Wednesday March 26 2014
Learning Goals
1. Review the key structure of an essay
2. Begin preliminary work on your own essays
by discussing possible connections and
examples from the book and/or movie(s)
Today
1. Please hand in your questions
2. John Green – The Catcher in the Rye Part 2
3. Essay Structure and Tips
4. Brainstorming of Connections
5. Getting Started
John Green
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUnQ-wOPGUE
 Discuss a quote or comment from the video
that resonated with you. Do you agree?
Disagree?
Your introduction should…
 Introduce your topic and argument
 an essay is not a novel in which there is a surprise
ending
 with an essay, state your position at the beginning
 Be an example of a *spoiler alert!*
 Introduce the various points of your essay without
being too specific … save the “guts” of your essay for
the body paragraphs
Structure of Introduction
 Hook (quote, interesting statement, or a question
that will be explored in your essay)
 Introduction of texts/authors and/or topic
 Thesis – specific argument
 Introduction of three main points
 Final sentence to transition into the first body
paragraph
Thesis
 Make sure it is an argument
 Not Arguable: "Computers are becoming an efficient
mechanism for managing and transmitting
information in large businesses“ (Johnson).
 Arguable: "Heavy use of computers may disrupt family
cohesion and increase divorce in society” (Johnson).
 Be specific
 Poor Specificity: "We should not pass the microchip
bill” (Johnson).
 Good Specificity: "Because the microchip insert
causes serious health hazards such as cancer and
brain tumors to those who use it, the microchip
should not be passed“ (Johnson).
 Make it simple – all of your points in your essay should
relate back to this statement
A Strong Literary Thesis
 “In “A Worn Path,” Eudora Welty creates a fictional character in
Phoenix Jackson whose determination, faith, and cunning
illustrate the indomitable human spirit.
 Note that the work, author, and character to be analyzed are
identified in this thesis statement. The thesis relies on a strong
verb (creates). It also identifies the element of fiction that the
writer will explore (character) and the characteristics the
writer will analyze and discuss (determination, faith,
cunning)” (Literary Analysis Thesis).
 “In “The Masque of the Red Death,” Poe uses the symbolism of
the stranger, the clock, and the seventh room to develop the
theme of death” (Literary Analysis Thesis).
 “In “Barn Burning,” William Faulkner shows the characters Sardie
and Abner Snopes struggling for their identity” (Literary Analysis
Thesis).
Body Paragraphs
 Topic sentence of main point!
 Make sure the connection between the topic of your
body paragraph and your thesis is clear
 Sub points that support the main point
 Proof with analysis
 Quote and explanation of quote
 Concluding/transition sentence
Conclusion




Restate thesis and summarize main arguments
Keep it relatively short
End the conclusion with something thought-provoking
“say something that will continue to simmer in the reader's
minds long after he or she has put down your essay. To
leave this memorable impression, try . . .
 giving a thought-provoking quotation
 describing a powerful image
 talking about consequences or implications
 stating what action needs to be done
 ending on an interesting twist of thought
 explaining why the topic is important” (Johnson).
Voice
 Joyce Carol Oates says that “essay writing…doesn't




require a heightened and mediated voice, like prose
fiction, but rather a calm, rational, even conversational
voice ” (qtd. in “Essay Quotes”).
Avoid using “I” or “you”
Be rational not emotional – let your explanations and
proof support your argument
Avoid generalizations like “everyone knows” or “society
believes…”
Be assertive in your writing but do not make
unfounded claims (instead of saying “the author
intends… “ use “this suggests that the author may be
intending for…”
Be Convincing and Know Your Topic
 Constance Baker Motley once said “in high school, I
won a prize for an essay on tuberculosis. When I got
through writing the essay, I was sure I had the disease”
(qtd. in “Essay Quotes”).
 Rather than saying “I think this statement
demonstrates Holden’s self-imposed alienation” say
“this statement is an example of Holden’s self-imposed
alienation”
 Rather than “this quote makes readers” use “this quote
invites readers” (don’t overgeneralize the reader’s
response)
The Title
 James Pay argues that “one would think that in writing
about literary men and matters there would be no
difficulty in finding a title for one's essay…I find this,
however, far from being the case” (qtd. in “Essay
Quotes”).
 Your title can include
 The title of the texts being studied and/or the author’s
name
 The topic or argument of your essay
The Finished Product
 Chris Abani states that “it takes me forever to actually
finish something like a ten-page essay. But, when I do,
I usually love what they are. It's a complicated
relationship” (qtd. in “Essay Quotes”).
 Take time to edit your essay
 Fix grammar and spelling
 Diversify word choice (if you are repeating a word over
and over look at that word’s synonyms and see if there is
another word you could be using)
 Vary sentence structure/length
Works Cited
“Essay Quotes.” BrainyQuote. BookRags Media Network, n.d.
Web. 19 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/essa
y.html>
Johnson, Tom. Ten Steps to Writing an Essay. The
American University in Cairo, August 2004. Web.
19 Oct. 2013.
<http://www1.aucegypt.edu/academic/wr
iters/index.htm>
Literary Analysis Thesis. Learning and Tutoring Center,
Summer 2011. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.
<http://depts.gpc.edu/~gpcltc/handouts/communicat
ions/literarythesis.pdf>