Paragraph Structure Review (for a formal expository writing)

Formal Literary Analysis - review Written in present tense Written in 3rd person (No “I think…”) Relies solely on the text for information Uses standard English - no contractions, slang, or text talk Answers the question - stays on topic Refers directly and indirectly to the text References - quotations/paraphrasing text Inferences - reading between the lines

Topic Sentence/Thesis (Introduction) Question:What traits or characteristics is the author portraying about the character? Discuss one of the Traits that define Teresa’s character. Introduction must have: TAG-Title, Author, Genre A topic sentence that answers the question - discuss Teresa’s character. Ex: In the short story “The Kayak,” by Debbie Spring, the main character, Teresa, is a 16 year old girl who feels free and independent in the water kayaking, but trapped and dependent on land.

Literary Paragraph - body Point Example from the text (embedded into your point) Explanation of how the point and example connect to the topic sentence Repeat PEE 2-3 times per paragraph Concluding Sentence

TITLE Each piece of work that you create should be titled. This title should be creative and reflect what you will be discussing in your response.

Exemplar of a paragraph Balancing the waves of life In the short story “The Kayak,” by Debbie Spring, the main character, Teresa, is a 16 year old girl who feels free and independent in the water kayaking, but trapped and dependent on land. The feeling of independence when she is kayaking is extremely important to Teresa because of her disability. Teresa refers to herself as “the helpless child on land, and the independent woman on water” (pg 33) displaying that when she is on land she feels trapped and unable to do what she wants, but the water allows her to feel as though she can do anything. Although she wants freedom, Teresa must rely on her parents when she is on land, but in the water, she is “totally in control of [her] life” (pg 33). Kayaking is an escape for the confinement that she feels when in a wheelchair. Teresa must come to land and leave the comfort and liberty of her kayak for her restricting wheelchair. “My mother pushes a wheel chair over. My father lifts me in”. Being dependent of her parents is something Teresa wishes she did not have to do, but she has been “trapped like a beached whale” (pg 36) and this dependence is a part of her daily routine. While dependent on land, Teresa strives for the ability to live free on the water in control of her own life.

Some reminders: Do not forget that this is formal writing – no contractions (isn’t, don’t, can’t) – please double space your good copy – put page numbers after your quotes – edit your work