Writing About Literature Mr. Pyne ENG IV

Assertion, Evidence, Relevance These three elements of your writing formulate a strong structure for good writing…

Assertion Also known as your thesis, claim, statement, position, etc. It is a statement which needs to be proved. An assertion can be just a simple statement as well, such as “I like the color blue.” In literary analysis, it might be something like “Beowulf is the epitome of the Anglo-Saxon heroic ideal.”

Assertion (Continued) Let’s take a look at the King Arthur excerpt. What would a possible assertion be for this essay? Hint: use the essay question to guide you, and don’t over-think! Write this possible assertion down on your paper.

Evidence Using proof to back up your argument. In literature, this is usually in the form of a quote, a summary, or a detail gotten directly from the story. Or, with regard to our “Blue” example: “Every piece of clothing I own has some blue in it, such as my jeans, shirts, sox, and sweatpants.”

Evidence (Continued) Back to the King Arthur story: In our assertion, we may be stating that Arthur’s dream reveals that his time as ruler or king might come to an end in a horrible way. What details in the text back this up? Under your assertion, write a list of those details you think matter.

Relevance The most important part of your writing- this is your statement’s significance or importance. It answers the “Who cares?” question. From our “blue” example, the relevance might look something like this: “Therefore, when Friday comes around, you know I really enjoy Orange and Blue Day.”

Relevance, Continued In literature, this is when we often ▫make connections to other events ▫or use inference ▫or show relation to theme ▫Reader response ▫Author’s intention

Relevance, Continued What is the relevance of your King Arthur assertion? Take some time to come up with a statement of relevance with regard to your assertion and evidence about King Arthur.

Honors homework: Writing Prompt #5: Opening of Manalive by GK Chesterton. Come up with a possible assertion for the excerpt from the opening chapter “How the Great Wind Came to Beacon House.” Supply specific evidence for your assertion. The more, the better. Emphasize the relevance of the evidence to strengthen and expand your assertion. Write a paragraph with all three of these elements, labeling each.

Regular homework: Writing Prompt #5: “An Unexpected Party” Ch. 1 of The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien Here’s your assertion: “Bilbo Baggins is wealthy and likes to live comfortably.” Supply specific evidence for this assertion. The more, the better. Emphasize the relevance of the evidence to strengthen and expand your assertion. Write a paragraph with all three of these elements, labeling each.