General Literary Essay Reminders

1.  No first or second person language.

2.  Write in the present tense when discussing literature.

3.  Use first and last names, and then refer to the character as they were most called in the novel.  Atticus Finch, then Atticus is fine.

4.  Avoid contractions - don't is do not, can't is cannot.

5.  Be clear, formal and practical. Avoid using slang or idiomatic expressions in general academic writing.  Why? Remember:  y'all, cool or feeling blue or idiomatic expressions "pull someone's leg," "spill the beans," and "something smells fishy" should not be used in formal academic writing. These words make your writing sound informal, and hence, less credible. Furthermore, for non-native speakers of English, these expressions may prove more difficult to understand because of their non-literal nature.  Remember the aliens!

6.  Indent each paragraph. There should be four indentations (thus four paragraphs).

7.  Must avoid phrases that refer to the essay, or parts of the essay, itself.  For example:
-In this essay
-This essay will prove
-In the following paragraph
-This quote shows...this example proves

8.  Use key words from the question to make your claim (thesis).

9.  Use specific, exact and detailed examples from the novel to back up your claims. Know character names, where they were, what they were discussing, why they were discussing it, and why the chosen example proves your claim. Show me your knowledge of the novel is specific, accurate and encompassing.

10.  Use transitions to create flow and connect your points, ideas and paragraphs.

GOOD LUCK!

The Conclusion

Let your readers know you have come to the end of the essay.  Again, the world is divided on whether to begin with a transition phrase. 

The three parts to have are:

1.  Restatement of the thesis statement - using different diction, order etc to keep it fresh and avoiding repetition and monotony
2.  Revisit your two supports following the same advice as above
3.  Offering a So what?

A So What offers an insight on why your topic was important either to life (what life lesson can be learned about the topic when viewed through the lens of the evidence provided) or to the literature itself (how does it help us to better understand some aspect of the novel—theme, character, symbolism, etc).  The So what will try to suggest the broader significance of your discussion—why is it important?

You are not raising any new evidence or supports from the literature, but instead offering a deeper meaning or new insight based on the supports you have used in the previous three paragraphs.

The best essays will use parallel structure—what I begin with, I end with—they will incorporate something from their lead in the final statement of the essay. 

The Body

You are required to write two body paragraphs with two point-proof-explains in each paragraph.

The examples chosen from the literature should support the central idea of the essay—the thesis.

A topic sentence should begin each body paragraph which states the topic that will be discussed and how it supports the central idea. So words from the thesis plus they way you are going to prove the claim about the thesis.  Your topic sentence will depend on the style you are writing in—point by point or block method.

Using the point-proof-explain method you will make a claim, show how the literature supports it, then explain how it supports your main idea.  Show how your chosen example or claim is supported by explaining or interpreting the importance of your textual evidence.  Your commentary may include interpretation, analysis, argument, insight, and/or reflection

Use specific and detailed information from the literature—this is the time to show you know the story and the minute details.

No need for direct quotes—paraphrase, but paraphrase specifically and accurately.  You need to give good, detailed examples that are on topic and prove your point. 

Give the context to set up your support—where are they, when are they, who is there, why?

Use transitions to create flow between your points, your paragraphs and give the essay structure.

List of Transitions

A concluding sentence begins by giving the reader the sense that the paragraph is coming to an end and restates the main idea of the paragraph ie what you were trying to prove as stated in your topic sentence, but using different language.  While the world is divided on whether to begin with an 'in sum' or 'in brief,' using transitions to create flow and give cues to your reader of where you are headed next, is not. A concluding sentence provides a summary of what has been argued/proven in the paragraph.

THE LITERARY ESSAY - Intros

The purpose of a literary essay is to carefully examine a piece of literature.  For this essay, you will be breaking the subject down to show how plot can be applied to theme to make a definitive statement about the literature.

General Rules

1.  The essay must be on the given topic
2.  The essay should have a central idea (stated in your thesis)
3.  The essay should be clearly organized so that each part supports the central idea

Thesis

The thesis tells the reader what to expect.  It is a declarative statement that makes a claim about the literature.  Typically it falls at the end of the introductory paragraph.  It is never a cliche or in the form of a question.  You are making a specific and exact claim about the text and defending it with direct evidence and examples from the text.

The Introduction

The introduction should capture the reader's interest.  Avoid mentioning the literature you will be analyzing in the first few sentences.  BORING. Instead gently lead the reader into the topic.  This is called the lead. Techniques previously taught and examined this year include:
-startling statement
-famous quotation
-rhetorical question
-anecdote

So you will need to think of potential leads for the topics.

A good lead will be a few sentences long. One sentence is never enough. This means you should explain the significance or meaning of the quote, offer a few questions in a row, use an anecdote of several sentences to explain the story, give a startling statement followed by some context or explanation.

The introduction should mention the title and the author (full name).

The intro ends with your thesis statement.

SIGHT PASSAGE REMINDERS

Step 1: Note the title and skim over the questions to get a general sense of what it is about before you read it.

Step 2: Read the sight passage once, without judgement. Stop and look up terms you don't understand in a dictionary (no phones in the exam!).  We read it the first time, beginning to end, to get a sense of the style and content. Never attempt to answer a question before reading the entire essay!

Step 3: Re-read the questions and then the sight passage, paying close attention to what the author is trying to say. More than likely the author has an opinion about the topic they are discussing.

Step 4: Highlight and make notes on the sight passage where potential answers are found.

Step 5: Plan out your answers (some like to jot down rough notes before writing their good copy).  

Step 6: Answer the questions.  Be sure to use words, from the question, in your answer, to ensure you are writing in complete sentences.

Step 7: Most times, you will be asked to make a connection to either your own life or the literature you have studied during the semester. 

Step 8: Always look to the value of the marks.  If it is worth 4 marks, rule of thumb is that it needs about 4 sentences.  This is not a hard and fast rule, but a guideline to ensure you use your time well.  Do not write an extended paragraph for a 1 mark question or 1 sentence for a 4 mark sentence.  Seems like common sense to me:)

Step 9: Check over your answers twice.  Once for content and once for conventions: spelling, capitals, indenting, symbols, first and second person language, apostrophes and slang are common errors when trying to write under a timeline. 

2D1 - you may be called upon to identify a couple of rhetorical devices used or make connections to either Mockingbird or Macbeth

3C1 WSS Final Test - Monday June 19

Part 1 - Sequencing - put the events in the order they happened
Part 2 - True/False
Part 3 - Multiple Choice
Part 4 - Names
Part 5 - Short Answers

How to Study?

1. Complete chapter 10 questions
2. Complete all of the chapter worksheets
3. Complete the sequencing practice chart
4. Complete the review on the back of chapter 10 questions
5. Complete the character, irony and conflict review

Of course, these will all help with exam essay preparation as well.

Background noise

halloween

exor

3C1 - The Final 2 Weeks Syllabus

Wed - Chapter 6
Thurs - prep for culminating #2
Fri - culminating #2

Mon - Thurs - chapters 7-10
Thurs - watch West Side Story
Fri - review for Monday quiz

Mon - quiz #2 on West Side Story and exam outline
Tues - Wed - exam prep

Exam - Tues June 27

2D1 - The Final 2 Weeks Syllabus

Wed - Culminating #2 - Rhetorical Devices
Thurs - Take up Idioms and Aftermath, Hypocrisy
Fri - Ch 28

Mon and Tues - Mockingbird Movie
Wed and Thurs - Chs 29-31
Friday  - Poetry

Mon (exam outline), Tues and Wed - exam review

Thursday June 22 - Exam for Period 1
Monday June 26 - Exam for Period 3