Literary Analysis The Outsiders What is an informative

Literary Analysis The Outsiders

What is an informative essay? • It is an essay that educates someone on a certain topic. It is not for giving an opinion or convincing someone to do something or change his/her beliefs. • It is meant to tell the reader of your work about something you have observed or know- whether they agree or disagree with you up • In addition to being informative, it needs to be interesting.

Objective is… • To analyze how the author develops theme. • To construct a theme statement • To write a focused and organized essay on a theme developed throughout the novel, using text evidence to support your claims. • What is one theme seen throughout The Outsiders?

Parts of the Introduction • Attention getter (HOOK) • Filler sentences (2 -3 sentences) • Thesis • When talking about literature, YOU MUST ALWAYS include some background about the novel (the author and title of the work) in the filler. Do NOT put this information in your hook

Format- 5 -paragraph, 3 citations I. Intro II. How is ____(your theme)_____ seen in the beginning of the novel? A. Claim (topic Sentence) B. Cite (from chp. 1 -4) C. Clarify III. How is ____(your theme)_____ seen in the middle of the novel? A. Claim (topic Sentence) B. Cite (from chp. 5 -8) C. Clarify IV. How is ____(your theme)_____ seen in the latter part of the novel? A. Claim (topic Sentence) B. Cite (from chp. 9 -12) C. Clarify V. Conclusion

Attention Grabber • Quote: “The first dandelion of the year…and I knew how we were going to survive” (Collins 32), thinks Katniss. • Definition: Hope is “to want something to happen or be true” (“Hope”). • Historical background: Dystopias are prevalent in literature, and these corrupt societies typically shape the protagonist. • Write an attention grabber for your paper.

Filler Sentences • You have a lot of free reign here. Transition from your attention getter to thesis. Anything related to your thesis applies. • This is usually 2 -3 sentences. • In The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the hope that this dandelion brings Katniss allows her to save her family from death. As the novel progresses, Katniss’s dedication to her family is evident. • The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins presents many aspects of a dystopian society. • Write some background sentences for your paper.

Thesis • This IS the LAST sentence of your introduction (the 1 st paragraph) **BUT it is the heart or guiding force of your essay • Thesis= what your essay is going to be about • Thesis= a statement, NOT a question One theme which develops throughout The Hunger Games is hope saves people. • Parts of thesis statement o What you are going to prove or CLAIM (the theme you’ve chosen) o How you are going to prove it (Points) (throughout the novel)

IMPORTANT!!!! • I should never see any of these words in your essay, especially not in your thesis: • • In this essay, you will read… I will prove… I think… The next paragraphs… I believe… You (any for, ever) This quote says… In my opinion…

Sample Introduction • Put your three parts together to write an introduction. • “The first dandelion of the year…and I knew how we were going to survive” (32), thinks Katniss. The hope that this dandelion brings allows the protagonist in Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, Katniss, to save her family from death. As the novel progresses, her dedication to her loved ones is evident. One theme which develops throughout The Hunger Games is hope saves people.

Body Paragraphs • Follow 3 C’s: - Claim- Restate the question and answer it - Cite- Introduce quote, and reference - Clarify- the most important part! This should be at least two to three sentences that explain why/how your citation is related to theme AND to the text as a whole. • Concluding/bridge sentence of each paragraph- should link your specific theme to the overall work and points discussed in this paragraph

Using Quotes in an Essay • Introduce your quote: Quotes can never stand alone!!! • Cite your quote according to MLA guidelines • The author’s last name and page number should typically be in parentheses immediately following the quote *(author not required here because all quotes are from Hinton) • Notice how the punctuation in your cite changes based on your quote introduction. sentence intro. : “ ” ( ). or phrase intro. , “ “ ( ). Peeta gives her hope: “It was as if spring had come overnight“ (32). In chapter 2, Katniss explains, “It was as if spring had come overnight“ (Collins 32).

Using Quotes in an Essay • Explain your quote (clarify) • While it is great you have found a quote that relates to what you are proving, it has no significance unless you can actually state why it is important or how it relates to what you are trying to prove. • Explain the quote you have chosen. Then, link the quote to theme you have chosen. Example: Peeta gives her hope: “It was as if spring had come overnight“ (32). While the bread Peeta offered provided for Katniss and her family physically, it was really much more than that. His willingness to suffer a beating in order to help her, gave her the hope she needed to keep going, to pick herself up from the mud and face another day.

Using Quotes in an Essay Things to remember: • You should never begin or end with a quote • You should never use two quotes in a row. Each quote must be explained separately. • Be sure to clearly relate what is seen in the quote to what you are trying to prove! • When you clarify, avoid using the same words from the original quote to explain; the goal is NOT to put the quote in your own words. It is to answer the question, “Why is your quote important? ” • Double check to make sure the claim, cite, clarify you have generated does not have any of these pitfalls.

Sample body paragraph • Later in the novel, the saving power of hope continues to revitalize the tributes. When Claudius Templesmith announces the rule change, Katniss has hope that she and Peeta will actually make it home: “So, who is there left to be afraid of? ” (248). Before the games, Katniss needs to win, but she is not sure she can. Once the rule change is announced, she goes through the remaining tributes in her mind and realizes that she can with Peeta on her side, and they can both go home. This renewed hope jolts her out of her depression and anger after Rue’s death and forces her to make a plan and execute it. Hope ignites her confidence and makes her realize that she and Peeta can be as lethal as any of the other tributes. They can survive together.

Your Turn • Now work your claim, cite, clarify into an entire paragraph o Introduce theme (topic sentence) o Use your claim, cite, clarify o Drive home how it backs up your theme (concluding sentence) • Write a second claim, cite, clarify into body paragraph format, repeating the same steps we just discussed. • Don’t forget- Use a transition sentence for this second paragraph.

Conclusion • This is the easiest paragraph to write. • • 1 st sentence: flipped thesis (not repeated thesis!) 2 nd sentence: a general reference to your first point 3 rd sentence: a reference back to another point LAST sentence: a link back to your attention getter (first sentence of essay!) • The middle sentences can be combined, but focus on quality!!!

Sample Conclusion • Hope saves people is a theme that resonates throughout The Hunger Games. Katniss is ready to give up multiple times throughout the novel, and continues to receive hope from nature, people, and circumstances that keeps her going. She is also willing to give everything up so that those she loves can survive. That first dandelion of the year gives Katniss hope and allows her to sacrifice her childhood so that her family can eat. This weed is her ticket to life. • Write your own conclusion

• • • Things to remember No “YOU” , except inside quote No “I”, except inside quote Use present tense verbs Use a variety of transitional phrases (do an internet search ) For example, don’t start the paragraphs with First, Second, Last, etc. Don’t repeat yourself!!! READ ALOUD – OFTEN!!! (you will catch errors) Grammar AND Formatting (MLA) are important! Please check this! (use MLA guide or Owl @Purdue) DO follow DIRECTIONS given IN-CLASS! Format and structure deviations will result in point deductions!!! It MUST be TYPED BEFORE CLASS on due date!!!

Literary Present • BEFORE we go too far- one thing you need to notice • When writing about literature, you should always use the present tense, never past tense. • This is referred to as the “literary present”.

Transitions • Each body paragraph should include a transition word or phrase. • Transitions link one paragraph to the next