Elements of Writing:
The Formal Essay
Format and Content
Introductory Paragraph (take note)
• The introductory paragraph sets up the material to
be used in the development of a complete, formal
literary analysis. It must contain the following:
– Title (how is the title of a novel indicated when the essay is
handwritten?)
– Genre
– Author
– Brief Summary (2-3 sentences)
– Thesis Statement
The Thesis Statement (take note)
• In a short literary analysis, the thesis statement
should be the final sentence of the introductory
paragraph. This sentence, must contain a Subject
and what will be Proven / Argued in regards to the
subject.
• [After this initial essay, I will expect an even stronger
thesis statement which will include How the
argument will be developed]
Sample:
One of William Shakespeare’s best known
dramatic works is the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.
Within this play, Shakespeare examines the joy of
love as it competes with destructive power of hate.
While hate takes the lives of the title characters, and
others, it is only through their annihilation that their
love can begin to heal the hatred that has plagued
their families for generations. Shakespeare is able to
use the violence in the play to demonstrate a simple
truth; if people cannot change, they must pay a
terrible cost. This concept is developed in the play
through the fight scenes involving Mercutio, Tybalt,
and Romeo.
Second Sample
Set during the Great Depression, Harper
Lee’s fictional novel, To Kill a Mockingbird
addresses the changes that take place in a small,
Southern, town due to social customs and race
relations. When a black man is wrongfully
accused of raping a white woman, it is up to the
voice of reason, Atticus Finch, to defend
innocence and restore a sense of balance to his
community. Throughout the text, Atticus Finch
demonstrates that he is a fierce proponent of
justice for all people.
Third Sample:
The epic poem, Beowulf, as translated by Burton
Raffel, defines the role of an Anglo-Saxon warrior,
and later that of a king, through the fantastic battles
of the title character, Beowulf. Within this ancient
world, the dangers brought by the conflicts of men
are not the worst challenges a hero must face; it is
the creatures who are the monstrous embodiment
of evil that truly test the spirit of men. It is in this
way that Anglo-Saxon heroes are created, and with
the passing of Beowulf, only one man is suited to
the task. Wiglaf rises to the status of warrior, and
king, and hero as his actions lend credence to his
words.
Form and Content (follow up)
• The previous introductions contained all of the
mandatory components. Please note that they were
short—did not contain wasted words and useless ideas,
and each ended with a clear thesis which contains an
argument (something to prove) and the reason to prove
it (demonstrate and develop a theme in 1 and 2; analyze
a character in 3).
• The introduction also used a convention of MLA writing—
an indentation. Please remember, in MLA, paragraphs
are indented rather than separated by entirely skipped
lines. [just a note, format problems will cost the writer to
lose points.]
Body Paragraph(s) (take note)
• Body paragraph(s) is/are used to develop and explain
the validity of the argument set up in the thesis
statement. A body paragraph must contain the
following:
– Topic sentence which needs to connect the content of the
body paragraph directly to the thesis statement. The topic
sentence must contain:
• The subject of the body paragraph
• What component of the argument (thesis) will be proved to
provide support.
– One or more direct quotes [with lead-ins] from the
literature to provide support / evidence for the thesis
statement
– Analysis / explanation of the quotations to show How,
Why, What About the quote proves the thesis is true.
Sample
Tension among Romeo, Tybalt, and Mercutio
illustrates an opportunity to change for the better and for
peace that fails. In the opening scene of the third act,
Romeo attempts to avoid an argument and escalating
sword fight with Tybalt; even though Tybalt attempts to
bait Romeo, Romeo sets up the possibility for change
when he replies, “I do protest, I never injured thee, / But
love thee better than thou canst devise, / Till thou shalt
know the reason of my love: / And so, good Capulet,-which name I tender / As dearly as my own,--be satisfied”
(82-86). Romeo is very careful to speak kindly to Tybalt;
his repetition of the word “love” and referencing Tybalt
as a “good Capulet” help to create a calm and conciliatory
atmosphere. A further compliment to Tybalt is paid
when Romeo specifically states that he values Tybalt’s
name (and therefore family) as equal to his own. The
elevation of his enemy to a place of honor is Romeo’s
attempt to quell violence and begin a pact of peace
between the families.
Paragraph Continued
Despite Romeo’s efforts to calm tempers and mediate the
violence, Mercutio desires action and perceived honor.
Mercutio taunts Tybalt when he draws his sword and
calls after him, “O calm, dishonourable, vile submission! /
. . . .Tybalt, you rat-catcher, will you walk?” (87 and 89).
Mercutio’s word choice is inflamatory and insulting. He
accuses Tybalt of being cowardly and less than a man.
“dishonorable, vile, submission” all show a lack of will
and worth due to a willingness to put away his sword. He
further taunts Tybalt by asking him if he is choosing to
“walk” away from the fight. Mercutio’s feels disdain
towards a nonviolent resolution, and his intent is to force
Tybalt to fight or be called out publicly for lacking honor.
This would continue until the entire argument has been fully
developed, defended, and defined.
This is how the ENTIRE paragraph appears on
one slide:
Tension among Romeo, Tybalt, and Mercutio illustrates an opportunity to change for the better
and for peace that fails. In the opening scene of the third act, Romeo attempts to avoid an argument and
escalating sword fight with Tybalt; even though Tybalt attempts to bait Romeo, Romeo sets up the
possibility for change when he replies, “I do protest, I never injured thee, / But love thee better than thou
canst devise, / Till thou shalt know the reason of my love: / And so, good Capulet,--which name I tender /
As dearly as my own,--be satisfied” (82-86). Romeo is very careful to speak kindly to Tybalt; his repetition
of the word “love” and referencing Tybalt as a “good Capulet” help to create a calm and conciliatory
atmosphere. A further compliment to Tybalt is paid when Romeo specifically states that he values Tybalt’s
name (and therefore family) as equal to his own. The elevation of his enemy to a place of honor is
Romeo’s attempt to quell violence and begin a pact of peace between the families. Despite Romeo’s
efforts to calm tempers and mediate the violence, Mercutio desires action and perceived honor. Mercutio
taunts Tybalt when he draws his sword and calls after him, “O calm, dishonourable, vile submission! / . . .
.Tybalt, you rat-catcher, will you walk?” (87 and 89). Mercutio’s word choice is inflamatory and insulting.
He accuses Tybalt of being cowardly and less than a man. “dishonorable, vile, submission” all show a lack
of will and worth due to a willingness to put away his sword. He further taunts Tybalt by asking him if he is
choosing to “walk” away from the fight. Mercutio’s feels disdain towards a nonviolent resolution, and his
intent is to force Tybalt to fight or be called out publicly for lacking honor.
Form and Content (follow up)
• The first sentence is the topic sentence. It has a clear
connection to the thesis [it states what part of the thesis
will be developed within the paragraph], and it guides
the content of the paragraph. Nothing may appear in the
paragraph that does not fit under the “umbrella” of the
topic sentence.
• Again, the paragraph is indented to indicate that all of the
material contained within it is part of the same purpose.
• The quotes have lead-ins [which function to polace the
material inside of the larger body of the work AND to
help set up the analysis. A strong lead-in will alleviate the
need to summarize an entire scene.
• The quotes also follow the form determined by—yes,
that’s right—MLA.
Form and Content (continued)
• The analysis of the quote does NOT simply restate
the quoted material.
• The analysis takes the quoted material apart (pieceby-piece) and asks HOW does this quote support the
topic / thesis; WHY does this quote support the topic
/ thesis; WHAT ABOUT this quotes supports the topic
/ thesis? The answers to these questions provides
the analysis.
The Conclusion (take note)
• The function of the conclusion is to actually draw or
come to a conclusion—in a science class this would be
the final step to a lab report. What has actually been
learned? How has the argument (experiment /
hypothesis) been proven and successfully defended?
• Do NOT begin a conclusion by writing “In Conclusion”. . .a
speech may have this, but a literary analysis should not.
• A conclusion should not introduce new material, AND it
should not be a simple summary.
• Please Note: in this class, should the writer be unable to write a
conclusion due to a genuine lack of time, there will be no
punishment assessed.
Sample
Great shifts in behavior occur as a result of
dramatic, often traumatic, events, and so it is
with the characters in Romeo and Juliet.
Shakespeare demonstrates the sad outcomes
of being selfish and stubborn; moreover, he
leaves the audience to wonder if the lesson
learned has really been worth the cost.
Possible Prompts for Beowulf
Topic 1:
• Based on the material as contained in
the text, define and develop Beowulf’s
character. Does he change over the
course of the text? Does his character
remain entirely the same? Either way,
support the selected idea with a
minimum of three quotes one from each
battle Beowulf undertakes.
Define and develop Beowulf’s character. Does he
change over the course of the text? Does his
character remain entirely the same?
Topic 2:
• Using material from across the
content of the text [1 per section]
and three of the following traits from
“How to Identify a Hero,” create a
formal analysis explaining how
Beowulf fits the mold of the epic
hero and represents the time and
place in which he lives. Provide a
minimum of one quote for each of
Three of the following:
Taken from— “How to Identify a Hero”
PowerPoint [still topic 2]
– The heroes, ways are beset with dangers
and loneliness
– Heroes are neither fools nor invincible
– Heroes descend into darkness / “hell”
– What a hero finds is usually no more than
a symbol of what he actually seeks to
obtain
– The heroes, ways are
beset with dangers
and loneliness
– Heroes are neither
fools nor invincible
– Heroes descend into
darkness / “hell”
– What a hero finds is
usually no more than
a symbol of what he
actually seeks to
obtain
Possible Essay Prompts for Grendel
• Write a well-developed essay with introduction
(containing title, author, genre, a brief summary
and ending with a clearly defined thesis),
organized and supported body paragraph(s)
(quotes and in-text citations) and a conclusion.
The quotes MUST come from different
areas of the text [one from each:
chapters 1-4; 5-8; and 9-12] Please staple
the prompt sheet to the answer document.
“Chilly fire. . . chilly fire. . .chilly fire”
Grendel’s essay topics continued
• 1. Define and support that Grendel is an anti-hero.
Examine the notes on the anti-hero traits, and choose
three traits to support and analyze (explain how/why
it matters) the difference this character makes in the
text.
– Deprived of the rules and consequences of society
– Outlaw; has no status in society; must wander on the
fringes
– Rejects values, rules, attitudes of society and political
establishments
– A failure, crude, sometimes stupid or even dishonest
– Often angry
– Deprived of the rules and
consequences of society
– Outlaw; has no status in
society; must wander on the
fringes
– Rejects values, rules,
attitudes of society and
political establishments
– A failure, crude, sometimes
stupid or even dishonest
– Often angry
Grendel’s essay topics continued
• 2. Develop a theme for the novel. Defend it using
three quotes (with in-text citations) and proper
analysis. You may want to consider the following
themes:
– Isolation (being an outsider) breeds contempt.
– Not all monsters look monstrous.
– Good and evil exist in all “people.”
• 3. Pretend you are Grendel’s psychiatrist. Write a
case history in which you explain his illness and its
causes. There must be at least three quotes—pieces
of evidence to support the diagnosis—with in-text
citations for support. [You will take on the
personality of his therapist AND allow him to answer
you as if he is your patient.]
Grendel’s essay topics continued
• 4. Analyze Grendel’s character. How does he change
over the course of the novel? Who (How) is he at the
beginning of the novel, who he becomes (how he
changes) in the middle, and who he has become (how
he has completed his existence) at the end of the
novel. Establish three unique character traits and
provide specific quotes and analysis for each trait.
• 5. Define and defend Grendel as the Hero of the story.
Based on the Epic Hero material as provided in the
earlier PowerPoint, can Grendel be labeled an Epic
Hero? Examine the handout and connect Grendel to
three of the traits that qualify him for epic hero
status.
The KEYS to success for any essay:
1. Choose wisely
2. Know the content and quotes
which will develop the prompt
3. Be able to explain / define
/defend the selected topics
4. Remain focused and oganized
• The following prompts are NOT
available for this writing
assignment. . .
• Thank you,
»The Management
Topic 3:
• Compare Beowulf with Hrothgar in regards
to threats to their kingdoms. Both face
external threats. How does Hrothgar
handle the external threats to his people?
How does Beowulf? In the analysis, which
king is a better representative of his time
and culture? Why? Again, minimum of
three quotes as evidence.
Topic 4:
• Based on the material provided in the text,
develop an analysis of one of the following
motifs selected. Three quotes from across
the literature will be required with
analytical development.
– Motifs:
•
•
•
•
Good vs. Evil
Bravery
Honor through actions
Loyalty
Topic 5:
[from page 65 of the text]
Frustrated pride may lead to spite, just as loyalty
may lead to vengeance, and eagerness for glory
may turn into greed. Explain how each creature
Beowulf battles represents an extreme and
dangerous form of warrior values and behavior.
[minimum of one quote with citation for each
creature]
Topic 6
• Become the creatures: take on the persona of
Grendel, Grendel’s mother and then the
dragon as you compose a letter to mankind
justifying your actions or reactions. [At least
one quote with citation to support each
creature and his / her claim.]