Writing an essay is a little like baking a cake: to avoid "half-baked" results, you need to make sure to stay organized and complete each necessary step. The first step in constructing an essay is to gather the "ingredients," the main idea and supporting evidence from the text. Then you should be ready to write the first paragraph or two—your essay's introduction.
If you completed the journal tasks that were assigned in a previous lesson, you should have an introductory paragraph that is almost finished. That paragraph should include your claim, written as a brief and concise thesis statement. Read the introductory paragraph below, and see if you can identify its parts. How does the author introduce the topic of the essay? How does she make it engaging? What is her claim?
Life was difficult for everyone in the Secret Annex. They all had to deal with cramped quarters, lack of fresh air, limited food, and the constant fear of being found and arrested—something that eventually came to pass. In some ways, though, life was especially difficult for Anne, a young teenager who went through puberty while living in the Annex and therefore had to deal with intense, sometimes confusing feelings. Anne's dearest companion through all these trials was an imaginary friend named Kitty to whom she poured out her heart in a diary. In addressing Kitty, however, Anne was really writing to and for herself. "Kitty" didn't just allow Anne to express her feelings; the diary also helped Anne better understand herself and her situation.
Were you able to identify the essential elements of an introduction in this paragraph? Try answering each of these questions in your own words. Then compare your answers to ours.
What words or phrases from this introduction engage the reader by creating curiosity or interest?
What sentence tells the reader what the essay is going to focus on?
What sentence best represents the claim that will be supported in the remainder of the essay?
"Life was difficult for everyone," "cramped quarters, lack of fresh air, limited food, and the constant fear of being found and arrested" are a few phrases that pique the reader's attention and get them thinking about how difficult life was in the annex. |
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"In some ways, though, life was especially difficult for Anne, a young teenager who went through puberty while living in the Annex and therefore had to deal with intense, sometimes confusing feelings." |
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"Kitty" didn't just allow Anne to express her feelings; the diary also helped Anne better understand herself and her situation.” |
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Now it's time for you to work on your essay introduction. First, find the introductory paragraph you wrote in a previous lesson—in the file you have used for this module's journal entries. Copy and paste this paragraph into a new word processing document, and make any needed revisions to ensure it includes the key elements described on this page. When you are satisfied that your introduction does what it should, save the file with the words Literary Analysis Essay Rough Draft in the file name.
