Quotes need to be contextualized or "framed" more clearly meaning??

Question

erm i wrote an essay for an argumentative essay class for college... was generally a thorough essay... everything was done well... the only criticism the professor gave was... that my quotes needed to be contextualized or "framed" more clearly...
honestly... i have NO IDEA what this means... coz he said that my peer reviewer commented on that... and what my peer reviewer said was "there are a couple of places that quotes mayb used out of context. please be careful to make sure that the author's original voice is heard"

oooook now i m reeeeeeeeeally confused...

forget the lame peer reviewer... but what does my professor mean? O.O

Answer 1

When you are writing something, it is usually clear in your mind where you are going with your piece. You start at A, progress to B, and finish somewhere later.

The problem is, not everybody can follow the twists and turns in your mind. You have to give them much more than just clues. So in this case, if you include a quote that clearly proves something to you, your readers are not arriving at the same point.

The way to solve this is to frame it with a sentence or two such as,

There is a question about which side of the coin it will land, and as John Milton states in Theory of Everything, the coin will land on the weighted side most of the time unless you land in soft grass.

Obviously my statement does not make any sense, but by framing the quote "the coin will land on the weighted side most of the time unless you land in soft grass" with the first part of the sentence, whether you understand it or not at least you see where I am coming from. That's all your professor is saying... take the time to educate your reader as to what your quote means to you, and then give the quote.

You can also give the quote and explain its relevance.

Answer 2

You need to introduce and explain the relevance of the quotes. It's not enough to just add them into the text.