will mainly be focusing on how you analyze the themes/motifs. This means that while you can and should talk about what a particularly difficult quote is supposed to mean, you should also be using these quotes to explore the ideas found within White Noise. In the course of your analysis, be specific. Don’t just say that a quote furthers a point you are making, explain how the quote does so.
Citations: You need to cite from the book at least 5 times. These should be organically worked into your writing and not just dropped in a standalone sentence. These citations should support your thesis or a specific claim that relates back to your thesis. I will not count citations that just talk about something that happens in the book.
Page Count: Your paper needs to write at least 4 pages.