Outline
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Essential to have before writing, especially in an exam situation
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The point is to put on paper ideas that have already been prepared, NOT to figure out what to say during the writing
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Strong thesis and clear plan regarding examples and body paragraphs
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No right answer, but texts often have certain aspects you are expected to discuss
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Important examples → the first body paragraph or at the beginning of a body paragraph
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Develop a method of organization that works for you individually → no need to be neat
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Does NOT need to cover the conclusion
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Spend roughly 5~10 minutes to plan
Introduction
First sentence
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Recommended but not necessary to have a hook or some interesting comment → state the text and topic
Background information
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Reduce the text or topic to its constituent pieces of information and summarize them → should not be writing a summary in the body
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Avoid being vague or ambiguous with word choice
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There is a serious problem (X) → what is the problem?
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The characters are having a discussion (X) → what is the discussion about?
Thesis
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Must be
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the final sentence of the introduction
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a single sentence
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Be consistent with keywords (e.g. prompt, topic, theme, literary term) → should never be replaced by synonyms
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Recommended sentence structure: first the argument, then the topics of body paragraphs
→ This text [purpose/argument] … A, B, and C.
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Does NOT always have to include topics of body paragraphs, especially if the sentence becomes too long
Body
Topic sentence
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No need to be particularly creative or insightful → largely repeats parts of the thesis
Analysis
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Typically, each step = one sentence → one example = three sentences
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A particular step may need two sentences, but a single example → no more than five sentences
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Avoid combining two steps into one sentence
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Be concise, but choose examples so that each one can be analyzed in 3-4 sentences
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Non-literary text: freely refer to the author and audience
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However, AVOID writing from the perspective of the audience
→ The audience realizes… (X) / The passage conveys… (O)
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Writing about a short passage: you are by default doing close reading
→ as many examples as possible, as specific as possible
Step 1
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Pinpoint a clear moment in the text → your reader should not have to re-read the text
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Do NOT include a literary term in this step → leave literary term for step 2
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Using a quote:
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Do NOT simply lift a phrase out of the text and drop it into your essay
→ The passage uses the quote “a river flooding through a narrow canyon.” (X)
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In fact, you should never need to use the word “quote”
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Fit the quote into your sentence in a grammatically correct manner
→ The passage describes the way the heart creates sound as “a river flooding through a narrow canyon.” (O)
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Check grammar by considering the sentence with quotation marks removed
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Choose a short enough phrase so that the quote can fit into your sentence
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Avoid quoting an entire sentence from the text
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Do NOT write a sentence that is entirely a quote
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Choose an interesting use of language—in other words, a stylistic choice—rather than writing blandly
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Paraphrase important information while quoting stylistic choices
Step 2
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Explain something that the text does not literally state, even if that something seems obvious or intuitive
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Avoid reusing words from the quote in step 1
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Do NOT directly refer to the argument in the thesis → leave this part for step 3
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Significance of an example includes:
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Characteristic or quality of whatever is being described
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e.g. Describing a person as a turtle → that person is slow
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Important idea or motif in the text
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Character’s emotion
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Attitude or perspective of a character or the author
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Atmosphere or tone of the text
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Hint regarding a future event in the plot
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Connotation of a particular word
Step 3
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Reiterate the argument in the thesis → use same keywords for theme or topic
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Can feel repetitive, but ideally every example should connect to thesis in a slightly different way
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However, if the example is very straightforward, steps 2 and 3 may be combined
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Should not happen often
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If the passage itself is very straightforward, consider writing four examples in a body paragraph
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Do NOT describe what happens next in the plot
Conclusion
Restating the thesis
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Does not need to be long, since this part simply repeats what has already been stated (also the reason that the conclusion needs to do something more)
Broader ideas
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Discuss an idea or point that has not appeared before
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Show that you are pondering a larger significance → you do NOT need to provide a definitive answer
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Force yourself to write 3-4 sentences here
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Does not directly contribute to your analysis, but will leave a stronger impression upon your reader
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If you are running out of time, remember that analysis is done in introduction and body
→ do NOT rush through just to reach the end of the essay
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Simply finish by restating the thesis, but try to write 3-4 sentences for the conclusion