ESSAYS!

TITLE Choose an appropriate title for your essay – Essay is NOT a good title Do not underline or italicize your title – only the title of the work (if it is in your title) Example: Surviving with Sweetness in The Hunger Games

Introduction use the following structure (inverted-pyramid): 1st part – broad statement(s) about topic 2nd part – introduce the work and author 3rd part – thesis statement

Thesis Statement Present an argument Use parallelism Aim to answer the question “so what?” Example: In The Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta demonstrate both benevolence and selfishness. So what? In The Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta demonstrate that in order to survive one must show benevolence and selfishness.

Body Paragraphs Topic sentence that states what you will be discussing…make sure it is linked to your thesis statement Example: To start, Katniss and Peeta use compassion to survive the Hunger Games. PPD (see next slide) Concluding sentence that reinforces your paragraph

EXAMPLE of PPD: First, Katniss demonstrates compassion through her relationship with Rue. She develops a deep affection for her ally and realizes that loneliness weighs on a person: “I realize for the first time, how very lonely I’ve been in the arena. How comforting the presence of another human being can be” (209). Rue’s affection and company give Katniss new strength and security, which pushes her to move forward in the games.

Conclusion use the following structure (pyramid): 1st part – restatement of thesis 2nd part – still related to work 3rd part – broad statement(s) about topic

Throughout your essay remember… no “I” – also avoid “you” don’t use contractions  no slang

the topics of your paragraphs should follow the same order as they appear in your thesis (if applicable) use present tense for story or novel events use transition words when you start a new paragraph AND when you start a new point in each paragraph

if it makes sense order your paragraphs – second strongest point, weakest point, strongest point (depending on number of paragraphs and argument) Use “quotation marks” for short story titles and italics for novel titles make new paragraphs obvious by indenting