Tips for Writing Your Essay
- Look at the prompt before you begin reading your book. (“What makes the protagonist in this book a hero?“) As you read, keep that question in mind and keep track of quotations which might help you answer it.
- After reading your book, come up with a strong, clear thesis that directly responds to the question: something along the lines of “Malala Yousafzai/Louis Zamperini is a hero because ….”
- You are required to have at least three quotations to support your thesis. This means any piece of the text from the book that connects to your idea — it does not mean that it has to be dialogue (when a person is speaking, often denoted with quotation marks).
- Use paragraphs to organize your ideas into a logical order.
- Aim for a formal, academic tone; don’t write in the style that you would use in a casual conversation with friends.