A Doll’s House essay

Personal Theme - Who are you ? This class is contingent upon your ability to analyze plays from YOUR point of view. Select a word, adjective and or theme that best represents who you are. What made you think about attending college? Why did you select your major? What are your goals for the next 4 years, the next 10 years?

Along with a scholar’s theme with which to analyze the plays you will be expected to incorporate your personal theme in your analysis. In other words, each analytical essay will be examined through your personal theme (lens) in conjunction with a scholar’s theme introduced to you in class lectures.

A Doll’s House essay

Outline for Analytical Essays

Title- should include scholar’s theme, personal theme and the title of the play ( play titles are in italics or

underlined).

INTRODUCTION

Hook sentence - quotation from anywhere associated with your theme and

scholar’s theme.

Historical significance. (5-7 sentences)

Brief summary of the play (7-10 sentences )

Focus on the characters or scenes from the play you will mainly use (4-6 sentences)

Thesis statement (last sentence of the introduction)

This essay will examine (scholar’s theme) and (personal theme) revealing (the overall idea of the play) and 3 specific moments or characters in the play.

Example 1: This essay will examine sisterhood and fairness revealing Mrs. Hale’s and Mrs. Peters’ quiet gain of power as they uncover evidence that is gender specific; a messy kitchen, dead canary and “knot it.”

Example 2: This essay will examine the scholar’s theme of sisterhood and the personal theme of fairness revealing Mrs. Hale’s and Mrs. Peters’ quiet gain of power as the cover evidence that is gender specific; a messy kitchen, a dead canary and “knot it.”

First BODY PARAGRAPH

Topic sentence - This sentence introduces the first point of the thesis statement

which is a messy kitchen (2-4 sentence) NEVER USE A QUOTE

OR PASSAGE FROM THE PLAY in your topic sentence.

Discuss when the action happens in the play (2-4 sentence)

Introduce the characters in the scene. (2-4 sentences)

Play Passage “Here’s a nice mess.” (Gainor 123).

Scholars theme - analyze the play’s passage using the scholar’s theme (4-8

sentences)

Personal theme - analyze the play’s passage using your personal theme (4-8

sentences)

Analyze this passage: DO NOT SUMMARIZE THE PASSAGE.

Explain why the passage speaks to your selected scholar’s theme.

Explain why the passage speaks to your personal theme.

Second Body Paragraph - This sentence introduces the second point of the thesis

statement which is a dead canary (2-4 sentence) NEVER USE A

QUOTE OR PASSAGE FROM THE PLAY in your topic sentence.

Discuss when the action happens in the play (2-4 sentence)

Introduce the characters in the scene. (2-4 sentences)

Play Passage “Look at its neck. Other side too.” (Gainor 129).

Scholars theme - analyze the play’s passage using the scholar’s theme (4-8

sentences)

Personal theme - analyze the play’s passage using your personal theme (4-8

sentences)

Analyze this passage: DO NOT SUMMARIZE THE PASSAGE.

Explain why the passage speaks to your selected scholar’s theme.

Explain why the passage speaks to your personal theme.

Third Body Paragraph - This sentence introduces the second point of the thesis

statement which is “knot it.” (2-4 sentence) NEVER USE A

QUOTE OR PASSAGE FROM THE PLAY in your topic sentence.

Discuss when the action happens in the play (2-4 sentence)

Introduce the characters in the scene. (2-4 sentences)

Play Passage “We call it knot it Mr. Henderson.” (Gainor 133).

Scholars theme - analyze the play’s passage using the scholar’s theme (4-8

sentences)

Personal theme - analyze the play’s passage using your personal theme (4-8

sentences.

Analyze this passage: DO NOT SUMMARIZE THE PASSAGE.

Explain why the passage speaks to your selected scholar’s theme.

Explain why the passage speaks to your personal theme.

CONCLUSION:

Call your reader to action (5-10 sentences)

Let your reader know why it is important to read the plays through your lens! In this call to action remind the reader of the historical significance because we know “people write plays because they have something to say” (Dr. Ryan, lecture.)