STEPS FOR PLANNING AND WRITING A LITERARY ESSAY

(and just about any other expository essay)

SAMPLE ASSIGNMENT: Authors often create characters to illustrate contrasting attitudes toward impor-tant issues. Choose one novel you have read and explain how the author uses two or more characters to represent contrasting or opposing attitudes toward something of importance to each of them.

Here is how you might use two characters in To Kill a Mockingbird to respond to the above assignment.

STEPS TO FOLLOW TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

  1. Whenever possible, divide the assigned topic into two or more subtopics.
/ Atticus and his sister Alexandra have different ideas about how Scout should be raised.
  1. For each subtopic, list as many details from the work as you can.
/ Atticus: keeps rules to a minimum
explains rules of behavior in ways that
Scout can understand
tries to teach by setting a good example
Alexandra: expects Scout to follow tradition
uses her authority to enforce rules
  1. Write an introductory paragraph that uses the language of the assignment and mentions each of the subtopics you’re going to use.
/ In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses Aunt Alexandra to illustrate a contrast with Atticus' attitude toward raising his daughter Scout. She shows Atticus to be more open-minded and Alexandra to be more concerned with tradition.
  1. Write one or more paragraphs on each subtopic.
/ [The body of this essay, which will be based on the outline in box 2 above, might consist of a single paragraph about Atticus and a single paragraph about Aunt Alexandra. Or, if you have more to say, you could give a separate paragraph to each of the items listed in box 2.]
  1. Write a concluding paragraph in which you either sum up your point or make a new observation about the assigned topic.
/ [Some teachers will ask you to restate the position you took in your introductory paragraph. However, you might find that difficult to do without simply repeating your introduction. In that case, think of something you haven't said; but make sure it 's related to your topic. Here are a few examples that could be developed into closing paragraphs:]
There is something to be said both for treating a child with respect and for passing on tradition to children.
The narrator of the novel clearly favors Atticus' approach, but she eventually reveals that she respects Aunt Alexandra's position.
If Atticus is the hero of the novel, Aunt Alexandra could be considered one of its villains.