Exercice on literary essay

There are many ways of opening a literary essay. Here are eight suggestions to choose from.

1.Biographical information
2.Quotation
3.Definition
4.Element of fiction
5.Life experiences
6.Plot summary
7.Philosophical concepts
8.Historical background

Read the opening lines of student essays. Write the number of the suggestion that fits best.

___5___ Human emotions are complex and sometimes inexplicable, as are our behaviours. It is hard to understand why people often try to impose themselves on others, taking others` freedom, as the main the husband does in this story.

___7___ It is in human nature to seek freedom. And we have no control over the fact that we are born to be free. That is what the author realizes in this story.

___1___ The author was a young widow. And so she was able to understand the many emotions of a woman who learns that her husband has died unexpectedly.

___8___ In the story, the author presents the role and the feeling of women in the nineteenth century. As the author suggests, women at the time had very few rights.

___2___ ‘Free! Body and soul free!’ Every human being is born free, according to the author.

___3___ What is freedom? According to The American Heritage Dictionary Dictionary, freedom is ‘the capacity to exercise choice.’ In this story, the author presents the main character as a woman without freedom, one who could not make her own choices in life.

___6___ The story by the author shows us the unexpected reaction of the main character after she loses her husband. She grieves at first, then surprisingly becomes cheerful at the thought of her husband being around no longer.

___4___ Spring is the time of year when nature becomes vivid again after long months of cold, gray, sad weather. In this story, the spring scene offers a parallel to a personal situation.

Introducing a literary essay

1. Biographical information
- Raised in a difficult environnement
- Suffered from alcoholism

2. Quotation
"To be or not to be. That is the question."

3. Definition
-Insanity is doing the same thing all the time and expecting different result.

4. Element of fiction
-Irony

5. Life experiences

6. Very brief plot summary

7. Philosophical concept
-Everyone seeks something (eg. acceptance, happiness, self-expression...)

8. Historical background
- eg. The American Civil war lasted for 5 years and saw 500 000 deaths. Ambrose Pierce was greatly affected by this event...

Self-assessment on novel discussion

Grade: 8/10

3 reasons:

-I think the organisation of my presentation was well structured and clear. I understood what needed to be accomplished and I did it in an orderly fashion.

-I don't think I talked as much as I could have, and that is why I lowered my mark to 8/10. I could have developped more on the questions that were asked and given my personal opinions on some of the matters.

-I believe that the use of my vocabulary was good and that my description of the plot was easily understandable. I think that the book was well described and that I completed the task well.