Short essay should be analytical in nature, that is, it needs to respond to the work by discussing the work in context, such as in reference to the themes of the question at hand. Basically, you should make an argument about the work and support it with evidence from the book. Your essay should do this by using quotes from the work as examples to further your argument about the work. For instance, you can point to a particular moment/quote in the assigned reading and discuss and analyze the quoted passage. In other words, explicate the quoted material in your paper. What is the writer doing here? What are they saying? How are they saying it? How does the passage support your argument? Remember, you can explore any specific aspect of the work in this paper as evidence to support your argument (a scene, a character, a setting, etc). Things to keep in mind for essay writing: 1. Make sure you have a clear discernible central argument. State your argument at the beginning of the essay, such as at the end of the first paragraph. This will be your thesis statement. 2. Paragraphs should deal with one particular point at a time. 3. Make sure to close read specific passages from the texts to solidify your argument. 4. This is not a summary assignment where you simply summarize the material! I want you to analyze the works and use it in support of your thesis/argument. 5. Feel free to refer to the classroom discussion and notes you have been taking all semester. 6. When you work with quotations, introduce and explain them. When you quote or paraphrase from the literary texts or articles, use MLA parenthetical citations.