Responding to Literature Expository Essay
As students, you know how to read a character in a story. You know whether he/she is smart or stupid; you know whether he/she is a good guy or bad guy; you know when a character is being believable and when a character is lying because you have an outside view of the text.
We will continue this discussion about character and characterization, but now let’s talk about how the author does this . What are the tricks of the trade? We will further examine devices like: word choice, setting, actions, tone, and point of view. The purpose is to find out why an author might use these devices and what does an author want us to learn and know.
In “Raymond’s Run,” Squeaky works hard at a goal she wants to achieve, and in doing so realizes more about life’s potential. Underlying this story is a number of themes about identity and motivation.
The short story “Flowers for Algernon,” is about a mentally disabled man who undergoes an experimental operation to make him “smart.” Underlying this story is a number of themes about human life and personal interactions.
ESSAY: Write an essay about one of the major themes you found in either story; explain how the author uses that theme to create realistic characters and a realistic story. Using at least three items from the list below, explain how the author weaves literary elements into the story to further strengthen the overall theme you discuss. Your job for this essay is to pick a theme and teach it through three of literary elements.
Literary Elements List


Tone
Foreshadowing
 Style


Setting
 Structure
Word Choice
• Irony
• Voice
• Point of View
• Narration
• Conflict
Each of those elements makes the story stronger, but they also help teach the major theme of the story.
Toni Cade Bambara wanted us to learn something from
Raymond’s Run, and we came up with a list of some of those themes:

Bullying only makes others stronger.

Mentally challenged people should be treated with kindness and respect.

Siblings protect each other at all costs.

Hard work and dedication are rewarded.

What we see in others helps us to better understand ourselves.

Be careful how you treat others.

Responding to Literature Expository Essay
Daniel Keyes wanted us to learn something from Flowers for Algernon , and we came up with a list of some of those themes:


Mentally challenged people should be treated equally.
You shouldn’t take advantage of people.
 Choose your friends carefully.
 Quick fixes might not be worth it.
 People aren’t who they appear to be on the surface.


Be careful of who you become.
 Don’t pretend to be someone/something you’re not.
Don’t further disable the disabled.
Your job for this essay is to pick a theme from one of the above and teach it through three of literary elements. Therefore, your paper should look similar to this:
Introduction Paragraph: Name the story, the author and give a brief description of what the story is about. Explain the major theme or themes the author taught us through the story. Make a list of at least three literary elements used to help us understand the story.
Body Paragraph #1: This paragraph should be about the first literary element from your list; explain how the author uses the writing skill to show us the theme. Explain using the color-coded writing method we’ve been discussing in class. Use ( R/D/F)
Reasons/Details/Facts . Explain what the element means, and give as many (E) examples you can and provide evidence from the text.
Body Paragraph #2: Repeat, but with the second element from your list.
Body Paragraph #3: Repeat, but with the third element from your list.
Conclusion: In this last paragraph you need to remind me about the overall topic of your paper, and you need to revisit each of those three elements. Explain how the author’s use of these elements made it a better story — explain that he used those elements to better understand that theme. Explain what you’ve
learned through the story.
GUIDELINES:
Typed
Double-Spaced
#12 font (Times New Roman or Arial)
Dates Due:
Essay Outline:
Rough Draft:
Final Draft:
Oct 8
Oct 15
Oct 19