1. Literary Analysis of Romeo and Juliet
REVISING THE ESSAY
Literary Analysis of Romeo and Juliet

2. Diagram of the 5-paragraph essay
COMPOSITION
Diagram of the 5-paragraph essay

3. FORMAT

4. HEADING Use a proper heading John Student English 1 – B1 Mr. Rose
February 28, 2011
Your Title Goes Here

5. Remember to Double-Space
FORMAT
Remember to Double-Space
Your heading should be single-spaced
But the essay itself should always be double-spaced.

6. Always Give Your Essay a Title
The title of your essay should:
Reflect the content of your essay
Include the name (or author) of the text
Centered (rather than aligned left)
The title of your essay should NOT:
Be underlined or have quotation marks
Except for those words that are in the title of a book or story.

7. Always Give Your Essay a Title
Examples:
Romeo and Juliet: An Ironic Tragedy
Love and Hate in Romeo and Juliet
Star-Crossed Lovers

8. Include Title and Author
INTRODUCTION
Include Title and Author
Your introduction should include the author’s full name and the title of the story, novel, play, etc.
Short story titles should be in quotations marks.
Titles of novels and plays get underlined instead.
Examples:
In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet…
Romeo and Juliet, one of William Shakespeare’s most enduring plays…

9. Give Some Background on Story
INTRODUCTION
Give Some Background on Story
Your introduction paragraph should give enough background about the story so that the reader understands the context for your thesis.
Example: If your thesis is about the effects of a vendetta, you’ll need to explain that the Montagues and Capulets have had a longstanding family feud – and define what a vendetta is.

10. Make a Strong, Clear Claim
THESIS
Make a Strong, Clear Claim
Your THESIS should:
be stated in a single sentence
include a “method of development”
be the final sentence in your first paragraph
Example:
“In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare uses situational, dramatic, and verbal irony to enhance the suspense in this story of star-crossed lovers.”

11. SUPPORTS Supporting Your Claim Each support paragraph:
illustrates, explains, or proves your main claim – the thesis.
contains and details a particular point that relates to the main claim.
includes a topic sentence that supports the thesis statement.
Provides examples and quotations from the text.

12. SUPPORTS Supporting Your Claim Situational Irony
Example 1(with explanation)
Example 2
Example 3
Dramatic Irony
Verbal Irony

13. Use Quotations from the Story
This is an excellent way to illustrate your major supports. Get in the habit of using at least one important quotation in each body paragraph.
Example: Romeo describes the emotional pain of love: “Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, / Too rude, too bois’trous and it pricks like thorn” ( ).
Beware: Do not use extensive quotations – keep to short ones.

14. Add Some Insight to the Conclusion
Don’t just restate your thesis.
An effective conclusion:
reminds readers of the main point
summarizes and reinforces the support paragraphs
provides an insight beyond restating the thesis

15. Always Write in the Third Person
Avoid using the first person “I” and “we,” “me” and “us”
Avoid:
We can clearly see that Romeo is acting irrationally.
Improved:
Romeo is acting irrationally.

16. Always Write in the Third Person
Avoid the use of second person “you”. Stay in the third person.
Avoid:
This would lead you to believe Romeo is as fickle as he is rash.
Improved:
The scene at the Capulet’s masquerade ball shows that Romeo is as fickle as he is rash.

17. LANGUAGE Use Formal Language
…and avoid using colloquial or slang expressions.
Avoid: “Romeo has a little problem. How do I put this lightly? He’s lovesick.”
Avoid: Something is seriously wrong here. Let me clear it up for you.
Avoid: Romeo can be an idiot at times

18. TENSE Use the Present Tense
Use the literary present tense when writing of events in the story – not past tense.
Avoid: After Romeo killed Tybalt, Benvolio advised him to leave the town square immediately.
Correct: After Romeo kills Tybalt, Benvolio advises him to leave the town square immediately.

19. Read the Workshop Model
EXAMPLE
Read the Workshop Model
This Powerpoint presentation is meant to be an aid to writing an effective literary analysis essay.
Review the “Writing Workshop” chapter in your literature book (pages ).
Read the “Workshop Model” essay on page 930.

20. Assignment: Essay Revision
In Class Today
Work on revision of your essay
See me with any questions
March 15/16 (Thu./Fr.)
Revision due – printed out