Define Your Purpose

The first thing you must do is think about the purpose of the essay you must write. Is your purpose to persuade people to believe as you do, or to educate people about a person, place, thing or idea? Whatever topic you choose must fit that purpose.

Organize Your Ideas

The purpose of an outline is to put your ideas about the topic on paper, in a moderately organized format.

Begin your outline by writing your topic at the top of the page.
Write the Roman Numerals I, II, and III, spread apart down the left side of the page.
Next to each Roman numeral, write the main ideas that you have about your topic, or the main points that you want to make.
If you are trying to persuade, you want to write your best arguments.
If you are trying to inform or educate, you want to write the major categories into which your information can be divided.
Under each Roman numeral, write A, B, and C down the left side of the page.
Next to each letter, write the facts or information that supports that main idea (quotes with elaboration).

When you have finished, you have the basic structure for your essay and are ready to continue.

Compose A Thesis Statement

Now that you have decided what information you plan to present in your essay, you are ready to write your thesis statement. The thesis statement tells the reader what the essay will be about, and what point you, the author, will be making. You know what the essay will be about. That was your topic. Now you must look at your outline and decide what point you will be making. What do the main ideas and supporting ideas that you listed say about your topic?

Writing The Introduction And Concluding Paragraphs

These paragraphs will give the reader a point of entry to and a point of exit from your essay. They must be impactful and leave the reader satisfied.

Introduction

The introduction should be designed to attract the reader’s attention and set the tone for your whole paper. Here are some examples - you make up your own!

Ask a question, but make it a thought-provoking question. Rather than asking, “Who is Smith?” ask, “What kind of life could a twelve year old boy who has just witnessed his fourth murder live?”

Begin with an anecdote (a little story that illustrates a point). One night a sad and elderly Justice of the Peace was walking the streets of London. He was thinking of his tragic life – the wife he had lost in a fire, the daughter who had given up her life to serve him, and his blindness, which had made him into a man with a mania for justice. Little did he know that a chance collision on a street corner, with a drunken urchin, would change his life forever.

State an opinion. You may use a quote to do this. “Someone’s walked over me grave.” starts a journey into a suspense-filled novel which is a real page-turner. This statement foreshadows the imminent death of Mr. Field…

Remember that the three areas you are going to discuss are to be raised in the introduction. They are also to be developed in the order that you listed them in your first paragraph.

Conclusion

The conclusion brings closure to the reader, summing up your points or providing a final perspective on your topic. All the conclusion needs is four to six strong sentences, which do not need to follow any set formula. Simply review the main points (being careful not to restate them exactly). Do not bring up anything new at this point. You are free to use different quotes which apply to what you have written, but do not introduce a different element to your paper which you have not touched on.

Add The Finishing Touches

Content (10 Marks)

The difference between an average to good essay and an excellent one is that the latter is more interesting. It engages the reader who is enticed to read on. Since your papers are largely research ones, careful selections of quotations and background material will make or break your work as far as “interest” goes. Remember, your topic of choice must in some way include your novel study. This can be done by using quotations from the book or by referring back to action or character development.

Organization (10 marks)

Being organized means that you will strive to develop five complete paragraphs. You will develop a good introduction, three paragraphs which support your topic, and a conclusion. You must conclude your essay or you will lose a large portion of your marks.

Sentence Structure (5 marks)

A large problem for some of you in sentence structure is that you write too many run-on sentences. A paragraph is more than one sentence long! Proofreading should eliminate these run-ons, but also try to use these suggestions:

The sentence that we use the least often in writing is the compound sentence. This sentence joins two complete ideas with the words and, but, or, or nor. There must be a sentence before and after conjunctions in order for it to be compound. Work towards using a semicolon in your writing. Correct use of this punctuation mark will elevate the marker’s opinion of your skill. The semicolon just replaces the “,and” in a compound sentence.
Begin a sentence with an adverb clause. Remember these are the clauses that start with subordinating conjunctions like the following words: because, since, although, when, and whenever. Since Mr. Mansfield was blind, devils and angels were the same to him for he could not look into anyone’s eyes to judge them. Always use a comma after an introductory adverb clause.
Use a verbal at the beginning of a sentence. Verbals are those “ing” action words. For example, Stumbling and running through the dark streets of London, Smith felt that the buildings were caving in on him. Verbals are also infinitives, those verbs which are in their most basic form. For example, To discover what secrets the document held, Smith would have to learn to read.
Begin with an adjective or an adverb. For example, Tired and nearly frozen, Mr. Mansfield and Smith arrived at the cottage. (adjectives) Menacingly, Mr. Billing said, “Where is it? (adverb – “ly”)
Recognize that sentences, which include several closely related ideas, can be more effective if the ideas are written in parallel form. Here is an example: Lord Tom was quick to laugh, and slow to anger, but most importantly, he was clever enough to deceive. These ideas are parallel because each adjective is followed by an infinitive.
Look for an opportunity to use an appositive in your writing. Example: Mr. Billing, a crafty and unscrupulous lawyer, met his fate in a most unpredictable way. Note the commas before and after the appositive.

Vocabulary (5 marks)

Use your thesaurus to improve your word choice, but only use words that you know or understand. Otherwise your work looks disjointed because not all synonyms are created equal. If you do not understand the new word you want to use, look it up in the dictionary. Synonyms have different shades to their meaning, and you want the new word to be correct.

Be descriptive in your writing. Use adjectives and adverbs to enhance your writing. Throwing in a figure of speech or two would also enhance your descriptive elements. Just do not overdo their use.

Remember to use appropriate tone in your work. You want to impress the marker with ability to use the best words for the purpose you have in mind. Do not use inappropriate language. Markers will be hard on you for this.

Conventions (5 marks)

Proofread! Proofread! Proofread! Ask for help so you do not repeat the same errors. Use the spell check or a dictionary to help you with the spelling. The extra effort is worth it. The more perfect an assignment is, the easier it is to give the higher marks in all areas because content is expressed more clearly. Be fussy about your writing. You are what you write. Strive for excellence for you are all very capable writers.

Essay Topics

1)Verisimilitude (choose only three)

Introduction – Explain what it is and why it is important

Discuss Clothing (Choose men or women, not both)
Outer garments (hats, coats, footwear)
Inner garments (Jackets/waistcoats, shirts, breeches)
Accessories (Walking sticks, socks, brooches, etc.)
Discuss Transportation
Of the poor (walking, hire a chair)
Of the middle class (smaller vehicles, less horses, stagecoaches)
Of the wealthy (gigs, coaches, curricles)
Discuss Setting (significant structures in the novel and history of London in 1750)
St. Paul’s
Newgate Gaol
Old Bailey
Discuss Legal System
Conditions in prison
Treatment of children
Treatment of adults
Discuss Social Customs
Educational system (who went to school: where/how?)
Social welfare system (help for the poor)
Socially accepted behaviors (out late, young criminals)

Conclusion (bring the three ideas to a culmination or ending)

2) Suspense (choose only three)

Introduction – Techniques and purpose

Discuss Foreshadowing (develop with examples)
Discuss Foreboding (develop with examples)
Discuss Mystery (develop with examples)
Discuss Hero in Peril (develop with examples)

Conclusion

3) Round Characters (only choose one)

Introduction – Generalities about them

Where they lived
What they do
What life is like for them

Discuss Flaws
Smith (illiterate, set out to change his ways)
Mr. Mansfield (black & white, purely legalistic)
Ms. Mansfield (gave up her life to tend to father)
Discuss how they changed
Smith (moved in with Mansfield’s, quit stealing, cleaned up)
Mr. Mansfield (grew in wisdom about himself and how he interprets the law, Mr. & Mrs. P)
Ms. Mansfield (growth from Smith, teacher)
Discuss Growth in Wisdom
Smith (learned about other’s flaws, betrayal of others)
Mr. Mansfield (his thinking of the law – Lord Tom)
Ms. Mansfield (engaged and intrigued by Smith)

Conclusion – Compare to the beginning (Smith lost a friend but found

one, Mr. Mansfield praised Smith in front of Leonard, Ms.

Mansfield has a new freedom because Smith will help

with her father.

4) Themes

a)Redemption is a theme within the novel “Smith”. Write a five paragraph essay by choosing a character that needed redeeming. Explain who they were (full background, personality, way of life, and attitude on life), what their struggle was and why they struggled, and how they overcame their struggle in order to be “redeemed”.

b)Choose another theme that spoke to you, as the reader, and write a five paragraph essay discussing the main ideas (Check with Mrs. Hay before writing).