Literary Paragraphs English 10 Ms. Kirk

What is a Literary paragraph? The term Literary Paragraph simply means a piece of writing that analyzes a piece of literature. This can be a short story, novel, poem, newspaper article, website etc. First Steps: 1) The first step when writing a paragraph is coming with your main idea or argument. 2) Once you have an argument, you must plan your supporting points. There is a very organized structure to expository writing.

Topic Sentence Asserting your main argument in the topic sentence will guide the reader through your paragraph and set a strong tone. A Topic Sentence should include: A) The title and type (short story / novel / poem of the piece of literature. B) Name of the author. C) Your main argument or stance on the questions. Example: In Isaac Asimov’s short story “All the Troubles of the World” the greatest conflict is the internal battle within Multivac as it predicts all the problems of humanity.

A.C.E. For supporting points A. – Assert your argument. Make a clear statement. C. Cite your evidence from the text. Integrate a quotation. E. Explain your reasoning. How does this quote support your statement?

Example of A.C.E. technique Multivac was facing an internal struggle as it continued to be burdened by more human issues, such as disease prediction. C The likelihood of human disease was added to the list of Multivac’s duties when, “as (crime) intentions fell off and Multivac’s capacity was enlarged “(7). E The increased burden forced Multivac to try and burn its own circuits.

A.C.E. For supporting Points. For this class, every literary paragraph should contain three supporting points that back up your main argument. Incorporate your quotation into a sentence. Quotes do not stand alone! After your evidence, your explanation should reassert your point and help to add meaning to your evidence. Examples: When he was on top, “Jim was a heavyweight contender” in life and in the ring (16). Multivac “wanted to die” as it played the role of Atlas in the fable (14).

Concluding Sentence Your concluding statement should summarize your main points in an interesting way, and answer the original question. Your concluding statement should not include the author, genre, or original question. This is the second more important sentence in your paragraph. Take your time and make sure this sentence is a synthesis of your main arguments.

Concluding Sentence Multivac was created to end poverty, disease, and crime; however, eventually there was a role reversal and society changed to serve Multivac as it developed a consciousness of its own.

Step 5: Editing and Reviewing After you have written your first draft, carefully read it over. It helps to read your paragraph out loud. Ask yourself the following questions: a) What was my main point? b) Do I stick to my argument, or am I simply summarizing the plot? c) Do my supporting points help to argue my main idea? d) Did I answer the question completely? e) How is my punctuation and grammar?