KEEP THIS FOR LATER USAGE
Name:
Date:
Period:
St. Francis Prep
Giknis
English 11
Giknis’ Guide to Killing the Regents Essay
I.
Format:
a. For a part of the regents, you will be provided with a quote (known as a “Critical
Lens”) that you must agree or disagree with. For example:
Critical Lens:
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly . . .”
—Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
The Little Prince, 1943
b. You will then be expected to create an essay in which you support your stance on
the issue using literary devices from two literary works you have EVER read.
c. You have as much time as you need, although I would say you should not work
for more than 1.5 hours on the essay.
i. You should shoot for around six paragraphs (two literary devices for each
piece)
ii. Be sure to proofread your work
II.
The Essay
a. Usually you would create your essay around major points of evidence and quotes
that support your thesis. Since you do not have access to the works you’ll be
discussing, you need to build your essay around major literary devices seen in
those works that support your stance.
i. Intro
1. Start by restating the quote
a. “In The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery stated that
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly.”
2. Follow with your stance on the quote and an interpretation of it
a. “This idea that one gains what is most important,
meaningful, and true with the intuition and not the senses
is certainly accurate.”
3. Conclude your intro with SPECIFIC support that you’ll be
mentioning in your essay
a. “This notion is seen through the internal conflict and
motivation of Holden Caulfield, the main character and
narrator of Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, as well as in
the satirical presentation of society and ironic treatment of
slavery and conscience by Mark Twain in his The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”
OVER 
KEEP THIS FOR LATER USAGE
Name:
Date:
Period:
St. Francis Prep
Giknis
English 11
ii. Body Paragraph(s)
1. Be sure to use topic sentences to introduce your paragraphs.
a. The first sentence of your paragraph should relate what
you’re saying back to the thesis:
i. “To begin, the quote by de Saint-Exupery is
supported by the internal conflict of Holden
Caulfield in Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye.
ii. “Furthermore, Caulfield’s personal motivation for a
variety of his behaviors is clear evidence of the
accuracy of de Saint-Exupery’s statement.”
iii. Conclusion
1. Don’t forget to tie everything back together with a good
conclusion!
a. A summary (not a restatement) of the ideas you’ve
presented and how they support your stance.
III.
Gik’s List of Useful Lit Terms (pg. 1043)
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
n.
o.
p.
q.
r.
s.
t.
u.
v.
w.
x.
y.
z.
a.
b.
Alliteration
Allusion
Anecdote
Antagonist
Autobiography/Biography
Character
Characterization
Climax
Conflict
Denouement
Description
Dialect
Essay
Figures of Speech/Figurative
Language
Flashback
Foil
Foreshadowing
Frame Story
Hyperbole
Imagery
Irony
Metaphor
Mood
Motif
Motivation
Narrator
Oxymoron
Paradox
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
n.
o.
p.
Personification
Plot
Point of View
Protagonist
Rhyme Scheme
Rhythm
Satire
Setting
Simile
Style
Symbolism
Theme
Tone
Understatement