Critical Analytical Response to Literature English 10-1

Introduction  Start with a general statement about the topic. This could be a quote, a dictionary definition, a statement or an idea.  Add more details about the idea, moving to become more specific to the topic  Transition to text  Thesis statement

Thesis Statement A thesis statement is the last sentence or two of your introduction paragraph. It contains the focus of your essay and tells your reader what your essay will be about. A thesis statement must be strong defendable make a statement clear concise related to the topic

Thesis Formula In the (text type), (text name), the author (author’s name) suggests that… (answer to the thematic topic). For example Topic: What does the text creator(s) suggest about an individual in the midst of conflict? In the play, “Romeo and Juliet”, playwright William Shakespeare suggests that an individual in the midst of conflict may choose to stand up for what (s)he believes, or may be forced to act in a prescribed way.

Try One Yourself Think about the short story, “Gaston”, by William Soroyan. Create a thesis statement for the following topic. What does the text creator(s) suggest about the need for individual identity?

Body Paragraphs  Topic Sentence (state what the paragraph will be about)  S – statement sentence  E – evidence from the text  E – explanation of relevance and analysis  Concluding Sentence (summarizing argument and transitioning to next argument) REPEAT 3 TIMES

Body Paragraphs Statement of Ideas The S in your body paragraphs must be a strong statement about the character Must be defendable Must be about the character’s traits (not about what the character does, or what happens in the story) Must be able to be related to the topic

Body Paragraphs Evidence from the text The first E in your body paragraphs must be directly from the text Must support your statement Must be accurate Must be in quotation marks Must be precise Must be integrated correctly

Body Paragraphs Explanation of Evidence The second E of your body paragraphs must explain the relevance of your statement and evidence to the topic Must connect all parts of SEE together Must be directly connected to statement and topic Must relate everything back to your thesis statement Must be clear and concise

Conclusion  Restate thesis statement in other words  Summarize your three statement arguments  Make a general statement about the topic

Introduction Initially: Intro Sentence SEE SEE SEE Concluding Sentence However: Intro Sentence SEE SEE SEE Concluding Sentence Consequently: Intro Sentence SEE SEE SEE Concluding Sentence Conclusion ESSAY OUTLINE STRUCTURE

Let’s Create an Outline As a class, we are going to create an essay outline for the short story “The Father” Topic: What does the text creator(s) suggest about the impact of personal choice?

Where do we start? Understanding the topic: Circle the thematic topic in your essay question Define the main words in the thematic topic Rewrite the topic in your own words Take point-form notes under the following headings Character Conflict Outcome Theme **DIFFERENT OUTCOMES PRODUCE DIFFERENT THEMES**

Keep Going… Ensure that the topic works with the text you want to talk about Do not try to force a topic on a text If you write an essay that does not address the topic, or that does a poor job of addressing the topic, you will receive poor marks It is far better to use a text that works with the topic than to use your favorite text and make it work

HOMEWORK Read “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell Answer the multiple choice questions about the text in your learning guide Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper