Year 11 Essay Technique

1. Year 11 Essay Technique

2. About this… • We are going to write the first part of the essay together so you can understand how it works • You will finish the essay according to your observations and notes you have taken.

3. ESSAY OUTLINE • First paragraph – Introduction • Second paragraph – first argument • Third paragraph – second argument • Fourth paragraph – third argument • Fifth paragraph - conclusion

4. First paragraph – Introduction

5. About The Essay Introduction • In the introduction, you provide a background to the text. • Who wrote it? • What is the name of the book? • What is it generally about? • Location • Characters • essential plot

6. About The Essay Introduction • For example: Agatha Christie wrote the novel And Then There Were None, a murder mystery that takes place on ‘Soldier Island’ just off the English coastline. Ten people are invited to spend a week there but each has a past that is used to judge and accuse each one as guilty of murder. Mysteriously they begin to die one by one. Those who remain must figure out who the killer is before it is too late.

7. About The Essay Introduction • In the second part of the introduction, you mention the thesis (argument) statement. • This answers the essay question directly. It will relate specific techniques in the answer.

8. About the Essay Introduction • Essay Question example: How does And Then There Were None explore the theme of the administration of justice? • Thesis Statement: Christie’s use of foreshadowing, symbols and allusion contribute to the novel’s exploration of the theme of the administration of justice.

9. Introductory Paragraph Looks like.. Agatha Christie wrote the novel And Then There Were None, a murder mystery that takes place on ‘Soldier Island’ just off the English coastline. Ten people are invited to spend a week there but each has a past that is used to judge and accuse each one as guilty of murder. Mysteriously they begin to die one by one. Those who remain must figure out who the killer is before it is too late. Christie’s use of foreshadowing, symbols and allusion contribute to the novel’s exploration of the theme of the administration of justice.

10. How the Thesis orders the essay: • The thesis statement breaks the essay down into a step-by-step easy to follow logical order. • Let’s review the thesis statement… and show which different bits will be addressed in the different sections of an essay.

11. How the Thesis orders the essay: Christie’s use of foreshadowing, symbols and allusion contribute to the novel’s exploration of the theme of the administration of justice. Argument #1 – foreshadowing Argument #2 – symbols Argument #3 – allusion

12. ESSAY OUTLINE • First paragraph – Introduction • Second paragraph – first argument • Third paragraph – second argument • Fourth paragraph – third argument • Fifth paragraph - conclusion

13. Second Paragraph – The first argument

14. The First Argument • The first argument addresses the first technique mentioned in the thesis statement: foreshadowing. • This argument occurs in the paragraph after the introduction.

15. The First Argument • It includes three parts: • A topic sentence which presents the argument. • A few examples of foreshadowing in the novel. Explain their effect. Tell the reader how they contribute to the theme. • A concluding statement that draws together the evidence and refers to the topic sentence.

16. The First Argument • The topic sentence restates the thesis but it only focuses on ONE of the three parts. • Example: Christie uses foreshadowing to explore the theme of the administration of justicein And Then There Were None. • This topic sentence captures the essential points – who (author), and what (what text, what technique, what theme).

17. The First Argument • After the topic sentence, you introduce, explain and analyse your examples of foreshadowing in particular.

18. The First Argument: Examples • The process for finding and using examples: • Identify the technique • Describe examples or quote • Explain the examples in context (otherwise they will remain quite meaningless) and/or how they may affect the reader. • Analyse the examples in terms of theme – what overall message they support and what other background information supports this analysis.

19. The First Argument: Analysis • Essay structure and examples alone as proof demonstrate logical thought. • The analysis of each example, when it includes additional background information from the story to justify the analysis, demonstrates you know the material well. • Don’t simply quote several examples with one brief reference to theme. The analysis part is where you can get more points in year 11 & 12.

21. The First Argument: the first example Christie typically places clues along the way that foreshadow the different deaths of the guests. The poem about the ten soldiers is a recurring motif which foreshadows how the deaths occur – some more precisely than others. The characters become aware of this as the ceramic soldiers in the dining room begin vanishing with each death and seek to discover who is the murderer. The poem refers to choking – and this is exactly the way Tony Marston dies. While there is some suggestion he committed suicide by drinking poison, it clashes with what they know of their character. His own “crime” according to the grammar phone, is manslaughter and to this he has a callous attitude. When others are murdered, it becomes clearer that his death just might be part of the murderer’s personal administration of justice.

22. The First Argument • Concluding statement: • Use words like “therefore” and “clearly” and repeat the argument in the topic sentence. • You can also refer back to elements in the examples. • Basic example: • Clearly, Christie has used foreshadowing to explore the theme of discovery.

23. The First Argument • Now put all three sections together to make the paragraph: • The topic sentence • The examples (at least 3 or more) • The concluding sentence

24. The First Argument (with 1 example): Christie uses foreshadowing to explore the theme of the administration of justice in And Then There Were None. Christie typically places clues along the way that foreshadow the different deaths of the guests. The poem about the ten soldiers is a recurring motif which foreshadows how the deaths occur – some more precisely than others. The characters become aware of this as the ceramic soldiers in the dining room begin vanishing with each death and seek to discover who is the murderer. The poem refers to choking – and this is exactly the way Tony Marston dies. While there is some suggestion he committed suicide by drinking poison, it clashes with what they know of their character. His own “crime” according to the grammar phone, is manslaughter and to this he has a callous attitude. When others are murdered, it becomes clearer that his death just might be part of the murderer’s personal administration of justice. [insert example 2],[insert example 3]. Clearly, Christie has used foreshadowing to explore the theme of the administration of justice.

25. ESSAY OUTLINE • First paragraph – Introduction • Second paragraph – first argument • Third paragraph – second argument • Fourth paragraph – third argument • Fifth paragraph - conclusion

26. The Third Paragraph - the second argument

27. The Second Argument • It includes three parts: • A topic sentence which presents the argument. • A few examples of symbols in the novel. Explain their effect. Tell the reader how they contribute to the theme of..... • A concluding statement that draws together the evidence and refers to the topic sentence.

28. The Second Argument • The topic sentence example: • Christie uses symbols to explore the theme of __________ in And Then There Were None. • Describe, Explain, Analyse examples… • Concluding sentence example: • Clearly Christie has used symbols to explore the theme of ________in And Then There Were None.

29. The Fourth Paragraph - The third argument

30. The Third Argument • It includes three parts: • A topic sentence which presents the argument. • A few examples of allusion in the novel. Explain their effect. Tell the reader how they contribute to the theme of __________. • A concluding statement that draws together the evidence and refers to the topic sentence.

31. The Third Argument • The topic sentence example: • Christie uses allusion to explore the theme of ___________ in And Then There Were None. • Describe, Explain, Analyse examples… • Concluding sentence example: • Clearly Christie has used allusion to explore the theme of _________in And Then There Were None.

32. R.I.P. The Fifth Paragraph - The conclusion

33. The Conclusion • Use words like “clearly” and “therefore.” • Restate the thesis more forcefully. • Expand on this forceful restated thesis by summarising the overall ideas and analysis from each argument paragraph. • If you are running out of time in an exam situation, simply restating the thesis for your conclusion as a quick way to finish.

34. Word Count Tip… • When you need to write an essay to a particular length, use lots of examples in each paragraph with good detailed explanations and analysis for each one.

35. Word Count Tip… • For example in a 1000 word essay: • Introduction – 50 words • First argument paragraph – 300 words • Second argument paragraph – 300 words • Third argument paragraph – 300 words • Conclusion – 50 words