Essay Writing Basics Prose-Response Essays

What is the Prose-response Essay? Where the open-ended essays let you choose a novel or play on which to write, the prose-response essay gives you an excerpt from a novel or play. They can sometimes be speeches, short stories, essays, etc. These are typically one page long. As the writer, you are asked to address the use of literary devices and explain how they add to the style of the passage. Many prompts ask more pointed questions about the effects of the writing style on say, the description of a character, the creation of a particular mood, or a comparison of two different locales. These tend to be the most difficult prompts because s significant portion of your time is dedicated to thoroughly reading the passage.

Basic Behind the Prose Response Essays Plan Your Essay! -Know exactly what is being asked of you and address that in your plan. -Stick to your plan, especially the order of devices you plan to discuss, and refer to them as you are writing. When the prompt asks you to address literary devices, narrow down your selection to no more than 2 or 3 devices. Do not try to discuss all of the devices you found in the selection. Rather, limit the number of devices and discuss them in depth. Address all devices equally, separately, and tie each to the prompt and your thesis. The phrase “consider such literary elements as” and phrases similar to it really mean that you can pick any literary elements. If the prompt gives you suggestions for devices to be addressed, know that those suggestions are in the passage, they are not random choices. AVOID PLOT SUMMARY!!! Remember that the readers have the prompt in front of them and have read it at least a thousand times. Limit the length of quotations used. Do not refer to line numbers. Read the entire passage and pick examples from the entire passage. Most students limit their analysis to the first paragraph or column and this drastically affects the accuracy and thoroughness of their analysis. Do not just pick examples that fit the devices you are choosing to discuss; choose examples that best answer the prompt and that best back up your thesis. DO NOT WRITE ABOUT THEME UNLESS YOU HAVE READ THE WORK IN ITS ENTIRETY.

Prose-Response Sample Prompts: Read the following passage carefully. Write an essay in which you discuss how the choice of detail, diction, and syntax are used to reveal the speaker’s attitude to Sir Walter Elliot. What is the prompt asking you to do? Which devices must be/can be addressed in order to respond to the prompt?

Prose-Response Sample Prompts: The passage that follows is a fictional treatment of the young Lee Harvey Oswald who would assassinate President John F. Kennedy Jr. Read the passage carefully. Then write a well-organized essay concerning the methods by which the author has portrayed the subject and the substance of the portrait itself. Be sure to consider literary elements as diction, imagery, and point of view. What is the prompt asking you to do? Which devices must be/can be addressed in order to respond to the prompt?