ESSAYS IN GENERAL
Read the prompt carefully and answer it, attending to all elements of the prompt. Be sure you
understand what you are being asked to do.
It is not necessary (or desirable) to rewrite the prompt on your paper. This wastes your time. Your
introduction and thesis will acknowledge that you understand all elements of the prompt.
Saying the same thing again and again does not strengthen your point.
An essay can be a draft but it still must be a coherent whole—not a string of disconnected ideas.
Move from “what” to “why” and “how.” Show how literary devices contribute to the meaning of the
text.
Explain fully and support your claims. Do not write in “sound bites.”
Use the literary present tense. Characters in literature are always alive. They live in the present time
of the text.
Avoid second person (you); write primarily in third person, using first as needed (if needed). Third
person is a more authoritative voice.
Never use qualifying phrases like “I think,” “I feel,” or “In my opinion.” The claims you make in
your essay belong to no one else but you. Such phrases make you sound less confident.
Do not present new analysis in the conclusion. The conclusion is meant to provide a finish or end to
your essay, not to bring up another point.
Do not define a literary element. Your readers are fully aware of the meanings of all literary
elements.
Under no circumstances provide a summary of the plot or the action of the work.
