KZN RADIO BROADCAST

MASTERING THE
LITERATURE ESSAY

MRSRGOVENDER–MARITZBURGCOLLEGE
MSJ NAICKER–DURBANGIRLSSECONDARY
Mastering the Literature
essay
1. Analyse topic
2. Plan thoroughly
3. Write
 Why do we have to write literary
essays in English class?
• 1) Writing is a part of everyday life, especially if
you are planning to attend university, college or
any post secondary school. You will be asked,
more than once, to write an essay in any
course you attempt.
• 2) If you do not plan to further your education,
chances are you will have to write some sort of
essay-type report in the excellent, well-paying
job you will land in the future.
• 3) There is an essay question in Paper 2 of
your final examination.
• 4) Possibly the most important reason… to
pass English !
 Planning
Students write literary essays as a response
to a piece of literature they have read.
Usually, they take a position on a topic and
then try to prove their stance to the reader.
When writing an essay, the writer follows this
basic pattern:
• SAY IT
• SHOW IT
• SAY IT AGAIN
• Beginning = Introduction = SAY IT
• Middle = Body = SHOW IT
• End = Conclusion = SAY IT AGAIN
 STEP ONE: ANALYSE THE
TOPIC.

‘A tragic hero is a character who comes to

misfortune through a fatal character flaw.’
In a carefully planned essay of 400–450 words
(2–2½ pages) in length, discuss to what extent
the quotation is true about Hamlet. [25]
 The topic usually has two or more components:

1. THE STATEMENT/QUESTION:
‘A tragic hero is a character who comes to misfortune through a
fatal character flaw.’

2. THE INSTRUCTION:
The ‘instruction’ tells you how to approach your essay.
…discuss to what extent the quotation is true about
Hamlet/Othello or any protagonist.
Hamlet is not written in italics or in inverted commas and is therefore
referring to the character and not the play.
How to write an introduction

Make a broad statement introducing the topic.

Hamlet is indeed a tragic hero however, it is not a flaw on his
character but the horrendous situation he is placed in, that leads
to his misfortune.
Draw on your understanding of the play as a whole.
At the onset of the play, the audience is introduced to a deeply
emotional and distraught Hamlet who is grieving the loss of his
beloved father. Set against this, he must also cope with the hasty
marriage of his mother to his father’s brother, Claudius, who is
now also the King of Denmark.
Then, make a statement based on the instruction of the
topic, showing your intention/aim in this essay.
This essay aims to reveal how Hamlet’s nature influences his
handling of the difficult circumstances he is faced with and how
this impacts on the outcome of the play.
 Another example...
Topic 3
“Othello/Hamlet/Proctor is the
architect of his own downfall.”
Discuss whether you agree with this
statement by outlining the
contributions made by protagonist
and antagonist towards
protagonist’s downfall.
(25)
 Structure
• Introduction includes some wording
from the question as you explain the
STANCE you are taking (agree or
disagree with the thesis question)
• Introduction must show the LINE OF
ARGUMENT
• Introduction must give a ‘PATHWAY’.
This means the route the essay will
take.
 Intro to Topic 2
Othello and Desdemona’s marriage is
one based on love as they marry one
another despite the racism of the time.
Despite the tragic end of the play, their
love for one another, survives.
Therefore the union cannot be
described so negatively. Their
courtship, initial wedded bliss, the role
of Iago in destroying their lives, and
the survival of their love for one
another will be examined using
evidence from the play.
 Another example...

Topic 3
“A marriage made in hell between a
witless woman and a vain man.”
Discuss whether this is a fair
assessment of the union between
Othello and Desdemona. (25)
The introductory paragraph
Othello is partially to blame for his
downfall as his jealous, gullible
nature allows him to be negatively
influenced. The extent of Othello’s
responsibility for his own downfall
will be examined by: firstly,
discussing his errors and flaws;
secondly, Iago’s part in his downfall;
and thirdly, the role played by
opportunity.
 Your turn to try

Topic 3
“The quest for revenge of the main
characters, Othello and Iago, leads
directly to the terrible tragedy in
Othello.”
Discuss the validity of this comment
with close reference to relevant
incidents in the play.

STANCE & PATHWAY

 A possible one...
Both Othello and Iago seek revenge
in the play which contributes to the
terrible tragedy, but it is their
jealousy which feeds this revenge
and which is therefore the primary
cause of the destructon. Their flaws,
reasons for jealousy and their
resultant desire for revenge will be
examined as the linked causes for
the heinous tragedy.
 The Middle (SHOW IT)
• This middle is referred to as the
BODY of the essay
• Your body paragraphs need to
provide specific evidence to actually
SHOW or PROVE the thesis that you
created in your introduction.
• Use as many body paragraphs as you
need to prove your thesis.
 Body of Essay

• Only relevant points which answer the

question and provide evidence must be
included.
• Short quotes work better than longer
ones e.g ‘soul’s joy’, ‘’, ‘fair warrior’, ‘I
am not what I am’, ‘I hate the Moor’
• Even single words are ideal e.g.
‘poison’, ‘web’, ‘whore’, ‘strumpet’,
‘witchcraft’
 Each paragraph of the body
should have:
• Follow the pathway you mentioned in your intro.
• Topic sentence: the first sentence which gives the
main idea of the paragraph
• Then other related points or evidence should be given.
Quotes show that you are focusing on the text.
• Concluding sentence of the paragraph should relate
back to topic sentence & support the stance taken in
the thesis statement.
• Logical connectors are important to link the ideas in
the paragraph, such as: therefore, thus, nevertheless,
however, in addition, consequently
How to structure a
Remember to use words that link each
paragraph to the next in a logical
manner. E.g. however, therefore, thus…

paragraph Each paragraph must contain ONE idea

ONLY. And write each paragraph in the
order the events occurred in the play.

USE THE ‘PEEL’

At the onset of the play, the audience is made aware
METHOD
that Hamlet has to cope with an inordinately difficult
situation which is not of his making. He loses his father POINT - TOPIC
unexpectedly, and then has to contend with the fact that his SENTENCE
mother is behaving inappropriately by marrying his uncle so EVIDENCE – GIVE
soon that ‘The funeral baked meats / Did coldly furnish forth REFERENCES
the marriage tables’. He meets with his father’s ghost and
FROM THE TEXT
suspects ‘some foul play’. His father requests that he
avenges his murder, but it becomes such a burden that he EXPLAIN – GIVE
cannot cope. These factors become the cause of great THE RELEVANCE
turmoil for the young Hamlet. Due to his deeply moral OF REFERRING TO
convictions and his religious convictions, Hamlet is unable THIS
to accept the marriage nor is he able to act on the
LINK – GO BACK
information provided by his father’s ghost without
confirmation. AND LINK THIS TO
THE TOPIC.
First paragraph for Topic 1
Pathway: Othello’s errors & flaws
1. What are his errors?
2. What are his flaws?
How many paragraphs are needed to
deal with these?
An example of a paragraph
dealing with Othello’s errors
Othello makes a fundamental error in trusting
‘honest Iago’. His insecurity about fitting in to
Venetian life and his inexperience in romance
lead him to treat Iago as his confidant and this
is an error of judgement on Othello’s part. Iago
tells Roderigo from the outset that he follows
Othello ‘to serve’ his ‘turn upon him’ and the
tragedy is that Othello is duped into thinking
Iago is a man of ‘honesty and trust’. It is this
blind trust of Iago which proves to be a fatal
error which contributes to Othello’s downfall.
(Note the following of the pathway, the
evidence, & the link back to the thesis
statement)
 Conclusion

• No new evidence is given

• The main ideas mentioned in the
pathway in the introduction should
be summarised
• Some of the words of the thesis
statement should be used
• Your stance must be reinforced
An example of a conclusion to
Topic 1
Othello does need to take some
responsibility for his downfall. His
jealousy and his trust of Iago and
mistrust of Desdemona are fatal
flaws. However, Iago’s evil nature
and cunning plans play a more
significant part in engineering
Othello’s fall. When coupled with the
role of chance opportunity, Othello
becomes the victim.
Spot the major errors in the
response...
Topic 4
“The role and status women occupied in Venice
at the time of ‘Othello’ are significant as
possible causes for the tragedy.” Discuss.
(about 7 errors)

I think that the role and status of women at

that time were significant because had the
woman had more political and social clout then
Desdemona, in particular would have stood up
to “Othello”. She was subservient to him as a
wife and so she couldn’t challenge him fairly
nor diss him back in the book.
 LIT ESSAY TOOLBOX
THE ESSENTIALS YOU NEED TO KNOW

• PLOT/TIMELINE
• CHARACTERS
• THEMES
• KNOW THE ABOVE WELL. USE THEM AS PROOF FOR YOUR
POINTS FOR YOUR ESSAY.
• WRITE THEM OUT, MEMORISE THEM AND REGULARY TEST
YOURSELF ON THEM.
• THEY ARE YOUR TOOLS TO ANSWER ANY QUESTION ON
THE SPECIFIC TEXT.
 Some Main themes...
• Jealousy
• Appearance versus Reality
• Reason versus Passion
• Good versus Evil
• Prejudice/The Outsider
• Racism
• Status of Women
• Loyalty & Betrayal
• Love & Trust
 Some points to consider…
• Always write in the present tense.
• Do not use the FIRST OR SECOND PERSON
i.e. I think that Othello is ... X
It is evident that ... √

• PEEL Method – Point, Evidence, Explain and Link.

• Link all the paragraphs Do not RETELL the story. Select only the evidence which is
relevant.

• PLAY, not book or novel

• QUOTE ACCURATELY. If you cannot remember a quote then rather paraphrase.

Misquoting is out.

• Use CONNECTORS between sentences & paragraphs to link ideas, for e.g. However,
similarly, in contrast, therefore, thus, nevertheless, unfortunately, despite...

• Include 1 main idea or point per paragraph. This forms your TOPIC SENTENCE.

• Do not use contractions.

• FORMAL LANGUAGE: no contractions, no abbreviations, no slang

• INTRO & CONCLUSION are crucial

 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
When quoting how may quotes is sufficient to include in essay
and do we have to add the scene/act/chapter etc.? Can we
write the quote in modern English?
Tiara Naidoo, Durban Girls Secondary

For the conclusion of a literary essay, do you basically just

restate the intro and add no more facts?
Jordan Bense Maritzburg College
What tense do we use in the lit essay and do we write in
Present or past tense?
Tanya Chingwere, Durban Girls Secondary