This is intended to help people who are looking for guidance as they write literary essays. It is only one method, but it is a method that is of use to many high school writers.
This is where you grab your reader's attention. You might quote a famous person. Anecdotes can be effective. Sometimes a rhetorical question works. The first sentence or two is meant to hook your reader!
As the name suggests, this serves as a connection between the lead and the thesis. It is a good place to mention the title of the text you are focusing upon. When mentioning a title, rememeber to use italics. If you are handwriting, you should underline longer texts such as novels and plays. Use quotation marks around the titles of short stories, essays, and poems.
This may well be the most important part of your essay. It should answer the essay question in a clear manner. It is also the controlling idea of your essay. The rest of your essay proves this thesis statement.
A Lead:
Throughout one's life, an individual will come across a variety of different situations in which they must overcome a challenge.
A Connector:
In the novel The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, the characters are faced with profound challenges that are difficult to deal with.
A Thesis Statement:
In response to an array of challenges, both Taylor Greer and Lou Ann Ruiz undergo personal transformations.
Note: These three sentences do not comprise the entire student introductory paragraph.
They are intended to demonstrate the three aspects of an effective introduction.
**Special thanks to Jordan Simundson for sharing her writing sample.