The Critical/Analytical Response to Text The Craft of Writing an Essay

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The Critical/Analytical Response to TextThe
Craft of Writing an Essay Part 1

• PLANNING THE ESSAY
• WRITING A THESIS STATEMENT
• A Think Aloud Process

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Deciding on your thesis statement The first
step to planning your essay

• The assumption is that you know your text inside
  out and have developed your own ideas in relation
  to the text
• For a literary essay, you are asked to make a
  debatable claim that demonstrates your insight on
  a specific topic (essential question). Your claim
  should strike the reader as an aha rather than
  a duh observation

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Critical Essay Question

• Essay questions normally consist of an essential
  question that can be related to a wide variety of
  texts. For example
• With reference to the novel or film you studied
  in ELA 20-1, discuss the ideas developed by the
  text creator regarding how individuals struggle
  to come to terms with their sense identity?

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STEP ONE Interpret the question (work the prompt)

• Underline the key thematic words - identity,
  struggle, come to terms with
• develop your own interpretation
• how do we determine what identity is?
• how will you define/describe identity?
• what factors may cause a struggle to come to
  terms with identity?

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Now work interpretations to suit your chosen
text

• What do you think the author/director suggests
  about various aspects of identity in your chosen
  text?
• Who gives the character(s) their sense of
  identity?
• What gives the character(s) their sense of
  identity?
• What does the text say about identity?

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STEP TWODecide on a text and create the question

• Change the statement into a question (that you
  can answer) related to a specific text of your
  choice
• How/Why/When (under what circumstances) do / does
  (name character/s) struggle to come to terms with
  their sense of identity in authors (name text)?

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STEP THREEBrainstorm a subset of questions

• As you do so, think of possible answers. Let your
  imagination roam over all possible questions
• How is a sense of identity compromised in the
  text?
• Which characters (or characters) responses to
  this struggle intrigue me?
• How does / do the character/s display their
  identity and does their sense of identity change
  throughout the course of the text?
• How does / do other character/s contribute
  to/reinforce the main characters sense of
  identity?
• Which characters (or characters) responses best
  demonstrate a struggle with their own sense of
  identity?
• What is the nature of the characters (or
  characters) struggle (internal/external)?
• Who or what is holding them back from achieving a
  secure sense of identity?
• How does the character (do the characters) of
  your choice attempt to create/come to terms with
  a new sense of identity?
• Is a secure sense of identity achieved in the end
  by the actions of your character(s) and if so how?

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STEP FOURCreate your claim blueprint your
supporting arguments

• Look for a pattern (group your ideas) in your
  brainstorming that leads to a potential claim
• Think of an argument/claim (that contains
  potential for debate)
• Create at least three supporting arguments that
  support your main argument/claim
• Be specific have specific incidents from the
  text to back up your point

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STEP FIVEWrite your thesis

• A good thesis is not only a debatable claim, but
  also suggests the structure of the paper. The
  thesis allows the reader to imagine and
  anticipate the flow of the paper
• Your statement should
• State the topic
• State your insight/interpretation/claim
• Refer the text if you have not already done so in
  your introductory paragraph
• State specific character(s) involved
• Suggest a sequence of points that logically prove
  the essay's main assertion
• Be expressed in the present tense

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FORMULA SENTENCE(When in doubt, try this)

• Think about it this way
• By looking at ___, we see that ___ (unique
  insight) which is significant because
• Write it this way
• In (name of text), the author (name) develops the
  idea that
• Consider
• whether your statement implies cause and effect
  (a leads to statement), makes connections or
  comparisons (an is statement) or comments on a
  theme related to the prompt

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Examples of formula statements

• Think about it this way
• By looking at the way Jamal and Forrester change
  during the course of the film, we see that
  individuals may hide their true identities from
  the people around them and the outside world
  which is significant because it is only when they
  reveal who they really are that they are able to
  live fulfilling lives.
• Write it this way
• In the film Finding Forrester, the director, Gus
  Van Sant, develops the ideathat individuals may
  hide their true identities from the people around
  them and the outside world however, it is only
  when they reveal who they really are that they
  are able to live fulfilling lives.

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STEP SIXTest your thesis against the 5-part MTS
(magic thesis statement) formula

1. Identify what you are looking at (aspect of
   identity in character/s)
2. Identify the situation you can see / are
   describing
3. State where that leads
4. Point out the significance
5. Be able to restate your thesis in other words
   literally write a sentence following your thesis
   that begins with in other words

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LAST STEPTest your thesis (CSSMI) Kiss me

• Clarity
• Use straightforward language avoid reference to
  philosophers/philosophies or anything esoteric
• Specificity
• Is your thesis it too vague? For example, the
  statement Gus Van Sants characterization
  demonstrates his incredible insight as a
  director" is too vague because your reader can't
  be sure what you mean by "insight" or how it
  relates to "characterization"
• Strength
• Make sure you have at least three arguments (in
  mind) that support your thesis
• Make sure you have evidence for each argument
• Each argument should be the material for future
  body paragraphs
• Manageability
• Can you handle the topic within the time
  frame/space provided?
• Interest
• Does it state the obvious (duh)? If it's so
  obvious that nobody could fail to see it, it's
  probably not worth writing about

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Identity in Finding Forrester Level 3

• Disadvantaged, basket-ball-playing, black teen,
  Jamal Wallace, meets eccentric, reclusive writer,
  William Forrester. Jamal is a gifted student and
  writer, but he hides his talent from his peers in
  order to be accepted. Likewise, Forrester is a
  prize-winning writer who wants no contact with
  the outside world and lives a life of isolation
  in his small apartment. At some level, both
  characters in the film Finding Forrester are
  denying their true identities at the start of the
  film, and it is only when the two meet that they
  are able to gradually break through the barriers
  that are holding them back from assuming their
  true identities. Director, Gus Van Sant, uses the
  films physical settings, costumes, and the motif
  of literature to explore this idea.
• Good opening hook. Two main characters are
  introduced, and the notion that identity can be
  hidden is set up briefly to provide context.
  There is no interpretation or explanation given
  of identity. Blueprint needs clarification.
  Expressions such as Likewise and At some
  level should be revisited. Where is the thesis
  statement?
• How to change to a level 4 see next slide.

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Identity in Finding Forrester Level 4

• Disadvantaged, basket-ball-playing, black teen,
  Jamal Wallace, meets eccentric, reclusive writer,
  William Forrester. In the film Finding Forrester,
  the director, Gus Van Sant, develops the idea
  that that individuals may hide their true
  identities from the people around them and the
  outside world however, it is only when they
  reveal who they really are that they are able to
  live fulfilling lives. Although Jamal is a gifted
  student and writer, he hides his talent from his
  peers in order to be accepted. Likewise,
  Forrester is a prize-winning writer who wants no
  contact with the outside world and lives a life
  of isolation in his small apartment. At some
  level, both characters in the film Finding
  Forrester are denying their true identities at
  the start of the film, and it is only when the
  two meet that they are able to gradually break
  through the barriers that are holding them back
  from assuming their true identities. Director,
  Gus Van Sant, uses the films physical settings,
  costumes, and the motif of literature to explore
  this idea.
• Good opening hook. Two main characters are
  introduced, and the notion that identity can be
  hidden is set up briefly to provide context.
  There is no interpretation or explanation given
  of identity. Thesis statement included. Blueprint
  needs clarification. Expressions such as
  Likewise and At some level should be
  revisited.
• How to change to a level 5 see next slide.

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Identity in Finding Forrester Level 3 changed
to a level 5 ()

• Race. Employment. Family and friends. These are
  all factors that contribute to an individuals
  sense of identity. However, the concept of
  identity is complex because an individuals sense
  of identity is not fixed and is constantly
  evolving as both external and internal
  circumstances change. In the film Finding
  Forrester, director, Gus Van Sant, develops the
  idea that that individuals may hide their true
  identities from the people around them and the
  outside world however, it is only when they
  reveal who they really are that they are able to
  live fulfilling lives. In other words, in order
  to establish an authentic sense of self and to
  live a truly successful life, it is necessary to
  overcome the fears and obstacles that may cause
  an individual to hide vital factors that
  contribute to his identity. In Finding
  Forrester, Jamal Wallace, a disadvantaged,
  basket-ball-playing, black teen, meets William
  Forrester, an eccentric, reclusive writer, and
  the identities of both characters are gradually
  transformed. Because of cultural, environmental,
  and self-imposed restrictions, both Jamal and
  Forrester hide their true identities, Jamal
  conforming to stereotypical behaviour to achieve
  the acceptance of his peers, and Forrester hiding
  from the outside world in the prison of his
  apartment. Neither character is living a
  fulfilling life however, when they both face
  their challenges and fears, they are able to
  reveal their true identities and achieve their
  full potential. Director, Gus Van Sant, uses the
  films physical settings to convey the
  limitations placed upon the characters by their
  environments, the motif of literature to create a
  link between Jamal and Forrester, and clothing to
  depict Jamals and Forresters emerging and
  new-found identities.
• What is good about this introduction?