Essay Writing
Formal Literary Essay
Relevancy
Why do we have you write the formal literary essay?
Why do you need to learn the skills required to write
a formal literary essay?
Thesis
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Argument
Controls the paper
Destination
Everything relates back to the thesis
Explicit or implicit
Placement – Beginning or end, sometimes even
in the middle
• Rubric – Knowledge and Thinking
Audience
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Who will read your writing?
What do they already know?
What do they want to know?
Purpose
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Narration – tell a story
Description – create a sensory picture
Expository – inform or explain
Argument/Persuasive - convince
Brainstorming
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Free writing on the thesis
Mind mapping
Dot jot of ideas
What comes to mind? How easy will this thesis
be to defend?
Outline
• Graphic organizer, loose-leaf page, word
document– what works best for you?
• Thesis
• Dot jot points, proofs (quotations and page
references), explanation
• Consider organization – strong point, weakest
point, strongest point
Outline cont'd
Include 3 topic sentences
Each topic sentence must relate to thesis
3 quotations/topic sentence
Context for each quotation
Outline
• Graphic organizer, loose-leaf page, word
document– what works best for you?
• Thesis
• Dot jot points, proofs (quotations and page
references), explanation
• Consider organization – strong point, weakest
point, strongest point
Rough Draft
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Complete sentences
Paragraph structure
Topic and concluding sentences
Link paragraphs with transition words or
repetition of words
• Present tense
Peer Editing
Topic sentence relates to thesis
Point then proof with context then explanation
Paragraph is not a summary
Concluding sentence
Introduction
Sentences 1-2: General opening statement, famous
quotation, introduce text and author
Sentences 3-4: List points to be discussed in essay
Sentence 5: Thesis (last sentence in introduction)
Shakespeare’s play Macbeth is a about a true tragic hero.
He has many noble qualities as well as several tragic flaws.
He is a courageous, brave and good nobleman who is
haunted by superstition, moral cowardice and an
overwhelming ambition. The three points which contribute
greatly to Macbeth’s degeneration are the prophecies told
to him by the witches, Lady Macbeth’s influence and
manipulation of Macbeth’s judgment, and finally Macbeth’s
long time ambition which drove his desire to be king.
Although he is courageous and brave and he is seen as the
hero at the beginning of the play, his sky high ambition
causes his damnation; ultimately he becomes a tragic hero.
Conclusion
Sentence 1 – Restate thesis
Sentences 2-4 – Summation of key points (topic
sentences)
Sentence 5 – General statement, profound
statement of what is learned, food for thought for
your reader
Editing
• Explore spell check suggestions.
• Make sure you have avoided “I think,” “You,”
slang and any other informal language.
• No abbreviations or contractions.
• Read aloud to catch awkward sentences, missing
words, typos.
Editing
Get a trustworthy editor – what parts are not fully
explained? What questions does your editor have?
Consider what should be changed. Maintain your
own voice – your paper should sound like you.
Final Copy
• Double space
• Italicize the name of the text every time it is
used.
• Use size 12 font.
• Leave only one space after periods or other
punctuation marks.
Final Copy
• First page– your name, teacher’s name, course,
date go in the top left corner
• Top right corner – your last name
(Anderson 1)
• Pagination: top right corner of each page - last
name, then page number
( Anderson 2)
title of your essay (not the title of your novel)
Final Copy
For Shakespeare/poetry quotations, place the
Arabic numbers for the act, scene, and lines in
round brackets. Use a period to separate: (3.1.12)
or (3.1.12-16). Use a slash with a space on each
side to illustrate line breaks.
“It will have blood, they say; blood will have blood:
/ Stones have been known to move and trees to
speak” (3.4.122-123).
Final Copy
Quotations more than 3 lines:
Indent, no quotation marks
the way they appear in the text
Lady Macbeth reveals that she is capable of murder:
Come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts! Unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe top full
Of direst cruelty; make thick my blood,
Stop up the access and passage to remorse,
That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
The effect and it (1
Final Copy
• Works Cited page
Author’s last name, first initial. Title of Text.
City of publication: Publisher, copyright date.
Print.
Relevance – Transferable Skills
Casual Debate – Leafs vs Habs
Lawyer – Litigating
Letter of Application/Reference