TKAM Literature Essay
Preparing for your essay and
beginning it...
Step 1: A Character
• You first need to select a character. We have
looked at:
1. Jem
2. Scout
3. Atticus
4. Boo
5. Mrs Dubose
6. Mayella
Which character interests you? Why?
A Question
• Next, you need to create a question which you think is
focused and provides you with an opportunity to
explore the character within 1000 words.
• Characters are very often explored through themes, so
consider which themes your character is particularly
involved in. List or bullet point them
• Make it a ‘How’ question. It should be open enough to
allow exploration. Variation might be ‘To what extent...’
or ‘What is the importance of...’
• List 2 or 3 questions you think you might like to answer.
Suggestions if you are really stuck
1. How is Boo important to the novel ?
2. How are we shown the children learning through the
character of Jem in the novel?
3. How do Chapters 9 and 10 characterise the parenting
of Atticus?
4. Why are we shown the episode with Mrs Dubose in
Chpt 10?
5. Is Mayella a character to be pitied or condemned?
6. How does the narrative of Scout create a sense of
Childhood innocence in the novel?
So you have your question!
• What now?... PLAN!
• What will you focus on in your essay? You want 3
or 4 main paragraphs, which suggests 3 or 4 main
foci for your essay, one for each paragraph...
What will they be?
• Your introduction should answer the question
and provide the reader (me) with a clear
understanding of HOW you will answer it. Try to
develop a clear thesis statement, followed by a
summary of the foci you feel answer your essay.
Thesis Statement
• In this essay, I am going to answer the question how are children and
adolescents significant to the meaning of two or more works you have
studied by focusing on two texts. These two texts are Things fall Apart and
Fahrenheit 451. Both of these texts contain children or adolescents who
are very important to the meaning of these novels. They highlight certain
themes and the character of the protagonist in the texts.
• Children and adolescents are particularly important in the novels Things
Fall Apart and Fahrenheit 451. Through their interaction with the main
characters we see key themes and characteristics highlighted. In F451 the
character of Clarisse is central when considering the transformation of
Montag, while at the same time, her references to other adolescents in
the novel further highlight the dystopian nature of this society. In TFA
children take on a different role. Through Okonkwo’s interaction with
Ikemifuna, Nwoye and Ezinma we are made fully aware of his character,
how it is shaped by the fear of being weak and how his inability to change
leads to his downfall.
Which of the above is better? Why?
Another example of an Introductory
Paragraph
• Each of the two plays presents us with a patriarchal society and
places female characters at its centre in order to criticize/explore
some of the values inherent in the societies. In Medea, Medea
subverts patriarchal society and this results in the male characters
appearing weak and foolish while she is allowed to carry out her
deadly plans. In Streetcar, Blanche is vulnerable from the start and
it is clear that Stanley rules this manly environment. Contextually,
both authors are questioning the society they are presenting, the
patriarchal men appear stupid as Medea is free to act on ‘manly
virtues’ which lead to nothing but suffering and loss, while in
Streetcar Williams presents a lost and vulnerable Romantic,
unable to deal with reality and eventually destroyed by this harsh,
modern, industrial, patriarchal society…
And one more…
• Mayella is a figure both to be condemned for her accusation of Tom
Robinson, yet at the same time one can feel some sympathy for her
as we discover details of her life with her father. She broke no law in
trying to seduce Tom Robinson, but as Atticus points out in his
summation, she was guilty of breaking a ‘time honoured code’
which ‘came crashing down upon her’. The result of her actions is
the false accusation of rape, the trial and eventual death of Tom
Robinson. While she should be condemned for this we are shown a
more vulnerable, pitiable side to Mayella through the testimony of
both her and of Tom Robinson. She is a lonely, unloved girl who
does not know what it is to have friends or kiss a man other than
her father. She is more complex than we might initially believe and
this is shown to us in several ways.
Your Essay
• Introduction... Explained in the previous
slides.
• Main 1
• Main 2
• Main 3
• Main 4
• Conclusion.
Main Paragraphs 1
• Begin a paragraph with a simple sentence or
simple statement which clearly outlines the
focus of the paragraph.
Look at the following example from a play you
are unfamiliar with:
Medea constantly undermines male characters
in the play.
Following the opening line...
• Despite appearing weak early in the play, crying and wailing, her words
suggest that she is manipulative, someone to be feared. This is made
very clear in her first meeting with a male figure, in this case Creon. She
subjugates herself to his male authority during the conversation. She
does this firstly through her language, when she pleads to him for
‘mercy’. Further on in the conversation, as Creon attempts to remain
strong, she kneels in front of him. This places her beneath him physically.
Furthermore, she refers to herself as ‘just a woman’, while attempting to
persuade him to let her stay. All of this is rewarded by Creon letting her
stay one more day. She has manipulated him. As she states after the
meeting ‘one more day is all I need’. She has used her perceived position
as a woman to gain the advantage and carry out her plans of murder.
This manipulation is not just limited to Creon, Both Aegeus and Jason are
both manipulated by this clever female character who possesses a sharp
mind, is a gifted speaker and is driven by the manly virtues of Justice,
honour and revenge.
Ending your paragraph...
• Add a final sentence or two which brings the
paragraph full circle, summarizing what you
have just developed.
• Creon’s, Aegeus’ and Jason’s position as
powerful men is undermined through
Media’s clever deception. The writer is asking
questions of this patriarchal society.
• Note the simple sentence used to finish...
Main Paragraphs
• You should have 3 or 4 separate foci, one for each
paragraph. Each one should enable you to
develop your answer, refer closely to the text and
relate directly to the question.
• Paragraphs should be linked in order to make
sure that it is not just a succession of separate
points. They should be working together... So use
linking phrases... Later in the novel... Or, in
addition to this... Or, As well as the description
of...
Conclusion
• This should not simply restate your entire
essay. It should summarise key points you
have made and restate the main
understanding you have arrived at during the
essay. What do you feel you have shown?
• You might reflect upon the most helpful focus
in when answering the question.