Writing About Literature Part of responding to a piece of literature is learning to determine an author’s key lines on your own and then being able to explain them in terms of plot, literary elements and/or theme. Choice One: Plot - Find a quote and include its page number for each of the following: o Exposition o Rising action o Climax o Falling action and/or resolution Choice Two: Literary Elements - Choose ONE literary element on which to focus (ie: characterization, irony, foreshadowing, etc.) - Find 3 quotes and include their page numbers for each of the following: o Find a quote from the BEGINNING of the story that supports the literary element o Find a quote from the MIDDLE of the story that supports the literary element o Find a quote from the END of the story that supports the literary element Choice Three: Theme - Write an original theme statement Find 3 quotes and include their page numbers for each of the following: o Find a quote from the BEGINNING of the story that supports the theme o Find a quote from the MIDDLE of the story that supports the theme o Find a quote from the END of the story that supports the theme Lit & Comp-- Short Story Unit TCQE Paragraph- Prewriting Sheet Name ____________________ Title: Author: Topic Choice: _____ Plot (3-4 events) _____ Characterization (choose ONE character: ____________________________) _____ Lit. Element (circle ONE: setting, foreshadowing, symbolism/imagery, irony, conflict) _____ Theme (3 part theme—B-M-E) Sample thesis statements: Plot: “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell has a very exciting and intriguing plotline. Characterization: Rainsford is a dynamic character in Richard Connell’s story “The Most Dangerous Game.” Literary Element: Richard Connell uses foreshadowing to develop the plot in his story “The Most Dangerous Game.” Theme: In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”, the author shows that humans are creatures of habit who follow the crows without considering the consequences. Now, write YOUR thesis (include: title, author & topic choice): Choose 3 quotes to support your topic choice: Quote #1 & page # (beginning of story): Quote #2 & page # (middle of story): Quote #3 & page # (end of story): NOTE: You may have 4 Quotes if you are writing about Plot: Quote 1= exposition Quote 3= climax Quote 2= initial incident/rising action Quote 4= falling action/resolution More Sample Thesis Statements… Choose ONE of the following thesis sentences from “The Most Dangerous Game” or one of the thesis statements listed below. The thesis you choose should be one with which you feel comfortable and confident that you can find three quotes and explain for your literary analysis paragraph. “Stop the Sun” In the short story “Stop the Sun”, Gary Paulsen uses the characterization of Terry’s dad to show a traumatic experience may haunt a person for the rest of his life, hurting both him and those around him. In the short story “Stop the Sun”, Gary Paulsen uses the characterization of Terry to show that even though family members may be embarrassed of each other, they should always try to understand each other. “Lamb to the Slaughter” In the short story “Lamb to the Slaughter”, Roald Dahl uses the characterization of Mary to show that when someone gets upsetting news, she may act in ways that may seem abnormal. In the short story “Lamb to the Slaughter”, Roald Dahl uses irony to show suspense is a powerful emotion that catches the reader’s attention. “The Lottery” In the short story “The Lottery”, Shirley Jackson uses irony to show that people can be involved in situations that turn out the opposite of what is expected. In the short story “The Lottery”, Shirley Jackson uses symbolism to give readers a better understanding of the way society continues traditions. In the short story “The Lottery”, Shirley Jackson uses foreshadowing to make the reader feel more suspense about how the story will unfold. characterization of the villagers to show that when people are raised to practice a In the short story “The Lottery”, Shirley Jackson uses certain tradition, it becomes normal in their eyes no matter how ridiculous it may actually be. In the short story “The Lottery”, Shirley Jackson uses characterization of Tessie to show that sometimes people can be blinded by set traditions, learning that it has lost its value too late. OR… You may write about plot for any of the stories you read—see sample on the previous page. Writing a Theme-based Paragraph As a basic building block of good writing, you must be able to formulate clear theme statements about what you read and then be able to support these statements with evidence (direct quotes) from the text. The TCQE model allows you to learn, practice, develop and advance this fundamental skill. Topic: Here you should make a statement, in a complete sentence, about the work you read. This sentence should NOT simply be a factual plot summary. Try to focus on a theme (moral of the story) and ONE literary element such as: o characterization of ONE character/group of characters (dynamic or static) o setting o symbolism/imagery o irony Sample Topic Sentence: “All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury In “All Summer in a Day” Ray Bradbury uses the characterization of the children to show that although envy may cause individuals to act in appalling ways they may eventually attempt to rectify their despicable behavior. Literary element = characterization of children envy = find an example that proves the children are envious (beginning of the story) appalling actions = find an example that shows the children behaving badly (middle of the story) attempt to rectify their despicable behavior = find an example that shows the children feeling ashamed and trying to right a wrong (end of the story) A POOR Sample Topic Sentence: Ray Bradbury writes a futuristic story about children living on Venus. TCQE Prep Short Story Title: Step 1: Write your thesis/topic sentence Step 2: Fill in the table with context, quotations (remember the include quotation marks and page #s) and explanation Beginning of the story Middle of the story End of the story Context: Context: Context: Quotation: Quotation: Quotation: Explanation: Explanation: Explanation: Step 3: Write a concluding sentence that sums up the paragraph Sample Outlines Outline #1 Topic Sentence: PLOT Context: Exposition Quotation: He says, “ “ (p. 2). Explain / Analyze: Context: Rising Action Quote: He says, “ “ (p. 4). Explain / Analyze: Context: Climax Quote: He says, “ “ (p. 6). Explain / Analyze: Context: Falling Action & Resolution Quote: He says, “ “ (p. 8). Explain / Analyze: Conclusion: Outline #2 Topic Sentence: LITERARY ELEMENT (choose ONE) Context: Quote: Find quote from beginning of story that includes the element. Explain / Analyze: Context: Quote: Find quote from middle of story that includes the element. Explain / Analyze: Context: Quote: Find quote from end of story that includes the element. Explain / Analyze: Conclusion: Outline #3 Topic Sentence: THEME Context: Quote: Find quote from beginning of story that supports the theme. Explain / Analyze: Context: Quote: Find quote from middle of story that supports the theme. Explain / Analyze: Context: Quote: Find quote from end of story that supports the theme. Explain / Analyze: Conclusion: “The Lottery” Literary Paragraph Version A Creatures of Habit In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” she shows that humans are creatures of habit who follow the crowd without considering the consequences. First, the town square begins to fill with villagers of all ages and kids are running around and adults are talking with one another. The narrator says, “Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones” (Jackson 1). The boys are having fun collecting the stones, but they are not thinking about the fact that the stones will be used to kill someone. Secondly, once the community has gathered, Mr. Summers presents the box of blank sheets of paper, one having the black dot on it. Jackson says, “because so much of the ritual had been forgotten, Mr. Summers had been successful in having slips of paper substituted for wood that had been used for generations” (Jackson 3). As this quote states, the community has forgotten some of the tradition, and it is likely that the villagers have also forgotten why people use stones. Finally, when the drawing gets underway, some townspeople start to question the event. Old Man Warner says, “there has always been a lottery” (Jackson 5). Because the old man says this, the crowd immediately hushes and agrees that the lottery is necessary. Jackson develops a story that requires society to question and reevaluate the value of tradition. Literature & Composition Checklist for the Literary Paragraph Name ______________________ ________ I have included the author’s name in the topic sentence ________ I have put quotation marks around the title of the short story ________ My context statements are ONLY one sentence and begin with a transition ________ Context #1 ________ Context #2 ________ Context #3 ________ My context statements tell the reader what is happening in the story when the quote is stated ________ Context #1 ________ Context #2 ________ Context #3 ________ I have embedded my quotations (The narrator says, “…”) and place the period INSIDE of the quotation mark ________ Quote #1 ________ Quote #2 ________ Quote #3 ________ I have included the page number after the quotation (9) ________ Quote #1 ________ Quote #2 ________ Quote #3 ________ My explanation tells HOW the quotation supports the topic sentence _________ Explanation #1 _________ Explanation #2 _________ Explanation #3 ________ My clincher restates the topic sentence Short Story Paragraph - Grading Rubric Name: _______________________________________________ Group: ___________ Story: ______________________________________________________________________ Paragraph Rubric Beginning Developing Accomplished Exceptional Ideas & Content - misrepresents or lacks required context, quote, explanation - main idea present- stated in topic sentence - main idea controls paragraph - goes above & beyond—few suggestions for improvement quality of: context quote choice explanation - may stray off task/ lacks focus - some details may be off track - context, quotes, explanations are clearly stated - context, quote, explanations are clearly stated -explanations are sophisticated Organization (overall structure of paragraph) - paragraph does not appear organized - paragraph feels clunkycould benefit from a different order of presentation - ideas flow smoothlyreaders does not have to work to find meaning - need to focus on one point at a time - language is functional but could be more sophisticated - transitions are well-chosen & writer follows suggested format - reads smoothlysentence structure - many errors in mechanicsdistracts the reader - writer has reasonable control over conventions - sophisticated in sound- word choice - writer shows control over standard conventions - Proofread? - some distracting errorsproofread more carefully - sentences seem disconnected - does not build on a central focus Voice (style, wording & sentence structure) Conventions/ Mechanics (spelling, grammar, punctuation) - uses mainly short & simple sentences - very simple word choice - Be sure to avoid 1st & 2nd person - clearly proofread- very few errors - goes above & beyond- few suggestions for improvement - extremely well organized - goes above & beyond- few suggestions for improvement - goes above & beyond- few suggestions for improvement