Writing a Response to
Literature
Introduction Outline:
O Introduction:
O Attention grabber/Hook
O Background on the Novel ( 1-3 sentences)
O Thesis statement
O Arguable
O Supportable
O Original
Possible Hooks:
O 1. an interesting quotation ( related to the theme)
O 2. an anecdote ( relating to the theme)
O 3. a rhetorical question
O 4. Interesting Statement
O EXAMPLE: Arthur Miller once said, “Society is inside
of man and man is inside society, and you cannot
even create a truthfully drawn psychological entity on
the stage until you understand his social relations
and their power to make him what he is and to
prevent him from being what he is not.”
Background on the Play
O 3-7 sentence background on the play
O You only need to give enough information so that
they can follow you logic later on.
O Focus on summarizing events in the story that are
relevant to your topic.
O Ex: if I am talking about two characters ( Hale and
Parris) then I only need to summarize parts of the
story relevant to those two characters. I can leave
out the rest.
Example:
O Arthur Miller once said, “Society is inside of man and
man is inside society, and you cannot even create a
truthfully drawn psychological entity on the stage
until you understand his social relations and their
power to make him what he is and to prevent him
from being what he is not.” The main character, John
Proctor, is a hard working farmer who finds himself in
the midst of a society motivated by fear and frenzy.
The town has chosen to believe the lies of young girls
who have revenge and lust on their minds. The
protagonist fights against society in an attempt to see
the freedom of friends and the supremacy of the
truth throughout the play despite the lack of support
from most of those around him
The Thesis
O Should state the main topic of your paper ( Individual vs.
Society/ Character Foils).
O Should list your three subtopics ( evidence from the play that
supports your topic)
O EX: John Proctor displays the theme “individual vs. society”
throughout The Crucible by his testament against the court,
his decisions to be an ill-attender at church as well as to
commit audultery,and ultimately his choice to die in this fight
against the girls of the town and those that believe their lies.
Example Introduction
O
Arthur Miller once said, “Society is inside of man and man is inside
society, and you cannot even create a truthfully drawn psychological
entity on the stage until you understand his social relations and their
power to make him what he is and to prevent him from being what he is
not.” Arthur Miller echoes the largest theme to be seen in the story of
the Crucible as it sets a scene on the stage. The main character, John
Proctor, is a hard working farmer who finds himself in the midst of a
society motivated by fear and frenzy. The town has chosen to believe
the lies of young girls who have revenge and lust on their minds. The
protagonist fights against society in an attempt to see the freedom of
friends and the supremacy of the truth throughout the play despite the
lack of support from most of those around him. John Proctor displays
the theme “individual vs. society” throughout The Crucible by his
testament against the court, his decisions to be an ill-attender at
church as well as to commit audultery,and ultimately his choice to die
in this fight against the girls of the town and those that believe their lies
Bellwork
December 7, 2012
O If you had to choose an age to be for your
whole life, knowing that you would never
grow older, what age would you choose?
Explain your choice.
Body Paragraphs:
O Add details about body paragraphs to your
notes.
Topic Sentence
O Provide the main idea of the paragraph
O It should be utterly clear what the paragraph is
going to be about
O It should connect to the list you made in your
thesis.
O Subtopic One= Paragraph one
O Subtopic Two=Paragraph two
O Subtopic Three=paragraph three
EX: John Proctor displays the theme “ individual vs.
society” through the testament he argues against
the courts of Salem.
Supporting Evidence
O Include specific textual evidence:
O cited quotes from the book or paraphrase of
events
O Be sure to cite page numbers of the
information you use.
O Do not simply start a sentence with quotes
O You must always use a transition to lead in a
quote
O Ex:
O For example,
O
In addition,
Golding says,
He says,
Example:
O X: John Proctor displays the theme “
individual vs. society” through the testament
he argues against the courts of Salem. For
example, he states, “It is a providence, and
no great change; we are only what we
always were, but naked now. Aye, naked!
And the wind, God’s icy wind, will blow” (
987).
Analysis
O Explain to the reader the significance of the
evidence you have provided. Think about
why you chose to include it.
O How does the piece of evidence support
your thesis and answer the question
addressed in your essay?
Example:
O . John Proctor displays the theme “ individual vs.
society” through the testament he argues against the
courts of Salem. For example, he states, “It is a
providence, and no great change; we are only what
we always were, but naked now. Aye, naked! And the
wind, God’s icy wind, will blow” ( 987). Proctor
describes “God’s icy wind” as the truth he is going to
share with the court the next day. He has faith in the
fact that the truth will reign supreme in the courts
since it is reasonable, however, in order to do this, he
goes against the religious leadership of his town.
Thus, he echoes in this action the theme of one man
against the rest of society.
O
Add more evidence and
analysis:
O Each body paragraph should have at least
two quotes/ paraphrases from the play as
support.
O Each quote should be analyzed in your own
words in at least two sentences.
Example:
O
. John Proctor displays the theme “ individual vs. society” through the
testament he argues against the courts of Salem. For example, he
states, “It is a providence, and no great change; we are only what we
always were, but naked now. Aye, naked! And the wind, God’s icy wind,
will blow” ( 987). Proctor describes “God’s icy wind” as the truth he is
going to share with the court the next day. He has faith in the fact that
the truth will reign supreme in the courts since it is reasonable,
however, in order to do this, he goes against the religious leadership of
his town. Thus, he echoes in this action the theme of one man against
the rest of society. Despite Proctor’s attempts to argue reason with the
court, in desperation he later says, “But it is a whore’s vengeance…”(
997). He continues his challenge to the court and goes as far as
condemning himself to challenge the rest of society. In anger at the
false sense of justice leading the town, he challenges the basis of this
court.
Transition Sentence
O End with a transition sentence to the next
subtopic.
O Connect each paragraph with a sentence or two
that demonstrates how each idea leads into the
next, and how they work together to support your
position.
O EX: John’s challenge of the court proceedings in
Salem is the epitome of the theme “ individual
vs. Society” but it is not the only thing Proctor
does to challenge the leadership; he also
chooses to die believing in the truth.
Example:
O
. John Proctor displays the theme “ individual vs. society” through the
testament he argues against the courts of Salem. For example, he
states, “It is a providence, and no great change; we are only what we
always were, but naked now. Aye, naked! And the wind, God’s icy wind,
will blow” ( 987). Proctor describes “God’s icy wind” as the truth he is
going to share with the court the next day. He has faith in the fact that
the truth will reign supreme in the courts since it is reasonable,
however, in order to do this, he goes against the religious leadership of
his town. Thus, he echoes in this action the theme of one man against
the rest of society. Despite Proctor’s attempts to argue reason with the
court, in desperation he later says, “But it is a whore’s vengeance…”(
997). He continues his challenge to the court and goes as far as
condemning himself to challenge the rest of society. In anger at the
false sense of justice leading the town, he challenges the basis of this
court. John’s challenge of the court proceedings in Salem is the
epitome of the theme “ individual vs. Society” but it is not the only thing
Proctor does to challenge the leadership; he also chooses to die
believing in the truth.
Body Paragraphs:
O Topic Sentences
O Direct evidence from text/paraphrase
O Analyze quote
O Support your thesis
O Use Quotations from text
O Direct quote from text/paraphrase
O Analyze quote
O Transition Sentence
O Begin writing the rough draft of your body paragraphs
now. Typed rough draft of ALL Three paragraphs are due
Monday!
Bellwork November 6th:
O One strength of an intelligent person is recognizing
when they do not know everything. Describe
something ( anything) that you would like to know
more about. Think of a skill you would like to gain, a
person you want to know more about, etc. Why are
you interested in learning more about this subject?
O 7-10 Sentences.
O FYI
O 7-10 quality sentences = 1o points (an A)
O 5-6 quality sentences = 7 points ( a C)
O 4 quality sentences = 5 points ( an F)
O Less than 4 = 0-3 points ( a lower F)
Conclusion
O Restate your thesis statement
O Briefly summarize your main points
O Avoid repeating body paragraphs
O WOW factor
adds extra energy to your paper.
not necessary, but makes for a stronger paper
John Proctor is constantly battling the rest of
society whether that be by refusing to attend
church gatherings, arguing for the truth in
court, or dying as a final protest of his beliefs.
Proctor displays moral conviction that
challenges his society to be better even the
very end of his life. Miller uses these events
to inspire readers to challenge their own
society when the beliefs they hold are not
upheld and respected.
Other necessary tidbits…
O Use the present tense when talking about
O
O
O
O
events in the book.
Don’t assume the reader has read the book,
write a quick, concise summary in the
opening paragraph
Don’t use “I” statements, weakens your
arguments
Create an original title
Make sure all evidence supports your thesis
Time to Write
O Restate Thesis
O WOW factor Ending
O ROUGH DRAFT for peer editing is due tomorrow.
Final draft will be due Thursday:
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Final
Turnitin.com
Rough Draft
Peer Edit
Notes with brainstorming on them
Next:
O Get out a sheet of paper to start our final
step of the portfolio of the semester.