1. The Writing Prompt: Writing About a Quote
Catherine Wishart
Literacy Coach
Copyright © All rights reserved.

2. Responding to a Confusing Quote
No matter how hard authors try, sometimes what they write is not clear to everyone.
A confusing quote is one where certain words are difficult to understand, or where the overall meaning is not clear to you.
Responding to a Confusing Quote

3. Responding to a Confusing Quote
Sometimes quotes are difficult to fully understand:
“Do we not all agree to call rapid thought and noble impulse by the name of inspiration?”
George Eliot
Writers need a strategy when a quote is confusing.
Re-read the quote again carefully. Decide which ONE word is the most important word in the quote.
Decide how you can write about that ONE word.
George Eliot is difficult to understand here. First of all, the way he puts the words together sounds pompous, so readers often think this will be difficult to understand right away.
However, there are some really good words in this quote that seem important to the quote. Which words are they? Students should not only choose words, but also explain why they think that word is important. Honor ALL choices – build confidence with this activity.
Explain that right now, the word we’re going to zero in on is “inspiration.”
After “Decide how you can write about that ONE word,” press the blue arrow for a hyperlink to another slide.

4. Planning a Response to This Quote: The Introductory Paragraph
State the quote and the author in the first sentence.
Point out that this quote means different things to different people.
Ask, “But what does this quote mean to me?”
Think about your thesis statement. Which word in the quote is the most important word in the quote? State which word you think is most important.
You can start this sentence with: “As for me….”
Try to list three ideas in your thesis statement that will help you talk about the word you chose. These three ideas will be your outline for your essay.

5. A Sample Response to This Quote: The Introductory Paragraph
According to George Eliot, “Do we not all agree to call rapid thought and noble impulse by the name of inspiration?” Of course, this quote means different things to different people. But what does this quote mean to me? As for me, the most important word in this quote is the word “inspiration.” Three people that I think are inspirational are my mother, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Barack Obama.
Discuss how this follows the formula. Write down the quote and the author. Write down that it means different things to different people. Ask a rhetorical question: “But what does this quote mean for me?” Write a plan to answer the question.

6. The Second Paragraph: Answering the First Part of the Thesis Statement
Thesis statement: Three people that I think are inspirational are my mother, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Barack Obama.
This paragraph should talk about my mother.
Point out how the thesis statement is broken into three parts.

7. A Sample Response to This Quote: The Second Paragraph
My mother is very inspirational to me. When my mother was eighteen, she quit high school and got married. But Mom never felt good about not finishing high school. So when she was thirty years old, Mom went back to school and worked to get her high school diploma. She told us how hard this was and we saw her studying every night. Mom told us, “All of my kids will graduate from high school on time!” Even though the work was hard, Mom finished her program and graduated from high school. She is inspirational because she was willing to work hard to get her diploma.
You can use this example to talk about transition words. Point out that the two things about Mom are that she went back to get her GED and that she made sure her children graduated from high school.

8. The Third Paragraph: Answering the Second Part of the Thesis Statement
Thesis statement: Three people that I think are inspirational are my mother, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Barack Obama.
This paragraph should talk about Eleanor Roosevelt.

9. A Sample Response to This Quote: The Third Paragraph
Eleanor Roosevelt is also an inspiration. When she was First Lady, she did a lot of great things. One thing she did was she helped the Tuskegee Airmen. She went to where they were training and rode in a plane with one of the Tuskegee Airmen. People who were prejudiced were angry, but other people realized that the Tuskegee Airmen were doing a great job for the country. Eleanor Roosevelt liked to fight for the rights of people. That is why she is an inspiration.

10. The Fourth Paragraph: Answering the Third Part of the Thesis Statement
Thesis statement: Three people that I think are inspirational are my mother, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Barack Obama.
This paragraph should talk about Barack Obama.

11. A Sample Response to This Quote: The Fourth Paragraph
Finally, Barack Obama is very inspiring. He has fought hard his whole life to protect the rights of other people. Even though his father left when he was very young and his mother died, Barack Obama went to college and became a senator for Illinois. He ran for president is now the forty-fourth president of the United States. He is the first African-American to be president.
Ask class to point out the examples provided for Obama.

12. A Sample Response to This Quote: The Conclusion
In conclusion, George Eliot’s use of the word “inspiration” in his quote is important to me. This word is important because it reminds me of people who have inspired me to work harder. My mother, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Barack Obama are all inspirational people.

13. Can I Choose the Wrong Word? NO!!!
Look at the same quote again:
“Do we not all agree to call rapid thought and noble impulse by the name of inspiration?”
George Eliot
This time, let’s say the writer decides that the word “noble” is the most important word in the quote.
The writer decides what that ONE word means and plans an essay.
Point out again that you cannot make a wrong choice when you choose your word to write about. We can still write a great essay about this quote if we choose the word noble.

14. Planning Another Response to This Quote: The Introductory Paragraph
State the quote and the author in the first sentence.
Point out that this quote means different things to different people.
Ask, “But what does this quote mean to me?”
Think about your thesis statement. This time, we will decide that the most important word in the quote is “noble.”
You can start this sentence with: “As for me….”
Try to list three ideas in your thesis statement that will help you talk about the word you chose. These three ideas will be your outline for your essay.

15. Another Sample Response to This Quote: The Introductory Paragraph
According to George Eliot, “Do we not all agree to call rapid thought and noble impulse by the name of inspiration?” Of course, this quote means different things to different people. But what does this quote mean to me? As for me, the most important word in this quote is the word “noble.” Three things that make a person noble are being honest, unselfish, and kind.
If you are pressed for time, skip the next slides showing this essay and start back up with slide #25 on what to do if you run short on time.

16. The Second Paragraph: Answering the First Part of the Thesis Statement
Thesis statement: Three things that make a person noble are being honest, unselfish, and kind.
This paragraph should talk about being honest.

17. Another Sample Response to This Quote: The Second Paragraph
Noble people are honest. Honest people tell the truth even when telling the truth is hard to do. Last year, a friend of mine made a bad choice and went to another friend’s house instead of going to baseball practice. When my friend got home, his mother asked, “How was practice today?” Even though it was hard and he knew he would get grounded, my friend told his mother the truth and admitted that we went to a friend’s house instead of going to practice. Telling his mother the truth was a noble thing to do.
Talk about how this response is different from the first. The examples are different. What examples are used to prove honesty?

18. Planning Another Response to This Quote: The Third Paragraph
Thesis statement: Three things that make a person noble are being honest, unselfish, and kind.
This paragraph should talk about being unselfish.

19. Another Sample Response to This Quote: The Third Paragraph
Noble people are also unselfish. How are they unselfish? When a noble person has to make a choice the noble person will choose what is best for everybody instead of what is best for himself or herself. For example, when Martin Luther King, Jr. decided to lead the Civil Rights Movement, his family was put in danger. His house was even bombed. But he was unselfish and decided that putting the needs of all African-Americans before the needs of his family was the right thing to do.

20. Planning Another Response to This Quote: The Fourth Paragraph
Thesis statement: Three things that make a person noble are being honest, unselfish, and kind.
This paragraph should talk about being kind.

21. Another Sample Response to This Quote: The Fourth Paragraph
Finally, noble people are kind. When a person is kind, the person worries about other people’s feelings. For example, my math teacher is kind to me when I am having trouble. Instead of yelling at me or telling me that I can’t do it, my math teacher takes the time to show me what I did right. Then she helps me figure out where the problem is and convinces me that I can do the work. Even though I made a mistake, the way she works with me makes me feel confident I can do better. When my math teacher is kind to me, she is being noble.

22. Planning the Conclusion
Start out with “In conclusion,” and then write that the author’s use of your word is important.
Explain why the author’s use of that word is important to you.
Restate your thesis statement. Try to use different words to say the same thing.

23. Another Sample Response to This Quote: The Conclusion
In conclusion, George Eliot’s use of the word “noble” is important to me. This word is important because it makes me think about what really makes a person noble. Truthfulness, generosity, and gentleness are all ways that a person can be noble.

24. Putting It All Together
According to George Eliot, “Do we not all agree to call rapid thought and noble impulse by the name of inspiration?” Of course, this quote means different things to different people. But what does this quote mean to me? As for me, the most important word in this quote is the word “noble.” Three things that make a person noble are being honest, unselfish, and kind.
Noble people are honest. Honest people tell the truth even when telling the truth is hard to do. Last year, a friend of mine made a bad choice and went to another friend’s house instead of going to baseball practice. When my friend got home, his mother asked, “How was practice today?” Even though it was hard and he knew he would get grounded, my friend told his mother the truth and admitted that we went to a friend’s house instead of going to practice. Telling his mother the truth was a noble thing to do.
Noble people are also unselfish. How are they unselfish? When a noble person has to make a choice the noble person will choose what is best for everybody instead of what is best for himself or herself. For example, when Martin Luther King, Jr. decided to lead the Civil Rights Movement, his family was put in danger. His house was even bombed. But he was unselfish and decided that putting the needs of all African-Americans before the needs of his family was the right thing to do.
Finally, noble people are kind. When a person is kind, the person worries about other people’s feelings. For example, my math teacher is kind to me when I am having trouble. Instead of yelling at me or telling me that I can’t do it, my math teacher takes the time to show me what I did right. Then she helps me figure out where the problem is and convinces me that I can do the work. Even though I made a mistake, the way she works with me makes me feel confident I can do better. When my math teacher is kind to me, she is being noble.
In conclusion, George Eliot’s use of the word “noble” is important to me. This word is important because it makes me think about what really makes a person noble. Truthfulness, generosity, and gentleness are all ways that a person can be noble.

25. What Do I Do If I’m Going to Run Out of Time?
First of all, take a deep breath. You can make changes to your essay still feels complete to the reader.
If you know that you tend to take more time to write, plan a different thesis:
Instead of listing 3 points in your thesis, list 2. This way you will have to write 4 paragraphs instead of 5.
NEVER list less than 2 points in your thesis.
If you are trying to write about 3 points but time is running out, go back and erase the last point on your thesis.
I could change my last thesis to, “Two things that make a person noble are being honest and unselfish.”
My essay will be missing “being kind,” but the reader will still feel like I finished my essay.
Whenever possible, make sure to list 3 points. This is a standard form for essays, and the reader will not only feel like you finished your essay, but your reader will also feel satisfied with what he or she read.
After the presentation, if there are students in the room that you know will have trouble writing all five paragraphs, encourage them to consider this strategy to write four paragraphs instead. You may want to show them one of the essays in the presentation missing one paragraph and show how it still works well.
This slide may confuse some students, so use this slide judiciously.

26. Make a Choice Or You May Choose This Quote: You May Choose This Quote:
Read both of the quotations below. Decide which quote you would like to write about. Try to use the formula for “Answering a Confusing Quote” to write a response to this quotation.
Or You May Choose This Quote:
You May Choose This Quote:
“Affection hides three times as many virtues as charity does sins” (Horace Mann).
“Genius is present in every age, but the men carrying it within them remain benumbed unless extraordinary events occur to heat up and melt the mass so that it flows forth” (Denis Diderot).
Give students a choice. Then they can begin to plan the essay.

27. Sources of Quotations Easy Literacy. http://www.easyliteracy.com.
Friendship Page.
Quoteland.
Quotes Daddy.