Great Expectations Essay Planning
Name: ________________________
In order to begin thinking about your self-created essay prompt, respond to the following questions.
Include this sheet when you submit the final copy of your essay on _____________________. Helpful
resources include the “Universal Themes in Literature” handout, previous essay assignments, and the
Great Expectations study guides.
1. List three to five characters, subplots/plot developments, conflicts, literary elements, themes, etc. that
interest you in the novel so far.
2. Choose the top two from #1 that interest you most and that seem most conducive to becoming a welldeveloped essay. Explain why you chose each one.
3. Choose one from #2 and write a potential essay prompt about it. See examples below.
Examples:

Exemplifying courage is a reoccurring topic throughout the novel. Analyze and explain how this theme is developed by citing
specific examples from the book for support.

Referring to Inherit the Wind and Fahrenheit 451, analyze the topic of a rebellious individual’s confrontation with society.

Select one of the universal topics in literature that is evident in two of the following literary works: To Kill a Mockingbird,
Fahrenheit 451, Inherit the Wind, and Night. In your essay, discuss how this topic is developed in each text; what is each
author ultimately suggesting about this topic? Use evidence from the text to support your analysis.

Write a critic’s review of the book. Try to separate your emotional reactions from your literary analysis as you write the
review. Give a brief summary of the memoir and discuss your opinion on the text’s effectiveness. Include a
reflection/critique of two specific writing techniques Wiesel uses to express his story. Also include what you believe to be
Wiesel’s purpose for writing the memoir as well as his intended message to readers. Do you think the power of one voice has
a greater impact than a listing of statistics? Use valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence from the text and
perhaps secondary sources to support your claims.

Juliet changes over the course of the play. Discuss some of the ways she changes, reasons for those changes, and how those
changes affect the remainder of the play’s events.

What is the tragic flaw that leads to Romeo’s death? Explain how his tragic flaw is evident throughout the play.

Choose a character from the play and explain how that character and his/her personality, motives, and actions impact the
characters of Romeo & Juliet and the overall outcome of the tragedy.

To assess your understanding of Homer’s The Odyssey, you will evaluate Odysseus’s character based on your personal
definition of a hero. You will use evidence from the text to support your analysis. Using your three traits of a hero, explain
how Odysseus does or does not exhibit those traits.
Your prompt:
Although you may change your topic and/or prompt at any time throughout the unit, the due date for
your FINAL prompt is ___________________________.