Critical Essays - Introductions and Conclusions

Introductions

Include the following points:

  • Title, author and genre of the text (what type of story)
  • Brief plot summary, e.g. ‘The story concerns….’

(practise this and try to make your summary as concise as

possible)

  • Positive personal response to the text
  • Statement of intent (see above)

Conclusions

This is where you:

  • summarise the main points of your essay, trying not to repeat, word for word what you’ve said before
  • include a final positive comments about the story, to show how much you enjoyed the story.

You should include: (make notes here)

  • reference to the main events of the plot that you found noteworthy
  • reference to the themes that you found interesting and which made you think about something in a new way, helped you to understand a different point of view
  • a positive personal comment showing how much you enjoyed the story
  • remember also to mention the skill of the writer

Critical Essays – Paragraph Structure

1)Topic sentence – think of it having two halves:

  • 1st half addressing the statement of intent, e.g. “One way in which the theme of friendship is explored is through…”
  • 2nd half indicating what you will consider in that paragraph, e.g.

“…is through the development of character.”

2)Development – this is where you expand on your point, (indicated in

the t.s.) giving examples from the text, referring to key

incidents etc.

2.5) Introduction to quote – you must integrate your quote fluently,

and not just tag it on. Never use the word

quote in an essay, it is obvious to the reader

that it is a quote! Call it ‘the text’, ‘an extract’,

or just say (afterwards) ‘here we see’, but

don’t say ‘quote’. Remember also to use a

colon (:) to introduce it.

3)Quote – choose apt and useful quotes. Make sure you are not merely

Repeating what you’ve said in your t.s, through your quote,

what you’ve said in your paragraph.

Choose an extract which exemplifies or illustrates your point

and which has literary techniques to analyse etc.

4)Analysis – this is the section where you explain that it is through what

the author has written that you understand what you

understand! Think of this as the teaching part of the essay:

point out key words and ideas from your quote and explain

how it ties in with the point you were making in your topic

sentence and in the essay as a whole.

(Use phrases like “from this we see…”, “here the use of the word…… connotes…”, “the use of the metaphor… exemplifies…” and so on. Use the help given with expression.)

Remember to check over your paragraphs that they contain each of these elements.

Critical Essays – Improving Expression

Introductory Paragraphs

Introductions are worth working at for both economy and style.

They are, essentially, merely a formality, so do not take too long in writing them; however, they also form the first paragraph your teacher or examiner reads, so the first impression ought to be as favourable as possible.

Keep to a simple formula:

  • Title, author and genre
  • Positive personal response (implicit or explicit)
  • Two line summary of the subject matter of the text
  • Statement of intent based on the demands of the question

Good Practice:

  • Inverted commas around the title show that you care…
  • Adjectives and adverbs should be used to reveal your personal response to the text and to the writer’s skill.
  • A succinct and well-rehearsed plot summary not only reads stylishly, but will also take some of the pressure off you as you begin your essay.
  • Address the question in your intro. Using the key demands of the question you can easily create a clear statement of intent for your essay. This will provide a good launch pad for your first point and a good reference for you, should you get ‘lost’ mid-essay.

Avoid:

  • Using ‘I’ in your intro. Use the passive voice rather than the personal unless the question invites you to express a personal opinion by asking “you” about a text “you found surprising, challenging etc”.
  • Long plot summaries
  • Using bald and unsophisticated statements of your intentions, such as “In this essay I will… or I am going to….”

Critical Essay - Developing Paragraphs

You may find it helpful to use the point/ evidence/analysis grid to help you develop your paragraphs

Once you have filled out the grid for each point, simply copy it out in sentences to form your paragraphs.

Point

Remember, this will form your topic sentence so you should include:
  • A phrase which links to the question (and words which link your points to each other: one way in which, another way, we also see etc)
  • The point you want to make in response to the question
REMEMBER: your point must contain some facts from the story but also your opinion or interpretation of these facts. If you only include factual details, then the whole point will end up just retelling the story. /

Evidence

Remember your evidence will support the point you made in this grid.
Your evidence should include:
  • references to the story, paraphrased from the story
  • a quote from the text which best supports your point.
Remember to use quotation marks and to indent longish quotes. /

Analysis

This is where you focus on the writer and on what he or she has been doing with this text.
You should try to comment on things like:
  • How well or successful has the writer been in achieving his or her point here i.e. in the quote.
  • Remember you should comment on the interpretive part of your topic sentence here, more than the factual.
  • Comment on words or phrases or images which are particularly effective (don’t shred your quote though!)
Show your feelings and opinions about this part of the story/text etc.