* By the end of this unit, I will have improved my critical essay writing skills. * I will learn to structure my critical essay so that I can: TALK WITH A REAL SUMO

At the head of every critical essay, you must include an introduction. An incredible introduction has four elements: T itle- The name of the text you have studied. A uthor- The name of the person who wrote the text. L ink text to task- Say how you will answer the question. K ey Techniques- Which techniques used by the author will your essay examine?

You have been given two exemplar introductions. They are responding to the task: ‘Choose a song which shares a positive message. Say what the message is and explain how the songwriter makes us aware of this.’ Rate each of these introductions out of 5. Why did you award these marks? How can these introductions be improved?

You will be writing a practice introduction about ‘The Middle’ by Jimmy Eat World. Listen carefully to the song. Who is the writer talking to in the song? What advice does he share? What is the message of the song?

Your Task: What makes ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ a good example of the horror genre.

Do Stephen King’s seminal work ‘The Shining’ is a novel which successfully uses the conventions of the horror genre. Interest in the story is generated through the author’s word choice which creates a haunting atmosphere, tension and suspense. Additionally, effective characterisation heightens By examining these aspects of the novel, it will be possible to show that King has written an excellent example of a work in this genre. Do Not * A story which I have read recently in class is… * I am going to be writing about… * I am going to tell you about… AVOID USE OF THE WORD ‘I’.

You will be arguing that ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ is a good example of the horror genre because: -Effective word choice creates a sinister/ tense/ mysterious, tension and suspense. -Interesting characterisation heightens tension and highlights the central messages of the story.

An effective summary of a text is very short (6-8 sentences), includes only key details and does not give away the story’s ending. If you are finding this difficult, use the points from the sequencing activity as a guide.

In each paragraph you must provide a new reason for your overall argument. This must be supported by evidence from the text. R eason- Identify an element of the text which helped you reach your conclusion (topic sentence and context) E vidence- A quote from the text to support your reason. A nalysis- Explain fully how your evidence supports your point (identify any techniques used). L ink- How did this evidence help you to answer the question.

In the song’s chorus, Adkins further reassures the young girl by explaining that her feelings are natural. He starts this section of the song by writing: ‘It just takes some time, little girl you’re in the middle of the ride.’ This metaphor is extremely effective. By comparing life to a ‘ride,’ the songwriter makes listeners think about rollercoasters. It is clear from this that Adkins is suggesting that the ups and downs in life are as natural as the rise and fall of a rollercoaster. As such, he suggests that the girl’s depression will not be permanent as life will give her reasons to be positive again. Therefore, the writer’s use of imagery contributes to the positive message of the song by suggesting that the girl is not as different as she thinks and by assuring her that her life will improve.

Each paragraph should flow naturally from what it follows. For example if in one paragraph you concluded by writing: It is apparent that Sergeant-Major Morris is not a reliable character. Such characters are typical of the horror genre and his presence adds interest as readers do not know whether he is avoiding the topic of the monkey’s paw simply to make his story seem more credible. You could begin the next paragraph by writing: Our doubts about Sergeant- Major Morris’s credibility heighten the suspense created by the description of the monkey’s paw.