Essay tips! How to avoid a scarlet C------ on your essay!

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The Scarlet Letter

• Essay tips! How to avoid a scarlet C------ on
  your essay!

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Theme vs. Fact

• Thesis must have a provable idea, and not simply
  state a fact. Some examples include
• Hawthorne illustrates through the main character,
  Hester Prynne, the variety of ways that sin can
  isolate the sinner.
• Nathaniel Hawthorne uses Hester Prynne to show
  how sin can isolate the sinner physically,
  socially, and religiously.
• In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne illustrates the
  guilt that Arthur Dimmesdale suffers socially,
  physically, and emotionally.
• Hawthorne uses Pearl to demonstrate how sin
  victimizes those innocent of sin.
• Hawthorne uses Dimmesdale to show that guilt can
  destroy a person, both in body and soul.

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Theme vs. Fact

• Topic sentences/ Secondary Claims must also
  provide an idea to prove or support. This is
  where you might state one effect of your topic.
• Near the middle of The Scarlet Letter,
  Dimmesdales guilt greatly affects his spiritual
  and emotional life.
• In the beginning of the book, Hester is isolated
  from society both socially and physically.
• Hawthorne depicts how sin isolates Hester Prynne
  physically from the society in which she lives.
• From the moment Hester enters the novel,
  Hawthorne hints at how her sin cuts her off
  psychologically from society.

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Thesis words

• Define your terms!
• Look at the key words of your thesis. Find other
  ways to say these words. HINT Do not simply use
  a thesaurus.
• Look at the text carefully to examine the various
  ways Hawthorne defines or shows us these terms.
• What does it mean to be isolated?
• What does it mean to be destroyed by guilt?

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Analysis

• Focus on Hawthorne.
• What is his intent/purpose/meaning in
  illustrating these instances?
• Hawthorne does not use his own quotations or
  provide examples.
• Do not simply list examples of how the character
  shows the idea of the theme. You must examine how
  Hawthorne creates these situations in an effort
  to demonstrate his theme.
• Look carefully at the text. Avoid plot summary.

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Quotations

• You should have a minimum of two quotations
  incorporated into each body paragraph. Ask
  yourself these questions regarding each quote you
  include
• 1) Does this quote directly and clearly support
  the topic of my support and this body paragraph.
• 2) Is my quote part of a sentence?
• 3) If I have a block quotation (longer than 3
  lines), does it begin on a new line?
• 4) Is this quote the absolute best quote to
  extract from the text to prove my claim? Be sure
  to consider your choices. Ask me for help with
  this if you are unsure.

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Additional tips for success!

• Watch out for the following
• Run-on sentences
• Usage of commas and semicolons ,/
• Whom/who
• 16 vs. sixteen- you always should write out the
  number!
• Rhetorical questionsDO NOT ASK THESE
• Use of the word like instead try for example
  or for instance
• Sentence fluency/ fragments- this goes along with
  proofreading
• Present tense! Be sure to refer to the plot/
  characters in the present tense at all times
  throughout your essay
• Be sure to underline or italicize titles!
  Integrate quotations seamlessly into your own
  sentences.
• This should be followed by a noun.
• Better yet, do NOT use the sentence construction
  This example shows.

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Conclusion

• Remember, you did not have to write a conclusion
  for your first essay in this class. Please follow
  the guidelines below when writing your conclusion
  for this essay.
• 4-6 sentences
• Summarize last 1-2 pages of novel.
• Connect whats happening on those last pages to
  the theme youre analyzing.
• Universal idea Mention how theme is still
  relevant today.

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Organization

• A) You may choose to organize and write your
  essay chronologically
• For example
• Body paragraph 1
• Hawthorne demonstrates that guilt can destroy a
  person both in body and soul in the beginning of
  the novel when Dimmesdales Health is fair
• Body paragraph 2
• "Hawthorne demonstrates that guilt can destroy a
  person both in body and soul in the middle of his
  novel when his health is deteriorating
• Body paragraph 3
• Hawthorne demonstrates that guilt can destroy a
  person both in body and soul at the end of the
  novel when Dimmesdales body and soul is
  ultimately annihilated

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Topic

• B) You may choose to write by topic
• For example
• Body paragraph 1
• Hawthorne demonstrates that sin isolates the
  sinner when Hesters sin isolates her is
  socially
• Body paragraph 2
• Secondly, Hawthorne demonstrates that sin
  isolates the sinner through Hesters sin
  isolating her physically
• Body paragraph 3
• Thirdly, Hawthorne demonstrates that sin
  isolates the sinner through Hesters sin
  isolating her religiously

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Both

• C) You may choose to do both (this is the most
  difficult method to attempt)
• For example
• Body paragraph 1
• Hawthorne first illustrates how Pearl becomes an
  innocent victim of sin in the beginning of the
  novel, when the Puritan community wrongfully
  places their anger from Hesters affair on Pearl
• Body paragraph 2
• In the middle of the novel, it is evident that
  Pearl is an innocent victim of sin when she grows
  up without a patriarchal family in Puritan
  society
• Body paragraph 3
• Lastly, at the end of Hawthornes novel, he
  illustrates Pearl to be an innocent victim of sin
  by demonstrating her lack of any human
  sympathies

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