Writing a Successful Literature Essay
This is Lionel. Lionel prefers to go by his formal title:
Lionel the Fantastically Literate Fox
Lionel is a wily fox who has a voracious appetite – he
does not stop eating! While he is a little cheeky, and a
bit of a glutton, he knows how to write an excellent
essay. Listen to his advice and you will be writing
fabulous literature essays quicker than Lionel can steal
your lunch!
Let us begin.
Yes, yes, we all know what
happens in this story… tell
me something interesting
about it!
Please excuse Lionel. He has not had any lunch. However, what he is saying is
important. Remember that a literature essay is NOT a recap of the plot of the
text, but a response to a specific topic based on an aspect of the text, whether
it be a character, theme or another element of the story. It is a formal,
structured, and substantiated response.
Unless you pay close attention to these
key aspects, your ideas, no matter how
good they are, will not come across
effectively.
Your essay must be FORMAL,
STRUCTURED, and SUBSTANTIATED!
Lionel is right. Let us look at how we can fulfil each of these aspects (and give
Lionel a few delicious snacks along the way).
FORMAL
Consider your literature essay the
‘black tie event’ of the essay world.
You need to dress your language up to
suit the occasion.
Here are Lionel’s rules for proper literature essay style:
 Formal English
Avoid colloquialisms and NO slang
 Lady Macbeth tunes Macbeth that he needs to man up.
✓Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth that he is being cowardly.
 No Contractions
 Ettie doesn’t run away with Nicolas because she cares too much
about Little Miss.
✓Juliet does not run away with Nicolas because she cares too
much about Little Miss.
 Present Tense
When Romeo saw Juliet, he forgot all about Rosaline.
✓When Romeo sees Juliet, he forgets all about Rosaline.
 Third person
 I think that Dorian Gray is the master of his own destruction.
✓ Dorian Gray is the master of his own destruction.
PLEASE! Make
it stop!
 I think that Romeo and Juliet were responsible for the bad
stuff that happened to them because they chose to get
married without permission from their folks. I also think that
Friar Laurence should get some of the blame cause he was
an adult and should of known better.
Much better!
✓ Ultimately, Romeo and Juliet are responsible for the tragic
end to their story because they choose to get married without
the permission of their parents. Friar Laurence can also be
partly blamed because, as the adult in the situation, he does
not behave in a responsible manner.
STRUCTURED
Poor Lionel really needs a snack!
A burger? They are my favourite! Coincidentally, an essay
should be structured like a burger. See what I did there?
Introduction
Body
Paragraphs
Conclusion
Just like a burger, an essay needs to have all its parts in the right place to be
successful.
Your INTRODUCTION functions much like the top half of the bread roll in a
burger. It provides a solid start as you take the first bite and
prevents the fillings from getting all over the place and making
a mess. Your introduction indicates the direction of your
essay, makes specific reference to the topic, and keeps the beginning neat
and focused.
Your BODY PARAGRAPHs are where all the ‘meaty’ content is. Like a burger,
your essay will not have much flavour if you do not have a complementary
selection of ingredients (points) in the middle of your essay.
You need to make a series of substantiated points that are
closely linked to the topic. Like a burger, these paragraphs need to be
logically arranged for the best experience.
Your CONCLUSION, like the bottom half of the bread roll, is arguably the most
important structural element of your essay. Without it, your points will be left
hanging and your essay will be unfinished. This is where
you can make your final statement about how your
essay has successfully addressed the topic by summing up your main points
and leaving the reader with a strong answer to the question. You would not
want your burger sauce spilling out all over the place!
SUBSTANTIATED
That burger was great, thanks. Now while I enjoy
a cuppa, we need to cover the part about
motivating your points with evidence from the text.
There are two ways you can substantiate your points with
reference to the text.
1 – CLOSE REFERENCE TO THE TEXT
When you make a point, you need to show that you have come to this idea
through your interpretation of the text. The simplest way to do this is to give an
example using a reference to the text, but you have to be very careful that you
do not allow your example to lapse into a recap of the plot.
Example
If your point and explanation is:
Ettie is a master at hiding her emotions so that she is not vulnerable to the
people around her. She often refers to the masks she uses to trick people into
thinking she is stupid and compliant, or to get what she wants.
Yes –
you’re in
it to
win it!
You can substantiate it with a close reference:
✓ Handler Xavier asks Ettie to show him what she has
stolen from the beach and she lies to him about how much
she has so she can keep more of the profits to herself.
Here is an example of what it looks like when you let your example go too far
and lapse into plot.
 Ettie and Kitty are part of a game where they steal from the Posh to make
money to survive. Handler Xavier runs the Game and, at the beginning of the
novel, they trick people on the beach by pretending that there is a monster in
the sea. When Ettie gets back to Section O, Handler Xavier asks Ettie to show
him everything they stole but Ettie has hidden some of it, so she
does not have to give the profits to Handler Xavier. She lies to
him and says that what she shows him is all that they got. Then
she goes to the market to sell the stolen goods to Cowboy so that
she can get money to buy food for herself and Kitty.
Sigh…
2 – QUOTATIONS
If you feel confident with the text and can remember useful quotations,
effectively integrating these into your essay is an extremely effective way to
substantiate your points.
Example
If your point and explanation is:
Ettie is a master at hiding her emotions so that she is not vulnerable to the
people around her. She often refers to the masks she uses to trick people into
thinking she is stupid and compliant or to get what she wants.
You could substantiate it with an integrated quotation:
✓At the beginning of the novel, when Handler Xavier is
quizzing Ettie about how much she has stolen off the beach,
Ettie uses her mask to “hide [her] deceit”.
A wellintegrated
quotation is
heavenly!
Do not tack a quotation on to the end of a sentence.
Macbeth wants to be king so much that he is willing to kill,
“vaulting ambition”.
✓Macbeth’s “vaulting ambition” is so strong, he is willing to kill to
become king.
Do not use quotation marks unless you are certain your quotation is correct.
 Lord Henry tells Dorian to “yield to temptation”.
✓ Lord Henry encourages Dorian Gray to give in to his desires by telling him
that “the only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it”.
If you cannot remember the exact wording, paraphrase the quote
WITHOUT inverted commas.
✓ Lord Henry encourages Dorian to yield to temptation.
If you need to change the tense, concord or case of a word in the quotation
to fit your sentence, put it in square brackets to indicate you have done so.
Original quotation: “I am a girl of many masks.
Integrated into a sentence: Ettie admits that she “[is] a girl of many masks”.
You need not learn long quotations. Often, integrating a short phrase can
be just as effective.
✓ Dorian Gray uses his “mask of youth” to maintain an air of innocence.
✓Lady Macbeth seems to easily wipe the guilt of murder from her mind saying
that “a little water clears us of this deed.”
✓ Romeo and Juliet, the “star-crossed lovers”, are unwitting engineers of their
own demise.
Whew! That was a lot of information –
thanks for sticking with me. There are a
few more things you need to know before
you are ready to go it alone. Now we are
going to examine how to approach your
planning and look at what goes into each
paragraph of your essay.
I hope they
were paying
attention…
PLANNING
Although there are no marks allocated to an essay plan, if you do not plan your
essay, the finished product will not be as structured and convincing.
Imagine that you are given the following essay topic.
Ettie lives in an unjust society. In an essay of 250-300 words, discuss the various
injustices in the society in The Mark.
Step 1 – Unpack the question
You cannot embark on an essay unless you know what aspect of the text you
will be examining and what point you are trying to make. It is a good idea to
highlight key words/phrases in the topic.
Remember that you can also be asked to make a judgement about the given
aspect of the text (e.g. to what extent).
Ettie lives in an unjust society. In an essay of 250-300 words, discuss the various
injustices in the society in The Mark.
This question is asking you to examine
the different ways in which Ettie’s
society is unjust.
There are many ways you can do your essay planning. You need to find one
that works for you.
Step 2 – Brainstorm points
Some people like using spider diagrams
or mind maps, Lionel loves using a
table format.
First brainstorm what you imagine your main points will be. Also include the
example you could use to motivate each point.
Point
Example
People have no personal freedom
People who live in slum city are treated as
second class citizens
The political system is rigged
The living environment of those in Slum City is
unsanitary
The justice system is not fair
Their jobs, place in society and fate mates are chosen for
them
They are tracked by the machine and monitored by Locusts
They have to carry passes to get into Mangeria City
They are thrown on the dumps when they are no longer
useful
There are only a certain number of Mangerians to vote for
and the candidates are manipulated by those in power
Sewerage flows in the streets, there are massive flies and
their food is substandard compared to the Posh
Accused people are considered guilty and need to prove
themselves innocent
Step 3 – Group and order points
1
Mmm… Let me see.
Yes – I’ve put a
number next to each
point to indicate in
which paragraph I
am going to include it.
2
3
2
3
Only once you have decided on your main points, can you decide what to
include in your introduction and conclusion.
Step 4 – Finalise essay content
You do not have to write out your full introduction and conclusion in your plan.
Make notes in point form.
Introduction:
The Mark (dystopian novel by Edyth Bulbring)
Ettie is born into a life of drudgery but is determined to escape the system
that confines her
Ettie’s society (Mangeria and Slum City) is unjust because
- They have no personal freedom
- Slum City residents have difficult lives (NOTE HOW THE MAIN IDEA OF THE
TWO POINTS FOR PARAGRAPH 2 CAN BE COMBINED INTO ONE POINT)
- The political and justice system is broken
1
2
3
2
3
Conclusion:
Sum up main points
- Lack of personal freedom
- Poor have horrible lives
- System is rigged to benefit the rich and powerful
Link to our society (warning)
I know what you are going to say… “Lionel! Planning takes too
long. What if I do not finish my essay?” I promise you, no, I
swear (on all four of my paws and my adorably bushy tail),
that spending 10 minutes on making a good plan will save you
time in the long run. Plus – your finished essay will be better!
WRITING YOUR ESSAY
INTRODUCTION
As mentioned earlier, your introduction should:
✓ make specific reference to the topic
✓ indicate the direction of your essay
You should also take this opportunity to:
✓ indicate which text you are discussing (mention the author and genre
of the work)
✓ give a brief contextualisation of the novel (with a link to the topic if
possible)
The Mark, a dystopian novel by Edyth Bulbring, is set in a post-apocalyptic society
plagued by inequality and injustice. The protagonist, Ettie, is born into a life of
drudgery but is determined to erase her mark and escape the system that confines
her. This essay will examine the various injustices in Mangeria, a place run by an
unequal and unfair political and justice system where the poor are destined to suffer,
and the rich prosper, but very few have any meaningful freedom.
This looks great. Let’s have a look at how I’ve
incorporated all the necessary parts of an introduction.
The Mark, a dystopian novel by Edyth Bulbring, is set in a post-apocalyptic
society plagued by inequality and injustice. = indicate which text you are discussing
(mention the author and genre of the work)
The protagonist, Ettie, is born into a life of drudgery but is determined to erase
her mark and escape the system that confines her. = give a brief contextualisation
of the novel (with a link to the topic if possible)
This essay will examine the various injustices in Mangeria, = make specific
reference to the topic
a place run by an unequal and unfair political and justice system where the poor
are destined to suffer, and the rich prosper, but very few have any meaningful
freedom. = indicate the direction of your essay
BODY PARAGRAPHS
As mentioned earlier, your body paragraphs should:
✓ make a series of substantiated points
✓ be closely linked to the topic
You also need to make sure that your body paragraphs:
✓ flow logically from the previous one and onto the next one
✓ have a logical internal structure
Whoops! It looks like Lionel is hungry again. Luckily, we have to PEEL a
banana to show you how to write a successful body paragraph.
Point – the main topic of your paragraph
Explanation – explanation of your point
Example – example/s to substantiate your point
Link – link back to the topic
One of the most obvious injustices in Ettie’s society is the lack of personal freedom of
most citizens. Instead of making their own choices, all people are given a number
when they are born. According to this number, they are allocated a job and a fate
mate. This number is stored in The Machine and is used to keep track of them
throughout their lives. Ettie is determined to remove this number so she can decide
her own fate. The fact that citizens in Mangeria are not allowed to choose their life
partner or profession is a clear illustration of the injustice they suffer as the freedom
to choose is one of our most basic human rights.
Sometimes I am so good that I
even astound myself. Behold the
perfect structure of this
paragraph!
POINT One of the most obvious injustices in Ettie’s society is the lack of personal
freedom of most citizens.
EXPLANATION Instead of making their own choices, all people are given a
number when they are born. According to this number, they are allocated a job
and a fate mate.
EXAMPLE This number is stored in The Machine and is used to keep track of
them throughout their lives. Ettie is determined to remove this number so she
can decide her own fate.
LINK The fact that citizens in Mangeria are not allowed to choose their life
partner or profession is a clear illustration of the injustice they suffer as the
freedom to choose is one of our most basic human rights.
I always find that a cup of hot chocolate helps me
think. Oh! Remember to write your paragraphs so
that they flow naturally from one to the next. Note
the link between these highlighted phrases
You might start your next paragraph with this point:
Another obvious indication of an unjust society is the large gap between the
rich and the poor, which is evident in the horrible lives lead by those who inhabit
Slum City.
Once you become more confident in writing literature essays, you will be able
to include more than one explanation and example per paragraph – but always
make sure they link to topic of the paragraph. If you change to a different aspect
of your topic, start a new paragraph.
Another obvious indication of an unjust society is the large gap between the rich and
the poor, which is evident in the horrible lives lead by those who inhabit Slum City
(POINT). People like Ettie and Kitty, who are orphans, live in the most appalling and
unsanitary conditions (EXPLAINATION). Sewerage runs in the streets, the river flows
with “water the colour of vomit” and they are plagued by flies as big as a human fist
(EXAMPLES). The injustice of this is only highlighted when you compare their lives to
those of the Posh (EXPLANATION). The Posh live over the river in Mangeria City and
those in the slums require a pass to access the Posh areas and have to abide by a curfew
(EXAMPLE). The people in Slum City are also considered to be disposable
(EXPLANATION). Once they are no longer able to do their job, they are sent to a facility
for Past Traders or are thrown on the Reject Dumps to die (EXAMPLES). The Posh treat
those from Slum City as if they are less than human and this lack of humanity towards
those less fortunate is perhaps the biggest marker of an unjust society. (LINK)
CONCLUSION
We are almost there! I am
so excited!
As mentioned earlier, your conclusion should:
✓ sum up your main points
✓ leave your reader with a strong answer to the question
You could also take this opportunity to show your insight into the text and
the topic by:
✓ linking the ideas in your text to the outside world
Oh boy! Lionel has probably had too much sugar. Let him finish off the essay so
he can go and run off some of that energy!
Ettie’s society is deeply flawed and filled with injustice. The majority of citizens have
no freedom to make their own choices. The poor in Slum City live lives of poverty and
persecution and are not valued as human beings. All of this is underpinned by a political
and justice system that is designed to benefit the wealthy few and leave the
underprivileged masses to fight over limited resources. While The Mark is set in a
fictional world, it has many of the trademarks of our society as, unfortunately, injustice
is something with which most communities are familiar.
Ettie’s society is deeply flawed and filled with injustice. = strong answer to the
question
The majority of citizens have no freedom to make their own choices. The poor
in Slum City live lives of poverty and persecution and are not valued as human
beings and all this is underpinned by a political and justice system that is
designed to benefit the wealthy few and leave the underprivileged masses to
fight over limited resources. = sum up main points
While The Mark is set in a fictional world, it has many of the trademarks of our
society as, unfortunately, injustice is something with which most communities
are familiar. = link to our society
That’s a wrap, folks!
All you need to do is follow my process
and advice and you will never have to
worry about how to write a
literature essay ever again.
Lionel, out!
Here is the full example essay used in these notes.
The Mark, a dystopian novel by Edyth Bulbring, is set in a post-apocalyptic society plagued
by inequality and injustice. The protagonist, Ettie, is born into a life of drudgery but is
determined to erase her mark and escape the system that confines her. This essay will
examine the various injustices in Mangeria, a place run by an unequal and unfair political and
justice system where the poor are destined to suffer, and the rich prosper, but very few have
any meaningful freedom.
One of the most obvious injustices in Ettie’s society is the lack of personal freedom of most
citizens. Instead of making their own choices, all people are given a number when they are
born. According to this number, they are allocated a job and a fate mate. This number is
stored in The Machine and is used to keep track of them throughout their lives. Ettie is
determined to remove this number so she can decide her own fate. The fact that citizens in
Mangeria are not allowed to choose their life partner or profession is a clear illustration of the
injustice they suffer as the freedom to choose is one of our most basic human rights.
Another obvious indication of an unjust society is the large gap between the rich and the
poor, which is evident in the horrible lives lead by those who inhabit Slum City. People like
Ettie and Kitty, who are orphans, live in the most appalling and unsanitary conditions .
Sewerage runs in the streets, the river flows with “water the colour of vomit” and they are
plagued by flies as big as a human fist. The injustice of this is only highlighted when you
compare their lives to those of the Posh. The Posh live over the river in Mangeria City and
those in the slums require a pass to access the Posh areas and have to abide by a curfew. The
people in Slum City are also considered to be disposable. Once they are no longer able to do
their job, they are sent to a facility for Past Traders or are thrown on the Reject Dumps to die.
The Posh treat those from Slum City as if they are less than human and this lack of humanity
towards those less fortunate is perhaps the biggest marker of an unjust society.
In order for a society to be considered just, it must have a stable and fair government. In the
novel, the political system in rigged to benefit the Post and the legal system is a disgrace.
When it comes to their ‘elections’, The Mangerian families decide on twenty candidates and
everyone has twenty votes. This means that the voting system is just for show as the winners
are predetermined. When Kitty arrives in court for her trial, it is clear that she has been
physically tortured in an attempt to get her to implicate her accomplice. She receives no legal
representation and, in their system, is assumed guilty unless her innocence can be proven. A
society cannot be considered equal and fair if the people running it are capable of such
corruption and disregard for justice.
Ettie’s society is deeply flawed and filled with injustice. The majority of citizens have no
freedom to make their own choices. The poor in Slum City live lives of poverty and
persecution and are not valued as human beings. All of this is underpinned by a political and
justice system that is designed to benefit the wealthy few and leave the underprivileged
masses to fight over limited resources. While The Mark is set in a fictional world, it has many
of the trademarks of our society as, unfortunately, injustice is something with which most
communities are familiar.