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