Literary Response Essay Assignment
Ms. Guerin, English Grade 8
Name ___________
TOPIC: Write a 5 paragraph essay analyzing and evaluating the book you
have read for independent reading. You must state your evaluation (opinion
based on evidence) of the book, and analyze three literary elements to
support your evaluation. (see list of literary elements below). You must have
a quote in two of your three paragraphs. If you wish, you may use the
attached 5 paragraph literary response essay template to help you format
the rough draft of your essay.
Literary elements:
Characters: Who the story is aboutHow and why does the character change?
How does the character handle or solve his/her problem?
How does the author reveal the character?
How does the reader connect to or perceive the character?
Setting: The time and place in which a story or novel takes place
How is the setting important to the story?
How does the author describe the setting?
How does the setting affect the other literary elements?
Plot: The action of the story
How does the plot engage the reader? Are there plot twists?
What kind of conflict does the character face (internal/external)?
How is the problem resolved at the end?
Theme: the author’s main message in a work of literature
What theme, or message, does the author present about life?
How is the theme shown through the other literary elements?
Point-of-View: The vantage point from which the story is told
Who tells the story, and what impact does this have on the reader?
Tone: The authors attitude towards his or her subject
How does the tone add to the reader’s experience of the story?
Mood: The overall feeling of the work of literature
How does the mood change throughout the story?
How does the mood add to the reader’s experience of the story?
Literary language: Descriptive language or use of literary devices
How does the author’s use of language affect the reader?
(metaphors, similes, idioms, sensory details, dialect, etc.)
Checklist for Literature Response Essays (or How to get an “A”)
My essay:
 Has five paragraphs

Has a hook that catches the reader’s attention

Has a thesis statement evaluating the book

Title and author of the book are named in the first paragraph

Has 3 main ideas (literary elements) introduced in the first paragraph

Has three body paragraphs, each focused on one literary element

Has detailed evidence to support the main ideas

Includes two quotes and a quote analysis for each quote

Has a conclusion paragraph that restates the thesis and summarizes
main ideas

Leaves the reader thinking

Links paragraphs with transitions

Includes interesting, precise words and a variety of sentence types

Is written in the academic voice

Uses MLA format

Has been checked for grammar, punctuation, spelling

Is clear and focused (cohesive)

Shows awareness of the audience (reader) and purpose
Template for 5 paragraph literary response essay
INTRODUCTION- PARAGRAPH 1
Hook (grab reader’s attention):
Introduce main ideas (3 literary elements that support your opinion)
1.
2.
3.
Thesis Statement (include title, author, and your opinion of book):
BODY- PARAGRAPH 2
Transition sentence:
Topic Sentence (about 1st literary element):
Supporting details (2-3):
1.
2.
3.
BODY- PARAGRAPH 3
Transition Sentence:
Topic Sentence (about 2nd literary element):
Supporting details (2-3):
1.
2.
3.
BODY- PARAGRAPH 4
Transition sentence:
Topic Sentence (about 3rd literary element):
Supporting details (2-3):
1.
2.
3.
CONCLUSION:
Restate Thesis:
Summarize 3 main ideas:
Leave your reader thinking!
Joe Q. Student
Period 3, Ms. Guerin
10/08/13, Model Literary Response Essay
In the Mind of a Madman
Edgar Allen Poe’s literary works have thrilled readers for two centuries. Poe’s
short story, “The Tell-Tale Heart”, is one of the most widely acclaimed literary works of
all time. What makes this tale of horror stand out above so many others? The plot is
riveting beginning as the main character is planning a murder, and it remains enthralling
through two climactic scenes. The setting, an old house at night, contributes to the sense
of dread. But it is Poe’s expert use of first person point-of-view in telling the story from
the perspective of the murderer that makes “The Tell-Tale Heart” such a frighteningly
memorable read. In fact, “The Tell-Tale Heart”, by Edgar Allen Poe, is one of the most
well-crafted, suspenseful, and engaging stories ever written.
The plot of “The Tell-Tale Heart” is the story of a murder, and it unfolds with
unceasing suspense and surprises for the reader. At the beginning of the narrative, the
main character is planning to kill the old man he lives with. He tells us that he does not
dislike the old man, nor does he want his money, but he is bothered by the old man’s eye.
One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture--a pale blue eye, with a film over it.
Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees-very gradually--I
made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye
forever. (523)
In is clear that the main character is unbalanced, as he determines to kill a kind old man
because he is afraid of his eye. From this second paragraph of the story on, the action
rises, and the reader is engrossed in the narrative as Poe leads up to one climax (the
murder) and then another (the narrator’s confession to the police). The pace never eases
up, and the reader finds himself tense, terrified, and finally exhausted by the story’s end.
It is not only the plot that drives the suspense in “The Tell-Tale Heart”. The
setting is also crucial to the feeling of terror the author creates in the reader. The action
takes place in an old house at night. The narrator creeps about after midnight with a
lantern, sneaking up on the old man in his sleep. Which of us has never in his or her life
lain awake in the wee hours dreading just such a horrific circumstance? Even the
murderer himself sympathizes with the old man’s fear. He imagines he can hear the
beating of the old man’s heart “amid the dreadful silence of that old house” (526), and the
tension brought on by the heartbeat is what drives him to finish the murderous deed.
However, even with its exciting plot and eerie setting, Poe’s tale might not have stood
the test of time were it not for his brilliant use of first person point-of-view. In the first few
lines of the “Tell-Tale Heart”, the reader is plunged into the mind of a madman. Though he
denies that he is crazy, the narrator admits that he is very nervous and suffers from extreme
sensitivity. In outlining his case to the reader, the narrator explains: “I heard all things in the
heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How then am I mad?” (525) The reader is
now convinced beyond a doubt that the narrator is mentally unstable and unreliable. When
describing the character’s thoughts, Poe writes in a swiftly moving style, full of dashes and
exclamation points, so that the reader is rushed along through the horrific action almost as a
participant, vividly imagining what the narrator feels as he plans the murder, carries it out,
buries the body, and finally loses his sanity and confesses the crime, believing the police can
hear the old man’s heart beating even though he is dead. The reader is ultimately dazed,
shocked, and transformed by having been party to the thoughts of a madman.
Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” is a deserving classic of the horror genre.
The rapidly moving plot and ominous setting both contribute to the timelessly thrilling
quality of the story. But Poe’s use of the first person narrator is the key to the tale’s
enduring popularity, as readers find themselves stuck in the mind of a madman and
murderer. Indeed, Poe succeeds so well in his portrayal that many readers have wondered
whether he himself was completely sane.