1 THE FIVEPARAGRAPH ESSAY Writing on Old Man

1 THE FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY Writing on Old Man and the Sea

2 GOALS Features of Literary Analysis Essays • • To analyze some aspect of a novel, play, etc. To state a thesis – a strong, clear claim about some aspect of the story. To support that thesis with examples and direct quotations. To present your analysis in a logical order.

PROCESS 3 Process of Writing an Essay 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Prewriting -- brainstorming Drafting – organizing your thoughts Revising Editing and Proofreading Writing Your Final Essay

4 COMPOSITIO Composing the 5 -paragraph essay NIntroduction – states a thesis 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Body paragraph one – support 1 Body paragraph two – support 2 Body paragraph three – support 3 Conclusion

5 COMPOSITIO Diagram of the 5 -paragraph essay N

6 INTRODUCTI Include ON Title and Author Your introduction should include the author’s full name and the title of the story, novel, play, etc. Short story titles should be in quotations marks. Titles of novels and plays get underlined instead.

7 INTRODUCTI Give Some Background on ON Story Your introduction paragraph should give enough background about the story so that the reader understands the context for your thesis. Example: Since your thesis will pertain to the concept of Hemingway’s “code hero” you will want to introduce the Old Man as well as the concept of the “code hero. ”

THESIS 8 Make a Strong, Clear Claim A strong thesis statement has several basic features: • • • It focuses on a single main point about a topic. It is neither too broad nor too narrow. It is specific. It is something you can show, explain, or prove by evidence from the text. It is a forceful statement written in confident,

THESIS 9 What a Thesis Statement Is Not A thesis statement is not: • • A simple statement of fact A summary of part of the plot An evaluation of the story (good, bad, etc. ) An unsupportable opinion

THESIS 10 Make a Strong, Clear Claim Your THESIS should: • be stated in a single sentence • include a “method of development” (MOD) • be the final sentence in your first paragraph For this assignment, I am giving you a thesis: “In Santiago, the central character of The Old Man and the

SUPPORTS 11 Supporting Your Claim Each support paragraph: • illustrates, explains, or proves your main claim – thesis. • • contains and details a particular point that relates to the main claim. includes a topic sentence that supports thesis statement.

SUPPORTS 12 Supporting Your Claim I. II. Santiago is honorable 1. Example 1 2. Example 2 3. Example 3 Santiago is courageous Santiago displays perseverance (endurance)

13 QUOTATION Use Quotations from the Story S This is an excellent way to illustrate your major supports. Get in the habit of using at least one important quotation in each body paragraph. Example: Romeo describes the emotional pain of love: “Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, / Too rude, too bois’trous and it pricks like thorn” (1. 4. 25 -26). Beware: Do not use extensive quotations – keep to short ones.

14 CONCLUSIO Add Some Insight to the Conclusion N Don’t just restate your thesis. An effective conclusion: reminds readers of the main point • summarizes and reinforces the support paragraphs • provides an insight beyond restating thesis •

15 STYLE HOW YOU EXPRESS YOUR IDEAS Style concerns the artful expression of your ideas. Ask yourself: How can I best introduce and develop my topic so that it will interest my readers?

16 3 RD Always Write in the Third Person PERSON Avoid using the first person “I” and “we, ” “me” and “us”. Avoid: We can clearly see that Santiago is acting courageously. Improved: Santiago is acting courageously.

17 3 RD Always Write in the Third Person PERSON Avoid saying, “I feel…” or “I believe…” or “I think…” Just state what you believe in strong, clear language. Avoid: I believe that Hemingway uses Manolin as a foil to Santiago. Improved: Hemingway uses Manolin as a foil to Santiago.

18 3 RD Always Write in the Third Person PERSON Avoid the use of second person “you”. Stay in the third person. Avoid: This would lead you to believe Santiago is a courageous as he is honorable. Improved: This incident shows that Santiago is a courageous as he is honorable.

LANGUAGE 19 Just State the Facts …when giving background about the story. Avoid writing, “This story is about…” or “My essay will show. . ” Just relate what you have to say about the story in strong, clear language. Avoid: Old Man and the Sea is a story about an old man who fight a 1, 000 -pound marlin on the open sea. Improved: In Old Man and the Sea, an old man struggles with a 1, 000 -pound marlin on the open sea.

LANGUAGE 20 Use Formal Language …and avoid using colloquial or slang expressions. Avoid: “Santiago has a little problem. How do I put this lightly? He’s not as strong as he used to be. ” Avoid: Something is seriously wrong here. Let me clear it up for you.

TENSE 21 Use the Present Tense Use the literary present tense when writing of events in the story – not past tense. Avoid: After Santiago killed the dolphin, he swore he would never again leave port without salt. Correct: After Santiago kills the dolphin, he swears he will never again leave port without salt.

22 QUOTATION Use Quotations from the Story S Again, this is an excellent way to illustrate your major supports. But do not ever use the word “quotation” to introduce a quote. Example: Romeo describes the emotional pain of love: “Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, / Too rude, too bois’trous and it pricks like thorn” (1. 4. 25 -26). Beware: Do not write out a quotation and then write: “This quote is saying that…”

ANALYSIS 23 Avoid Editorializing When you are writing an analytical paper, you should never “editorialize. ” In other words you should not make judgments, give advice, or offer opinions. Keep to ANALYSIS and EXPLANATION. Avoid: It’s funny how the sharks give Santiago such a hard time… Avoid: Why does the only pretty girl in the story have to die? Avoid: Something is seriously wrong here…

24 FORMAT

HEADING 25 Use a proper heading John Q. Student English 1 – B 1 Mr. Rose November 14, 2011 Your Title Goes Here

FORMAT 26 Remember to Double-Space Your heading should be single-spaced But the essay itself should always be doublespaced.

TITLE 27 Always Give Your Essay a Title The title of your essay should: § Reflect the content of your essay § Include the name (or author) of the text § Centered (rather than aligned left) The title of your essay should NOT: • Be underlined or have quotation marks Except for those words that are in the title of a book or story.

TITLE 28 Always Give Your Essay a Title Examples: Old Man and the Sea: Tale of a Hero Hemingway’s Code Hero in Old Man and the Sea

Assignment: Old Man essay 29 • Underline your thesis statement • State your thesis in a single sentence. • Your thesis should include a “method of development. ” • Your introduction should give some background of the story. • You must have three major supports – three body paragraphs. • You must have a conclusion that does more than restate thesis. • You must include at least one quotation in each body paragraph. • You must properly format your essay. • You must give your essay a title that reflects the essay. • You must use third person and present tense.