how to write a successful analytical essay. double space entire essay heading john public mr....
TRANSCRIPT
Essay Writing
How to write a successful analytical essay
Double space entire essay Heading
John PublicMr. LykeWorld Literature Honors14 October 2015
Header Right aligned
Last Name page # (Public 1) Title (centered)
Not generic Reflect topic
MLA
Introductions
The bridge from your reader’s daily life into your fascinating analysis
First impressions Road map Capture reader’s attention
Purpose
Hook
Grab the attention of the reader Make your topic appealing
Background Draw the reader into the topic and the work Provide a framework for your discussion
Thesis What you will prove in the essay
***All sentences in the introduction should link together to provide flow of ideas
Structure
Avoid stating the title in the hook
Native Son is a novel about the struggles of African-Americans in the 1940’s.
Avoid vague statements Life for African Americans was difficult in the 1940’s.
Avoid definitions Avoid restating the question Avoid “book report” introductions
Richard Wright wrote Native Son in 1940. The novel tells the story of a young black man growing up in Chicago.
Avoid “In this paper” and any “I” statements
Hook
Make the audience care about your topic Should be 2-3 sentences Make your hook fun or intriguing
Vivid anecdote / example Provocative quotation Enigmatic statement
Hook
State the author, title and a general idea /
summary of the novel Should be 2-3 sentences
Background
Debatable statement that you will prove in the
essay Doesn’t simply state facts Not just a summary
Answers the question or topic asked of you Provides a roadmap for your essay
Thesis
Avoid grocery list theses
The North fought for slaves’ freedom, rights and equality.
Avoid “In this paper” and any “I” statements
Thesis
A weak thesis can destroy an essay
The North and South fought the Civil War for many reasons, some similar and some different.
instead
Be specific Both Northerners and Southerners believed they
fought against tyranny and oppression; Northerners focused on the oppression of slaves while Southerners sought to defend their right to self-government.
Thesis
The 1940’s was a time of racial inequality and economic disparity in
the United States of America. Many African American writers, frustrated with the lack of advancement generated by the Harlem Renaissance, created works of literature to protest the racial tensions and issues in the country. Richard Wright created the novel Native Son, a controversial look at the bleak life many African Americans were living. Bigger Thomas, the protagonist of the novel, initiates huge controversy because he murders a white woman and feels powerfully liberated after the crime. Despite the fact that Bigger commits murder, he is the true victim in this novel because he is a product of the violent environment in which he has been raised, was forced into a situation in which he had no free will, and did not receive a fair trial. Red– HookGreen – BackgroundBlack – Thesis
Example Introduction
The 1940’s was a time of racial inequality and economic disparity in
the United States of America. Many African American writers, frustrated with the lack of advancement generated by the Harlem Renaissance, created works of literature to protest the racial tensions and issues in the country. Richard Wright created the novel Native Son, a controversial look at the bleak life many African Americans were living. Bigger Thomas, the protagonist of the novel, initiates huge controversy because he murders a white woman and feels powerfully liberated after the crime. Despite the fact that Bigger commits murder, he is the true victim in this novel because he is a product of the violent environment in which he has been raised, was forced into a situation in which he had no free will, and did not receive a fair trial. Red– HookGreen – BackgroundBlack – ThesisLinks
Example Introduction
Structure
How to organize your essay
Topic sentence
First sentence in each body paragraph that states what you will prove
Must link back to your thesis statement Transition sentence
Last sentence in the paragraph Concludes argument and transitions to next
topic Good idea to link transition to next topic
Structure
Quotations
Use the author’s words and your explanation to prove your point
Choose quotations that support your position Do not overload the paper by using too many
quotes or quoting too much information. The majority of the paper should be composed
of your words Avoid leaving quotes as sentences unto
themselves. Even if you have provided some context for the
quote, a quote standing alone can disrupt your flow
Quotations
Introduce / provide context for your quotation Explain the meaning of your quotation
Sophocles establishes the hubris of Oedipus through the king’s declarations to his people who are suffering from a plague. Oedipus thought so highly of himself that he believed the people should not pray to the gods for salvation, but “Let [him] grant their prayers” (245). This quote shows that Oedipus believes he has the ability to grant the prayers of his people more than the gods of the land.
avoid this
Quotations
Do not take the quotation out of context Use ellipses “. . . “to indicate omitted material Use brackets to indicate edited material
“[him]self” as opposed to “myself” Citation punctuation goes outside the
parentheses. Put parenthetical citation at the end of the
sentence
Quotations
Embed quotation in your sentence when possible
The entire town was looking forward to the game and John “could hardly contain his enthusiasm” for the evening’s match (Jones 2).
Use the grammar of your sentence when quoting material When Hamlet tells Rosencrantz that he “could be
bounded in a nutshell and count [him]self a king of infinite space,” he implies that thwarted ambition did not cause his depression (II.ii.273-274).
Offset the quotation by using commas When faced with a troll, Ron gathers his courage,
shouting, “Wingardium Leviosa!” and drops the club on its head (Rowling 176) .
Quotations
Conclusions
The bridge from your fascinating analysis back to your reader’s daily
life…hopefully better for the experience
Synthesize, don’t summarize
Do not just restate your topics, tie it all together “So What!”
Summarize your paper and ask yourself “So What?”
Your response to the question will provide you with a great conclusion
Return to key ideas in your hook
Conclusion
Do not use the phrases “in conclusion,” “in
summary” or any “I” statements Do not simply restate your thesis Do not use quotations that should have been
in the body of the essay Do not introduce new topics Do not make emotional appeals out of
character with the essay
Conclusion