Literary Essay #3

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 3

10 minutes of reading 

Aim

At the end of this lesson, you know how to write a structured literary essay.

Order of the introduction

One or two sentences about the author.

Catchy intro sentence.

One or two senctences summarizing the book.

Thesis statement.

The paragraphs argument that supports the thesis statement.

Examples from the book that support your argument.

Reasons why the evidence supports the argument.

Reason why the paragraph connects to the thesis statement.

Evidence

Point

Explain

Link

Conclusion

The conclusion is easy peasy lemon squeezy!

1. Start with a nice linking word - in conclusion.

2. Repeat your thesis statement.

3. Summarize your body paragraph in one sentence.

4. Add a concluding sentence -
And this is why...

Keep this in mind...

1. 3 paragraphs in total - intro + body + conclusion.
2. Stick to the structure for each part of your essay (see doc.).
3. Use linking words! - first of all, furthermore, in conclusion.
4. AVOID using contractions - don't = do not / isn't = is not
5. AVOID using meaningless words - stuff, something, nice.

Thesis statements

Thesis statement #1:

Roald Dahl does not tell everything truthfully in Boy.

Thesis statement #2:

Boy shows that friendship and family are very important.

Thesis statement #3:

Roald Dahl’s (corporal) punishments in his childhood changed his adult life.

On a final note...

You will be marked on your ideas and the way you structure your essay.

Your English needs to be good of course, but it is not the main focus of the essay.

(Silly mistakes such as 'i' will cost you points though...)

What to do now:

Finish the essay you started writing yesterday (and as homework) by adding a conclusion. THIS IS INDIVIDUAL!

When you are done, you can start reading your book.

If you want, I can have a quick look at what you wrote and give you some feedback.