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