Year 10How to write a literature

essay

EASY AS …1 … 2… 3

What do you do in a literature essay?

You write about a particular aspect of a text to show your knowledge

and understanding of it.

Q: What’s the first step? A: Choosing your question.

QuestionsDescribe an important character in a text you have studied. Explain why you thought

they were an important character.    

Describe a character that has some good or bad qualities. Explain whether overall you

think they are a hero (good) or a villain (evil). Support your answer with evidence from the

text.

How do we begin? All essays start with an introduction and a tako …

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How do we begin?

T.A.K.O. – Use this acronym to remember to include the necessary information in the introduction: Title (MUST be underlined), Author, Key words from question, Outline of essay’s main points

TAKO

All essays start with an introduction and a tako …

…but the best essays have a hook and a T.A.K.O.

Question: Describe a challenge faced by a main character in the text. Explain how the challenge helped you to understand an idea in the text.

Which paragraph has hook and T.A.K.O. ?

Friends are our worst enemies. In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Romeo’s friend, Friar Lawrence assists the protaganist to overcome the challenge of being in love with a “loathed enemy”. By examining this challenge, I’ve understood how …

OR

A challenge faced by main character Juliet in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by William Shakespeare is being with Romeo because her family would not allow it. This challenge helped me to understand the idea of the strength of love.

Introduction Hook

The Hook• The opening of an essay is crucial. • Grab the reader’s attention with the

opening sentence, make them want to continue reading.

• The hook should let the reader know something about where the essay is going, while piquing his curiosity about how it will get there.

• Match types of hooks to examples in the handout.

Getting started on the O of TAKO: for a theme question, outline a thematic statement

Essay QuestionDescribe at least one idea that you found interesting in the text.Explain why the idea was interesting in the text as a whole.

Look at the Lit Essay practice handout. Top half of page, pick a stance, justify it.

Here is a sample introductory paragraph. Where’s the hook? The T and A? K? response to second part of question? O ? 3 supporting points for O statement? (Describe at least one idea that you found interesting in the text. Explain why the idea was interesting in the text as a whole.)

"For never was a story of more woe, / Than this of Juliet and her Romeo" . William Shakespeare closes his play Romeo and Juliet with these lines. An idea that I found interesting is why this play is considered such a tragic story – it is heart-breaking because Shakespeare presents the idea that Romeo and Juliet did not have to die. While Romeo and Juliet can be faulted for their youthful impetuousness, they are not ultimately to blame for what happens to them. Shakespeare's young lovers are, indeed, "star-crossed" victims of circumstances beyond their control. Romeo and Juliet were not responsible for their families' feud, they suffered from having parents who were uninvolved in their lives, and they received advice from the Friar which wasn't right for their situation.

Write an introductory paragraph

Yay! I’m starting to write my

essay. I hope she remembers that English essays are about opinions more than facts.

WARNING!3 SEXY BODIES on the NEXTSLIDE!

Minimum: 3 Body Paragraphs

My Essay1. TAKO Introduction

2. SEXY Body Para (1)3. SEXY Body Para (2)4. SEXY Body Para (3) 5. Conclusion

S.E.X.Y ?

S: Statement or Topic Sentence starts the paragraph, tells the audience what point or

idea the paragraph will make.

E: Example, e.g quote, detail from the text to support your statement X: eXplain what the quote means, how it supports the statement, how it is relevant to the text and/or

question. Y: whY this matters to you, what you might learn about yourself or the world from this text, links that can be

made

Form an opinion about your character

Lit Essay practice handout. Bottom half of page.

What opinion of Romeo does the writer have? Justify (Give reasons for ) why you say that.

Romeo’s a moron.

Describe one or more positive or negative experience(s) that happened to a character or individual in the text. Explain how the writer used the experience(s) to help you understand the character or individual.

Write a Body Paragraph

Look at the Lit Essay practice handout. Bottom half of page, write a paragraph.

Read the exemplar essays provided and follow the instructions that accompany them.

Analyse Body Paragraphs

Conclude the essay by writing about why you care about the topic. Why does it matter in your life?

DO NOT INTRODUCE ANY NEW INFORMATION INTO THE CONCLUSION.

Use this sentence as a starter in your conclusion if you are stuck. “An examination of xyz is important because ….(state why you think it is important).”

Conclusion

Now it’s your turn.

Write an essay using the structure you have been given. Choose one of the questions you have been provided with. Write at least 350 words.