Writing a Response to
Literature
Bellwork November second:
 Describe the progress you are making on your LOTF
project. What did you get done yesterday? How did
you display teamwork and respect for those around
you as you worked? Describe your plan for the rest of
the project.
 When you finish, get out a sheet of paper for your
quiz 
 Title your page: LOTF Vocabulary Quiz
Quiz:
 Write the definition of these words on your sheet of
paper.
 1. distended:
 2. unquenchable:
 3. ensconce:
 4. inimical:
 5. propitiating:
 6. multitudinous:
7. luminous:
8. Myopia:
9. Choose two words to
use in complete
sentences. Underline
the words.
A response to lit is…
 YOUR personal viewpoint of a novel or story.
 You are responding to a topic presented in your close
reading of a novel or story.
 Defend your thesis with evidence from the text
Your RTL essay
 Let’s read the prompt:
 You will choose One theme.
 Three symbols/characters
 Discuss how the characters/symbols support the
theme of the story.
Prewriting One
 Choose the most interesting theme from the list of
themes.
 Make a list/bubble map of events that happen in the
novel that relate to the theme you have chosen.
Step TWO:
 Now go back over your list and UNDERLINE
characters and symbols that you find in your list.
 Make a tree map to categorize each event that you
listed.
 Circle the Symbols/characters with the most
evidence.
 Now, you have your theme and your symbols for
your RTL essay.
 The next time we look at our essays, we will talk
about the structure for the introductory paragraph.
Introduction Outline:
 Introduction:
 Attention grabber/Hook
 Background on the Novel ( 1-3 sentences)
 Thesis statement
Arguable
 Supportable
 Original

Possible Hooks:
 1. an interesting quotation ( related to the theme)
 2. an anecdote ( relating to the theme)
 3. a rhetorical question ( relating to theme)
Background on the Novel
 1-3 sentence background on the novel
 You only need to give enough information so that they can
follow you logic later on.
 Focus on summarizing events in the story that are relevant to
your topic.

Ex: If my topic is fear of the unknown, then I only want to
summarize what the boys are scared of on the island, not every
other detail that happens.
The Thesis
 Should follow this format:
 In the allegorical novel Lord of the Flies, Golding
displays the theme _______________ through
the characters/symbols _________,
__________, __________.
Example Introduction
 As we read the example introduction, look for the
major elements that we have just discussed.
What’s Next?
 Begin writing a rough draft of you intro.
 Homework:
 Typed Introductory Paragraph due Monday
Bellwork November 5th:
 Today, we will be doing another quick write. The goal of a
quick write is to write without stopping for the time
allotted to you. Do not worry about grammar or ‘being
perfect’ in your writing. Simply, do not take your
pen/pencil off of the paper until I say to do so.
 You may write about anything that comes to mind for the
phrase:

It was the moment I had dreaded for two weeks. The moment
when….

Take out your typed introduction and put it on the corner of your
desk for me to check as you write.
Body Paragraphs:
 Get out your notes from last Friday on “Response to
Literature Essays” .
 Add details about body paragraphs to your notes.
Topic Sentence
 Provide the main idea of the paragraph
 It should be utterly clear what the paragraph is going
to be about
 It should connect to the list you made in your thesis.



Subtopic One= Paragraph one
Subtopic Two=Paragraph two
Subtopic Three=paragraph three
 In the allegorical novel Lord of the Flies, Golding
displays the theme fear of the unknown through the
characters and symbols of the beast, Jack, and Ralph.
 Ex ( paragraph one) : The theme fear of the unknown is
clearly displayed through the symbol of the beast.
 Ex ( paragraph two) : The theme fear of the unknown is
clearly displayed through the character of Jack.
 Ex ( paragraph three) : The theme fear of the unknown is
clearly displayed through the character of Ralph.
Supporting Evidence
 Include specific textual evidence:
 cited quotes from the book
 Be sure to cite page numbers of the information you use.
 Do not simply start a sentence with quotes

You must always use a transition to lead in a quote
 Ex:
• For example,
• In addition,
Golding says,
He says,
Example:
 The theme fear of the unknown is clearly displayed
through the symbol of the beast. For example, the
boys have a conversation about the beast at the first
assembly saying, “the beastie came in the dark” ( 35).
Analysis
 Explain to the reader the significance of the evidence
you have provided. Think about why you chose to
include it.
 How does the piece of evidence support your thesis
and answer the question?
Example:
 The theme fear of the unknown is clearly displayed
through the symbol of the beast. For example, the
boys have a conversation about the beast saying at
the first assembly saying, “the beastie came in the
dark” ( 35). The boys are scared of the beast because
it comes “ in the dark.” The unknown qualities of the
beast and how to defeat it drive the fear in the boys
as darkness falls each night.
Add more evidence and analysis:
 Each body paragraph should have at least two quotes
from the article as support.
 Each quote should be analyzed in your own words.
Example:
 The theme fear of the unknown is clearly displayed through the
symbol of the beast. For example, the boys have a conversation
about the beast saying at the first assembly saying, “the beastie
came in the dark” ( 35). The boys are scared of the beast because it
comes “ in the dark.” The unknown qualities of the beast and how to
defeat it drive the fear in the boys as darkness falls each night. The
boys are very afraid of the beast as the novel progresses and at one
point even say, “There’s nothing in it of course. Just a feeling, but –
being hunted, as if something’s behind you all the time in the
jungle” (62). Despite admitting that the beast is totally
misunderstood, the boys describe a fear of every corner of the
immense jungle that surrounds them. They are scared of every part
of the island and use the beast as the symbolic representation of this
fear of things they do not and cannot understand.
Transition Sentence
 End with a transition sentence to the next subtopic.
 Connect each paragraph with a sentence or two that
demonstrate show each idea leads into the next, and
how they work together to support your position.
 EX:
 The boys are scared of the beast, but they are also scared of
one of their own: Jack.
Example:
 The theme fear of the unknown is clearly displayed through the
symbol of the beast. For example, the boys have a conversation
about the beast saying at the first assembly saying, “the beastie
came in the dark” ( 35). The boys are scared of the beast because it
comes “ in the dark.” The unknown qualities of the beast and how to
defeat it drive the fear in the boys as darkness falls each night. The
boys are very afraid of the beast as the novel progresses and at one
point even say, “There’s nothing in it of course. Just a feeling, but –
being hunted, as if something’s behind you all the time in the
jungle” (62). Despite admitting that the beast is totally
misunderstood, the boys describe a fear of every corner of the
immense jungle that surrounds them. They are scared of every part
of the island and use the beast as the symbolic representation of this
fear of things they do not and cannot understand. The boys are
afraid of the unknown circumstances of the island and the beast
represents that fear; however, the boys are also scared of one
another.
Example Two:
Jack Merridew, when he first arrives on the island, is a prim-and-proper, stereotypical
British choir leader: afraid of acting improper, and is very bossy. To make sure that he and his
choir boys are aiding in the group’s survival, Jack volunteers himself and his group to be the
hunting party. Jack is confident that he will come back to the tribe with food; when the time
comes, however, to kill a pig, Jack cannot bring himself to do it, and is unable to “bring home
the bacon,” so to speak. When the piglet crosses their path, Jack does not kill it “because of the
enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood”
(31). By not killing the piglet, Jack shows how he is afraid to kill, afraid to harm another living
creature. As time wears on, however, Jack gives in to his primal instincts, and he and his boys
kill with abandon, as evidenced first by the thoughtless murder of Simon, then by the crushing
death by a boulder of Piggy. Jack deals with his fear of killing by overcoming it, and giving in to
his natural instincts.
Body Paragraphs:
Topic Sentences
 Direct evidence from text
 Analyze quote
 Support your thesis
 Use Quotations from text
 Direct quote from text
 Analyze quote
 Transition Sentence


Begin writing the rough draft of your body paragraphs now. Typed
rough draft of ALL Three paragraphs are due tomorrow!
Conclusion


Restate your thesis statement
Briefly summarize your main points


Avoid repeating body paragraphs
WOW factor
Fear of the unknown is a dominating theme in the novel Lord of
the Flies. The symbol of the Beast and the characters Jack, and
Ralph display this fear throughout the novel. Golding uses
these characters to tell readers that fear should not be a force
in our lives that directs decisions. When we are overcome with
fear, we act irrationally as Jack and Ralph do throughout the
novel. Golding urges readers to dismiss fears that are based in
worry about the unknown.
Example :
Golding uses three boys stranded on an island to
illustrate that people facing fear determine their own
paths. Jack’s fear of killing is overcome by his primal
instincts, Ralph’s denial of his fear of not being
rescued is finally recognized, and Piggy’s fear of
standing out is overcome by his anger at Jack’s theft
of his glasses. Both Jack and Piggy overcome their
fears, while Ralph just learns how to accept the
existence of his fears. The varied reactions of the
three boys lead each of them to different places in
their life journeys. Reactions to fear pave the road for
future journeys.
Other necessary tidbits…
 Use the present tense when talking about events in
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the book.
Don’t assume the reader has read the book, write a
quick, concise summary in the opening paragraph
Don’t use “I” statements, weakens your arguments
Create an original title
Make sure all evidence supports your thesis