Academic essay

1. Elements of a Good Essay

2. A Strong Essay
A strong essay consists of five paragraphs. Each paragraph
should have 3-5 sentences.
Introduction
Body Paragraph A
Body Paragraph B
Body Paragraph C
Conclusion
Each body paragraph should
have a topic sentence!

3. Thesis
The kind of essay you are writing is called an analytical
essay.
After you have done your brainstorming, look closely at the
essay prompt and identify what it wants you to do.

4. How does Emily Dickinson use concrete nouns to express
abstract ideas?

5. How does Emily Dickinson use concrete nouns to express
abstract ideas?
Okay, so I’m supposed to talk
about Emily Dickinson...

6. How does Emily Dickinson use concrete nouns to express
abstract ideas?
Okay, so I’m supposed to talk
about Emily Dickinson...
I will have to identify and talk
about her concrete nouns...but
what should I say about them?

7. How does Emily Dickinson use concrete nouns to express
abstract ideas?
Okay, so I’m supposed to talk
about Emily Dickinson...
I will have to identify and talk
about her concrete nouns...but
what should I say about them?
Abstract ideas...so that means I need to talk about the
connection between her concrete nouns and abstract
ideas!

8. Change the question into a
statement
How does Emily Dickinson use concrete nouns to express
abstract ideas?
In Emily Dickinson’s poem “Poem #288”, she uses concrete
nouns to express abstract ideas.

9. Your Turn
Identify the most important parts of this prompt and underline
them.
Change it into a question.
Explain verbally to Ms. Sanders what this prompt is asking
you to do. What information and connections do you need to
find?
Explain how “The Blue Stones” is an allegory that warns us
about the dangers of jealousy and greed.

10. Change the question into a
statement
How does Emily Dickinson use concrete nouns to express
abstract ideas?
In Emily Dickinson’s poem “Poem #288”, she uses concrete
nouns to express abstract ideas.
Make a T-chart of the concrete nouns and abstract ideas.
You can also use this list to find support for your body
paragraphs later.

11. Body Paragraphs
Now that you have your thesis, you can decide what you need
to put in your body paragraphs.
You will need a topic sentence for each of your body
paragraphs. Therefore, you should find three pieces of
evidence that you could use, one for each paragraph.

12. Introductory Paragraph
In your introductory paragraph, you need to accomplish two
things:
Give the reader your thesis statement.
Orient the reader to what you will talk about. Briefly
summarize the topic sentences that you have talked about.

13. Example
In Emily Dickinson’s poem “Poem #288”, she uses concrete
nouns to express abstract ideas. The speaker of the poem
prefers to live a quiet life, and demonstrates this by
expressing a desire to be “Nobody”, a person who does not
attract the attention of others. In contrast, she compares
“Somebody”, a person who seeks attention, to a frog croaking
in a bog “the livelong June”. These concrete images convey
the speaker’s desire for solitude.