KZN RADIO BROADCAST MASTERING THE LITERATURE ESSAY MRS
KZN RADIO BROADCAST MASTERING THE LITERATURE ESSAY MRS R GOVENDER – MARITZBURG COLLEGE MS J NAICKER – DURBAN GIRLS SECONDARY
Mastering the Literature essay § 1. Analyse topic § 2. Plan thoroughly § 3. Write
Why do we have to write literary essays in English class? • 1) Writing is a part of everyday life, especially if you are planning to attend university, college or any post secondary school. You will be asked, more than once, to write an essay in any course you attempt. • 2) If you do not plan to further your education, chances are you will have to write some sort of essay-type report in the excellent, well-paying job you will land in the future. • 3) There is an essay question in Paper 2 of your final examination. • 4) Possibly the most important reason… to pass English !
Planning Students write literary essays as a response to a piece of literature they have read. Usually, they take a position on a topic and then try to prove their stance to the reader. When writing an essay, the writer follows this basic pattern: • SAY IT • SHOW IT • SAY IT AGAIN • Beginning = Introduction = SAY IT • Middle = Body = SHOW IT • End = Conclusion = SAY IT AGAIN
STEP ONE: ANALYSE THE TOPIC. ‘A tragic hero is a character who comes to misfortune through a fatal character flaw. ’ In a carefully planned essay of 400– 450 words (2 – 2½ pages) in length, discuss to what extent the quotation is true about Hamlet. [25]
The topic usually has two or more components: 1. THE STATEMENT/QUESTION: ‘A tragic hero is a character who comes to misfortune through a fatal character flaw. ’ 2. THE INSTRUCTION: The ‘instruction’ tells you how to approach your essay. …discuss to what extent the quotation is true about Hamlet/Othello or any protagonist. Hamlet is not written in italics or in inverted commas and is therefore referring to the character and not the play.
How to write an introduction Make a broad statement introducing the topic. Hamlet is indeed a tragic hero however, it is not a flaw on his character but the horrendous situation he is placed in, that leads to his misfortune. Draw on your understanding of the play as a whole. At the onset of the play, the audience is introduced to a deeply emotional and distraught Hamlet who is grieving the loss of his beloved father. Set against this, he must also cope with the hasty marriage of his mother to his father’s brother, Claudius, who is now also the King of Denmark. Then, make a statement based on the instruction of the topic, showing your intention/aim in this essay. This essay aims to reveal how Hamlet’s nature influences his handling of the difficult circumstances he is faced with and how this impacts on the outcome of the play.
Another example. . . Topic 3 “Othello/Hamlet/Proctor is the architect of his own downfall. ” Discuss whether you agree with this statement by outlining the contributions made by protagonist and antagonist towards protagonist’s downfall. (25)
Structure • Introduction includes some wording from the question as you explain the STANCE you are taking (agree or disagree with thesis question) • Introduction must show the LINE OF ARGUMENT • Introduction must give a ‘PATHWAY’. This means the route the essay will take.
Intro to Topic 2 Othello and Desdemona’s marriage is one based on love as they marry one another despite the racism of the time. Despite the tragic end of the play, their love for one another, survives. Therefore the union cannot be described so negatively. Their courtship, initial wedded bliss, the role of Iago in destroying their lives, and the survival of their love for one another will be examined using evidence from the play.
Another example. . . Topic 3 “A marriage made in hell between a witless woman and a vain man. ” Discuss whether this is a fair assessment of the union between Othello and Desdemona. (25)
The introductory paragraph Othello is partially to blame for his downfall as his jealous, gullible nature allows him to be negatively influenced. The extent of Othello’s responsibility for his own downfall will be examined by: firstly, discussing his errors and flaws; secondly, Iago’s part in his downfall; and thirdly, the role played by opportunity.
Your turn to try Topic 3 “The quest for revenge of the main characters, Othello and Iago, leads directly to the terrible tragedy in Othello. ” Discuss the validity of this comment with close reference to relevant incidents in the play. STANCE & PATHWAY
A possible one. . . Both Othello and Iago seek revenge in the play which contributes to the terrible tragedy, but it is their jealousy which feeds this revenge and which is therefore the primary cause of the destructon. Their flaws, reasons for jealousy and their resultant desire for revenge will be examined as the linked causes for the heinous tragedy.
The Middle (SHOW IT) • This middle is referred to as the BODY of the essay • Your body paragraphs need to provide specific evidence to actually SHOW or PROVE thesis that you created in your introduction. • Use as many body paragraphs as you need to prove your thesis.
Body of Essay • Only relevant points which answer the question and provide evidence must be included. • Short quotes work better than longer ones e. g ‘soul’s joy’, ‘fair warrior’, ‘I am not what I am’, ‘I hate the Moor’ • Even single words are ideal e. g. ‘poison’, ‘web’, ‘whore’, ‘strumpet’, ‘witchcraft’
Each paragraph of the body should have: • Follow the pathway you mentioned in your intro. • Topic sentence: the first sentence which gives the main idea of the paragraph • Then other related points or evidence should be given. Quotes show that you are focusing on the text. • Concluding sentence of the paragraph should relate back to topic sentence & support the stance taken in thesis statement. • Logical connectors are important to link the ideas in the paragraph, such as: therefore, thus, nevertheless, however, in addition, consequently
How to structure a paragraph Remember to use words that link each paragraph to the next in a logical manner. E. g. however, therefore, thus… Each paragraph must contain ONE idea ONLY. And write each paragraph in the order the events occurred in the play. At the onset of the play, the audience is made aware that Hamlet has to cope with an inordinately difficult situation which is not of his making. He loses his father unexpectedly, and then has to contend with the fact that his mother is behaving inappropriately by marrying his uncle so soon that ‘The funeral baked meats / Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables’. He meets with his father’s ghost and suspects ‘some foul play’. His father requests that he avenges his murder, but it becomes such a burden that he cannot cope. These factors become the cause of great turmoil for the young Hamlet. Due to his deeply moral convictions and his religious convictions, Hamlet is unable to accept the marriage nor is he able to act on the information provided by his father’s ghost without confirmation. USE THE ‘PEEL’ METHOD POINT - TOPIC SENTENCE EVIDENCE – GIVE REFERENCES FROM THE TEXT EXPLAIN – GIVE THE RELEVANCE OF REFERRING TO THIS LINK – GO BACK AND LINK THIS TO THE TOPIC.
First paragraph for Topic 1 Pathway: Othello’s errors & flaws 1. What are his errors? 2. What are his flaws? How many paragraphs are needed to deal with these?
An example of a paragraph dealing with Othello’s errors Othello makes a fundamental error in trusting ‘honest Iago’. His insecurity about fitting in to Venetian life and his inexperience in romance lead him to treat Iago as his confidant and this is an error of judgement on Othello’s part. Iago tells Roderigo from the outset that he follows Othello ‘to serve’ his ‘turn upon him’ and the tragedy is that Othello is duped into thinking Iago is a man of ‘honesty and trust’. It is this blind trust of Iago which proves to be a fatal error which contributes to Othello’s downfall. (Note the following of the pathway, the evidence, & the link back to thesis statement)
Conclusion • No new evidence is given • The main ideas mentioned in the pathway in the introduction should be summarised • Some of the words of thesis statement should be used • Your stance must be reinforced
An example of a conclusion to Topic 1 Othello does need to take some responsibility for his downfall. His jealousy and his trust of Iago and mistrust of Desdemona are fatal flaws. However, Iago’s evil nature and cunning plans play a more significant part in engineering Othello’s fall. When coupled with the role of chance opportunity, Othello becomes the victim.
Spot the major errors in the response. . . Topic 4 “The role and status women occupied in Venice at the time of ‘Othello’ are significant as possible causes for the tragedy. ” Discuss. (about 7 errors) I think that the role and status of women at that time were significant because had the woman had more political and social clout then Desdemona, in particular would have stood up to “Othello”. She was subservient to him as a wife and so she couldn’t challenge him fairly nor diss him back in the book.
LIT ESSAY TOOLBOX THE ESSENTIALS YOU NEED TO KNOW • PLOT/TIMELINE • CHARACTERS • THEMES • KNOW THE ABOVE WELL. USE THEM AS PROOF FOR YOUR POINTS FOR YOUR ESSAY. • WRITE THEM OUT, MEMORISE THEM AND REGULARY TEST YOURSELF ON THEM. • THEY ARE YOUR TOOLS TO ANSWER ANY QUESTION ON THE SPECIFIC TEXT.
Some Main themes. . . • • • Jealousy Appearance versus Reality Reason versus Passion Good versus Evil Prejudice/The Outsider Racism Status of Women Loyalty & Betrayal Love & Trust
Some points to consider… • • Always write in the present tense. Do not use the FIRST OR SECOND PERSON i. e. I think that Othello is. . . X It is evident that. . . √ • • PEEL Method – Point, Evidence, Explain and Link all the paragraphs Do not RETELL the story. Select only the evidence which is relevant. • PLAY, not book or novel • QUOTE ACCURATELY. If you cannot remember a quote then rather paraphrase. Misquoting is out. • Use CONNECTORS between sentences & paragraphs to link ideas, for e. g. However, similarly, in contrast, therefore, thus, nevertheless, unfortunately, despite. . . • Include 1 main idea or point per paragraph. This forms your TOPIC SENTENCE. • • Do not use contractions. FORMAL LANGUAGE: no contractions, no abbreviations, no slang • INTRO & CONCLUSION are crucial
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS When quoting how may quotes is sufficient to include in essay and do we have to add the scene/act/chapter etc. ? Can we write the quote in modern English? Tiara Naidoo, Durban Girls Secondary For the conclusion of a literary essay, do you basically just restate the intro and add no more facts? Jordan Bense Maritzburg College What tense do we use in the lit essay and do we write in Present or past tense? Tanya Chingwere, Durban Girls Secondary
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