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As English students, we read texts and, using inference skills, learn from these texts. We can show what we have learnt from a text by writing an essay. In English essays, it is important to state what you have learnt from a text, explain these ideas with detail, give and example from the text to show where these ideas came from, and add a personal comment, to show the text has inspired some interesting thoughts and opinions in us.
Planning an essay (ONE topic only) • Describe a positive OR negative experience that happened to a character in the text. • Explain how the writer used the experience to help you understand the character in the text. • Describe at least ONE technique that helped make the writer’s idea(s) clear to you in the text. • Explain why the technique(s) made the idea(s) clear to you in the text. • Note: “Techniques” might be any of the following • language, • language features, • style, • structure, • narrative point-of-view. • Describe at least ONE way that time and / or place were used in the text. • Explain why the time and / or place were important. • Describe at least ONE interesting use of language in the text. • Explain how the writer used the aspect of language in an interesting way in the text. • Describe at least ONE idea that you thought was important in the text. • Explain how the writer showed you the idea was important.
Essay Introduction Structure Introductions have a particular structure – an order that you use to introduce what you will be writing in your essay. First, you make a STATEMENT(your answer to the first part of the question, naming your texts). Then you introduce your EXPLAINATION (your answer to the second part of the question, in brief) Then you LIST the points you will make in your body paragraphs (list them in the same order they will appear in the body of your essay) Finally, you COMMENT to sum up your own opinion on this topic and/or to what you have learnt from these texts.
Essay Introduction Structure Introductions have a particular structure – an order that you use to introduce what you will be writing in your essay. First, you make a STATEMENT(your answer to the first part of the question, naming your texts). One technique used by Ken Catran to make the ideas in the novel Letters from the Coffin Trenches clear, was language features. Then you introduce your EXPLAINATION(your answer to the second part of the question, in brief) Catran used language features to help the reader understand that young men and women don’t understand the truth about war until they experience it, and the truth is that war is not glorious, but gruesome. Then you LIST the points you will make in your body paragraphs (list them in the same order they will appear in the body of your essay) Catran used extended metaphor, hyperbole and metaphor included in letters to and from his two main characters as three language features that help make these ideas clear. Finally, you COMMENT to sum up your own opinion on this topic and/or to what you have learnt from these texts. The experiences of Harry and Jessica during the years of WW1, as shared in their letters, show readers of the 21st century the naive beliefs young people had about the glory of the war, and how painful, lonely and destructive the truth was. This novel made me think about the terrible power of propaganda and the regrets young men and women must have had about believing it.
Essay Introduction – Done! One technique used by Ken Catran to make the ideas in the novel Letters from the Coffin Trenches clear, was language features. Catranused language features to help the reader understand that young men and women don’t understand the truth about war until they experience it, and the truth is that war is not glorious, but gruesome. Catranused an extended metaphor, hyperbole and metaphor in letters to and from his two main characters as three language features that help make these ideas clear. The experiences of Harry and Jessica during the years of WW1, as shared in their letters, show readers of the 21st century the naive beliefs young people had about the glory of the war, and how painful, lonely and destructive the truth was. This novel made me think about the terrible power of propaganda and the regrets young men and women must have had about believing it.
SEXC Essay Body Paragraph Structure Essay body paragraphs have a particular structure which you can remember using the letters SEXC. SEXC stands for the order that you write down your ideas in a body paragraph for an essay. You follow this same structure for each of your body paragraphs (one per point, as listed in the introduction) First, you make a STATEMENT (your answer to one part of the question). Then you EXPLAIN your statement in more depth (try to convince me your answer is sensible) Then you give an EXAMPLE to prove your statement (show me that your answer came from something you read in the text) Finally, you make a COMMENT to sum up your own opinion on this topic and/or what this part of the text taught you.
SEXC Essay Body Paragraph Example First, you make a STATEMENT (your answer to one part of the question). In an extended metaphor, Ken Catran has Harry call himself a knight, and Jessica his lady, when thinking about his role as a solider in WW1. Then you EXPLAIN your statement in more depth (try to convince me your answer is sensible). Harry considers his journey to enlist, then overseas to Turkey just like a noble crusade, like a knight of the round table and having Jessica wait for him is the equivalent of a lady waiting behind at court for her knight to return, triumphant. Then you give an EXAMPLE to prove your statement (show me that your answer came from something you read in the text) When Harry travels to enlist he writes “…I felt as though I had donned my shining armour, mounted by trusty steed and galloped over the castle drawbridge. You waved at me from your turret…”. As their letters continue, he signs off “Your own round table knight…” and Jessica replies “…you are still my knight in shining armour and always will be.” though they no longer have the same innocent ideals. Finally, you make a COMMENT to sum up your own opinion on this topic and/or what this part of the text taught you. This extended metaphor shows readers that Harry saw his experience as noble, heroic and romantic. He believed the propaganda that made soldiers into figures of fairy tale, as if their tales would always end happily ever after. The truth was that he soon lost the feeling that he was noble, or heroic, although he always saw Jessica as his lady in waiting. This gave him something to cling on to when the foolish romantic ideal of being a knight was gone, right up to his unhappy ending.
Essay Body Paragraph – Done! In an extended metaphor, Ken Catran has Harry call himself a knight, and Jessica his lady, when thinking about his role as a solider in WW1. Harry considers his journey to enlist, then overseas to Turkey just like a noble crusade, like a knight of the round table and having Jessica wait for him is the equivalent of a lady waiting behind at court for her knight to return, triumphant. When Harry travels to enlist he writes “…I felt as though I had donned my shining armour, mounted by trusty steed and galloped over the castle drawbridge. You waved at me from your turret…”. As their letters continue, he signs off “Your own round table knight…” and Jessica replies “…you are still my knight in shining armour and always will be.” though they no longer have the same innocent ideals. This extended metaphor shows readers that Harry saw his experience as noble, heroic and romantic. He believed the propaganda that made soldiers into figures of fairy tale, as if their tales would always end happily ever after. The truth was that he soon lost the feeling that he was noble, or heroic - although he always saw Jessica as his lady in waiting. This gave him something to cling on to when the foolish romantic ideal of being a knight was gone, right up to his unhappy ending.
Essay Conclusion Structure Conclusions have a particular structure – an order that you use to summarise what you have concluded about your essay topic. First, you make a STATEMENT that reminds the essay reader of the first statement in the introduction. (You should use synonyms, so that it is not a direct repeat of your first statement, but means just about the same). Then you SUMMARISE what you have learnt about your topic – use all the information and personal opinion comments you have included in your body paragraphs. (You should use synonyms, so that it is not a direct repeat of sentences you have already used, but summarises their meaning).
Essay Conclusion Structure Conclusions have a particular structure – an order that you use to summarise what you have concluded about your essay topic. First, you make a STATEMENT that reminds the essay reader of the first statement in the introduction. (You should use synonyms, so that it is not a direct repeat of your first statement, but means just about the same). Language features used by Ken Catran throughout harry and Jessica’s letter in the novel Letters from the Coffin Trenches help make the author’s ideas clear to readers. Then you SUMMARISE what you have learnt about your topic – use all the information and personal opinion comments you have included in your body paragraphs. (You should use synonyms, so that it is not a direct repeat of sentences you have already used, but summarises their meaning). Extended metaphor, hyperbole and metaphor show us how young men and women entered the war naïve and believing the mis-leading propaganda that made war seem noble, but realisedthe painful truth through experience. This novel helps us all to remember that it is sometimes better to know the truth and make an informed decision, than to go blindly into a dead-end of regret. It also shows us the incredible sacrifice made by a generation during WW1.
Essay Conclusion– Done! Once we remove the guidelines we’ve created a great conclusion to our essay Language features used by Ken Catran throughout Harry and Jessica’s letter in the novel Letters from the Coffin Trenches help make the author’s ideas clear to readers. Extended metaphor, hyperbole and metaphor show us how young men and women entered the war naïve and believing the mis-leading propaganda that made war seem noble, but realised the painful truth through experience. This novel helps us all to remember that it is sometimes better to know the truth and make an informed decision, than to go blindly into a dead-end of regret. It also shows us the incredible sacrifice made by a generation during WW1.
