The Title - What’s the title of the story, poem or essay? This tells us an extraordinary amount of information. It may reveal the main point, the tone, or even the thesis of the piece. The title is also important because it draws the audience into the piece.

-       The Author – Who wrote this? The background of the author may be the single most important part of a piece. This will help you more than you realize. f you know information regarding the author’s background, it will help you decipher “clues” about the deeper meaning of their work.

-       The Genre – What is the genre, or class, of the work? Is it fiction? Non-fiction? Autobiographical? In this class, we will learn and write, several different types of essays (genres) – from compare/contrast to argumentative.

-       Where was the work published? – Credibility matters! So think about your audience at all times.

-       When was the work published?

Thesis

Purpose
Writing Strategy 

1. Freewrite
2. Journaling 
3. Write the thesis
4. Draft
5. Revising/editing 

what it is: essentially storytelling. it may be to instruct, inform or educate. Sometimes, it may be for the purpose of recounting an incident or explaining an argument by use of anecdotes

What to Emphasize:

• If you’re telling someone else’s story, you need to tell the whole story – not just some of it. Remember what we discussed before – Who, What, When, Where, Why and How?
• -       What happened?
• -       Who took part?
• -       When?
• -       Where?
• -       Why did this take place?
• -       How did it (or they) happen?

asks you to describe something - an object, person, place, emotion, situation, etc. - and encourages you to paint a vivid picture of that experience.

There are two forms: Objective (facts only, no emotion) and Subjective(with emotion)

• When you compare, you point out similar features of the subjects
•  When you contrast, you point out different features

Two possible Purposes:

1. The purpose of showing two subjects, distinctly, side-by-side. By writing this way, you won’t necessarily favor either subject, but reflect on both.
2. The purpose of choosing between two subjects/things. By writing/evaluating this way, you are showing the audience how one subject/thing is better than another. To use this method, as the writer, you have to consider both the positive and the negative features of the subject.