1. Parent-child relationships are naturally complex, and many stories reflect the real life conflict between a parent and child; The Metamorphosis is one such story. Analyze the sources of the parent/child conflict in The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka and explain how the conflict contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.

2. The Thesis the parent/child relationship you are going to discuss
For this writing piece, your thesis must include two things:
the parent/child relationship you are going to discuss
the meaning of the work, explicitly stated
Suggestion: To strengthen your thesis, include an adjective that describes the parent/ child relationship

3. meaning of the work = theme
This is a story about ____________________ and how ____________ ____________________.

4. Building an Introductory Paragraph
a lead in sentence to begin the essay
introduction of the piece of literature and author
thesis statement

5. An easy way to get going on an introduction…

6. Ideals are positive; we’re supposed to have them, strive for them.
The Great Gatsby points out the flaws, misconceptions, and ignorance of society and the ideals of “The American Dream.”
American Dream
ideals
Some people confront great peril to get to America in search of the freedom it promises.
It has taken a beating in the last few years due to an unwieldy economy.
Ideals are positive; we’re supposed to have them, strive for them.
Theory says that if we have high ideals we will aspire to be greater than we might have been without them.

7. Sample Intro
Every year many people immigrate to America in search of the freedom and ideals it promises. Unfortunately, those promises are not always kept. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald points out the flaws, misconceptions, and ignorance of society and the ideals of “The American Dream.”

8. After your thesis is in place…
Review Rubric; know how your essay will be scored.
Review the novella for evidence; how are you going to support/prove the thesis?
Decide how to organize your essay; what will you discuss in what order? (paragraphs/topic sentences.)