Formal Essay Writing: Advice enhancing Frankenstein Paper Writing

Thesis: Rubric Scoring Exceeds standard (5) Approaches standard (2) **Barely attempts to make an argument **Poorly written and/or unclear **Placed appropriately in the paper ** Unique, highly individual and a clear, provable argument **Coherent and written in an exemplary fashion **Placed appropriately in the paper

Body Thesis Sentences: Body Paragraph Topic Sentences Without a BTS, you waste an important opportunity to show how that paragraph connects to the whole thesis and shows the development of your argument. Strong BTSs and CSs are necessary for a 10 in Analysis and Organization

Body Thesis Sentences: Body Paragraph Topic Sentences

Body Thesis Sentences: Body Paragraph Topic Sentences

Body Thesis Sentences: Body Paragraph Topic Sentences

Body Paragraphs Without a BTS, you waste an important opportunity to show how that paragraph connects to the whole thesis. Strong BTS/CS necessary for a 10 in Org. You may need more body paragraphs to prove your thesis than you originally plan to use.

Focus your lit analysis writing on language & its effect Your literary writing should focus on how language reflects ideas in literature, not how literature reflects culture Any statement about culture must be cited

Solid example of cited cultural evidence leading to a language-focused literary thesis statement

Edit out “to be” verbs whenever possible “To be” verbs lead to: Wordiness “is saying” versus “says” Passive Voice “Hamlet is used” versus “Shakespeare uses Hamlet” Lower grades in “style” category of the rubric

Avoid the following weaknesses to have powerful literary analysis: Generalizations Rhetorical questions Absolute claims Speculation “Shakespeare must have been a fair man … “Shakespeare believed in equal rights … “The ending of Macbeth is what the audience wants to see …” “ … the outcome of Macbeth would have been different.”

Introductory Paragraphs Should: Immediately focus on the text you’re discussing, rather than the author and their works or culture in general Provide an introduction to the dominant characters, conflicts, and techniques inherent in your thesis Be edited for brevity End with a literary thesis statement

Introductory Paragraphs Must introduce the title and the author of the work before any characters, settings, or context Underline (when handwriting) or italicize (when typing) book titles Never write a title two times in an intro paragraph After the first time when you use a person’s whole name, use just their last name (for lit and history).

Introductory Paragraphs Integrate phrases, using commas, to show relationships between just-introduced characters Macduff, Macbeth’s confidante, … Obierka, Okonkwo’s longtime friend, … Also a good strategy in body paragraphs

Avoid Passive Voice Passive voice is still a problem—it obfuscates sentences by not being specific about who performs the action. Fix PV by: Look for a form of "to be" (is, are, am , was, were, has been, have been, had been, will be, will have been, being) followed by a past participle. For example: Scotland has been damaged by the totalitarian theocracy. The totalitarian theocracy damaged Scotland.

Examples of Passive Constructions: Revise them in your mind. #practice

Body Paragraphs Always use evidence from the whole book/play/poem to prove your thesis If you only reference half the text it looks like you didn’t finish reading or the rest of the book might disprove your thesis Refer to important plot points using short quotations. Refer to the “exposition” rather than the beginning—speak in a formal literary register.

Editing for Brevity ING words TO BE verbs PREPOSITIONS “Macbeth is killing … “Macbeth kills … “Roger is shooting … “Roger shoots … PREPOSITIONS

Words to hesitate and thoughtfully consider before using in formal writing Words that lead to generalization Words that lead to speculation many people society similarities differences diverse various several everything would could should might *Use of speculative words is sometimes appropriate in history but never in language arts

One-Paragraph Responses A thesis that exceeds the standard is essential. Evidence must be nuanced and integrated fluently.