musts to avoid in essay writing

8/3/2019 Musts to Avoid in Essay Writing

1/5

MUSTS TO AVOID IN ESSAY WRITING:

Obviously

If its obvious it doesnt need saying. What Obviously usually means is:

Im not quite sure about this point but if I state it firmly enough perhaps

the reader will be bullied into believing me..In my opinion and I personally think

The reader assumes that what you write is your opinion-you dont need to keep saying it.

You can say I feel/I believe etc. Dont state the obvious.

Supposed As in Othello is supposed to be a great warrior. Who supposes this?

Unspecific opening:There are many issues involved in this question. The answer to this question cannot be

properly considered until we have looked at what we mean by credible. These will

send the reader to sleep - however true they may be as observations. The points should

emerge as the essay moves from its specific starting points. Narration: Dont re-tell thestory; the reader already knows it. Translating: by following a quotation with a

paraphrase or translation. The reader can be assumed to know what the words mean.Irrelevance. However fascinating or true your information may be, there is no point at all

in writing it down unless it is relevant. This is particularly true of biographical details.

MUSTS TO AVOID IN ESSAY WRITING continued:

References: Do not refer to the play when talking about a short story or the

book when referring to a play.Do not refer to page numbers. With plays, refer to Acts and Scenes, with novels to

chapters, with verse to lines.

Critics Don't try to pass off the work of critics as your own. The experiencedreader will spot it a mile off. There may be circumstances in which criticism

neatly sums up a point; in which case you may quote it but always attribute it to

the original writer.

Titles

Underline titles rather than putting them in quotation marks . It looks clearer and

leave the quotation marks for quotations. Othello is the play; Othello the character.

Finally: TRUST TO YOUR OWN JUDGEMENTS

There are no right answers in English, though some may be so peculiar as to be wrong.The words which all A levels examiners have at the front of their minds are INFORMED

PERSONAL RESPONSE. The above notes should help you to clarify your thoughts andto

express them clearly and persuasively.

AN ESSAY WRITING CHECKLIST


2/5

1 Does the introduction refer specifically to the question?

2 Is it clear what each paragraph is going to be about from the opening sentence?

3 Does everything in a paragraph relate to the topic sentence of that paragraph?4 Have I backed up each point by reference to the text?

5 Are quotations brief and clearly related to the point they illustrate?

6 Is there a clear structure and sense of development between the paragraphs?7 Is each paragraph developed to full paragraph length?

8 Does my conclusion round off the essay without merely summarising it?

9 Check spelling and punctuation and ensure that the style is appropriate to the task.

IMPORTANT QUALITIES IN ESSAYS:

1 Personal response

Once, essays were expected to be impersonal, with phrases like: It can be seen' . . . or Itshould be recognised . . .. This is no longer expected but your views are. You will not

get credit for quoting second-hand opinions. Do not avoid reading literary critics: they

help deepen your response to literature. However, examiners do not want to read the

opinions of a literary critic in an exam essay. Absorb and internalise the most useful ideasof the critics, but do not quote them.

Consistency of style and response is important. There is a temptation to copy others'phrases. Such borrowings will stand out, because they will be in a different style.

Personal response is lost, and personal response is what examiners are looking for.

2 A suitable register. The opposite extreme from the highly impersonal approach already

mentioned is the highly colloquial approach. An essay is a formal exercise whichdemands a formal structure and register. Slang and contemporary colloquialisms create

an impression of lack of control. Effective communication is essential in any essay, and

accuracy is a vital aspect of it.

3 Writing a correct answer

There is no such thing as a correct answer to an English Literature question but thisdoes not mean whatever you write can never be wrong: ignorance or misunderstanding of

the text, or judgements based on historical anachronism, will not impress. What is

important is a lively argument, well presented and carefully backed up from the text.4 Structure and presentation of an essay

A sound knowledge of the text, and a thoughtful and personal critical response, are

essential for a successful literature essay. Organising ideas into a clear structure is vital.5 Basic essay structure

How many paragraphs should you write and how long it should be, depends on how

much time you have. In one hour you will not write much more than three sides. Lessthan two sides (depending on the size of your handwriting) is going to look rather short.

You need an introduction and conclusion. Each main paragraph should explore an aspect of the question and have a clear theme

or informing idea. Points have to be illustrated by specific textual reference.

To state an idea, develop and illustrate it, takes at least half a side. In an essay of three

sides, with a brief introductory and concluding paragraph, there will be about four or fivemain paragraphs.


3/5

First, make sure you understand the question - highlight the key words:Having highlighted key words, while writing your essay, keep checking them to ensureyou

are not straying into irrelevance.

The introduction

A brief introduction is all that is needed. Do not get bogged down trying to perfect yourintroduction. All that is needed is a few lines setting out your understanding of and

approach to the question Your introduction must be general: leave specific analysis of

and quotation from the text for the body of the essay.Main paragraphs

The main paragraphs must develop an argument in such a way that the examiner can see

clearly the way it is progressing. Each paragraph should focus on a specific aspect of thequestion.

The opening sentence of each paragraph should state the theme. It is the topic or keysentence and makes it clear to the examiner (and you) what the paragraph is about. The

paragraph should then show how the theme is developed. Each point is stated and thenrelated to (a) detail(s) of the story, into which quotations are fitted. The quotations are

short, and blend naturally into the illustrative statement. Each detail from the text isclearly related to the theme of the paragraph.

In the main paragraphs:

The theme of each paragraph should be made clear and kept in focus as the text isdiscussed.

Never make assertions about a text without textual support. No credit is given for

assertions about a character or theme which are not related to quotations from the text. The point of the textual evidence must always be clear: if there is any doubt, then the

sense of development is lost.

Avoid lengthy explanations of the story or poem or whatever, without clearly relatingthem to the question. No credit will be given for unfocused paraphrase.The conclusion

The conclusion needs to be brief, completing the essay in a satisfyingly definitive way.

Your conclusion must tie the whole essay together: it.

SOME EXTRA COMMENTS ON KEY THINGS THAT COME UP IN

ALL LITERATURE ESSAYS AT A LEVEL

UNDERSTANDING LITERATURE ESSAY QUESTIONS

1 Discuss, Consider, Examine, Comment on, mean: write about in aconsidered way, showing your own point of view.

2 Presentation Consider the presentation of. . . (a character in a text). Portrayal issometimes used instead of presentation. Explain what the character is like and how the

impression of him/her is created. Identify various aspects of the character, his/her

behaviour towards others, and think of episodes and quotations to illustrate how thesecharacteristics are brought out.


4/5

3 Role Discuss the role of. . is different from asking about the portrayal or the

character of an individual in a text. Often questions are set in terms of character androle. You are NOT expected to write at length about what the character is like, unless the

question includes character as well as role. There are three aspects of a question on role:

i, how the character affects the plot:ii) how the character brings out aspects of another important character(s).

iii) how the character clarifies themes of the story/play. It is impossible to do this

without mentioning what the character is like.

4 Character/caricature To what extent do you think the characters in . . . are

caricatures? It is unlikely in any question beginning: To what extent . . . or How far do

you agree . . . that you will agree entirely with the contention being made. It is possibleand acceptable, though unlikely, that you will entirely disagree. Examiners expect you to

agree to an extent, and give evidence to show why.

If someone is a caricature, there is one fundamental character trait, which is dwelt on to

ridicule them; the opposite is a rounded character, whose portrayal is more complex.

5 Irony is a favourite device of writers, and a common theme in exams. E.g. : a writer or a character stating one thing, but implying the opposite.

a character doing or saying something which has a different and opposite significance

for the reader than the character imagines.

Dramatic or tragic irony involves a character doing something with good intentions, butsetting off a chain of events which leads to tragedy.

6 Sympathetic character To what extent do you find . . sympathetic? Discusswhether and in what ways you find the character appealing and likeable, or not. The

character may inspire sympathy in the sense of pity, but do not limit yourself to this

meaning of sympathetic.

7 Special characteristics If asked to write about the special characteristics of a

prose writer, identify and illustrate the features which seem distinctive. Focus on: Distinctive stylistic features - powerful or emotive language, frequent use of figures of

speech, complex vocabulary, unusual syntax.;

Distinctive mood and tone of writing;

Use of features such as vivid description, punchy dialogue, suspense, dramaticclimaxes;

Use of devices - irony, caricature, symbolism, satire.

8 How?/By what means? Questions distinguish between what is revealed and how

or by what means it is revealed e.g.: Which character does X. bring most fully to life and

how does he do it? This cant be answered without making a distinction between contentand method (what and how). For a high grade, you must identify the writers methods.

You

might mention:

- letting the reader into the private thoughts/feelings of a character;


5/5

- direct/statement judgement by an omniscient (all-knowing) narrator;

- indirectly, by inviting the readers to draw their own conclusions;

- dialogue;- revelations made by characters;

- a climactic situation;

- comedy;- symbolism;

- a sub-text in which a characters impressions are at variance with the readers;

- irony;- satire;

- pathos.

.

musts to avoid in essay writing

Documents