Essay Writing

Essay Writing

Expository Essay

Character Analysis

Modes of Essay Writing

Mode Purpose Found InExposition(What is it, and how does it work?)

to explain or inform

dictionary and encyclopedia articles, news stories, histories, biographies, reference sources

Description(What does it look, sound, smell, feel, taste like?)

NeSA-W (Jan/Feb)

to establish a mood or stir an emotion

any kind of nonfiction writing that used images to appeal to the senses of sight, smell, taste or touch

Narration(What happened?)

To tell about a series of events usually in chronological order

biographies, autobiographies, essays, news articles, histories

Persuasion(What should I feel or do about it)

to persuade the reader to believe or do something

newspaper editorials, speeches, advertising, essays, articles

5 Part Essay PlanExpository

Introduction:1. Attention getter (Lead)

2. Identify title, author, and character

3. Provide relevant background information that leads into the traits

4. Thesis (three character traits)

Body:1. The body is organized into three supporting paragraphs that prove your thesis statement

2. Each supporting paragraph needs to be illustrated with details, facts, examples, or quotes that make your point clear. (NO OPINIONS)

Conclusion:Summarizes the essay’s main points!1. Review the traits from your thesis statement/ Summarize main points

2. Connect to the introduction and reflect on the significance or character

Thesis

Restated thesis

Notes

IntroductionNEVER begin an essay with “in this essay”!

1. Grab the reader’s attention (lead) • Begin with a quote from the story “___________________” • Start with a strongly stated question that your readers might have (it may have a predictable answer)• Start with a unique observation about the story or character• Start with a snapshot (when you paint a picture, you draw the reader into the action)• Begin with a metaphor that shows the story’s significance

2. Identify the title of the story, the author, and the character

3. Provide relevant background information that leads into the traits

• Thesis statement (3 character traits)

Get your reader’s attention with a great lead…1. Begin with a quote from the story

Weak lead : In one quote from the story the Landlady answers the door right away.

Attention-getting “But this dame was like a jack-in-the-box. He pressed the bell - and out she popped. It made him jump.”

2. Start with a strongly stated question that your readers might have (it may have a predictable answer)Weak lead : In this paper I will attempt to show you what Alfonso did to fit in.

Attention-getting : Have you ever felt so out of place that you would do almost anything to fit in?

• Start with a unique observation about the story or characterWeak lead : The narrator of “The Tell-Tale Heart” is crazy.

Attention-getting : The narrator, while claiming to be perfectly sane, immediately placed doubt within the reader’s mind with his nervous repetition of thoughts.

• Start with a snapshot (when you paint a picture, you draw the reader into the action)Weak lead : Squeaky always wins because she trains hard.

Attention-getting : Running instead of walking, doing breathing exercises, and focusing on the goal are just a few things Squeaky does to prepare herself for the annual May day race.

• Begin with a metaphor that shows the story’s significanceWeak lead : This story was about a crazy landlady who poisoned her guests.

Attention-getting : Has something ever drawn your attention as if it was like gravity pulling you in? The hidden gravity that grabs your attention, maybe something as amazing as winning the lottery ticket or as miserable as watching the news about Hurricane Katrina.

Notes

Thesis Statement: A statement that gives the main idea or focus of an essay.

• This is the LAST sentence in the FIRST paragraph of your essay.

• Your thesis needs to be something that you are going to support with evidence throughout your essay.

• List THREE main points to your thesis so that these three points can be the three paragraphs in the body of your essay.

NotesExamples of thesis statements:• In Roald Dahl’s “The Landlady”, the main character, Billy Weaver, is so

polite and unquestioning and dim that he is not like a real-life person.

• She made herself be thought of as very kind, slightly dotty, and entirely harmless; yet she had a secret zest for stuffing handsome young men; she had no obvious motivation for this, but her actions were still very definitely effective.

• Squeaky comes off as a tough little girl growing up in Harlem, N.Y., but she is really soft and kind-hearted on the inside.

• Although Squeaky isn’t afraid to speak her mind and can come across as being too candid, she is conscientious and accomplished.

• The Landlady is deceitful, cunning, and cold-hearted, and Billy Weaver will never make it past her little traps alive.

• She is so deceitful, cunning, and contemptible that she can stuff a human being.

Thesis PracticeDirections: Please rewrite each simple thesis statement into a more complex statement

with 3 dominant traits.

Example: Weak: The landlady is kind, dotty, and harmless. Strong: She made herself be thought of as very kind, slightly dotty, and entirely harmless; yet she had a secret zest for stuffing handsome young men; she had no obvious motivation for this, but her actions were still very definitely

effective.

1. The landlady is cunning, deceitful, and contemptible.

2. Squeaky is tough, athletic, and responsible.

3. Mrs. Flowers is kind, aristocratic, and intelligent.

4. Marguerite is timid, insecure, and intelligent.

5. Alfonso is insecure, shy, and caring.

6. Charlie Gordon is determined, sensitive, and brave.

7. The narrator is deceitful, mad, and brutal.

8. Mr. & Mrs. White are greedy, curious, and hasty.

Sample Introduction (8D)“The old man’s hour had come! With a loud yell, I

threw open the lantern and leaped into the room. He shrieked once – once only. In an instant I dragged him to the floor and pulled the heavy bed over him” (205). In the strange story, “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe, the narrator ends up being a cold-hearted murderer. The narrator tells the reader he is not crazy, but his irrational actions, like obsessing on the old man’s eye, convince the readers otherwise. The narrator is quite arrogant and devious, but eventually his cruel insanity overtakes his intentions to appear calm to the police.

HighlightLead: pink

Title/Author/Character: blueBackground: green

Thesis: purple

Sample Introduction (8D)

• “…I made up my mind to take the life of the old man. …But why will you say that I am mad?” (81) In the story, “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe, the narrator is planning and executing the murder of an old man whose eye is bothersome to him. The narrator is so vain and sly that it is safe to say that the old man never had a chance. In the end, though, the narrator’s paranoia causes him to confess the crime he had executed so cleverly. Highlight

Lead: pinkTitle/Author/Character: blue

Background: greenThesis: purple

Sample introduction (4, 6, 7)Has something ever drawn your attention as if it was like

gravity pulling you in? For some, the hidden gravity may grab their attention as they pass by a television or sale rack. For Billy Weaver it was when he “caught sight of a printed notice propped up against the upper panes. It said BED AND BREAKFAST” (172). Who would have thought that a simple sign would bring so much trouble? Not Billy Weaver, the main character of the short story “The Landlady” by Roald Dahl. In this story, Billy is tricked into staying at a bed and breakfast by a seemingly sweet landlady who actually has deadly motives for luring him into her home. Mr. Weaver is both curious and enthusiastic as he strives to be independent, but in his youth he still tends to be quite naive and suffers dire consequences as a result.

HighlightLead: pink

Title/Author/Character: blueBackground: green

Thesis: purple

Notes

Conclusion Remember…

• NEVER end an essay with “I hope you enjoyed my essay.”• Summarize the essay’s main points.• No first person. (I, You) (Instead, use “one”or “the reader”) (See

example below)

1. Review the traits from your thesis statement/summarize main points

2. Connect to the introduction and reflect on the significance or character

Sample Conclusion (8D)• Pay attention to how the conclusions refer back and are connected to

the introductions.

Introduction: “The old man’s hour had come! With a loud yell, I threw open the lantern

and leaped into the room. He shrieked once – once only. In an instant I dragged him to the floor and pulled the heavy bed over him” (205). In the strange story, “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe, the narrator ends up being a cold-hearted murderer. The narrator tells the reader he is not crazy, but his irrational actions, like obsessing on the old man’s eye, convince the readers otherwise. The narrator is quite arrogant and devious, but eventually his cruel insanity overtakes his intentions to appear calm to the police.

Conclusion: The narrator is a very disturbed character to kill a defenseless old man

because he was bothered by the old man’s eye. Furthermore, he felt sure his crime would never be detected, but then his own insanity causes him to confess to the police. The narrator thinks that he is a sane man and that his murder was justified, but the reader knows he is an arrogant, devious, and insane person indeed.

Sample conclusion (8D)Introduction:

“The disease had sharpened my senses - not destroyed – not dulled them” (203). The Narrator in “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe states that the disease sharpened his senses, but is it really true? After all, he is a madman. He claims he loves the old man, and yet the old man’s body was cut up and carefully stored beneath the floor. It is obvious that the narrator had all the traits of a deadly murderer; he is determined, clever, and malicious.

Conclusion:The narrator is truly a psychopath to kill a defenseless aged person for

absolutely no logical reason. He is determined, clever, and malicious, which means he has all the characteristics of a deadly assassin who kills for no reason. If not for the neighbor’s call to the police, the narrator may well have continued his deadly behavior.

Sample conclusion (4, 6, 7)

Introduction:Has something ever drawn your attention as if it was like gravity pulling you in?

For some, the hidden gravity may grab their attention as they pass by a television or sale rack. For Billy Weaver it was when he “caught sight of a printed notice propped up against the upper panes. It said BED AND BREAKFAST” (172). Who would have thought that a simple sign would bring so much trouble? Not Billy Weaver, the main character of the short story “The Landlady” by Roald Dahl. In this story, Billy is tricked into staying at a bed and breakfast by a seemingly sweet landlady who actually has deadly motives for luring him into her home. Mr. Weaver is enthusiastic and curious as he strives to be independent, but in his youth he still tends to be quite naive and suffers dire consequences as a result.

Conclusion:All in all, Billy Weaver is the kind of guy that everyone roots for. His

independent and earnest nature initially give the reader the impression that he can handle almost anything thrown his way. Throughout the story he is curious enough to keep the reader aware of what is going on, but because of his naivety he misses the landlady ’s real intent. He is the kind of character that deserves a happily-ever-after ending, but unfortunately, he did not get one.

Transition Words and PhrasesUse these transitions to help you connect the ideas between your

sentences and between your paragraphs.TO INTRODUCE EXAMPLES

for example in fact in one instancefor instance in one case as proofto illustrate to begin with in one example

TO ADD ANOTHER POINTalso in addition (to) furthermoremoreover another a second (third, fourth, etc.)besides further

TO SHOW TIME RELATIONSHIPSbefore since in the meantimeafter meanwhile to begin withnext eventually at the same timethen at last not long afterfinally afterward as time passed

TO SIGNAL RESULTS OR EFFECTSas a result because (of) for this reasondue to therefore in response tothus consequently in conclusion

TO SHOW COMPARISON OR CONTRASTsimilarly in contrast different fromlike unlike on the other handjust as the same as on the contraryas well (as) equally important

TO CONNECT IDEASyet however neverthelessso though moreover

Final reminders…

1. Don’t use 1st person. (I, me, you)2. Don’t use your opinion. (I think, I believe)3. Avoid using contractions (can’t, won’t, don’t, isn’t, etc)4. Keep your verb tense consistent5. Keep your verb tense in the present tense to make it seem

more “alive”

6. Leave your reader with something to think about!7. Be sure to use strong transitions between paragraphs.8. Be sure to explain your quotes!9. Be sure to state the trait you are proving.10. Avoid saying well, …11. Spell out numbers 1 – 1012. Avoid saying “in this essay…”

13. Provide a bit more background info.14. Remember that your job is to ANALYZE the character, not

SUMMARIZE the story

Rubric

Exemplar1

Exemplar 2

Exemplar 3

Exemplar 4

Rubric

Warm-up: complete in notebook1. List the FOUR things that need to be included in your introduction. (4 points)

1. 2.3. 4.

2. What is a thesis statement? (2 points)

3. What should be included in your thesis statement? (2 points)

4. Where is the thesis statement located? (2 points)

5. Yesterday you wrote down 3 ways to grab the reader’s attention in the introduction. List TWO of these ways! (2 points)

1.2.

6. There are three things that need to be included in your conclusion. Please list them. (3 points)

1. 2. 3.