Writing Formal Literary Paragraphs

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Writing Formal Literary Paragraphs
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What is a literary paragraph?

• A paragraph that discusses a question about
  literature in a formal and organized way
• A literary paragraph develops an argument about
  the literature being studied.

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How are they written?

• Using formal language
• Using present tense
• Using evidence (quotations) from the literature.

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How are they organized

• Literary paragraphs follow a predictable pattern
• They have a thesis statement (or topic sentence)
  that includes the title of the work and the
  author's name
• They develop ideas using evidence from the story
  and discussing that evidence explaining how it
  develops the thesis.

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Can you show me?

• Sure.
• Let's say you have to write a paragraph
  discussing Boo Radley's character after chapter 1
  in the novel. You might come up with a thesis
  statement like this
• In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Boo
  Radley's reputation comes not from anything he
  has done, but rather from the lack of information
  that the community has about him.

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So then what?

• Well, you try to make some POINTS to develop that
  argument, such as,
• Boo Radley is virtually unknown in the community.

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Okay, that's easy.

• But you can't stop there. Provide EVIDENCE to
  show how you know it this. For example,
• After getting into trouble with the police, Boo
  was not seen again for 15 years (p. 9).
• Notice how there is a quotation from the novel
  incorporated into the sentence.

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Is that all?

• Not quite. Now you have to EXPLAIN how that
  quotation illustrates your point and ties into
  your thesis. This is the most important part.
• Mr Radley ensures that Boo remains hidden and as
  a result, he is completely mysterious to people
  in Maycomb.

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Am I done?

• Not quite. You need more points to support your
  main idea. Keep stacking them up like this
• Point
• Evidence
• Explanation
• Just remember to PEE!!

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Can you show me?

• Sure. Look at this example
• In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Boo
  Radley's reputation comes not from anything he
  has done, but rather from the lack of information
  that the community has about him.
• Boo Radley is virtually unknown in the community.
  
• After getting into trouble with the police, Boo
  was not seen again for 15 years (p. 9).
• Mr Radley ensures that Boo remains hidden and as
  a result, he is completely mysterious to people
  in Maycomb.
• Because of the mystery surrounding his character,
  the community begins to blame Boo for unexplained
  events.
• Boo gets held responsible for things he's not
  involved in including any stealthy crime
  committed in Maycomb (p.9).
• It seems that the town of Maycomb, when looking
  for someone to Blame, look to Boo because they
  know so little about him.

Thesis Statement
Point
Evidence
Explanation
Point
Evidence
Explanation
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Oops, it didn't fit on one slide...

• As time goes own and the mystery increases, the
  children in the town start to create myths around
  Boo Radley.
• Jem claims to Dill that he dines on raw
  squirrels (p.14).
• The children have heard the stories and so their
  imaginations run wild and begin to turn Boo into
  a kind of mythical creature. Everything about him
  is exaggerated.
• Boo Radley may well be unusual, but most of the
  things that people in the town of Maycomb say
  about are not based in fact, they are simply
  stories that have developed because he is unknown.

Point
Evidence
Explanation
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So what's that last sentence?

• That's your conclusion. Sum up your argument. Let
  the reader know what you have proven.
• This kind of writing always follows the same
  pattern. When your done it will look...

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...like this

• In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Boo
  Radley's reputation comes not from anything he
  has done, but rather from the lack of information
  that the community has about him. Boo Radley is
  virtually unknown in the community. After getting
  into trouble with the police, Boo was not seen
  again for 15 years (p. 9). Mr Radley ensures
  that Boo remains hidden and as a result, he is
  completely mysterious to people in Maycomb.
  Because of the mystery surrounding his character,
  the community begins to blame Boo for unexplained
  events. Boo gets held responsible for things he's
  not involved in including any stealthy crime
  committed in Maycomb (p.9). It seems that the
  town of Maycomb, when looking for someone to
  Blame, look to Boo because they know so little
  about him. As time goes own and the mystery
  increases, the children in the town start to
  create myths around Boo Radley. Jem claims to
  Dill that he dines on raw squirrels (p.14).
  The children have heard the stories and so their
  imaginations run wild and begin to turn Boo into
  a kind of mythical creature. Everything about him
  is exaggerated. Boo Radley may well be unusual,
  but most of the things that people in the town of
  Maycomb say about are not based in fact, they are
  simply stories that have developed because he is
  unknown.