From planning to proof-reading
Why?
•On Part A of the diploma exam, you will be required to write a Critical /Analytical
Response to Literary Texts. You will be asked the same question as in the
Personal Response, but instead of responding to a provided piece of literature,
you will have to think of a piece of literature you studied in your Grade 12 ELA
course which would be appropriate to use.
• Knowing how to write an essay like this really does have applications beyond a
high school ELA course. If you pursue post-secondary schooling, you will find
these skills will help you write university/college papers.
• Even if you do not choose to pursue post-secondary schooling, the ability to
develop, organise and support an idea is valuable.
Understanding the question
• It is so important to start on the right path by clearly understanding the essay
question.
•Example: Discuss the idea(s) developed by the text creator in your chosen
text about the significance of idealism and truth in an individual’s life.
1. Start by underlining the focus words:
• Idealism
•Truth
• Significance
2. Look up these words in the dictionary:
• Idealism: a standard of perfection or high degree of excellence
•Truth: reality, based in fact, legitimate
• Significance: importance, of consequence
3. Re-phrase the topic into your own words to ensure you truly understand
what the essay question is asking you.
Example: Discuss the idea(s) developed by the text creator in your chosen
text about the significance of idealism and truth in an individual’s life.
Re-phrase: Why is having a standard of perfection and basing ideas in fact
and reality important?
• Think about how these important terms relate to each other. This question
begs for discussion about the contrast between these terms.
Planning
1. Brainstorm for ideas
•Think of which piece of literature might have examples to match this question.
•Then think about which specific details from within that piece of literature may
suit this topic.
2. Create a rough thesis
• A thesis is a response to the topic.
• Say something using the language of the topic. Remember that the word
significance is an important word. In this case, your job is to say something
about why idealism and truth are significant.
• Think of another idea or word which fits with your literature choice, to use in
your thesis.
• Example:
It is significant for an individual to recognise truth and balance this
with idealism in order to live a fulfilled life.
• Don’t worry if your thesis is not perfect in the planning stages. Try your best to
have a rough idea of what you want to prove. You may develop better ideas
as you proceed in your planning, or begin writing.
• If you are stumped, remember that a basic repetition of the topic (if supported)
may earn you a satisfactory. Example: Truth and idealism are significant in an
individual’s life.
Tips for Thesis Creation
• Avoid works like must and should. These are preachy words. Remember that
your job is to make observations about human behaviour, not to tell people
what to do. Example of a weak thesis: People should balance truth and
idealism.
• Avoid absolute statements such as always , everyone and never. These
words beg for argument. Example of a weak thesis: People always balance
truth with idealism. Try words like often, may, rarely, and often. Or, just leave
out these words altogether.
3. Planning Evidence
• Now that you have developed your rough thesis, start planning out your
support
• It is always best to use only ONE piece of literature within this style of essay.
If you cannot think of enough to write about, in a worst case scenario, use
only one other piece. You are meant to dive deeply into one piece of
literature, so quality is better than quantity.
• Be as specific as possible. Generalizations result in satisfactory assessment.
• Look for character traits, events, quotations, and language features which
help to support your thesis.
• Think of how you want to organise your evidence and your paragraph order.
It should have a logical flow:
• Chronological order
• By character
• By the progression of your idea
Writing
Introduction
• Since you have already created your thesis, you do not have to start with
your introduction
Allusions to illustrate the thesis
• Example:
In human history, there have been many epic battles fought.
Notice no reference
From the battle of David and Goliath to the Trojan War, humans
to literature
have been struggling to conquer their foes. It can be argued that
these conflicts are just as daunting as the battle we face within
ourselves. Often times, the greatest enemy we face are the obstacles
placed in front of us. But using the strength of the human spirit to overcome
them, we attempt not to allow those adverse conditions to prevent us from
achieving our dreams. It is significant for individuals to use determination in
order to overcome adversity as it allows them to achieve their goals.
Thesis
Body Paragraphs
Very brief summary of lit.
Introduce lit. to reader
In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman and his sons are faced with
a dilemma as they struggle with their own self-worth, and the pressures of
society to achieve the American Dream. Willy dismisses Biff who works with his
hands, and indoctrinated Biff and Happy, and indeed himself, to believe that the
only noble life is that of a “well-liked” businessman who achieves financial
success for his family. This is Willy’s ideal life for himself and his sons. However,
he lives a life of illusions and is portrayed by Miller to be out of touch with reality.
Willy states: “I realized that selling was the greatest career a man could want”.
Willy was not only selling goods, he was selling himself to the world and his
sons. He could not face that his dreams and ideal life had not brought success,
but rather failure. So instead he created a truth for himself that was not based in
reality.
As detailed as possible discussion of the lit., using
details to support thesis.
Notice writer’s analysis of
author’s intent
Conclusions
Summary statement of essay
Through the internal conflicts of these two characters, as well their interactions
with each other, Miller develops the connection between truth, idealism and
delusion within the play. Failure is associated with lies and delusion, while
redemption and fulfilment are the results of truth and self-awareness. Willy’s
unrealistic ideals about the American Dream creates a life of betrayal and
isolation, while Biff’s recognition of his desires to work with his hands, or to be
on a ranch, gave him peace, and perhaps more importantly, hope and
prospects for the future. To become an ideal person of worth, in Miller’s view, a
man must first see both the world and himself as he really is; unobstructed by
illusion.
General review of evidence from
body paragraphs
Restatement of thesis
Other Writing Tips
1. Transitions
Connect your body paragraphs, so they cannot be shuffled.
• Use transition words/phrases
Similar to Willy, Biff struggled to live a fulfilled life.
• Refer to something mentioned in the previous paragraph
When it was revealed that Willy had an affair… (the affair was explained in
the previous paragraph).
2. Extended Metaphor
Use a comparison in your introduction and continue to carry this comparison
throughout your essay (don’t overdo!).
Biff had to muster up the courage to fight his own Goliath, and be able
to tell Willy that he could not stay and fulfil his father’s dreams.
Proof-Reading
1. Check spelling and Grammar
• Underline or italicize titles
• No contractions in formal writing
• Then/than
• There/there/their
2. Diction
• Improve word choices from $1 words to $1,000 words, NOT $1 million
dollar words
• Avoid the word “things”…far too vague
• NO first person pronoun “I”. This is not a personal response
3. Sentence Variety
• Have a nice variety of simple, compound and complex sentences
4. Clarity is crucial!
• If you are trying to make diction and sentence variety complex, you may
run the risk of being awkward or confusing. NEVER sacrifice clarity for
sophistication.