Themes of the class as a whole Your own thoughts and questions Interesting points from class discussions Themes and symbols in particular books Your teacher or professor’s thoughts about a book (which will be more common in college lectures than in high school class discussions) Important notes about the plot Details about the historical context of the text
Don’t interrupt the answer to your question. Use open-ended question, rather than questions with a “yes” or “no” answer. A good open-ended question might be, “How do race and politics interact in this novel?” Ask shorter, more specific questions, rather than long, general questions. [5] X Research source
Make a schedule for the time frame in which you will complete your paper. Set internal deadlines where you are accountable to another person. Saying “I will send a draft of my paper to my peer revision partner by Thursday” is some effective than saying “I will finish a draft by Thursday. ” Reward yourself for completing tasks on time with breaks and smaller rewards. For example, if you complete your outline on schedule, you could go get ice cream with friends.
An example of an ineffective thesis statement: “In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry’s wand is unique to him. ” This statement is ineffective because it is simply a fact–although one could write many interesting things about the fact that Harry’s wand is unique to him, no one can dispute that this is true because it is a fact. An example of an effective thesis statement: “In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry’s wand represents his coming of age through its power to give him more agency through magic, its link to both his past and his future, and its unique physical form. ” This thesis statement works well because it is debatable; someone might instead argue that the wand represents Harry’s duty to the wizarding world or that the wand more represents his identity as a student. The thesis statement has both facts and opinions, so it seems opinionated but not outlandish.
Quotes should be integrated well into the text of the essay itself, and analysis should analyze the quote further. For example, you might write, ‘When Romeo says, “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? / It is the east, and Juliet is the sun’ (Shakespeare 2. 1. 44-45), he draws a comparison between the sun rising in the east and the beginning of the relationship between the two lovers. "
When you’re done with your paper, read it aloud to yourself to check for awkward wording and small mistakes. You can also try reading it, starting from the last sentence and working towards the first sentence. When you turn in your paper and receive feedback, keep your feedback for the next time you write a paper.
Definitions of literary terms or phrases Quote identifications, where you are given the quote and need to explain who said it in what context in what literary work by which author. Passage analysis Short answer questions Essay questions, either on one work or linking together multiple works
