NAME:
PER:
CONFLICT and THEME ESSAY – PREWRITING OUTLINE
Filling in the below outline should help you gather all of the ideas necessary to write your essay.
I. Temporary Thesis – Your main argument that clearly addresses the prompt.
(In this essay the thesis should do the following: state how the author uses internal conflict, external
conflict, and an additional literary element’s relationship to the conflict, to display a theme. Make
sure you include a thematic statement in your thesis.)
III. Body Paragraph Outline
Body Paragraph I
A. Topic Sentence (should explain how external conflict is present in the story and how it relates to a
theme):
B. Textual Evidence (directly quoted from the story):
C. Analysis (explanation of why the above evidence proves the claim in the topic sentence):
D. Explain the connection between this example of conflict and the theme:
Body Paragraph II
A. Topic Sentence (should explain how internal conflict is present in the story and how it relates to a
theme):
B. Textual Evidence (directly quoted from the story):
C. Analysis (explanation of why the above evidence proves the claim in the topic sentence):
D. Explain the connection between this example of conflict and the theme:
Body Paragraph III
A. Topic Sentence (should explain how an additional literary element (Setting, Irony, Symbol, Mood)
is related to the conflict and how the relationship between the two helps convey a theme.):
B. Textual Evidence (directly quoted from the story):
C. Analysis (explanation of why the above evidence proves the claim in the topic sentence):
D. Explain the connection between this example of conflict and the theme:
IV. Revised Thesis: Here you tweak the language of your thesis to make it perfect.
TIPS:
1. Make sure your thesis addresses all aspects of the prompt and states a clear argument.
2. Make sure all of your claims contain arguments.
3. Name the actual literary terms when you discuss them. Use words like theme, external conflict, and
internal conflict.
BRAINSTORMING:
Write down any ideas that come to you that you don’t want to forget: