APA Formatting and Song Analysis for Academic Papers
APA Formatting and Paper Requirements
General Formatting Standard
Default Format: Unless specifically instructed by a discipline requiring formats like Chicago or by a professor allowing MLA, all assignments must be in APA format. Students are expected to become accustomed to APA.
Title Page Essentials
Mandatory: A title page is absolutely essential. Papers submitted without a proper APA title page will not be graded.
Sequence of Elements (from top to bottom, double-spaced unless specified):
Title of Paper: A creative title or the assignment title provided. For current assignment, a creative title is encouraged (e.g., "Rhetorical Analysis: Love Overdose vs. [Poem Title]" or "Love Overdose and Shakespeare's Something's Up"). This title should be concise and engaging as it may be used for presentations like trifolds.
Student's Name: Your first name, middle initial (optional for initial undergraduate work, but encouraged for progression in college, especially for graduate school aspirations), and last name.
Department and Affiliation: The academic department and the university. For example, "Department of Rhetoric and Communication Studies, Johnson C. Smith University."
Class Name: The full name of the course (e.g., "Public Speaking and Communication").
Instructor's Name: The full name of the professor or instructor (e.g., "Professor Shaquoya C. Brown" or "Instructor Shaquoya C. Brown"). Note: "Dr." should only be used if the instructor holds a doctorate.
Due Date: The assignment's due date, which can be found on Canvas.
Spacing Conventions: Allow or spaces between the paper's title and your name.
Resource: A hyperlink to Purdue OWL for APA guidelines is available on the assignment page in Canvas.
Formatting Beyond the Title Page
Running Title: The creative title used on the cover page must reappear at the top of subsequent pages (e.g., page onwards) as a running title when starting the analysis.
Indentation: Every new paragraph must begin with an indent. This is a non-negotiable expectation for collegiate scholars to ensure readability and clear organization of thought. Computers have an indent button; use it. Do not submit a "blob" of text without paragraph breaks.
Sources and Citations:
Necessity: Any borrowed material—articles, theories, thoughts, quotes, or ideas from scholarly sources—must be properly cited. This is crucial as it acknowledges that the thought is not original to the student.
APA vs. MLA: Students are no longer in "MLA land." Simply copying and pasting a website URL is insufficient for APA. Proper scholarly citation is required.
Future Lesson: A dedicated lesson will cover proper APA citation techniques, as it can be complex.
Recommendation: Over the weekend, students should begin creating a list of all sources they plan to use, as proper citation format will be taught next week.
Scope of Paper: This is not a full research paper yet. Therefore, comprehensive elements like a full literary review or extensive subheadings are not required at this stage. Focus on the basics discussed.
Analyzing Lyrics for Paper Content
General Approach
Segmentation: Analyze the song lyrics "chunk by chunk" or "paragraph by paragraph" if the lyrics are separated into stanzas.
Core Questions: Focus on identifying:
What is the artist saying?
What is the central theme or message?
What actions or narratives are present?
Identifying Literary Devices
Scan for common literary techniques: similes, metaphors, rhyme, rhythm, storytelling, foreshadowing, flashbacks, onomatopoeias, and other stylistic choices.
Example Analysis (Inspired by Summer Walker's "Playing Games")
First Impressions & Theme: Begin by outlining the initial feelings and overarching message. For example, in the discussed song, the theme is "the pain of being betrayed and how to heal after a broken heart or a broken relationship."
Tone: Describe the emotional quality of the song. The example song conveys vulnerability, heartbreak, rawness, and truth.
Structure and Sound:
Analyze the musical composition (e.g., "single verse flow with repetition").
Connect the sound to its emotional impact (e.g., the singing style evokes the raw, unfiltered emotions of writing in a diary, making it relatable to those experiencing heartbreak).
Specific Literary Devices Illustrated:
Metaphor: Treating abstract concepts as tangible objects. For instance, the phrase "Didn't I give you all that I got?" implies love and energy are physical entities that can be entirely given away or drained, leading to a feeling of emptiness.
Emotional and Physical Imagery: Using explicit language (e.g., "so much of this ish") to convey overwhelming feelings and an inability to cope. Explain why the artist might choose such language (e.g., to express utter exhaustion, a lack of propriety, or an unambiguous refusal to continue).
Symbolism: Employing words or phrases that represent deeper, abstract concepts. For example, "So much on my mind, I don't even know where to start" symbolizes a cluttered mind, a broken heart, and emotional and mental instability, indicating an inability to move forward.
Context and Connections
Historical/Temporal/Event Context: If the song touches upon specific historical eras, events, or social commentary, incorporate this into the analysis (e.g., T Grizzly's narrative perspective, Beyoncé's country album and its cultural significance).
Artist's Perspective vs. Broad Representation: Determine if the song is purely from the artist's personal viewpoint or if it aims to represent a broader common idea or societal experience.
Recurring Themes in Artist's Work: Many artists (e.g., Rod Wave, The Weeknd) have consistent thematic categories across their discographies. Connect the chosen song to these overarching themes in the artist's body of work.
Album Context: Discuss the significance of the album in which the song appears (e.g., Drake's Take Care album as a breakthrough, its release year, and lyrical depth).
Song's Ending and Overall Impact
Significance: Analyze the ending of the song. Is there a powerful final line? How does the ending compare to the beginning? Does it ask rhetorical questions or prompt audience reflection?
Listener Response: Does the song leave the listener wanting more (e.g., a "Part 2")? If the song is part of a series, discuss that connection.
Interpretation: Emphasize that there are no strictly "right" or "wrong" answers in song analysis; the focus is on personal interpretation informed by knowledge of the artist and external resources.
External Resources: Utilize online platforms like Genius.com or artist interviews (e.g., on YouTube) to gain deeper insights into the artist's intentions and the song's meaning, especially for artists who are more private (e.g., Beyoncé, by exploring interviews about specific album choices or awards).
Weekend Assignment
Goal: Students should aim to complete at least one to two full pages of paper content over the weekend.
Page Count: The title page does not count towards the required content page count. So, for a three-page paper, you need a full title page PLUS three pages of analytical content.
Preparation for Next Week: Having a draft of the paper content will facilitate the next step, which involves identifying a poem that "co-exists" or relates to the chosen song. This will be addressed in the upcoming Monday session.
Actionable Advice: Students are encouraged to start writing immediately ("put brain to fingertips to laptop to paper"). Any specific questions or difficulties concerning song analysis can be brought to the instructor on Monday.