How to write a good essay response

1. How to write a good essay response Hints and suggestions

2. The Introduction Your introduction should achieve two objectives: Briefly recap the text you are writing about State your thesis

3. Thesis Statement Your thesis statement should clearly state: • What textual conventions you’re discussing • How these conventions were used to tell the reader about the ideas and meanings in the text

4. Example The narrative conventions In ‘My Father’s Hands’ the writer has used plot, point of view and symbolism to represent the father as strong and capable, yet also weak due to his illiteracy. How these conventions have represented the father. Note that I have described the representation explicitly.

5. Thesis: Yes/No examples Yes NO The text, ‘My Father hands’ represents the main character as strong and capable, yet also weak due to his illiteracy. The text also represents illiterate people as having no voice in society. This has been achieved through the use of plot, point of view and dialogue. The text ‘My Father hands’ represents the main character through the use of plot, point of view and dialogue to show what his character is represented as.

6. Testers Example One Example Two The novel, ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, represents Christopher through clever use of style, point of view and characterisation. This representation is incredible moving and persuading the audience. The novel, ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time uses setting, style and dialogue to represent Christopher as an intelligent and determined child in spite of his autism.

7. Constructing Paragraphs Remember to construct your paragraphs around the ideas, rather than around the conventions

8. Example Intro P1. The father being represented as strong and capable, through the descriptions of the hands/setting. P2. The father being represented as weak due to his illiteracy as demonstrated by the resolution to the plot and irony. Conclusion.

9. Not Intro P1. Symbolism represents the father as strong as well as weak P2. Setting shows he likes isolation P3. Dialogue shows he is weak as well. Conclusion

10. Topic Sentences Your topic sentences should clearly state what idea you’re discussing and which conventions have been used to show those ideas.

11. Example Christopher is represented as being logical and ordered through the use of style. THE IDEA Remember: Most of the time, wording your sentences in simple, yet effective language is better than a sentenced full of complicated words that are not clear. THE NARRATIVE CONVENTION

12. This statement sounds very sophisticated, however it doesn’t actually say anything except style has been used to create character. Example of Complicated Wording The use of style has contributed to the full realisation of Christopher as a character.

13. Topic Sentences: Dos and Don’t • DO • Keep wording clear and simple • Use the correct terminology for conventions • State explicitly which ideas you’re discussing • DON’T • Use complicated wording • Launch into a retell of what happened in the story • Give definitions of narrative techniques

14. The First Explanation The first explanation, after your topic sentence, should give the reader a bit more information about the idea you mentioned in your topic sentence Please DO NOT offer a definition of the narrative technique in this section. Remember the examiner already knows this information!

15. EXAMPLE Christopher is represented as being logical and ordered through the use of style. Christopher has autism and so most people would categorise autistic people as disabled and therefore lacking in intelligence, however this is not the case as Christopher’s character demonstrates. I have explained autism a bit further.

16. Example/Quote You then need to provide a specific example or quote from the text to support your argument. It should be written down exactly as it is written in the text. You need to set out the quote in quotation marks to show that it has come from a text.

17. Example I lead into the quote by explaining the technique in some detail Christopher is represented as being logical and ordered through the use of style. Christopher has autism and so most people would categorise autistic people as disabled and therefore lacking in intelligence, however this is not the case as Christopher’s character demonstrates. The author, Haddon, has written the novel from the point of view of a young boy and has shown Christopher’s youth through the use of short sentences with simple syntax. The short sentences and simple syntax has also added to the creation of Christopher as a logical and ordered character. For example, Christopher writes, ‘Mr Jeavons asked me whether this made me feel safe, having things always in a nice order and I said I did. Then he asked me if I didn’t mind things changing. And I said I wouldn’t mind things changing if I became an astronaut, for example…’ I write in my quote and use quotation marks

18. Please Don’t Use the phrase, ‘It is quoted in the text that…’ Or ‘A quote that proves this is…’

19. Final Explanation This should explain how your quote has demonstrated how the technique works. It is also an opportunity for you to discuss what message the reader receives or what your interpretation of the quote is.

20. Example Christopher is represented as being logical and ordered through the use of style. Christopher has autism and so most people would categorise autistic people as disabled and therefore lacking in intelligence, however this is not the case as Christopher’s character demonstrates. The author, Haddon, has written the novel from the point of view of a young boy and has shown Christopher’s youth through the use of short sentences with simple syntax. The short sentences and simple syntax has also added to the creation of Christopher as a logical and ordered character. For example, Christopher writes, ‘Mr Jeavons asked me whether this made me feel safe, having things always in a nice order and I said I did. Then he asked me if I didn’t mind things changing. And I said I wouldn’t mind things changing if I became an astronaut, for example…’ The repetition and short sentences creates a logical ordered tone, much like Christopher’s character. This is important because it highlights how autistic people operate differently to ‘normal people’. Their thinking processes differ. Final Explanation

21. Conclusions Here, you need to sum up what you’ve already said and then speculate beyond the text by offering your own opinion on the ideas presented.

22. Briefly Summarize Begin your conclusion by briefly summarizing what you’ve already said in your essay. Limit this section to 2-3 sentences. Example: Mark Hadden uses a range of techniques to present Christopher as a determined, intelligent boy who does not allow himself to be limited by his autism.

23. Speculating Beyond the Text In this section you could discuss any of the following: • A different interpretation of the text • One particular idea that you would like to discuss in more detail • What message you think the text sends to the readers • Whether you agree/disagree with any of the ideas that have been presented • How your own context (your own background/ideas etc) affected the way you interpreted the text.

24. Example Conclusion Summarise Mark Hadden uses a range of techniques to present Christopher as a determined, intelligent boy who does not allow himself to be limited by his autism. This novel is not just entertaining, it also teaches readers a valuable lesson. The portrayal of Christopher as an intelligent and endearing character opposes the way many readers would expect to see an autistic person represented. Most readers would expect to see autistic people as being represented as disabled and a burden on their family. However, in this novel Christopher is actually the person that brings his family together. Speculating beyond the text