1. Writing a Text Response
Brooklyn
Writing a Text Response

2. Overview
An essay on a literary work is a formal and serious piece of writing that presents your interpretation of the text, usually in response to a given topic.
Your interpretation looks at the meaning of the text’s language, structure, characters, situations and events, supported by detailed analysis of textual evidence.

3. Analyse – don’t summarise
In your essays it is important to avoid simply summarising what happens in a text.
A summary is a description or paraphrase (retelling in different words) of the characters and events. For example: ‘Macbeth has a horrifying vision of a dagger dripping with blood before he goes to murder King Duncan.’
An analysis is an explanation of the real meaning or significance that lies ‘beneath’ the text’s words. For example: ‘Macbeth’s vision of a bloody dagger shows how deeply uneasy he is about the violent act he is contemplating – as well as his sense that supernatural forces are impelling him to act.’
** A limited amount of summary is sometimes necessary to let your reader know which part of the text you wish to discuss. However, always keep this to a minimum and follow it immediately with your analysis of what this part of the text is really telling us.

4. THE TEXT RESPONSE ESSAY guide
To write a successful text response essay you must follow each of the steps below:
Unpack the topic/question
Brainstorm ideas
Formulate a contention
Plan your writing
Write the essay
Review your work

5. 1. Unpacking the topic/question:
This involves identifying the key ideas that the topic/questions raises and looking at them from different perspectives.
Begin by identifying (underlining) key words and phrases in the topic.
After that you will be able to determine what the question is asking you and how you would like to respond to it.

6. 2. Brainstorming You will need to write your essay based on a PROMPT.
Focus on different ideas and perspectives.
Include ideas that agree and disagree with the question
For each claim/statement you make, try to include at least 2 pieces of supporting evidence.
Brainstorming during a sac will get easier with practice!!

7. 2. Brainstorming
Once you understand the prompt, you need to reword it to make it your own. This reworded version of the prompt will be your CONTENTION for your essay.
The essay prompt: “Macbeth is manipulated by the witches and Lady Macbeth.”
Reworded contention: “Macbeth is not in control of his own destiny as he is manipulated by the witches and Lady Macbeth.

8. Plan your essay
Carefully plan your essay so that you have a clear idea of what you are going to say.
The plan ensures that your ideas flow logically, that your argument remains consistent and that you stay on the topic.
An essay plan should be a list of brief dot points.
Include your central argument or main contention – a concise statement of your overall response to the topic.
Write 3 or four dot points for each paragraph indicating the main idea and evidence/examples from the text.
** please note that in your essay you will be required to EXPAND on these points and ANALYSE the evidence.

9. Structure your essay
It must have a clear beginning (the introduction), middle (several body paragraphs) and end (conclusion).
It must have a central argument that runs throughout, linking each paragraph to form a coherent complete essay.

10. introduction
The introduction establishes your overall response to the topic.
It includes: your main contention and outlines the main evidence/points you will explore.
Rephrasing essay question/statement with a clear indication of how you will explore the essay – (contention)
Mention: author’s name, title of text, date of publication.
Insert a sentence about the time in which the text was set (1950’s). Put the text into context.
Comment on the literary style of the text – eg: Historical Drama
List your 3 or 4 topic sentences or arguments. (What 3 or 4 topic sentences or arguments will you include to support your contention on the essay topic? -> Turn into Thematic topics.)

11. Introduction sentence starters
The text is a complex exploration of…
While some hold the view…, it is more accurate to argue…
There are some crucial episodes in this text that reflect/demonstrate…
The text/author warns that…
The text supports the idea that…
The focus of the text is…
The historical/political/cultural/social context of the text is…
A central dilemma/crisis is…
At the centre of the text is the question…

12. Introduction sentence starters
At the very beginning, it is established that…
The author/text challenges us to…
In the text, the author explores many versions of …
The text explores the themes/issues/questions…
The text is a response to…
The text presents the view that …
The world depicted in the text is characterised by…
The text questions…

13. Introduction formula Author’s name
Title of the text (written in italics or in single quote marks)
Text type
Contention
3 main points/ideas – supporting ideas

14. Sample introduction
Toibin leaves us with the understanding that to emigrate is to become a foreigner in two places at once. Discuss
Colm Toibin’s 2009 historical drama ‘Brooklyn’ follows the life experiences of protagonist Eilis Lacey in the 1950s, focusing on her immigration from the small conservative Irish village of Enniscorthy to the developing and modern world of Brooklyn, America. Eilis is thrust from her comfortable existence in Ireland into the foreign setting of Brooklyn, where she if forced to adapt to the vastly different societal expectations and way of life, in order to survive. Toibin highlights through his protagonist’s passive and introverted nature the universal experiences of love, loss, regret and identity, encouraging his readers from both a traditional and modern audience to empathise and relate with Eilis’ struggle to find her place in the world.

15. Body paragraphs The body paragraphs explore your question
They present evidence from the text and explain how this evidence supports your contention.
Each body paragraph needs:
A strong topic sentence that states the main point being explored in the paragraph
Provide evidence in your own words that support your topic sentence
Support with quote/s
Analysis of the textual evidence explaining its significance and explanation of how it supports your contention & main paragraph point
Links back to the topic sentence, contention or next paragraph
Make sure you use key terms from the topic – or synonyms for them – throughout, so the relevance of your discussion is always clear.

16. Body paragraphs: Analysis broken down
After explaining the “WHAT” (textual evidence/quotes), analyse the:
“HOW” factor – How does the author construct meaning? (Symbols, metaphors, dialogue, language, imagery, descriptive language, setting, narrative structure, characterisation, stage directions etc.
“WHY” factor – What is the author’s intention/purpose/message? (Historical/Social/Cultural/Political Context)
“Interpretation” – How does this knowledge impact the different readers? Example: ‘A contemporary reader… OR ‘The Community or people of this time…’

17. Sentence starters to help you with the “how” factor:
Toibin’s ‘use of characterisation through…
The images of… widen the reader’s understanding of…
The author has constructed this character to show us…
Toibin’s use of simile/metaphor/descriptive language highlights/emphasises/showcases/reveals…
Symbols provided by Toibin’s such as… is used to represent/highlight/reveal…
Vivid imagery used by Toibin’s: invites the readers to…
: highlights…
: gives us an insight into...
The Linear Narrative Structure shows its’ readers…
The tone in this dialogue suggests/delves into the minds of (name of character) exposing/revealing…
Toibin’s setting/s suggests/highlights…
Toibin utilises this dialogue to suggest…

18. Sentence starters to help you with the “why” factor:
Toibin highlights…
Toibin demonstrates…
Toibin gives readers an insight into…
Readers of this text are invited to see/understand/question…
Toibin presents to his’ readers…
The reader can see from this that…
What is important about this example is that it highlights/emphasises/showcases/demonstrates/reveals/provides to its’ readers with the knowledge/awareness of…

19. Sentence starters to help you with the “interpretation” factor:
The contemporary reader is made to feel empathy…
The community of this time would react…
The modern reader is left sympathising/angry/feeling proud/feeling hate/feeling disgust/feeling ashamed.
A contemporary reader is made aware of…

20. EXAMPLE: BODY PARAGRAPH

21. EXAMPLE: BODY PARAGRAPH

22. EXAMPLE: BODY PARAGRAPH

23. EXAMPLE: BODY PARAGRAPH

24. conclusion
The conclusion ties everything together and finishes the essay
It includes strong statements that emphasise your central argument and provide a clear response to the topic
Avoid restating the points made earlier in the essay
Try using these tips:
Use one or two broad statements or observations about the text’s wider reading. These should related to the topic and your overall argument.
Rephrase the essay topic again but use different words to the introduction
Comment on the time in which the text was set and how it impacts the modern reader.
Reiterate themes or topic sentences
Close essay with a powerful line – a comment on one of the main messages in the text.

25. Conclusion sentence starters
On the whole…
On balance the reader can see…
In the final analysis…
The constructed world of the author leads us to…
These examples all demonstrate how…
The imagined journey of this character…
At the core of this text is…
In the end, a close reading of this text…
While there are no easy answers…
The reader of this text is left with the overwhelming suggestion of …
While the events in this text seem at times… the author’s message is one of…
The author of this text leads the reader to see…
While the events in this text seem at times…the author’s message one of…

26. Sample conclusion
“Brooklyn” addresses some of the universal experiences of love, loss and sacrifice, experiences which Toibin associates closely with immigrant experience and Eilis. Her development throughout the novel sees Eilis loose her innocence and naivety as she quickly comes to realize how her differences, both in Ireland and America alienate her in the community. The reader sees Eilis constantly attempting to rid herself of her insecurities and become a “women in full possession of herself” however, by ironically modeling her behavior of the other women in her life. In Eilis’ struggle to find her identity and find her place, she is left an outcast in her own existence, an isolation catalyzed by the pressures placed upon Eilis by the individuals ad societies in her life, resulting in an inevitable displacement, regardless of the country in which she chooses to make her home.

27. Vocabulary for writing on Brooklyn
Irish Catholicism: the national religion of Ireland
Linear structure: the structure of a narrative that presents events in chronological order
Motif: a recurring image used to link ideas and reinforce themes; adds cohesion and unity to the writing
Patriarchy: a society in which all of the power structures – political, religious, legal and domestic – are invested in men.
Bildungsroman: a coming of age novel, growth an maturation of a young person.
Theocracy: a form pf government in which there is a fusion of church and state.
Third-person limited: a form of narration in which the narrative point of view is limited to one character’s perspective.

28. Types of questions: Remember CCC: Characters Concepts (themes)
Construction Elements (literary devices)
Your questions will focus on one of the above elements
You will also be expected to discuss the 3 C’s in an essay

29. Character or concept questions
Does it want you to explain WHAT a character does?
Does it want you to illustrate the growth or change in a character?
Does it want you to explain WHY a character does something?
Does it want you to explain WHAT the author is saying about a concept?

30. Construction questions
Does it want you to explain HOW the author illustrates a concept/theme?
Does it want you to explain HOW the author gives a sense of time or place?
Does it want you to explain HOW the author evokes sympathy from the reader?
Does it want you to explain HOW the author uses comedy or drama?

31. Analysing a sample prompt
“It was better to say yes than no.: ‘Eilis’ biggest weakness is her desire to please.’ Do you agree?
This question focuses on a particular aspect of Eilis’ character and invites you to evaluate her behavior.
You must consider all sides – is Eilis eager to please? Is this a weakness? If so, is it her biggest weakness? Make your contention clear in the introduction and indicate your line of argument.
examine Eilis’ important relationships – with her family, with Tony and with Jim. To what extent does she try to please them?
would you describe her relationships at Bartocci’s and Mrs. Kehoe’s boarding house in the same way? Does she always seeks to please others in both places?
consider Eilis’ motives. What lies behind her compliance? Is it love. Loyalty, insecurity, fear or apathy? Are her choices positively or negatively driven?

32. Practice prompt:
‘In immigrating to America, Eilis gains more than she loses.’ Do you agree?