Critical Essay Writing

We are going to spend the second half of today planning and beginning to write a critical essay. I am going over the format of an essay to help you with your essay resist (or 1st sitting in some cases).We may not have time to complete this in class. This essay should be on a separate sheet of lined paper and will be due on Monday 7th September if not completed today.

Remember:

• In an exam, you would have 45 minutes to complete this.

• This will be marked out of 20. • Marking grid: http://

www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/EnglishCriticalReadingSQPN5.pdf

Critical Essay Planning

We are going to create a plan for this essay question. 1. With the person next to you bullet point at

least 6 things you might mention in this essay.

Critical Essay Question

Choose a short story in which suspense or tension is created. Show how this suspense or tension is built up and what effect it has on your appreciation of the short story.

Unpacking the Question

Choose a short story in which suspense or tension is created. Show how this suspense or tension is built up and what effect it has on your appreciation of the short story. 1. What is the question actually asking you to do? Copy the question

and underline the important parts. Choose a short story in which suspense or tension is created. Show how this suspense or tension is built up and what effect it has on your appreciation of the short story.

Ideas

• Title – first warning because of connotations of ‘Lighthouse’ • Megan and Bobby quickly fall out and Megan bullies Bobby • Foreshadowing – ‘a monster will get you’• Setting – ‘deserted beach’ causes the reader to be immediately concerned • Stranger on golf course – non-threatening, Megan still worried, irony of his

warning• Foreshadowing of the body in the water at the Lighthouse• Confirmation of the threat the stranger poses always delayed, but hinted at-

‘hovering around Bobby’, ‘bent to hear if Megan was breathing’ – only very subtly realised right at the end that he is murdering Megan and kidnapping Bobby.

• Setting adds to the tension as it absorbs Megan at the end

Essay Plan

• Step 2: Select the points that are relevant for your essay choice and start to put these into a sensible structure. About 4/5 should be enough.

• Step 3: Write down topic sentences for the beginning of every paragraph.1- use the words of the question.2 – introduce the paragraph focus.

• Step 4: include the quotations that you plan to use in each section

Critical Essay Introduction

Introduce the text and author • Refer to the question and its keywords • Have a clear line of thought / argument that is explicitly relevant to the question • Be specific – briefly mention specific parts of the text you will cover in your essay • Try to mention the central concerns, themes and techniques you will analyse – but do not list them. • Don’t say ‘in this essay I will …’, use ‘I’, ‘essay’, ‘point’ or list your arguments.

1. Write your introduction using this guide.

Sample Intro

Agnes Owen’s short story ‘The Lighthouse’ effectively creates suspense and tension throughout. The short story focuses on two young children who have been left by their parents to play on a deserted beach. The older sibling, Megan, decides that they should walk to the far lighthouse, but her younger brother, Bobby, does not wish to go. The two argue and Megan abandons Bobby to pursue her goal. Upon reaching the lighthouse she realises her mistake but unfortunately arrives back too late to save them both from a strange man. The short story uses a variety of techniques such as setting, characterisation and foreshadowing in order to maintain the suspense and tension throughout. Line of argument – what I will be SHOWING the

reader throughout

Use words of the question – nothing wrong with this.

A BRIEF summary of points that are relevant to your essay – nothing else.

SEAL Paragraphs

STATEMENT – this is your topic sentence or sentences. Use it to make your point. Introduce the important character/setting/scene and say why it is important. EXAMPLE – quote a specific example or examples. You should give a quote as evidence in every genre. ANALYSIS – analyse your example. Explain clearly and in detail what your example proves. Think about why you chose it and how the writer’s message is made clear. LINK – link back to the question and the writer’s central concerns. Explain how you have used this point to answer the question. Make sure you give your opinion on how well the writer has conveyed his/her message through the character/language/scene you have focused on.

Now write up your body paragraphs using this structure.

Conclusion

• Use this to round up your points – briefly summarise what you have said. • Refer to the question and try to show how you have answered it. • Give your overall opinion of the text and the writer’s message.

Now write your conclusion.