ESSAY TIME
AGENDA- APRIL 20TH
1. Submit your Bloom’s Questions
 If they aren’t in MLA then I will hand them back to you.
2. Writing Prompt
3. Inventory Review- Theme and Conflict
4. Theme Equation
5. Essay Questions
1. You are a loser who lives alone with a cat and have for quite some time.
One day your cat can’t take it anymore and starts talking. What does it
say?
2. A hopelessly messy person and an obsessively neat person become
roommates.
3. A physical description of an eccentric relative.
4. Describe the sounds you heard the first time you swam in the ocean.
WRITING PROMPT
Choose One
INVENTORY
Author’s Bio: Why is it relevant? Obvious?
Character VOCAB: Round, Dynamic, Flat, Static
Conflict: Remember that there is almost always a major and minor
identify the conflicts by using:
conflict. You must also
Man vs. Man
Man vs. Nature
Man vs. Society
Man vs. Self
Major Conflict: inferring, reading between the lines.
Minor Conflict: is an offshoot of the major conflict, usually the climax of the
story.
THEME
Stereotypes + Shouldn’t judge so quickly = People only consider the stereotypes
that they have against others not what is
assumed of them.
•Betrayal + _____________________ = _______________________________
•Equality + _____________________ = _______________________________
ANALYTICAL ESSAY-
FINAL ASSIGNMENT FOR SHORT STORY
1. How do the literary devices used by the author contribute to the theme of the
story? (Devices, Theme)
2. Compare and contrast two short stories that you have read this month. (Characters,
Theme, Devices)
3. How did the setting of the story contribute to the meaning? (Devices)
1. What story do you want to work with?
2. Which question appeals to you most?
3. What do you believe about this story?
Choose literary devices.
DECISIONS
COMPARE AND CONTRAST SAMPLE
HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=7LRSQJJDGOK
HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=FE_NR2T6FKQ
START WITH COMPARING
IDEAS:
REBELLING AGAINST CONFORMITY
Plato’s Cave
USING THE CAVE
If I wanted to use this idea for my essay then it would have to be in my thesis
statement and I would be using Allegory as my central literary device.
The Pedestrian and Harrison Bergeron are both examples of the allegory of Plato’s
cave, but the protagonists differ in their rebellion, yet come to similar ends.
It is MY opinion and I have included a literary term and a big concept.
EXIT PASS
Where do you think you are in the Cave Allegory?
Are you in the cave more than out?
Have you ‘seen the light’ and returned to share it with others?
I like to think that I have experienced all of the levels of the cave. Those moments of
enlightenment are often fleeting though and I feel that after I return home from work
I end up staring at the shadows for part of my evening so that I can ‘decompress’, but
I sometimes find it difficult to unchain myself.
QUALITIES OF A GOOD THESIS STATEMENT
Thesis Rules
A thesis statement should:
• Never be an open-ended question
• Be limited to mentioning only those points you plan to discuss in your essay
• Never be so broad that it’s difficult to discuss all relevant information
• Only present one specific idea; not multiple ideas
• Not contain two conflicting ideas
WHAT’S WRONG HERE?
ACTIVITY 1
Identify the problems in the following thesis statements using these categories:
(a) conflicting ideas (b) open-ended question (c) too broad (d) not focused
1. TV commercials are obnoxious to the person who is intent on watching a good show; on the
other hand, they provide entertainment in the antics of the performers and they provide a
good opportunity to take a snack break.
2. Since politicians are constantly bombarding each other, how do they expect anyone to
know who is right and who is wrong?
3. Rap music is a popular form of art because it is creative and original and because it
follows the traditions of other spontaneously developed music like jazz.
4. Unless people are conscious of pollution, the world will be destroyed by the year 2050
THESIS STATEMENTS
To create a thesis statement simply follow this formula:
TOPIC + OPINION = THESIS STATEMENT
Examples:
Animals + Dogs make better pets than cats = When it comes to animals, dogs make better pets than cats.
Movies and emotions + Titanic ignited many emotions = The movie "Titanic" ignited many emotions in an
audience.
Gangs and identity in the story "On the Sidewalk Bleeding“ + The boy lost his personal identity and was only
seen as a gang member.
= In the story "On the Sidewalk Bleeding", the boy loses his identity and is only recognized as a gang member.
THESIS DRAFTING
After you have drafted a thesis statement have a friend evaluate it for:
(a) conflicting ideas (b) open-ended question (c) too broad (d) not focused/selective
WHAT NEXT??
The first question you need to ask yourself is: how do I plan to support the
opinion in my thesis?
Well, you begin by making a list of reasons or examples that support your opinion. You need
a list of, at least, three strong reasons. For example, if we look back at the thesis statement in
Exercise four, we can easily create a list to support the opinion stated in the thesis:
Thesis – When it comes to animals, dogs make better pets than cats.
Reasons/Examples to support opinion –1) Dogs are fun
2) Dogs help you exercise
3) Dogs are loyal
4) Can you add any other reasons?
ARE THEY IN THE RIGHT ORDER?
Metaphor, Symbolism and Irony
1.
2.
3.
Rule of Thumb: Your strongest argument goes last, but there is wiggle room.
If there is a strong metaphor which relates to the Symbol of the Lamb then:
1. Metaphor
2. Symbolism
And then the symbol is ironic or the ending of the story is ironic, or your overall impression of
the story is that it’s ironic……….Then that would be the last argument.
QUOTE SELECTION
INTRODUCTION: ROAD MAP
INTRODUCTION: ROAD MAP
POETRY INTRO
Jennifer McKee’s poem “Ode to Wilbur” makes use of vivid imagery and humorous
hyperbole to convey that pets are vital to overcoming personal obstacles by offering
unconditional love. Without imagery the ode would fall flat and not be able to
communicate the depth of love and appreciation that the genre demands. Hyperbole
is a strong poetic choice considering the lighthearted subject matter, but does not
undercut the power of the overall message. It may seem like a simplistic poem, but the
specific experiences in each stanza develop so that Wilbur becomes a symbol for all
pets and the power that they have over our lives.
1. Ode would fall flat without imagery- depth of love.
2. Hyperbole helps to communicate a lighthearted tone.
3. Wilbur is a symbol for all pets (theme)
INTRODUCTION
Your introduction should start with your thesis and then give a preview as to what you will be
using to prove this thesis.
No quotes in the INTRO!!!
You don’t want your intro to be any longer than 150 words.
The Pedestrian and Harrison Bergeron are both examples of the allegory of Plato’s cave and
while the protagonists differ in their form of rebellion they come to similar ends. Plato’s cave is
the origin story of the rebellious individual who challenges what is around them and struggles
to reveal the truth. The protagonists in The Pedestrian and Harrison Bergeron follow this model
by staying true to themselves, but not being able to defeat the flaws in the system. While
there are many similarities between the protagonists there is one key difference. Leonard
Mead’s struggle in The Pedestrian is private, while Harrison Bergeron’s struggle is purposefully
public. They have very different intentions, but unwittingly share the same goal. Through the
use of allegory these two authors share the same warning: that without questioning what is
around us we will be confined.
TOPIC SENTENCES AND ORDER OF
ARGUMENTS
TOPIC SENTENCES…
The first sentence of each new paragraph should give the reader an indication as to
what to expect in that particular paragraph.
What is the topic of this paragraph??
 Harrison Bergeron symbolizes humanities potential for greatness as well as the freedom that
we all desire.
 Hyperbole is the intentional use of exaggeration to enforce a concept…..Kurt Vonnegut
make use of hyperbole throughout Harrison Bergeron in order to….
 “Ode to Wilbur” makes use of metaphor in order to convey that Wilbur is a majestic
animal…
Essentially it’s taking pieces of your thesis and introduction and planting them into the
body of the essay in order to control your ideas.
THERE SHOULD NOT BE A PARAGRAPH
SOLELY ABOUT THEME THAT IS FLOATING
AROUND
JIGSAW PUZZLE
AGENDA MONDAY APRIL 27TH
Handing back Bloom’s Deeper Thinking Questions
 Review of common comments
Essay Editing Time
 Intros, sentence length, transitions
 Remember the more editing you do now, the better mark you will get.
You will need: Colored pencils (3)
Loose Leaf for notes
BLOOM’S QUESTIONS
MLA:
Double Space Everything
Margins are too small
12 font for entire essay
When you include a quote you must put the author’s name in brackets afterward: “asdasff” (McKee)
Do not use contractions in your writing.
Can’t = Cannot
Don’t = Do not
Haven’t = Have not
When you are using the title of your short story:
“Harrison Bergeron”, “The Pedestrian”, “A Cup of Tea”
When you are using the name of a book:
Brave New World, 1984, Pride and Prejudice
(Don’t forget to capitalize)
STIGMA OF METICULOUSNESS
EDITING TIME
INTRODUCTION = BREAD CRUMBS
Once you have drafted an introduction then you must pass it to someone else.
This person will underline your thesis and then number your arguments within the
introduction.
If they struggle with numbering the arguments then you need to go back to the
drawing board.
SENTENCE LENGTH
Coloring Time:
Long Sentences: 18 and up
Medium Sentences: 13-17 words
Short Sentences: 9-12 words
DO NOT COUNT WORDS THAT ARE 1-2 LETTERS!!
What do you have the most of? What is your longest sentence?
Write your longest sentence on a piece of paper.
Long Sentences
distract the reader
from the primary
idea. They are often
mysterious and,
therefore confusing.
Word Count: 21
Word Count: 9, 7
DO YOU ONLY DO THIS FOR ONE
SENTENCE?????
NO
TOPIC SENTENCES AND TRANSITIONS
Don’t forget about your topic sentences.
They are the first sentence in each of your body paragraphs.
They should introduce the idea of the body paragraph and be a short and CLEAR sentence.
Underline the first sentence in each of your body paragraphs.
Are they accurate to the topic of your paragraph???......
TRANSITION SENTENCES
The essay is a series of sandwiches…..
You have your quote sandwich AND your body paragraph sandwiches
Topic Sentence= Top piece of bread
Transition Sentence = Bottom piece of bread
The transition sentence should be able to hint at what you will
Talk about in the next paragraph. It acts like a bridge from one idea to the next.
SAMPLE
Poetic choices are personally made and publically appreciated. The choices made by
McKee in “Ode to Wilbur” provided an access point into a poem about a specific
cat. Imagery sets a loving mood by describing Wilbur’s fur as “thick and silky,
downy/ and fluffy”(3). It may seem excessive, but this tactile imagery brings Wilbur
into focus. It is specific and creative and brings Wilbur to life. As the poem progresses
the imagery changes to visual: “He skips and hops,/ skating along the floor” (8).
Wilbur’s personality is dancing on the page and he is truly coming to life. The ode
genre is fulfilled by this joyous imagery. Often the imagery exaggerates Wilbur’s
features, but these are not the only instances of exaggeration.
Hyperbole is…
IS EVERY QUOTE IN A SANDWICH???
Introductory sentence…LEADING INTO QUOTE
QUOTE
Explanatory sentence… WHAT WAS THE POINT OF
USING THE QUOTE?
TRANSITIONS
Transitions fall into several categories. The following seven categories list transitions for some
of the most common situations in writing:
1. To show a time relationship: first, second, third, next, before, during, after, now, then,
finally, last.
2. To add an idea or example: in addition, also, another, furthermore, similarly, for
example, for instance.
3. To show contrast: although, but, however, instead, nevertheless, on the other hand, in
contrast, on the contrary.
4. To show comparison: in the same way, similarly, likewise, as, also.
5. To show cause-effect: as a result, consequently, because, since, therefore, thus.
6. To show conclusion: as a result, therefore, finally, last, in conclusion, in summary, to sum
up, all in all.
7. To clarify: in other words, for instance, that is, put another way.