Critical Essay Writing:
A Step by Step Guide
To write a strong critical essay, under timed conditions and without the texts in front of you, is a
challenge. Once you have learnt a variety of quotations and you have re-read your texts and jotter
notes, use the following steps to construct your essay. As with any skill, practice makes perfect, so
the more you practice at home, the better and quicker your writing will become. The following guide
is colour coded and numbered to match the attached critical essay.
Introduction
Your introduction, most importantly, must address the essay question- both parts of it. Once you
have mentioned the title, and author (along with a carefully chosen adjective to describe the text)
your opening sentence should also refer to the key words from the question. You should also
mention the setting and theme- both time and place are relevant for ‘Gatsby’. If appropriate, you
should also give the genre/type (e.g. dramatic monologue for ‘The Devil’s Wife). Only name-drop
techniques which you plan to discuss in your essay-do not list them unnecessarily. Sum up the plot,
but keep it short and relevant to question. The examiner does not need to know EVERY little detail in
Gatsby!
Central Paragraph- in 10 simple steps!
1. Begin with a topic sentence which links to the question and outlines what the focus of the
paragraph will be. Try to vary your use of key question words- use synonyms. Make sure you
have a line of thought/ an argument. Do not simply ‘waffle’ around the question- have a
direction to your thoughts.
2. Set the context- by this, I mean expand on your topic sentence. Explain what your opening
sentence argument is in more detail. Give some background information and some details of
the plot relevant to the essay question. You may wish to use very short quotation here,
without analysis. Avoid ‘story telling’- assume your reader/assessor has read the book, so
only focus on giving your version of events to back up your argument. Try to subtly add in
your own opinion.
3. Start thinking about introducing your first quotation. It should not appear too early on in
your paragraph- certainly not within the first 2-3 sentences.
4. Write out your quotation, as accurately as possible. Remember, short quotations stay in the
main body of your essay, marked within quotation marks. Longer quotations should be
indented and on a new line, without quotation marks, unless you are quoting dialogue. Use
a colon to introduce your quotation. If you forget the exact wording of a quotation in the
exam, do not panic! Simply write it down as close to the original as you can remember.
5. Begin your analysis of the quotation, but avoid using the words ‘quote’ and ‘quotation’- they
are completely unnecessary. Also try to avoid constantly starting analysis with the same
openings, such as, ‘This shows…’ or ‘This reveals…’ These are predictable and mundane
openings. Instead, launch straight into your comments on what they show. Keep the
question in mind throughout your analysis. Comment on the connotations of words and
images, but remember, you will have much more minute analysis when discussing a poem
than you will when analysing a novel.
6. Move gradually and seamlessly into your second quotation, developing your argument
further.
7. Layout your second quotation as appropriate according to its length.
8. Continue your argument and analysis of your second quotation. Consider how it makes you
feel and how the character feels. Consider all the techniques we’ve learnt- imagery, word
choice, structure, tone etc.
9. Have a sort of ‘closing sentence’ (similar to your topic sentence) which sums up your
paragraph and links back to the essay question.
10. Repeat the above steps for your other paragraphs- always use linking words to start each
new central paragraph. Try to show some kind of progression in your argument, and that
you have a clear line of thought.
Conclusion
You must try to leave time for a conclusion, even a couple of sentences are better than nothing at
all. Your conclusion should be an overview of your essay, but should also try to think about ‘the
bigger picture’- this will vary depending on the question. But think about the impact of the
character/plot/setting etc. in a wider sense. Make sure you are clearly answering the question.
Conclusions need not start with ‘In conclusion’ or ‘To conclude’, examiners will appreciate a unique
opening to a conclusion, away from the same old. However, that said, it must still begin in a way that
clearly signals you are concluding and summing up your thoughts and essay.
Things to note!
Sentence openings
Set. Having. Gatsby. Despite. Through. Fitzgerald. From. It. Preoccupied. Despite. It. It. We.
Originating. Fitzgerald’s. However. Instead. Gatsby’s. Perhaps. Gatsby. Gatsby’s. When. The.
Although. We. Nick. It. The. Ultimately. As. As. Gatsby. Although. Gatsby. As. Unsurprisingly.
Fitzgerald. In. Gatsby. When. Gatsby. As. Although. Fitzgerald. Fundamental. In. Humans. Gatsby.
Human. Jay. At. But. As. Thanks. Yet.
Vary your sentence openings- above are the openings words to each sentence in my essay (excluding
quotations). Note the variety- some (9) ‘Gatsbys’ and (4) ‘Fitzgeralds’ are to be expected- but try to
vary others. Also note, there are no ‘This shows…’ or ‘This reveals…’ etc.- stay away from this habit.
A good trick is to start with a word from the middle of your potential sentence. E.g.
Gatsby is preoccupied with his futile attempts to meet Daisy, and even throws lavish parties in the
hope that Daisy may be intrigued enough to stop by.
Becomes…
Preoccupied with his futile attempts to meet Daisy, Gatsby even throws lavish parties in the hope
that Daisy may be intrigued enough to stop by.

Challenge yourself to write a central paragraph without repeating an opening word more
than once.
Confidence
Sounding confident in an essay is crucial. Avoid saying ‘This may suggest…’ or ‘This might be…’ You
should sound assured and knowledgeable in your discussion of the text- after all, you should be
something of an expert by now! It is acceptable to ponder over aspects of the text, provided you can
back up your ideas. E.g.
Perhaps Gatsby needed to build up a false self in order to succeed with Daisy, but he is determined
not to falter in his romantic intentions, as Nick states, “to this conception he was faithful to the end.”
Proofreading
You MUST build in 5 minutes at the end of the exam to read over BOTH essays to check sense,
spelling, capital letters, punctuation etc. Your grade can be knocked down if technical accuracy is
poor.
When reading your essay over it may feel like you have missed out large aspects of the novel. For
example, in the attached essay I barely mention Tom, Jordan, colours, eyes, setting etc. But this is
normal. Your essay is supposed to focus in on ONE particular aspect- in this case, Gatsby and his
flaws. Do not try to cover the whole plot- that is NOT what is being asked of you in a critical essay.
Final Note
You may use my essay as part of your revision materials, but do not learn off by heart!! You will not
be able to mould a memorised essay into a different essay question in the exam. Instead, use the
step by step guide to help you write your own essays.
If you wish to email me an essay to read over, send to: vmaloney@peebles.scotborders.sch.uk
Good luck!
Sample Critical Essay: ‘The Great Gatsby’
Essay Question (Q6 from 2011 SQA paper)
Choose a novel in which a central character is flawed but remains an admirable figure.
Show how the writer makes you aware of these aspects of personality and discuss how this feature
of characterisation enhances your appreciation of the text as a whole.
Introduction
Set in 1920s America, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s tragic novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ follows the journey of
flawed protagonist Jay Gatsby as he yearns to once again capture the heart of his long lost love,
Daisy Buchanan. Having sacrificed five years of his life in the aim of winning Daisy back, it is clear
from the outset that Gatsby is a hopeless romantic, a crippling flaw which tragically leads to his
demise. Gatsby, a man from a humble background, is the embodiment of the novel’s theme, The
American Dream, as he strives to impress Daisy with his self-made wealth. Despite Gatsby’s flaws,
Fitzgerald ensures he remains an admirable figure, as we are made to empathise with Gatsby and his
unrequited love for Daisy. Through the use of narrative style and word choice, we as readers, can
only watch in anticipation as Gatsby’s idealism and romanticism brings about his own tragic
downfall.
Central Paragraph
1Fitzgerald
makes us aware of Gatsby’s defect when we realise the lengths Gatsby has, and will go
to, in order to attract Daisy’s attention. 2From his stately mansion to his illegal bootlegging of
prohibited alcohol, Gatsby’s entire life is one massive façade built up in a bid to secure Daisy’s heart.
It seems there are no lengths he will not go to in order to recapture his childhood sweetheart.
Preoccupied with his futile attempts to meet Daisy, Gatsby even throws lavish parties in the hope
that Daisy may be intrigued enough to stop by. 3Despite the efforts Gatsby goes to in his romantic
quest, we cannot help but pity a man who has given up everything to achieve his goal. It becomes
apparent that Gatsby has had to completely reinvent himself:
4His
parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people--his imagination had never really
accepted them as his parents at all. The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island,
sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God... So he invented just
the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy would be likely to invent, and to this
conception he was faithful to the end.
5It
is deeply saddening to discover that Gatsby has felt it necessary to abandon his old self, and even
deny his real parents. We must acknowledge that Gatsby feels a deep seated inadequacy in himself.
Originating from the West, and from a remarkably modest upbringing, Gatsby’s lowly financial status
in the past was not enough to entice Daisy into marriage. Fitzgerald’s repetition of “conception” and
“invent(ed)” highlights the idea that the version of Gatsby who we are now presented with is no
more than a projection, a carefully chosen persona and a fraud. However, we do not hold this
against Gatsby, thanks to Nick Carraway’s bias narration. Instead we merely feel sympathy for a man
who has done all he can to win the heart of his true love. Gatsby’s new image overcompensates for
his old self, as he now feels like “a son of God,” suggesting he imagines himself other worldly and
endowed with supernatural powers. Perhaps Gatsby needed to build up a false self in order to
succeed with Daisy, but he is determined not to falter in his romantic intentions, as Nick states, “to
this conception he was faithful to the end.” Gatsby will not stop at anything to win over Daisy.
6Gatsby’s reinvention does not stop at his personality, as he has also accumulated a vast array of
material possessions in the hope of appealing to Daisy’s fickle nature. When finally Gatsby realises
his dream and he is showing off his luxurious home to Daisy, it is clear Gatsby is besotted with her,
and his love for her is unfaltering:
7He
hadn’t once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house
according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes. Sometimes, too, he
stared around at his possessions in a dazed way, as though in her actual and astounding
presence none of it was any longer real. Once he nearly toppled down a flight of stairs.
8The
ridiculous suggestion that his objects are only worth Daisy’s valuations reveal the degree to
which he hangs on her every word. Although it may seem at times that Gatsby is a shallow,
materialistic man, we can now see that he does not care for these items, but only for Daisy. We can
forgive Gatsby’s flaw and still admire him as a character. Nick, as our honest narrator, recognises
that Gatsby is clearly just a man in love with a girl. It is as though meeting Daisy again has made all
his acquired possessions seem surplus to requirement. The fact Gatsby “nearly toppled down a flight
of stairs” shows us he is unsteady both in his mind and on his feet when in Daisy’s presence.
9Ultimately, Gatsby reverts to being a love struck teenager, and despite being a hopeless romantic
his intentions are always in Daisy’s best interests. As a flawed character, we perhaps should be more
critical of Gatsby, but we cannot help but sympathise with his desperation and naivety.
Central Paragraph 2
10As
well as Gatsby being a hopeless romantic, another flaw of Gatsby’s is his idealism and his
inability to face reality. Gatsby is fundamentally a dreamer. Although this could be interpreted as a
positive character trait, in Gatsby’s case it is a weakness as he struggles to let go of his unrealistic
dreams. Gatsby has had five long, wistful years in which to build up a perfect memory of Daisy. As is
the tendency with memories, he recalls Daisy in an idealistic fashion. Unsurprisingly, as a result of
Gatsby’s unrealistic expectations, Daisy fails to match up to his hopes:
There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his
dreams – not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion. It had
gone beyond her, beyond everything.
Fitzgerald leaves no doubt in the reader’s mind that this disappointment is not the fault of Daisy, but
rather the inevitable shattering of Gatsby’s ‘illusion’. In the final, short, repetitive sentence above we
understand that Gatsby’s dream will never be realised, even if he himself does not. Gatsby has
imagined a whole life with Daisy- marriage, even children perhaps- so he struggles to come to terms
with the fact that Daisy has moved on. When Gatsby “rather feebly” talks about Daisy’s daughter, he
asks in a bemused manner: “I suppose she talks, and- eats, and everything.” Gatsby had not factored
in the idea of Daisy having moved on, let alone her having had children with another man. As with
many of the characters in ‘The Great Gatsby,’ the protagonist is dissatisfied and disillusioned with
what he discovers. Although we may feel sympathetic for the rejected Gatsby, we can still commend
him for his passion and determination. Fitzgerald successfully creates a character who is
simultaneously flawed and admirable.
Fundamental to the enjoyment of a text lies in the reader’s ability to identify with a character. In
writing ‘The Great Gatsby’ Fitzgerald has managed an incredible feat- he has created a character
who feels human. Humans are not perfect. Gatsby is not perfect. Human beings have insecurities,
passions and sometimes selfish intentions. Jay Gatsby is idealistic, a dreamer and a hopeless
romantic. At points throughout the novel he can even appear materialistic, fickle and shallow. But
we realise that all his imperfections stem from his unwavering devotion to one woman, Daisy
Buchanan. As a result, we may feel frustrated or pity for Gatsby, but never true anger or hatred.
Thanks to Nick’s honest narration we witness Gatsby’s innocent and naïve dream come crashing
down. Yet we are left in no doubt that Gatsby, having been “smashed up” by “careless people” is the
one character in the novel who we as readers should remain faithful to.