WRITING IN RESPONSE TO
LITERATURE
Tips for Writing a Successful Essay
AN INTERESTING INTRODUCTION
Your introduction should get the reader’s attention.
Your introduction should give the title and author of the work you will be discussing.
The introduction could give a quote from the book, or some background information.
The introduction should lead into your thesis statement.
You should NEVER “talk” about what is going to be in the essay.
THE KEY TO YOUR ESSAY:
AN EFFECTIVE THESIS STATEMENT
Your thesis statement should be one sentence that states your argument.
 When writing about literature, you are arguing that your perspective, or interpretation, is a valid one.
You should have three ideas to validate the argument presented in your thesis
statement.
 This does not mean you HAVE to stick to the typical three-prong approach.
Your thesis statement should NOT be a summary statement.
Your thesis statement should NOT be the first sentence of your essay.
 Typically the thesis statement is the last sentence of the first paragraph.
TOPIC + ACTIVE VERB + ARGUMENT (3 PRONGS) = STRONG THESIS STATEMENT
Source: Purdue University Online Writing Lab
A WEAK INTRODUCTION & THESIS STATEMENT
In the play, lots of people fall in love. Each pair of lovers
falls in and out of love. Love is a feeling that you get when you
really like someone. There are three sets of people who fall in
love in the play: Hermia and Demetrius, Lysander and Helena,
and Oberon and Titania.
A BETTER INTRODUCTION AND THESIS
STATEMENT
In the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William
Shakespeare, the character of Lysander comments that “the
course of true love never did run smooth” (108). This quote
conveys the difficulty that lovers face in the play. The difficulty
of love is one of the major themes in the play, and it often leads
to conflict between the characters. Most of the conflict in the play
revolves around the quarrels between Demetrius and Hermia,
Lysander and Helena, and Oberon and Titania.
ANOTHER STRONG INTRODUCTION
AND THESIS STATEMENT
Writer Christopher Fry stated that “If the characters [of a
play] were not qualified for tragedy, there would be no comedy.”
There may be no better demonstration of that quote than in
William Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The
characters of the play consist mainly of quarreling lovers. The
lovers are frequently engaged in both internal and external conflict
throughout the play. Those conflicts could have resulted in
tragedy, but instead the conflicts provide the comedic background
for the play. Shakespeare uses the conflict between the characters
in A Midsummer Night’s Dream to advance the humor in the play.
SUFFICIENT DETAILS IN BODY PARAGRAPHS
Transitions
 You must include transitions.
 Basic Transitions: First, Second, Third, Finally. Also
 Better Transitions: In addition to, On the other hand, Furthermore,
Evidence
 Evidence can come from common knowledge, facts from the literature, or quotes
from the book.
Quotes
 When using a quote, make sure it is relevant to your topic.
 If you insert a quote, you must explain how it furthers the main idea of that
paragraph.
 Cite it properly. You should include the page number in parentheses after the quote.
AVOID SUMMARIZING
It is not your job to re-tell the story.
Each body paragraph should have a main idea.
The main idea of each body paragraph should be a statement that supports the claim
(argument) that you made in your thesis statement.
The supporting details in each paragraph should contain evidence from the text.
AN ADEQUATE CONCLUSION
A strong paper can be killed by a weak conclusion.
 Your conclusion should be at least 5 sentences, just like the rest of your paragraphs.
You are ending your paper, and your argument, by coming to a conclusion based on
the evidence you presented in your paper.
Your conclusion should re-state your thesis statement in a new way.
FORMAT
Times New Roman, 12
Double-spaced
Heading in the upper, left hand corner
Title of the paper should be centered, with no punctuation
Title of the book should be italicized every time it appears
Paragraphs Indented
PROOFREAD
Re-read your essay several times to check for errors.
 TIP: It may be helpful to print your essay out and make corrections with a red pen.
Always use the present tense when writing about literature.
Do NOT use contractions.
Do NOT use any 1st/2nd person words.
 1st Person: I, we, me, my, mine, us, our, ours
 2nd person: You, your, yours
Try to amp up your word choice.
 Avoid words like “a lot” and “very.” Choose words that are more powerful.
Use SpellCheck.
SUBMIT YOUR PAPER
Save your paper to your flash drive.
Go to TurnItIn.com and submit your paper to the correct folder.
 Use the title of your paper as your submission title.
Failing to save and submit your paper correctly could cost you points!