1. Yr 9 How to Study Literature and How to Write an Essay
Do what Mrs Mac tells you to do … and you’ll learn the trick to writing a good essay. It’ll be as easy as pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

2. What does text mean? It is the general name we use for the different types of literature that you read and study.
Name the kinds of literature which are represented by each of the pictures alongside.
Novel
Poetry
Play
Film
Which one is missing?
Short Story

3. When we study literature, we look at FOUR main features of the text.
What do you think they are?
Plot
Setting
Character
Theme

4. Plot This is the most obvious thing – so what is it?
It is the ‘events’ that occur and the order in which they happen.
When you write an essay, please DO NOT re-tell the plot.

5. Setting Is setting always important?
No, not always. But most of the time it is helpful to examine where the author chose to set the text.

6. Questions to ask about Setting
Where is the text set? (e.g rural, city, culture, country)
What is the cultural setting? (e.g religion, race, gender, class)
When is the text set? (e.g future, present, past)
Which quotes reveal time and place?
Is there more than one setting? If yes, are they contrasted?
Does the setting (e.g extreme isolation) influence the characters’ actions in any way?
Does it create mood?

7. When we study literature, we look at FOUR main features of the text.
What have we just looked at?
What’s the next feature?
Plot
Setting
Character
Theme
Character
Setting

8. Character Why are characters important to study in literature?
It is through them that we learn things about life.
What is the term used in literature to refer to the central character (hero)?
Protagonist
Who opposes the protagonist?
Antagonist

9. We see the of the text through a character’s and we share or her experiences. We understand what happens, how are feeling, what things look, , & feel like through what the tells us about characters.
Complete this information about character by replacing the picture with a word.

10. Choose a main character in your text and ask these questions.
What do they look like? (gender, hair colour, clothing, dress, distinguishing features)
What is their personality like? ( e.g cheerful, envious, lonely, sad, resourceful, scared)
How do they speak? (How they say things can be a key to who they are, for example colloquial language = easygoing; aggressive language = difficult, nasty)
How do they behave? (people are judged by their actions.)
What problems do they encounter? (with people, themselves and the environment)
How do they deal with conflict/problems? (Do they cope well? Why/why not?)

11. Choose a main character in your text and ask these questions.
How do they interact and act towards other characters?
(Who do they feel comfortable with? If they are
aggressive, why?)
Do they change in any way? (Appearance, actions, attitudes) Why? (What happened to bring about the change? An event? Action from
someone else?)
How does this character help develop
the themes of the text?
How is this character a role model for
us? (What can we learn from them/
their action and attitudes.)

12. When we study literature, we look at FOUR main features of the text.
What have we just looked at?
What’s the next feature?
Plot
Setting
Character
Theme
Theme
Character

13. Theme
Every work of literature is always more than just a story. There is an underlying message as well. (Sometimes there are several themes.)

14. Sometimes a theme can be good advice
For example: take care of those who are too young or vulnerable to take care of themselves.

15. Sometimes a theme can be good advice
What could this advice be?
Admit your mistakes. Apologise sincerely.

16. Sometimes a theme can be a warning
For example: we need to care for animals, especially endangered ones, otherwise the species could die out.

17. Sometimes a theme can be a warning
What could this warning be?
Some forces of Nature e.g Lightning are powerful and dangerous. Be careful and don’t take chances.

18. Sometimes a theme can be a prophecy
For example: technology will one day control humans.

19. Sometimes a theme can be a prophecy
What could this prophecy be?
There is other life in the universe.

20. Sometimes a theme shows how human behaviour affects others
For example: sibling rivalry undermines families

21. Sometimes a theme shows how human behaviour affects others
How could our behaviour or attitude about race have an effect on others?
We could have racial stereotypes.

22. Ask these questions to explore theme
What is this text saying to me? (note, subject is different to message)
What do I see as the strengths of this text?
What have I learnt from this text?

23. How to write a literature essay
EASY AS …1 … 2… 3

24. What is a literature essay
What is a literature essay? It is where you write about a particular aspect of a text to show your knowledge and understanding of this aspect and why it is important or interesting.
Q: What’s the first step?
A: Choosing your question.

25. Questions 1. Describe a character in a text and explain why you liked/disliked this character. 2. Describe an important event in a text you have read this year. Explain why this event was important. 3. Describe a character in a text you have studied this year. Explain why you thought the character was interesting. √
How do we begin? All essays start with an introduction and a tako …

26. Paragraph 1 - Introduction: T.A.K.O.
T.A.K.O. – Use this acronym to remember to include the necessary information in the introduction: Title (MUST be underlined), Author, Key words from question, Outline of points/ideas
TAKO

27. Example of introduction Let’s highlight the TAKO information
The character I like the most in Ray Bradbury’s short story, ‘All Summer in a Day’ is Margot. I like her because she is a blend of contradictions: she appears frail, but she is really strong when it comes to coping with abuse from bullies and she knows how to handle disappointment.

28. How did you do at highlighting the TAKO information in this introduction?
Green = Title
Black = Author
Red = Key words from question
Blue = Outline of ideas
The character I like the most in Ray Bradbury’s short story, ‘All Summer in a Day’ is Margot. I like her because she is a blend of contradictions: she appears frail, but she is really strong when it comes to coping with abuse from bullies and she knows how to handle disappointment.

29. Body Paragraphs The body of the essay is divided into p…………...
There should be at least ……... body paragraphs.
With an Introduction and a Conclusion paragraph, and the three body paragraphs, the essay should contain a total of at least ……. paragraphs.
My Essay
Introduction
Body Para (1)
Body Para (2)
Body Para (3)
5. Conclusion

30. How to structure each paragraph
S tatement/ Topic Sentence – Tell the audience what topic or idea the paragraph will be about. This is a simple sentence that states the idea.
E xplanation – Explain to the reader of the essay exactly what is meant in the statement.
E vidence/ Example – support the explanation with an example, e.g quote, detail from the text

31. Body Paragraph structure – the possibilities …

32. SEE or S.E.X.Y? What the difference?
There’s no real difference. SEXY is a mnemonic to remember each part of a body paragraph for a literature essay. It has one extra part to it, so it is more complex than SEE
S: the Statement at the start of the paragraph that says what point/idea this paragraph is making, focusing on.
E: the Explanation that explains how this statement is relevant to the text and/or question.
X: the eXample(s) from the text that support(s) your statement and develop(s) your point.
Y: explain whY this example/point is relevant to the question/topic.

33. Example of a Body Paragraph
Margot was a nine year old girl who had recently moved to Venus from Earth. “She was a very frail girl who looked as if … the rain had washed out the blue from her eyes and the red from her mouth and the yellow from her hair.” This quote shows how fragile Margot appeared to be, and how much Venus seemed to affect her. She didn’t really get on with her peers and spent a lot of time alone.

34. Which part of the question is this paragraph focussed on answering?
Margot was a nine year old girl who had recently moved to Venus from Earth. “She was a very frail girl who looked as if … the rain had washed out the blue from her eyes and the red from her mouth and the yellow from her hair.” This quote shows how fragile Margot appeared to be, and how much Venus seemed to affect her. She didn’t really get on with her peers and spent a lot of time alone.
“Describe a character”

35. Quotations – Do’s and Dont’s
Do do Does
Don’t do Don’ts

36. Don’t allow a quote to repeat stated information
For example: The main character in my short story, Margot, whispers to the other children with helpless eyes. “Margot whispered, her eyes helpless.”

37. Do weave quotes into the paragraph
For example: The main character in my short story, Margot, “whispers” to the other children with “helpless eyes”.

38. Do integrate quotes into the paragraph
For example: The nervousness of the main character, Margot, is shown by the author when we read that she “whispered, her eyes helpless.”

39. A Body Paragraph relating to the second part of the question
I liked Margot, because even though she was bullied by the other children she never retaliated. She didn’t let their behaviour affect her own. There are many examples of the other children pushing and shoving Margot, or speaking rudely to her throughout the story, e.g “Get away” and “He gave her a shove”. But Margot didn’t push back, rather she “let herself be moved only by him and nothing else.”

40. There’ll be a 3rd Body Para
For each paragraph, look at the preparatory questions about the text that you answered on setting, character and theme.
Always ask : “How can I apply what the text is saying, to myself?”

41. Conclusion
Conclude the essay by writing about why you care about the topic (even if you don’t you have to pretend you do! )
DO NOT INTRODUCE ANY NEW INFORMATION INTO THE CONCLUSION.
Use this sentence as a starter in your conclusion if you are stuck. “An examination of these …(name what your essay has examined) is important because ….(state why you think it is important).”

42. An example of a Conclusion Para
I like Margot the best as she is a sensitive character who I could learn a lesson from. I think that we should all learn to react better to other people’s rudeness. OR
An examination of the protagonist, Margot, is important because it helped me to understand why I like her so much. I realised that I admired her calm reaction to other people’s rudeness.

43. Now it’s your turn. Write an essay using the structure you have been given. Essay question: Describe a character in a text you have studied. Explain why you thought the character was interesting.