Hemingway essay reminders
 Strong thesis (Make any claim you want to long as
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it’s supported by the text without “stretching” the
text or taking it out of context)
Be clear and concise
Use active voice
Use present tense unless providing historical
overview
Watch wordiness and awkwardness (read aloud!)
In your quote analysis, do not just summarize the
quote; explain how the example proves the
thesis—be specific!
Be sure your intro:
 identifies the literary work and its author
 Provides a brief “roadmap” of the
organization of the essay
 ends with a thesis statement that:
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goes beyond observation and makes a debatable
point to be proven in the essay
 is one sentence (ideally)
 avoids wordiness
Thesis purpose
 The thesis should convey a “universal truth”
about the work that is revealed through a
specific element of the text; i.e. a motif or
symbol, a character, a plot element,
figurative language, a type of conflict, etc.
 In all AP questions, you are analyzing
literary elements to uncover meaning or
theme. (Small element to big idea)
Thesis structure
 In "We Were The Mulvaneys," Joyce Carol
Oates uses Marianne and her father’s distant
relationship to demonstrate that even
traumatic experiences cannot break the love
and bonds of a family.
 In Crime and Punishment, the contrast
between the thoughts and actions of
Raskolnikov proves that environmental
factors determine a man’s morality more than
his own conscience.
 In the novel, East of Eden, John Steinbeck
uses the depression and suicide of Tom
Hamilton to demonstrate man's vulnerability
to being conquered by sin.
 In The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
juxtaposes the symbol of a beloved
pomegranate tree with the maturation of
Hassan and Amir to illustrate the effect time
may have on a close friendship.
 Shakespeare’s The Tempest uses the
metaphor of a raging tempest to mirror the
developmental stages of transforming
resentment into forgiveness.
 The complexities of the human psyche
examined in Crime And Punishment
demonstrate that suffering not only plays a
major role in human life but is a requirement
of survival.
Essay choices
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A recurring theme in literature is the classic war between a
passion and responsibility. For instance, a personal cause, a love,
a desire for revenge, or some other emotion may conflict with
moral duty. In A Farewell to Arms, how do the demands of a
private passion conflict with a character’s responsibilities? In a
well-organized essay, explain how this conflict contributes to the
meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid plot summary.
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Writers often highlight the values of a culture or a society by
using characters who are alienated from that culture or society. In
A Farewell to Arms, show how a character's alienation causes
him/her to challenge the surrounding society's assumptions or
moral values and what this reveals about the work as a whole.
Avoid plot summary.
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In great literature, no scene of violence exists for its own sake.
Choose a scene or scenes of violence in A Farewell to Arms. In a
well-organized essay, explain how the scene or scenes relate to
the larger themes of the novel. Avoid plot summary.
Reminders:
1. Grabbers
 General statement about the main topic of the
essay
 Brief line of relevant dialogue or a notable quote
 A few lines providing context of time period
2. Thesis statements
 The thesis is the toothpick that holds the
entire essay together; its presence should be
felt in every paragraph. (Most Important!)
 Many papers have thesis statements not
supported by the text (speculations).
Hemingway punishes Frederic for abandoning the
war for Catherine to show it is wrong to choose
passion over responsibility.
 Don’t use absolute language. Hemingway
demonstrates that choosing passion over
responsibility will never end rewardingly.
Possible thesis wording
 Ultimately Frederic Henry’s rejection of society’s
expectations and values represents Hemingway’s
acknowledgement that …
___________________________________________.
 Through Frederic Henry’s battle between his duty as a
soldier and his passion as a man, Hemingway
demonstrates...
___________________________________________.
 Hemingway uses these escalating acts of violence to
illustrate/demonstrate/reinforce ________________.
3. Introduction
 General grabber or opener
 Bridge that identifies author, title of
work, and focus of paper
 Roadmap (brief overview of the
organization of your paper)
 Thesis statement
 (see
sample Intro on next page)
Sample Intro:
Opener: Moral duty results from a consideration of what society deems right and wrong;
it often gives an individual a sense of structure and purpose. But that is only until duty meets its
rival, passion. Bridge: In Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton, Ethan is faced with the choice
between his duty to his sickly wife, Zeena, or happiness with his vivacious cousin,
Mattie. Roadmap: This conflict causes within him an emotional paralysis, an inability to choose.
The larger constraints of society prevent him from following his passions yet his unhappiness
with Zeena prevents him from turning Mattie away completely. Eventually, Ethan’s moral
dilemma becomes so unbearable, he submits to Mattie’s romantic yet irrational solution.
Ultimately, his lack of courage to follow his own desires leads to a life of permanent misery.
Thesis: Wharton uses Frome’s moral dilemma and its consequences to illustrate that it is only
through passion and conviction that can one lead an authentic and happy life.
4. Topic sentences: Present each example and its
significance to your overall point. Each should in
some way be related to your thesis.
 Frederic’s perception of war is subject to
significant changes throughout the course of the
novel as he struggles between his loyalty as a
soldier and his budding attraction to Catherine.
 Frederic’s realization of the transitory nature of
life causes an internal conflict as he pulls away
from war and turns toward love to heal him.
 The conclusion of the novel demonstrates that all
pursuits—whether of love or duty—are subject to
the whims of fate.
5. Quote Integration
You must integrate the quote by letting us know who is
speaking! You can do this in 1 of 3 ways:
 Formally with a comma. Use a speaker tag to introduce a
quote. EX: Henry shows this stoicism when he thinks,
“…”
OR
 Formally with a colon. EX: Here, Hemingway illustrates
Henry’s state of mind following his baby’s death: “…”
OR
 Informally with no comma (built right into your
sentence) EX: Even after being broken repeatedly by
death, Henry seems to have grown “stronger at the broken
places” (Hemingway 123).
6. Quality and number of quotes
 Quotes should help prove the thesis, not
merely advance plot description.
 Many body paragraphs could be
strengthened through use of a second
relevant quote.
 If you learn how to use two quotes in
tandem, you have much more “raw
material” to work with; therefore, your case
will be stronger and you’ll be less likely to
stray into repetition.
7. Avoid slang
 No “fazes him,” “shrugs it off,” or “doesn’t
let death get to him”
Peer revision
 Read your partner’s intro carefully, looking for a compelling
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grabber, a bridge that identifies author & title and perhaps a
brief overview of novel, roadmap and clear thesis. Be sure
the thesis is specific and conveys a universal truth.
Read your partner’s topic sentences to be sure they all relate
to the topic being introduced.
Read your partner’s quotes to make sure they are properly
integrated, appropriate, and effective at illustrating the point.
Read the conclusion, looking for a reworded thesis and an
extension connecting the theme to something outside the
novel itself.
Examine the writing style to check for passive voice,
wordiness, and awkwardness.