Writing a Literary Essay
English 10
The literary essay asks writers to analyze literature with regards to a specific topic or question
There are three types of paragraphs in a literary essay.
They are:
Introduction: Introduces the reader to the literature you will be discussing and the ideas you will be presenting.
Body: Uses examples from the literature to support and explain your ideas.
Conclusion: Summarize key ideas for the reader
The introduction has three types of sentences. They are:
Hook
The hook is the very first sentence of the essay. It should be very general and apply to almost anyone but still be on topic. To figure out what the topic should be, look for key words in the essay question or writing prompt. The hook should NEVER mention the specific literature or characters that will be discussed in the essay. If it did, it would be specific, not general.
TAG
TAG stands for title, author, genre. The second sentence of the essay should be more specific than the first. It should state the information about the literature that will be discussed in the essay. Remember titles of major works get underlined (or italicized if typed), authors’ names start with capital letters (first and last), and genre is the type of work it is. By genre, we mean poem, short story, novel, play, song, etc…; we do not mean historical fiction, realistic fiction, science fictions, etc…. The TAG should also connect the literature to the topic of the essay mentioned in the hook. Usually all TAG information can be found in the essay question or writing prompt.
Thesis
The thesis ends the introduction. It is the most important sentence of the essay. It informs readers of the specific point that the writer will make in the essay. It is more specific than the hook or the TAG. It establishes the focus of the entire essay. It should encompass a bit of each body paragraph planned for the essay. To determine the point you are supposed to be making, you should look at what the essay question or writing prompt asks you to do or prove.
An essay introduction can be written just by reading the essay question or writing prompt. A person does not even have to have read the literature about which they are supposed to write in order to write the introduction.
The body paragraph follows a paragraph writing formula.
The sentences are:
Topic Sentence (TS) – This sentence gives the reader an idea of what the paragraph is about. All other sentences in the paragraph should relate back to the topic sentence and help to prove that it is true.
Concrete Detail (CD) – This should be a specific detail that supports the topic sentence. It is a fact.
Commentary (CM) – This is where the writer shows a connection. This sentence should explain why or how the CD is good or reasonable support for the TS.
Concrete Detail (CD) – This should be a specific detail that supports the topic sentence. It is a fact.
Commentary (CM) – This is where the writer shows a connection. This sentence should explain why or how the CD is good or reasonable support for the TS.
Concluding Sentence (CS) – This sentence should sum up the main point of the paragraph and tie up any loose ends for the reader.
The conclusion paragraph has three parts:
Reword Thesis: reword this sentence from the introduction paragraph
Summarize Key Points: summarize the points from each body paragraph
Unhook: reword the hook from the introduction paragraph
The essay is a way for you to express what you know in an organized way with appropriate detail. Following this format will ensure that you stick to the task and provide ample detail with appropriate explanation in a way that your reader will understand.
To write an essay, you must brainstorm your ideas and then plan your details in an organized way. This will help you make sure that you address the task and provide all of the necessary parts to your writing.