Essay Writing

1. Write the question in the box below and underline the key words.
2. In the introduction answer the question, (this is your thesis) introduce your text and state the
arguments that you will use in your essay.
3. Write each of your arguments in a separate paragraph. Link each argument back to your thesis.
4. Link your paragraphs using connective words. (E.g. – firstly, secondly, next finally…)
5. Use formal language and remember to avoid using first person (I, me) or contractions (don’t etc.).
6. Sum up your arguments in the conclusion and link them back to the thesis.
7. Don’t forget that your diary has language to help you with formal responses from page 137. Use it!
Essay Question: Write the question out and underline the key words.

 In an essay (5 paragraphs extended response) explain how the composer has used language techniques to
reveal how each character has developed through their experiences and interaction with other characters
within their respective texts.

Thesis: write a statement which answers the question – this is your thesis. It is your job to prove to the marker that
this statement is true. You will do this by using evidence form the text. (Remember these acronyms TQE/PEEL)
Possible theses as integrated into an introduction paragraph could be:

Characters always must have a change of some sort throughout a novel or text, changes happen from things like
interaction with other characters especially in the novella My Girragundji (1998) composed by Meme Mcdonald and
Boori Pyroy and the play Honeyspot (1988) composed by Jack Davis.
Introduction: Your introduction must include your thesis statement and introduce the title of the texts (underline
the title), the composer and the year of publication (in brackets). You must also preview the arguments that you
will use to persuade your reader to agree with you.

Thesis Characters always must have a change of some sort throughout a novel or text, changes happen from
things like interaction with other characters especially in the novella My Girragundji (1998) composed by Meme
Mcdonald and Boori Pryor and also in the play Honeyspot (1988) composed by Jack Davis.

Preview In the play Honeyspot and the novella My Girragundji, the characters have a change of a sort, Im going to
tell you all about the change of two characters, William from Honeyspot and Boori from My Girragundji.

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Body
Body paragraph 1 – Base this paragraph on one of the characters in My Girragundji.

Introduce the context of your text, in the first one or two sentences. This is so your marker knows what your text is
about and it “grounds” the analysis you will follow it with. Then write a point sentence to support your thesis (the P
in PEEL). This needs to be something about how the characters change or develop as a result of their experiences.
Then insert your EVIDENCE (including a quote or two quotes) and EXPLAIN the effect. LINK back to the thesis.

Eg. Marsden’s Winter tells the story of young protagonist, Winter De Salis, who returns home after a long period
away, and desires to learn the truth about her past and to create a different future, but has significant trauma to deal
with before this can occur. (A small summation is needed only – you can elaborate a little more in your choice of
quotations, without lapsing into retell). POINT: One of the main problems faced by the main character is the effect
of trauma on individuals, as Winter returns to her childhood home and her behaviour is defensive and abrasive.
EVIDENCE: This is revealed in, “INSERT A QUOTATION TO PROVE YOUR POINT”, EXPLAIN: FIND THE LANGUAGE
FEATURES IN THE QUOTATION (like metaphor, simile, hyperbole, etc.) LINK: back to your thesis statement.

Jack Davis’s play Honeyspot shows the story of an aboriginal family, the Winali family and a white family, William the
main character (Tim’s) cousin is a young boy who made didgeridoos by cutting down trees. He was always on edge as
the trees he was cutting down were protected by the forest ranger, a racist stereo typist who judges black people
and, in this case, the Winali family is judged. William is always on edge and judges people before he meets them, he
judges the ranger because he already knows he’s been cutting down the trees, he cuts them because its his land the
white fellas stole it. He tells all this to the ranger, and he says “………….” In that scene he sets the ranger straight and
stands up to him and that starts to change the rangers perspective but it isn’t until they save his life that he realises
that he was wrong and black people are good and not to be judged by stereotypes. William end up realising that
people can change and that he shouldn’t Really judge people before meeting them. The composer, Jack Davis uses
language techniques in the form of little blurbs to set the scene, e.g ‘………..’. This is very different when compoaring
it the the novella My girragundji.
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Body paragraph 2 – Base this paragraph on one of the characters in Honeyspot

You might consider beginning your paragraph with a connective – like “Further, also, additionally, likewise, on the
other hand”. Then write a point sentence to support your thesis about how this character has changed (the P in
PEEL). This needs to be something about how the character has been affected by the experiences of the play. Then
insert your EVIDENCE (including a quote or two quotes) and EXPLAIN the effect. LINK back to the thesis.

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Body paragraph 3 – This paragraph is about the similarities that you can find between the two character in the
way that they are affected by the experiences in the novel/play.

Begin your paragraph with a connective word or phrase (e.g. also, next, additionally, furthermore…) then discuss the
similarities between the way the two characters change. Use the PEEL structure. Ensure that you use a quote,
explain the effect of the language techniques used and link back to your thesis.

In Both texts the composers show that, both characters change. The language techniques used to emphasis the

change of the characters are different due to the fact that one is a novella and one is a play, but even though the

language techniques used are different it shows that most written texts use language techniques to provide the

change of a character. William and Boori, both characters stand up to someone William being the ranger and Boori

being the bully.

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Conclusion: Sum up your arguments and link them back to the question. Remember to be clear and concise.
This is almost like a “mirror” of your introduction, without having to introduce the author and year of publication
again, but you might consider using slightly different words in order that it isn’t an exact copy.

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