WRITING THE CRITICAL LENS ESSAY Sachem High School East English 10R Mrs. Faust
YOUR TASK: Write a critical essay in which you discuss two works of literature you have read from the perspective of the statement that is provided for you in the Critical Lens. You MUST PROVIDE: 1. a valid interpretation of the Critical Lens 2. agree or disagree with the Critical Lens as you have interpreted it (your position) 3. support your opinion using two pieces of literature 4. provide two literary elements for each piece of literature, with specific examples from the literature 5. an explanation for how the examples support your position
LITERARY ELEMENTS You should be using TWO literary elements for EACH piece of literature. CHARACTERIZATION The way an author uses direct or indirect characterization to describe and develop characters CONFLICT Struggle between opposing forces Character vs. character (external conflict) Character vs. society (external conflict) Character vs. nature (external conflict) Character vs. self (internal conflict)
LITERARY ELEMENTS FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE Descriptive language that relies on more than the literal meaning Simile Metaphor Alliteration Personification Hyperbole FORESHADOWING Hints or clues given to suggest events that will occur later in the story IMAGERY Use of descriptive language to convey a visual picture or a sensory image (sound, smell, taste, feel)
LITERARY ELEMENTS IRONY A contradiction between what is expected (or what appears to be) and what actually happens Verbal irony Situational irony Dramatic irony SYMBOLISM Anything that stands for or represents something else in a story THEME The central message revealed through a literary work.
CRITICAL LENS: STRUCTURE 1. Introduction Introduce the quote (a broad or general statement to introduce it) State the quote and author in a complete sentence Paraphrase the quote using three to four complete sentences Agree or disagree with the quote Mention the literature: Title, Author and Genre (TAG)of both pieces of literature that you will use to prove your opinion 2. Body Paragraph 1 Topic sentence (name your 1 st piece of literature, the 2 literary elements, and a brief paraphrase of the quote) Literary element 1 with example How does this example support the quote? Literary element 2 with example How does this example support the quote? Transitional sentence to your second piece of literature 3. Body Paragraph 2 SAME STEPS AS BODY PARAGRAPH 1 EXCEPT USE THE SECOND PIECE OF LITERATURE! Transitional sentence to your conclusion 4. Conclusion Topic Sentence: mention BOTH pieces of literature (TAG) AND that they prove or disprove your interpretation of the quote (paraphrase the quote again). Restate the quote Paraphrase the quote Agree or disagree with the quote Concluding Sentence (that ties all your ideas back to the Quote/Lens)
CRITICAL LENS: INTRODUCTION Introduction 1. Introduce the quote (a broad or general statement to introduce it) Life lessons are often learned through various circumstances. 2. State the quote and author in a complete sentence Bernadette Devlin once said, To gain that which is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else. 3. Paraphrase the quote using three to four complete sentences In other words, sometimes it is necessary to give up what we have in order to attain something greater. We must sacrifice to earn what is truly valuable. We all have things we want in life but it may be necessary to lose everything we have in order to achieve greatness. 4. Agree or disagree with the quote This is proven true in many works of great literature. 5. Mention the literature: Title, Author and Genre (TAG)of both pieces of literature that you will use to prove your opinion Both Arthur Miller, in his play The Crucible, and Mark Twain, in his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, demonstrate the idea that we sometimes must be willing to lose everything in order to achieve greatness.
CRITICAL LENS: BODY PARAGRAPH 1 Body Paragraph 1: Your first piece of literature 1. Provide a topic sentence relating to the quote In his play, The Crucible, Miller uses irony and characterization to demonstrate that in order to gain that which we truly desire, we must sometimes give up all that we have. 2. Provide your first example of that element from the literature. The example MUST support the quote!! For example, the author uses characterization to show that John Proctor is willing to sacrifice his own life instead of confessing to a crime he did not do. 3. How does this support the quote? He is giving up his life in order to keep his good name, in turn protecting his wife and children. By refusing to plead guilty to something he did not do, he was able to gain what he truly desired, which is retaining his good name and honor. 4. Provide your second example of that element from the literature. The example MUST support the quote!! 5. How does this support the quote? 6. Transition to next body paragraph Arthur Miller s play, The Crucible, is just one of many pieces of literature that demonstrates how sometimes we are willing to give up everything in order to achieve greatness.
CRITICAL LENS: BODY PARAGRAPH 2 Body Paragraph 2: Your second piece of literature 1. Provide a topic sentence relating to the quote In his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain uses characterization and conflict to demonstrate that some are willing to give up what little they have to achieve greatness. 2. Provide your first example of that element from the literature. The example MUST support the quote!! For example, he uses the internal conflict within Huck Finn to depict a character who must decide to risk his own life by not turning in his best friend Jim even though hiding Jim was against the law. 3. How does this support the quote? Huck s internal conflict depicts a boy willing to give up what little he does have, his freedom, in order to do the right thing and protect Jim, a runaway slave. 4. Provide your second example of that element from the literature. The example MUST support the quote!! 5. How does this support the quote? 6. Transition to the conclusion As we see, both Miller and Twain depict characters who learn important life lessons because of the experiences they go through.
CRITICAL LENS: CONCLUSION Conclusion Provide a topic sentence that mentions BOTH pieces of literature (TAG) AND that they prove/disprove your interpretation of the quote OR Arthur Miller s play The Crucible and Mark Twain s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn both represent the idea that life sometimes calls upon us to surrender what is dear to us in order to achieve greatness. Restate Quote According to Bernadette Devlin, To gain that which is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else. Rephrase Risk and sacrifice are necessary to achieve what is most important. Agree or disagree with the quote This idea is often found in literature. This quote is proven true by many great works of literature Concluding Sentence Despite great sacrifice and loss, we persevere and achieve even greater glory.
CRITICAL LENS: TASK Write a CRITICAL ESSAY in which you discuss two works of literature you have read from your perspective of the statement that is provided for you in the Critical Lens (quote). You MUST PROVIDE: 1. a valid interpretation of the Critical Lens 2. agree or disagree with the Critical Lens as you have interpreted it (your position) 3. support your opinion using two pieces of literature 4. provide two literary elements for each piece of literature, with specific examples from the literature 5. an explanation for how the examples support your position
CRITICAL LENS: QUOTES For this assignment ONLY, select one lens, or quote, through which you will analyze the literature: A mighty flame follows a tiny spark. Dante Alighieri In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments; there are consequences. Robert Green Ingersoll The less there is to justify a traditional custom, the harder it is to get rid of it. Mark Twain What we call failure is not the falling down but the staying down. -Mary Pickford
CRITICAL LENS: LITERATURE For this assignment ONLY, select two of the following pieces of literature to support your interpretation of the lens: Sound of Thunder Ray Bradbury The Lottery Shirley Jackson Dr. Heidegger s Experiment Nathaniel Hawthorne The Interlopers Saki