Name ____________________________________________________________
LITERARY ANALYSIS ESSAY PLANNING SHEET
Journal Prompt: What do the customs and beliefs portrayed in the passage from Fahrenheit 451 reveal about that society,
and how can our society relate? Write a 3-minute free response-journal reflection on the meaning of the above prompt.
Complete the essay planning sheet below before writing your essay. Include only literary devices you plan to focus on in your
essay for the chart. Although you may not use the model paragraph we wrote together as a class, it is highly advised that you
use the paragraphs you wrote as a group, then independently, and had graded in Lesson 2 for this assignment.
INTRO
3-5 sentences
Begin with
lead-in
statements
End with a
thesis
statement
Lead-in statement –Intro of broad subject: Lead in
statements might (1) make a striking assertion, (2)
provide an anecdote or example that helps to
illustrate your subject, (3) use an interesting detail,
statistic, or quote, or (4) ask a provocative question.
Regardless of your approach, you need to let your
reader know about the broad subject of the essay.
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Thesis Statement –
Sample: Shakespeare uses metaphor and an
ominous tone to demonstrate that corruption
comes with the gaining of power.
Even if you play around with the structure, be sure to
include the following elements in your thesis:
1.title of text (unless it’s recently been mentioned in
the introduction);
2. author’s name (You may refer to the author by
his/her last name if the author’s full name was
previously mentioned.)
3. two literary elements (or more, pay attention to the
number required in the prompt). The first device will
be the one you wrote about in Lesson 2. The second
device will be any other that is used in the Fahrenheit
451 passage.
4. an active verb (such as demonstrates, displays,
reveals, portrays, shows, etc.) saying what the author
does.
BODY #1
Topic
Sentence
(pattern 1)
3 Chunks
(sentence
patterns 23-4)
Concluding
Sentence
(pattern 5)
5. a thematic statement - is a message about life or
human nature; it’s something the author seems to
believe is universally true. It must be arguable, it
must be universal, and it must be a complete
sentence all by itself. However, a theme cannot be 1)
just a topic, 2) just an opinion, 3) a fact, 4) a
suggestion. Ideally, the thematic statement will not
be a cliché and will imply some sort of cause and
effect.) Example: Corruption comes with the gaining
of power.
The topic sentence should support what you said in
the thesis using parallel structure. Therefore, it
should include both the literary element and the
theme. Example: Shakespeare uses metaphor to
assert that corruption comes with the gaining of
power.
You will write your two body paragraphs using the
same numbering system from Lesson 2. Therefore,
you will have 3 chunk sections (sentence patterns 23-4) including evidence, citations, support, and
examples.
Now that your paragraphs from Lesson 2 are being
used as part of an essay, you will need to tweak your
topic sentences and some wording here and there to
make sure you are answering the prompt for the
essay, not just the device specific prompts you wrote
about for Lesson 2.
Write your introduction here. Begin with your lead-in statements and
end with your thesis statement.
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Plan your 1st Body Paragraph here. Be sure to change your topic sentence
so that it addresses the essay’s prompt.
Topic Sentence ______________________________________________________________
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Chunk #1 citation ___________________________________________________________
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Chunk #2 citation ___________________________________________________________
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BODY #2
Topic
Sentence
(pattern 1)
3 Chunks
(sentence
patterns 23-4)
Concluding
Sentence
(pattern 5)
CONCLUSION
2-3
Sentences
Restate
Thesis
Statement
Universal
message or
real world
lesson
The topic sentence should support what you said in
the thesis using parallel structure. Therefore, it
should include both the literary element and the
theme. Example: Shakespeare uses metaphor to
assert that corruption comes with the gaining of
power.
You will write your two body paragraphs using the
same numbering system from Lesson 2. Therefore,
you will have 3 chunk sections (sentence patterns 23-4) including evidence, citations, support, and
examples.
Plan your 2nd Body Paragraph here. Be sure to change your topic
sentence so that it addresses the essay’s prompt.
Topic Sentence ______________________________________________________________
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Chunk #1 citation ___________________________________________________________
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Now that your paragraphs from Lesson 2 are being
used as part of an essay, you will need to tweak your
topic sentences and some wording here and there to
make sure you are answering the prompt for the
essay, not just the device specific prompts you wrote
about for Lesson 2.
Chunk #2 citation ___________________________________________________________
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The concluding paragraph should include a general
summary statement that recaps the thesis, a sentence
that restates the major points of argument, and a
wrap-up statement. The conclusion could also contain
the end of a split anecdote that would finish the story
begun in the introduction. The wrap-up statement
could contain insights of the essay writer, encourage
the reader to take action, emphasize the importance
of one of the points of argument, or create a solid
sense of finality.
Plan your conclusion lesson here.
The “So what?” section of your essay – sometimes
referred to as the “kicker” statement. You may discuss
ideas beyond what has been stated in the essay: draw
a further conclusion, or give an opinion. However, you
should not include new evidence in your last
paragraph.
Chunk #3 citation ___________________________________________________________
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Name ___________________________________________________________
Literary Analysis Essay
Prompt: In the following excerpt from Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury introduces a society unlike our own. Write an essay in
which you analyze how Bradbury uses patterns of language in this passage to reveal the customs and beliefs of this society.
Base your essay on the provided planning sheet.
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Period________
ESSAY GRADING SCALE
Read each box carefully looking at the differences among the levels 4-1.
Put an X on the box that applies. Average the five categories, and put grade on line below the boxes.
Categories
Focus Thesis & maintaining a
controlling idea
ContentDetails & quality of
development
OrganizationPattern & transitions
Voice Style, syntax, diction
choice.
4
3
2
1
Clear and direct answer to
prompt with focus on thesis
maintained throughout essay.
Answer may not be direct
and clear. Essay veers off
topic slightly.
Answer is vague and
confusing, lacking
clarity. Repeatedly
veers off topic.
Answer is attempted, but
is loosely related to the
prompt and focus on the
thesis is very weak.
Details and support are
accurate and perfectly relevant
to the thesis and supporting
ideas.
Details and support are
mostly accurate and onetwo may not be entirely
relevant to the thesis.
Details and support are
incorrect or are
incoherent or entirely
irrelevant.
Organization perfectly follows
a logical continuity and proper
transitions support the flow
and connections between
paragraphs and sentences.
Organization has lapses in
a logical continuity;
transitions are absent in
one-two places either
between sentences or
paragraphs.
One – two words are vague
and vivid description
lapses in one-two spots.
One-two consecutive
sentences are exactly the
same in structure and one
–two consecutive
sentences may be same
length.
One-two errors may be
evident but do not
interfere with meaning
and flow.
Details and support
are partially accurate;
a few of the examples
are not relevant to
thesis.
Organization is
attempted but
continuity is broken in
multiple places.
Transitions are weak,
but attempted in spots.
Word choice is vague
in multiple spots and
sentences lack
variation, resulting in
an average level of
maturity in voice.
Three + errors that
cause reader to
hesitate with
confusion while
reading.
Six + errors that cause
challenges for reader in
comprehending the
meaning.
Word choice is precise and
vivid. Sentence order is varied
(reverse word order) and
sentence lengths vary, adding
to sophisticated mature style.
No errors evident.
Conventions –
Grammar, usage, &
mechanics
Organization is present in
some spots and a lack of
transitions results in a
lack of flow and a sense of
choppiness.
Word choice and sentence
lengths are repetitive
resulting in a voice that is
very immature and a voice
below what would be
expected of a student at
this academic level.
SELF-EVALUATION - I give myself a ______ because . . . . (On lines below justify your score using words from the scale.)
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