1. Context – Expository essays
The Crucible
Context – Expository essays

2. What???
Unlike text response, the context will be the substance of your essay – not the text
You are writing an essay about the prompt – using the text and outside info to support and add depth to your ideas
Expository = exploring ideas – scope to look at the prompt from a lot of different perspectives and situations
Think about what TYPE of prompt it is – is it asking you to think about types of threats? Responses to threats? Overcoming threats? Experiencing a threat to humanity?

3. ‘things that threaten our humanity’
The Context Triangle
Context
‘things that threaten our humanity’
Key Ideas
Key Ideas
Textual Evidence
External Evidence
Key Ideas

4. What is Textual Evidence?
Evidence is what you use to support your comments on the context’s key ideas. Textual evidence comes from the text (in this case, The Crucible):
Character’s experiences
References to particular settings (Puritan New England, forest, 1600s etc.)
Specific quotes from the text
Themes from the text
Structural elements
Language features
More suited to creative texts

5. External evidence
Excellent way to add a new angle, show more depth, make your essay stand out from the crowd. Examples need to be educated and academic – e.g. Historical events, current events, philosophical theories, news articles...
WARNING!!
Avoid superficial external links.
Good external evidence does not include:
Shallow pop culture references (e.g. Reality tv, celebrities)
Really obvious, overused examples (e.g. 9/11, Hitler)
Song lyrics
Lame blockbuster movie references
Sporting heroes and/or teams
School yard fights
Unnecessarily personal information about your family/boyfriend/girlfriend (the sympathy effort will get you nowhere)
We’re talking about sophisticated, educated, informative insights that add depth and complexity to your written piece

6. Expository essays – intros
Explore the implications of the prompt
What does it mean?
What does it imply?
What does it assume?
What does it suggest?
DO NOT mention the text – this isn’t a text response essay!
Show originality
Quotes, scenarios etc.

7. Expository essays – body
The basic expository structure is similar to text response but with key differences:
Topic sentence: A key point relating to the context and the prompt (no mention of the text)
Elaboration: Elaborate on your key point with reference to key ideas – 2 or 3 sentences
Textual Evidence: Examples from the text that support the point you’re making (with quotes!)
External Evidence: Further supporting your point (only if applicable)
Link: At the end of your paragraph, make a clear link to the prompt and context (again, no mention of the text)
The best topic sentences build on each other, rather than having random separate ideas. Remember, you have lots of examples!

8. Conclusion
What is the key message/moral/lesson about the prompt that you are trying to communicate in your essay? (3 or 4 sentences)
What is it important for your audience to learn/remember from this?
Again, no mention of the text (keep it general)

9. Tips
Use your key ideas/introductory booklet to help you develop ideas for your body paragraphs
Highlight which ones relate to the prompt
Tweak them to make them relevant and original
Look at what we did last semester:
Minimum of Two
Milgram experiment
Country Death Song
V for Vendetta
Letter to when it all fell apart
As well as the class work we have been doing (McCarthyism, My Lai massacre)
Could these be used as outside links? Don’t JUST use these though – do some research to add originality to your ideas. e.g. cases of mass hysteria, group mentality, conforming etc.

10. Think outside the square!
‘Expository’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘essay’ – an essay is just the most obvious way to respond in an expository style
However, you might fall into the trap of doing something really obvious and boring – I want to see originality!
Try putting your own twist on an expository piece:
A news article, speech, interview, conversation or other form that explores the ideas of the prompt (combining expository and creative to come up with something different)
If you stick with an essay, make it your own – start with a famous quote from a philosopher or from the author, start with a scenario that your audience can imagine, weave in some kind of metaphor
YES this makes it harder than just doing a ‘normal’ essay, but if you put in the effort and do it WELL (not just different for the sake of it, but actually trying to achieve something meaningful), this will help you stand out from the crowd of ‘normal’ essays

11. Considerations Pros – Cons –
Clear and explicit links to the text and prompt
Can add depth and broaden discussion with external examples
Explicit structure that you can follow
You know how to do essays – this is familiar to you
Safer option – easier to avoid a low mark because you don’t need particularly amazing writing skills to explore the prompt
Cons –
Perhaps less inspiring and potentially less of a ‘wow’ factor than creative (unless you put a twist on it)
Challenges in Authorial Intent – purpose, audience, language devices etc.
Harder to get a really high mark because you need really strong ideas and examples to make it stand out from the crowd (if you do a traditional essay)