<p>Okay, maybe this is just me or an illustration of my teacher's teaching skills, but how do you guys approach the essay?</p>
<p>How do you even write one of the essays?
How do you outline the essay that short amount of time?
What is the difference between writing for this class and writing for English Language?</p>
<p>All tips appreciated. :)</p>
<p>Sincerely,</p>
<p>ShadowRider78</p>
<p>The difference between lit and lang is that to truly score well in lit (9-level, psh for the other numbers, always aim there) you need to think outside the box, and tie in your topic with universal/anagogical themes.</p>
<p>I remember the first ever timed writing I did in lit this year I was so confused, trying to think of literary terms and special words to use, but it really wasn't supposed to be like that--or else our teacher would have let us learn that terminology first. lit is less about mechanical literary tool recognition and spewing and more about your personal interpretations (to an extent) tying in with really broad themes of human experience</p>
<p>to write an essay, make sure to construct an outline first that ANSWERS THE PROMPT (KEYKEYKEY-mark out clear and obviously relevant points) this part is simple. it's things like saying 'oh, the author here uses childish imagery with comparisons of simple playthings with emotions to show ___'s innocence and naivete' etcetc when a prompt asks you how an author shows a character or something. like lang, pick out your favorite points that you can write most in depth about instead of attempting a laundry list.</p>
<p>then, consolidate your points and figure out how you're going to tie everything together (read: input broad universal theme of human experience or morality). in your intro, hint at this theme and spell out the main points and approach of the essay, go through body paragraphs with your theme in mind so that each paragraph is somehow tied in and 'flows', and then use your conclusion to delve deepest into the universal theme and tie things up nicely. personally, I like final lines with a play on words, because they are easier to think up when stressed on time than a reverberating, original message, and do an infinitely better job of ending essays than "so..____ used a, b, and c to [repeat prompt verbatim]".</p>
<p>oh and a final note! do your best, within reason, to write something original. if you simply have to use the great gatsby, at least make an effort to say something different about it. it'll make the essay more interesting for you and your future reader.</p>
<p>hope this helped somehow! I'm in the middle of the course, too, but this is just what I've gleaned so far. if I've repeated what any study guide would say thinking I was being original, I apologize. gl!</p>