how to write a set book essay

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English Set Books Essay Writing Skills – Latest Guide

101|3. ENGLISH PAPER 3.

WRITING  ESSAYS BASED ON THE SET TEXT

• Interpreting the question
• Making an outline of your points
• introducing your essay
• Writing the body
• Concluding your essay
• The Dos and Dontsin essay writing.
• Episodes in A Doll’s House
• Questions for discussions.

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Essays on set text are questions that add up to 40 marks in paper three.

Students have met a lot of challenges scoring these marks.

Among the reasons that account for this is poor/inadequate reading of the set books. Without a thorough grasp of the thematic concerns of the set books, you will score less marks. This is because you need a lot of details in your discussion to score mark. Obviously, you cannot get these details without reading the set books at least six times.

Secondly, our attitude towards writing on one hand and paper three on the other also puts the kibosh to our great performance here. We must therefore love writing and be positive.

Lastly, most students don’t understand the writing techniques required here.

It is in lieu of this that we have organized this lesson to take you through essay writing skills.

1.Interpretation of the question

In order to write a good essay, you must first understand what the statement means. Interpretation of the question is pivotal here. You will have failed once you misinterpret the given statement.

➡️The current KCSE setting trends are characterized by questions which encompass two sides. The action(virtue or vice) and the reaction( reward or punishment).

➡️When responding to KCSE essay questions in A Doll’s House and or any other text, always try to point out the *keywords* by *underlining* them. This will help you to have the correct interpretation of the question. Once this is done, you will find writing the essay a walk in the park.

➡️Since the question is two sided, the answer should also bring out the two sides fully.

For instance,

“A selfish individual who only cares about his reputation causes pain to himself and others. Basing your illustrations on Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House; write an essay to validate this statement.”*

While responding to the question above, you ought to first underline the key words; *selfish* and  *pain* then identify selfish individuals and how they only careabout their reputation* Then, you should illustrate *how this selfishness causes pain to the said individual and others.*

➡️ For a candidate to interpret the question well s/he must have a wide range of vocabulary without which the task will be tedious. This will help in writing the introduction/paraphrasing the statement.

2.Making an outline of your points

Planning is key in all our undertakings for it will determine the end results. Therefore, you should master the art of planning as it sets precedence for a good essay. If you get it right from the onset, that is interpretation and planning, you are on the way to great performance.

🔷Come up with at least four characters that will support your argument, this will enable you to plan your essay. This stage helps you come up with complete topic sentences.

In reference to our question on “A selfish individual who only cares about his reputation…, you may sketch down something like this👇🏻 as your outline/plan on the question paper.

a)Helmer doesn’t listen and understand Nora’s sacrifice/predicament

• b) Krogstad is mean towards Nora
• c) Helmer’s selfishness towards Krogstad

d)Mrs Linde’s selfishness towards Krogstad.

You should go a head and brainstorm on the details for each point before you begin writing your essay.

3.Introducing your essay.

🖊️The introduction falls on the first paragraph.

🖊️It earns you 2 marks.

🖊️It should address both sides of the question.

🖊️Should be drawn from within the text.

When writing your introduction you ought to take note of the following;

 🖋️Demonstrate your understanding of the question (What are you going to discuss?)

*what to avoid*

 🖋️Do NOT define terms

 🖋️Do not rewrite any words or phrase in the question; instead paraphrase (use your own words e.g. if the questions says materialism you should use the word greed. Or when the question says sacrifice you may use the word selflessness in your introduction)

*What an introduction should be*

🖊️Should be brief(not  more than 4 lines)

🖊️Should have:

➡️Name of the text

➡️Outline at least 2 points

*Types of introductions*

You can use any of the following ways to write your introduction.

• *Contextualized introduction* which involves using examples from the text.

For example

Helmer’s meanness cause Nora so much stress to the extent that she decides to sever a marriage that she had so much hope in.

• *General introduction*

*For example*

Most citizens suffer when the leaders they voted for forget about their needs and focus on working for their own stomachs. This is brought out clearly In Henrik Ibsen’sA Doll’s House.

• *A paraphrasing*

Focusing on your own individual interest at the expense of others causes so much suffering not only to himself but also others.

• *Listing the points that the essay is going to address*

Krogstad, Helmer and Mrs Linde are so mean in the text that they cause a lot of anxiety and torture to Nora, Mrs Linde and themselves as discussed below.

4.THE BODY OF YOUR ESSAY.

With the outline in mind, consider getting details that will buffer your topic sentence.

The body should include the following:

*The topic sentence(situation)*

*Background information*

*clincher sentence*

*Betrayal leads to disintegration of relationships.*Discuss the validity of this statement with illustrations from A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen.

You need to get details of the following in your paragraphs :

✔Identify who betrays the other

✔Describe the relationships between the two friends or couple

✔Give finer background details on the circumstances/ reason(s) that led to the betrayal.

✔Identify the *action* of the traitor/actual betrayal

✔The *reaction*/ result of the betrayal.

✔ The clincher sentence.

In this case, breakage of/ strain in relationships. ( Betrayal being a vice can only lead to distraction/suffering)

That is the direction we should take when writing essays based on set texts.

*Helmer betrays Nora her husband who she believes loves us so much.* *She tells Dr Rank how devotedly, how inexpressively deeply Torvald loves her and that he would never for a moment hesitate to give his life for her.* *Following Helmers diagnosis of fatigue by doctors and the need for him to go to Italy to rest as a form of treatment, Nora decides to sacrifice to help him get well.* *She takes a loan of 250 pounds without her husband’s consent and against societal norms.* *She has to forge her dad’s signature to get this money.* *Indeed, she feels proud of her deed telling Mrs Linde that her husband has never been sick since then saying that he has been as sound as a bell.* *However, upon realizing the secret, Helmer disowns her criticizing her for being immoral and not mother enough to instill morals in their children.* *He even tells her things will not be alright going forward between them.* *Nora feels so disappointed and decides to leave their marriage.* *Helmer is left begging for forgiveness in vain*. *It’s catastrophic to betray your spouse*.

This is a complete paragraph since it identifies the idea(betrayal), goes ahead to give background details about the relationship between the couple, circumstances surrounding the betrayal, the actual action of betrayal, the reaction and the clincher that summarizes the paragraph.

*Situation*: (The point/betrayal)Topic sentence 1

*Supporting sentences*

• *Background*: Sentences 2, 3 4 and 5 provide background information on the betrayal.
• *Action*:Sentences 7 and 8
• *Reaction*: 9 & 10

* Clincher sentence* 11.

*“Self sacrifice must be rewarded. Citing illustrations from Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House; write an essay to validate this statement.”*

*Situation* : Nora’s sacrifice to save her husband is rewarded.

*Background* : When they get married, Torvald leaves his office work because there is no prospect of promotion. With a view of providing for his family, he works early and late. In the process he overworks himself and falls dreadfully ill. The doctors tell Nora his wife that the only remedy is for him to take a rest in the south (Italy). The trip would cost a tremendous amount of money(250 pounds). Torvald is not willing to borrow. Nora’s cries and entreaties doesn’t change his decision. To make matters worse, he would not accept help from a woman.

*Action* : Nora is forced to borrow 250 pounds from Nils Krogstad and forge a name because a woman is not allowed to borrow without her husband’s consent. She takes Torvald to Italy. They stay there for a year.

*Reaction/ outcome /Values/ reward*

Outcome: Torvald comes back from the trip and he is as sound as a bell.

Clincher sentence: They stay happily without anxiety.

It should be written in continuous prose.

5.CONCLUSION.

The conclusion should be done in the last paragraph.

You can do this by:

• Doing a recap of your points Summary of your points
• Using a relevant proverb
• Or giving a comment

Avoid introducing new points here*

In conclusion, for us to enjoy our relationships, we must never disappoint. OR

Helmer, Mr Linde, Krogstad and Dr Rank suffer because of betrayal.

In conclusion, Nora and Mrs Linde find joy in denying themselves for the sake of others.

6.*The DOS AND DONT’S IN WRITING AN ESSAY BASED ON A SET BOOK*

• Do interpret the question correctly.
• Do always start discussing your points with a topic sentence based on characters, events/activities and episodes from the directed text.
• Do always write your paragraphs in a logical and coherent manner. Tie your points together in a paragraph.
• Do paraphrase or quite your illustrations from the given text. Here, you pick activities related to the question from the text in the exact way they appear.
• Do mention one or two examples of content points in your introduction.
• Do write your essay in well structured and connected paragraphs.
• Do write your introduction as the first paragraph of your essay.
• Do capture the two sides of the question by interpreting the key terms in the question, for example, correctly interpret the terms betrayal and mistrust or disintegration by using synonyms or a paraphrase if the meaning.
• Do write the name of the text and author in the introduction.
• Do write your essay in continuous prose (prose form)

*THE DONT’S*

• Do not write your essay in point form.
• Do not define key terms from the question but rather interpret the question.
• Do not use obscene or vulgar /impolite language
• Do not repeat writing the question or any part of it as it is.
• Do not underline your topic sentence.
• Do not narrate events as they are in the book.
• Do not introduce a new point or idea in the conclusion.
• Do not exceed the required number of words which is usually 450 words.
• Do not get personal or sentimental
• Do not write headings and subheadings in your essay.
• Do not include irrelevant or out of context information in your essay.

Now keenly go through the following essay and take note of the depth of details you are required to give as illustrations in your paragraphs.

*SAMPLE ESSAY*

*Self sacrifice must be rewarded. Citing illustrations from Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, write an essay to validate this claim with close reference to female characters.*

In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, women are portrayed as being *selfless.* They give up their valuable time, comfort and possessions in order to help other people. This does not go *unrequitted.* An example would be Anne, the nanny, who half-heartedly leaves her own child in order to help Nora and her three little children. By so doing, she gets an income and a good place to live.

Nora borrows 250 pounds from Nils Krogstadin order to save her ailing husband’s life (topic sentence). When they get married, Torvald Helmer leaves his job because there is no prospect of a promotion. He then works early and late to provide for his family and soon falls dreadfully ill because of overwork (ill 1). The doctors tell Nora that the only thing that could save her husband’s life is to live in the south (ill 2). Nora then makes a tremendous sacrifice when she borrows a huge amount of money without her husband’s consent. Since her husband would not allow her to borrow the money, she takes this risk for the sake of love. (ill 3) After a year of staying in Italy, Torvald is as sound as a bell and has never be ill since then. Indeed self sacrifice is always rewarded (closing statement).

Nora also sacrifices for the sake of her three little children (topic sentence). At the end when Helmer decides that Nora is not worthy even for her little children, she decides to leaves the home fearing she might corrupt her children. Due to societal expectation, she is convinced that she is a corrupt person as a result of the lies that she has had to exhibit in her marriage (ill 1). She has lied about little things like eating macaroons to serious issues like borrowing money from Krogstad and lying to her husband that she got it from her father (ill 2). Helmer argues that such an atmosphere of lies infects and poisons the whole life of a home thus she chooses to leave. (ill 3). Leaving her children is an incredible act of self sacrifice. Ultimately she achieves her independence from a suffocating male-dominated society and thus moves out to try and understand her role in society (closing statement).

Mrs Linde also plays a sacrificial role in the lives of her mother and siblings (topic sentence). She abandons Nils Krogstad, the man she loves, and marries a rich man who she does not love for the sake of her family (ill 1). Her mother is bedridden and helpless and her bothers depend on her so she has no choice but to leave her penniless love-Krogstad and marry a man of means (ill 2). She is glad that she makes the end of her mother’s life almost free from care. She is also proud that her brothers are now fully grown and independent (ill 3). These sacrifices made for her family qualifies her selflessness and the fact that her mother is afforded good care and her brothers are now fully grown is a reward to Mrs. Linde (closing statement).

Lastly, Anne is also portrayed as a selfless woman who sacrifices her happiness for the sake of Nora and her children (topic sentence). To do this, Anne leaves her own child among strangers (ill 1). Nora wonders how she could leave her child but Anne indicates that she was obliged to if she wanted to be Nora’s nurse since Nora had no mother and indeed Nora confesses that indeed Anne was a good mother to her when she was little (ill 2). As a result, Anne gets a salary and a good place to live (closing statement.

In conclusion, it is true to say that most women are selfless and thus play sacrificial roles in the societies in which they live. There acts never go unrewarded as seen in A Doll’s House.

7.Episodes in A Doll’s House.

How to identify episodes in a text

• a) What is the event?
• b) Who are the characters involved?
• c) What actions or activities are they involved in?
• d) How do the characters react to those events?
• e) What is the moral lesson in that episode?

Preparation for Christmas 1-9

Nora’s reunion with Mrslinde 9-23

Krogstad’s intention of seeing Helmer 23-24

Moral corruption 24-28

Helmer to give Mrs Linde a job 28-31

The blackmail 31-42

Nora’s effort to have Krogstad retained 42-48

Nora’s anxious mood 49-51

The misunderstanding 51-56

Nora begs Helmer again 56-62

Dr. Rank’s confessions 62-71

Letter to Helmer 71-77

Nora’s secret 77-79

Helmer’s mailbox 79-82

The crazy dance 82-84

Mrs. Linde &Krogstad’s second chance 85-91

The borrowed money 91-94

Romantic Helmer 94-96

After the ball 96-100

Helmer goes for his letters 100-102

Nora’s decision 102-120

8.ESSAY QUESTIONS FOR REVISION

1) Women play key roles in the society but more often than not their roles are never recognized.Using illustrations from “A Doll’s House,” support this assertion.

2)The playwright of ADoll’s House communicates that a formed perception about someone is normally too far from reality. Use appropriate illustrations to support this.

3)Many homes are built on lies. Support this using Helmer’s home as presented in A Doll’s House.

4)Choices have consequences. Support this with illustrations from A Doll’s House.

5)Circumstances and situations surrounding an individual have a great effect on the individual’s character. Using Nora and Krogstad in ADoll’s House, support this assertion.

6)Selflessness should have limits, drawing illustrations from the play A Doll’s House, write an essay showing to what extent you agree with this assertion.

7)One needs friends to support him or her in times of need. Support this with illustrations from Henrik Ibsen’s ADoll’s House.

8)Using illustrations from the play, A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, show how lies and deceit are exposed in the play

9)”Money is the source of all evil.“Support this statement with illustrations from the play, A Doll’s House byHenrik Ibsen.

10)”Never judge a book by its cover.” Using illustrations from the play, A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen,support this statement.

12)’Women are portrayed as loving and self-sacrificing in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House,’ Write an essay toshow the truth of this statement.

12)Write an essay to show that appearances can be misleading. Draw your illustrations from Henrik Ibsen’s ADoll’s House.

13)Drawing illustrations from Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, write an essay to justify the statement: All her life, Norah has been treated like a doll to be petted and shown off.

14)Relationships are bound to disintegrate where one party feels superior,’ Using examples from Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, justify this statement.

15)Preserving the respect of the community preoccupies the characters in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. Drawing illustrations from the text, write an essay to show the truth of this statement.

16)Women are generally loving and self-sacrificing. Validate this statement basing your illustrations from Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House.

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How to Write an Essay

Use the links below to jump directly to any section of this guide:

Essay Writing Fundamentals

How to prepare to write an essay, how to edit an essay, how to share and publish your essays, how to get essay writing help, how to find essay writing inspiration, resources for teaching essay writing.

Essays, short prose compositions on a particular theme or topic, are the bread and butter of academic life. You write them in class, for homework, and on standardized tests to show what you know. Unlike other kinds of academic writing (like the research paper) and creative writing (like short stories and poems), essays allow you to develop your original thoughts on a prompt or question. Essays come in many varieties: they can be expository (fleshing out an idea or claim), descriptive, (explaining a person, place, or thing), narrative (relating a personal experience), or persuasive (attempting to win over a reader). This guide is a collection of dozens of links about academic essay writing that we have researched, categorized, and annotated in order to help you improve your essay writing. 

Essays are different from other forms of writing; in turn, there are different kinds of essays. This section contains general resources for getting to know the essay and its variants. These resources introduce and define the essay as a genre, and will teach you what to expect from essay-based assessments.

Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab

One of the most trusted academic writing sites, Purdue OWL provides a concise introduction to the four most common types of academic essays.

"The Essay: History and Definition" (ThoughtCo)

This snappy article from ThoughtCo talks about the origins of the essay and different kinds of essays you might be asked to write. 

"What Is An Essay?" Video Lecture (Coursera)

The University of California at Irvine's free video lecture, available on Coursera, tells  you everything you need to know about the essay.

Wikipedia Article on the "Essay"

Wikipedia's article on the essay is comprehensive, providing both English-language and global perspectives on the essay form. Learn about the essay's history, forms, and styles.

"Understanding College and Academic Writing" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

This list of common academic writing assignments (including types of essay prompts) will help you know what to expect from essay-based assessments.

Before you start writing your essay, you need to figure out who you're writing for (audience), what you're writing about (topic/theme), and what you're going to say (argument and thesis). This section contains links to handouts, chapters, videos and more to help you prepare to write an essay.

How to Identify Your Audience

"Audience" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This handout provides questions you can ask yourself to determine the audience for an academic writing assignment. It also suggests strategies for fitting your paper to your intended audience.

"Purpose, Audience, Tone, and Content" (Univ. of Minnesota Libraries)

This extensive book chapter from Writing for Success , available online through Minnesota Libraries Publishing, is followed by exercises to try out your new pre-writing skills.

"Determining Audience" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

This guide from a community college's writing center shows you how to know your audience, and how to incorporate that knowledge in your thesis statement.

"Know Your Audience" ( Paper Rater Blog)

This short blog post uses examples to show how implied audiences for essays differ. It reminds you to think of your instructor as an observer, who will know only the information you pass along.

How to Choose a Theme or Topic

"Research Tutorial: Developing Your Topic" (YouTube)

Take a look at this short video tutorial from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to understand the basics of developing a writing topic.

"How to Choose a Paper Topic" (WikiHow)

This simple, step-by-step guide (with pictures!) walks you through choosing a paper topic. It starts with a detailed description of brainstorming and ends with strategies to refine your broad topic.

"How to Read an Assignment: Moving From Assignment to Topic" (Harvard College Writing Center)

Did your teacher give you a prompt or other instructions? This guide helps you understand the relationship between an essay assignment and your essay's topic.

"Guidelines for Choosing a Topic" (CliffsNotes)

This study guide from CliffsNotes both discusses how to choose a topic and makes a useful distinction between "topic" and "thesis."

How to Come Up with an Argument

"Argument" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

Not sure what "argument" means in the context of academic writing? This page from the University of North Carolina is a good place to start.

"The Essay Guide: Finding an Argument" (Study Hub)

This handout explains why it's important to have an argument when beginning your essay, and provides tools to help you choose a viable argument.

"Writing a Thesis and Making an Argument" (University of Iowa)

This page from the University of Iowa's Writing Center contains exercises through which you can develop and refine your argument and thesis statement.

"Developing a Thesis" (Harvard College Writing Center)

This page from Harvard's Writing Center collates some helpful dos and don'ts of argumentative writing, from steps in constructing a thesis to avoiding vague and confrontational thesis statements.

"Suggestions for Developing Argumentative Essays" (Berkeley Student Learning Center)

This page offers concrete suggestions for each stage of the essay writing process, from topic selection to drafting and editing. 

How to Outline your Essay

"Outlines" (Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill via YouTube)

This short video tutorial from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows how to group your ideas into paragraphs or sections to begin the outlining process.

"Essay Outline" (Univ. of Washington Tacoma)

This two-page handout by a university professor simply defines the parts of an essay and then organizes them into an example outline.

"Types of Outlines and Samples" (Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab)

Purdue OWL gives examples of diverse outline strategies on this page, including the alphanumeric, full sentence, and decimal styles. 

"Outlining" (Harvard College Writing Center)

Once you have an argument, according to this handout, there are only three steps in the outline process: generalizing, ordering, and putting it all together. Then you're ready to write!

"Writing Essays" (Plymouth Univ.)

This packet, part of Plymouth University's Learning Development series, contains descriptions and diagrams relating to the outlining process.

"How to Write A Good Argumentative Essay: Logical Structure" (Criticalthinkingtutorials.com via YouTube)

This longer video tutorial gives an overview of how to structure your essay in order to support your argument or thesis. It is part of a longer course on academic writing hosted on Udemy.

Now that you've chosen and refined your topic and created an outline, use these resources to complete the writing process. Most essays contain introductions (which articulate your thesis statement), body paragraphs, and conclusions. Transitions facilitate the flow from one paragraph to the next so that support for your thesis builds throughout the essay. Sources and citations show where you got the evidence to support your thesis, which ensures that you avoid plagiarism. 

How to Write an Introduction

"Introductions" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page identifies the role of the introduction in any successful paper, suggests strategies for writing introductions, and warns against less effective introductions.

"How to Write A Good Introduction" (Michigan State Writing Center)

Beginning with the most common missteps in writing introductions, this guide condenses the essentials of introduction composition into seven points.

"The Introductory Paragraph" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post from academic advisor and college enrollment counselor Grace Fleming focuses on ways to grab your reader's attention at the beginning of your essay.

"Introductions and Conclusions" (Univ. of Toronto)

This guide from the University of Toronto gives advice that applies to writing both introductions and conclusions, including dos and don'ts.

"How to Write Better Essays: No One Does Introductions Properly" ( The Guardian )

This news article interviews UK professors on student essay writing; they point to introductions as the area that needs the most improvement.

How to Write a Thesis Statement

"Writing an Effective Thesis Statement" (YouTube)

This short, simple video tutorial from a college composition instructor at Tulsa Community College explains what a thesis statement is and what it does. 

"Thesis Statement: Four Steps to a Great Essay" (YouTube)

This fantastic tutorial walks you through drafting a thesis, using an essay prompt on Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter as an example.

"How to Write a Thesis Statement" (WikiHow)

This step-by-step guide (with pictures!) walks you through coming up with, writing, and editing a thesis statement. It invites you think of your statement as a "working thesis" that can change.

"How to Write a Thesis Statement" (Univ. of Indiana Bloomington)

Ask yourself the questions on this page, part of Indiana Bloomington's Writing Tutorial Services, when you're writing and refining your thesis statement.

"Writing Tips: Thesis Statements" (Univ. of Illinois Center for Writing Studies)

This page gives plentiful examples of good to great thesis statements, and offers questions to ask yourself when formulating a thesis statement.

How to Write Body Paragraphs

"Body Paragraph" (Brightstorm)

This module of a free online course introduces you to the components of a body paragraph. These include the topic sentence, information, evidence, and analysis.

"Strong Body Paragraphs" (Washington Univ.)

This handout from Washington's Writing and Research Center offers in-depth descriptions of the parts of a successful body paragraph.

"Guide to Paragraph Structure" (Deakin Univ.)

This handout is notable for color-coding example body paragraphs to help you identify the functions various sentences perform.

"Writing Body Paragraphs" (Univ. of Minnesota Libraries)

The exercises in this section of Writing for Success  will help you practice writing good body paragraphs. It includes guidance on selecting primary support for your thesis.

"The Writing Process—Body Paragraphs" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

The information and exercises on this page will familiarize you with outlining and writing body paragraphs, and includes links to more information on topic sentences and transitions.

"The Five-Paragraph Essay" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post discusses body paragraphs in the context of one of the most common academic essay types in secondary schools.

How to Use Transitions

"Transitions" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill explains what a transition is, and how to know if you need to improve your transitions.

"Using Transitions Effectively" (Washington Univ.)

This handout defines transitions, offers tips for using them, and contains a useful list of common transitional words and phrases grouped by function.

"Transitions" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

This page compares paragraphs without transitions to paragraphs with transitions, and in doing so shows how important these connective words and phrases are.

"Transitions in Academic Essays" (Scribbr)

This page lists four techniques that will help you make sure your reader follows your train of thought, including grouping similar information and using transition words.

"Transitions" (El Paso Community College)

This handout shows example transitions within paragraphs for context, and explains how transitions improve your essay's flow and voice.

"Make Your Paragraphs Flow to Improve Writing" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post, another from academic advisor and college enrollment counselor Grace Fleming, talks about transitions and other strategies to improve your essay's overall flow.

"Transition Words" (smartwords.org)

This handy word bank will help you find transition words when you're feeling stuck. It's grouped by the transition's function, whether that is to show agreement, opposition, condition, or consequence.

How to Write a Conclusion

"Parts of An Essay: Conclusions" (Brightstorm)

This module of a free online course explains how to conclude an academic essay. It suggests thinking about the "3Rs": return to hook, restate your thesis, and relate to the reader.

"Essay Conclusions" (Univ. of Maryland University College)

This overview of the academic essay conclusion contains helpful examples and links to further resources for writing good conclusions.

"How to End An Essay" (WikiHow)

This step-by-step guide (with pictures!) by an English Ph.D. walks you through writing a conclusion, from brainstorming to ending with a flourish.

"Ending the Essay: Conclusions" (Harvard College Writing Center)

This page collates useful strategies for writing an effective conclusion, and reminds you to "close the discussion without closing it off" to further conversation.

How to Include Sources and Citations

"Research and Citation Resources" (Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab)

Purdue OWL streamlines information about the three most common referencing styles (MLA, Chicago, and APA) and provides examples of how to cite different resources in each system.

EasyBib: Free Bibliography Generator

This online tool allows you to input information about your source and automatically generate citations in any style. Be sure to select your resource type before clicking the "cite it" button.

CitationMachine

Like EasyBib, this online tool allows you to input information about your source and automatically generate citations in any style. 

Modern Language Association Handbook (MLA)

Here, you'll find the definitive and up-to-date record of MLA referencing rules. Order through the link above, or check to see if your library has a copy.

Chicago Manual of Style

Here, you'll find the definitive and up-to-date record of Chicago referencing rules. You can take a look at the table of contents, then choose to subscribe or start a free trial.

How to Avoid Plagiarism

"What is Plagiarism?" (plagiarism.org)

This nonprofit website contains numerous resources for identifying and avoiding plagiarism, and reminds you that even common activities like copying images from another website to your own site may constitute plagiarism.

"Plagiarism" (University of Oxford)

This interactive page from the University of Oxford helps you check for plagiarism in your work, making it clear how to avoid citing another person's work without full acknowledgement.

"Avoiding Plagiarism" (MIT Comparative Media Studies)

This quick guide explains what plagiarism is, what its consequences are, and how to avoid it. It starts by defining three words—quotation, paraphrase, and summary—that all constitute citation.

"Harvard Guide to Using Sources" (Harvard Extension School)

This comprehensive website from Harvard brings together articles, videos, and handouts about referencing, citation, and plagiarism. 

Grammarly contains tons of helpful grammar and writing resources, including a free tool to automatically scan your essay to check for close affinities to published work. 

Noplag is another popular online tool that automatically scans your essay to check for signs of plagiarism. Simply copy and paste your essay into the box and click "start checking."

Once you've written your essay, you'll want to edit (improve content), proofread (check for spelling and grammar mistakes), and finalize your work until you're ready to hand it in. This section brings together tips and resources for navigating the editing process. 

"Writing a First Draft" (Academic Help)

This is an introduction to the drafting process from the site Academic Help, with tips for getting your ideas on paper before editing begins.

"Editing and Proofreading" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page provides general strategies for revising your writing. They've intentionally left seven errors in the handout, to give you practice in spotting them.

"How to Proofread Effectively" (ThoughtCo)

This article from ThoughtCo, along with those linked at the bottom, help describe common mistakes to check for when proofreading.

"7 Simple Edits That Make Your Writing 100% More Powerful" (SmartBlogger)

This blog post emphasizes the importance of powerful, concise language, and reminds you that even your personal writing heroes create clunky first drafts.

"Editing Tips for Effective Writing" (Univ. of Pennsylvania)

On this page from Penn's International Relations department, you'll find tips for effective prose, errors to watch out for, and reminders about formatting.

"Editing the Essay" (Harvard College Writing Center)

This article, the first of two parts, gives you applicable strategies for the editing process. It suggests reading your essay aloud, removing any jargon, and being unafraid to remove even "dazzling" sentences that don't belong.

"Guide to Editing and Proofreading" (Oxford Learning Institute)

This handout from Oxford covers the basics of editing and proofreading, and reminds you that neither task should be rushed. 

In addition to plagiarism-checkers, Grammarly has a plug-in for your web browser that checks your writing for common mistakes.

After you've prepared, written, and edited your essay, you might want to share it outside the classroom. This section alerts you to print and web opportunities to share your essays with the wider world, from online writing communities and blogs to published journals geared toward young writers.

Sharing Your Essays Online

Go Teen Writers

Go Teen Writers is an online community for writers aged 13 - 19. It was founded by Stephanie Morrill, an author of contemporary young adult novels. 

Tumblr is a blogging website where you can share your writing and interact with other writers online. It's easy to add photos, links, audio, and video components.

Writersky provides an online platform for publishing and reading other youth writers' work. Its current content is mostly devoted to fiction.

Publishing Your Essays Online

This teen literary journal publishes in print, on the web, and (more frequently), on a blog. It is committed to ensuring that "teens see their authentic experience reflected on its pages."

The Matador Review

This youth writing platform celebrates "alternative," unconventional writing. The link above will take you directly to the site's "submissions" page.

Teen Ink has a website, monthly newsprint magazine, and quarterly poetry magazine promoting the work of young writers.

The largest online reading platform, Wattpad enables you to publish your work and read others' work. Its inline commenting feature allows you to share thoughts as you read along.

Publishing Your Essays in Print

Canvas Teen Literary Journal

This quarterly literary magazine is published for young writers by young writers. They accept many kinds of writing, including essays.

The Claremont Review

This biannual international magazine, first published in 1992, publishes poetry, essays, and short stories from writers aged 13 - 19.

Skipping Stones

This young writers magazine, founded in 1988, celebrates themes relating to ecological and cultural diversity. It publishes poems, photos, articles, and stories.

The Telling Room

This nonprofit writing center based in Maine publishes children's work on their website and in book form. The link above directs you to the site's submissions page.

Essay Contests

Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards

This prestigious international writing contest for students in grades 7 - 12 has been committed to "supporting the future of creativity since 1923."

Society of Professional Journalists High School Essay Contest

An annual essay contest on the theme of journalism and media, the Society of Professional Journalists High School Essay Contest awards scholarships up to $1,000.

National YoungArts Foundation

Here, you'll find information on a government-sponsored writing competition for writers aged 15 - 18. The foundation welcomes submissions of creative nonfiction, novels, scripts, poetry, short story and spoken word.

Signet Classics Student Scholarship Essay Contest

With prompts on a different literary work each year, this competition from Signet Classics awards college scholarships up to $1,000.

"The Ultimate Guide to High School Essay Contests" (CollegeVine)

See this handy guide from CollegeVine for a list of more competitions you can enter with your academic essay, from the National Council of Teachers of English Achievement Awards to the National High School Essay Contest by the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Whether you're struggling to write academic essays or you think you're a pro, there are workshops and online tools that can help you become an even better writer. Even the most seasoned writers encounter writer's block, so be proactive and look through our curated list of resources to combat this common frustration.

Online Essay-writing Classes and Workshops

"Getting Started with Essay Writing" (Coursera)

Coursera offers lots of free, high-quality online classes taught by college professors. Here's one example, taught by instructors from the University of California Irvine.

"Writing and English" (Brightstorm)

Brightstorm's free video lectures are easy to navigate by topic. This unit on the parts of an essay features content on the essay hook, thesis, supporting evidence, and more.

"How to Write an Essay" (EdX)

EdX is another open online university course website with several two- to five-week courses on the essay. This one is geared toward English language learners.

Writer's Digest University

This renowned writers' website offers online workshops and interactive tutorials. The courses offered cover everything from how to get started through how to get published.

Writing.com

Signing up for this online writer's community gives you access to helpful resources as well as an international community of writers.

How to Overcome Writer's Block

"Symptoms and Cures for Writer's Block" (Purdue OWL)

Purdue OWL offers a list of signs you might have writer's block, along with ways to overcome it. Consider trying out some "invention strategies" or ways to curb writing anxiety.

"Overcoming Writer's Block: Three Tips" ( The Guardian )

These tips, geared toward academic writing specifically, are practical and effective. The authors advocate setting realistic goals, creating dedicated writing time, and participating in social writing.

"Writing Tips: Strategies for Overcoming Writer's Block" (Univ. of Illinois)

This page from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Center for Writing Studies acquaints you with strategies that do and do not work to overcome writer's block.

"Writer's Block" (Univ. of Toronto)

Ask yourself the questions on this page; if the answer is "yes," try out some of the article's strategies. Each question is accompanied by at least two possible solutions.

If you have essays to write but are short on ideas, this section's links to prompts, example student essays, and celebrated essays by professional writers might help. You'll find writing prompts from a variety of sources, student essays to inspire you, and a number of essay writing collections.

Essay Writing Prompts

"50 Argumentative Essay Topics" (ThoughtCo)

Take a look at this list and the others ThoughtCo has curated for different kinds of essays. As the author notes, "a number of these topics are controversial and that's the point."

"401 Prompts for Argumentative Writing" ( New York Times )

This list (and the linked lists to persuasive and narrative writing prompts), besides being impressive in length, is put together by actual high school English teachers.

"SAT Sample Essay Prompts" (College Board)

If you're a student in the U.S., your classroom essay prompts are likely modeled on the prompts in U.S. college entrance exams. Take a look at these official examples from the SAT.

"Popular College Application Essay Topics" (Princeton Review)

This page from the Princeton Review dissects recent Common Application essay topics and discusses strategies for answering them.

Example Student Essays

"501 Writing Prompts" (DePaul Univ.)

This nearly 200-page packet, compiled by the LearningExpress Skill Builder in Focus Writing Team, is stuffed with writing prompts, example essays, and commentary.

"Topics in English" (Kibin)

Kibin is a for-pay essay help website, but its example essays (organized by topic) are available for free. You'll find essays on everything from  A Christmas Carol  to perseverance.

"Student Writing Models" (Thoughtful Learning)

Thoughtful Learning, a website that offers a variety of teaching materials, provides sample student essays on various topics and organizes them by grade level.

"Five-Paragraph Essay" (ThoughtCo)

In this blog post by a former professor of English and rhetoric, ThoughtCo brings together examples of five-paragraph essays and commentary on the form.

The Best Essay Writing Collections

The Best American Essays of the Century by Joyce Carol Oates (Amazon)

This collection of American essays spanning the twentieth century was compiled by award winning author and Princeton professor Joyce Carol Oates.

The Best American Essays 2017 by Leslie Jamison (Amazon)

Leslie Jamison, the celebrated author of essay collection  The Empathy Exams , collects recent, high-profile essays into a single volume.

The Art of the Personal Essay by Phillip Lopate (Amazon)

Documentary writer Phillip Lopate curates this historical overview of the personal essay's development, from the classical era to the present.

The White Album by Joan Didion (Amazon)

This seminal essay collection was authored by one of the most acclaimed personal essayists of all time, American journalist Joan Didion.

Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace (Amazon)

Read this famous essay collection by David Foster Wallace, who is known for his experimentation with the essay form. He pushed the boundaries of personal essay, reportage, and political polemic.

"50 Successful Harvard Application Essays" (Staff of the The Harvard Crimson )

If you're looking for examples of exceptional college application essays, this volume from Harvard's daily student newspaper is one of the best collections on the market.

Are you an instructor looking for the best resources for teaching essay writing? This section contains resources for developing in-class activities and student homework assignments. You'll find content from both well-known university writing centers and online writing labs.

Essay Writing Classroom Activities for Students

"In-class Writing Exercises" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page lists exercises related to brainstorming, organizing, drafting, and revising. It also contains suggestions for how to implement the suggested exercises.

"Teaching with Writing" (Univ. of Minnesota Center for Writing)

Instructions and encouragement for using "freewriting," one-minute papers, logbooks, and other write-to-learn activities in the classroom can be found here.

"Writing Worksheets" (Berkeley Student Learning Center)

Berkeley offers this bank of writing worksheets to use in class. They are nested under headings for "Prewriting," "Revision," "Research Papers" and more.

"Using Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism" (DePaul University)

Use these activities and worksheets from DePaul's Teaching Commons when instructing students on proper academic citation practices.

Essay Writing Homework Activities for Students

"Grammar and Punctuation Exercises" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

These five interactive online activities allow students to practice editing and proofreading. They'll hone their skills in correcting comma splices and run-ons, identifying fragments, using correct pronoun agreement, and comma usage.

"Student Interactives" (Read Write Think)

Read Write Think hosts interactive tools, games, and videos for developing writing skills. They can practice organizing and summarizing, writing poetry, and developing lines of inquiry and analysis.

This free website offers writing and grammar activities for all grade levels. The lessons are designed to be used both for large classes and smaller groups.

"Writing Activities and Lessons for Every Grade" (Education World)

Education World's page on writing activities and lessons links you to more free, online resources for learning how to "W.R.I.T.E.": write, revise, inform, think, and edit.

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• Writing Tips

How to Write Book Titles in Your Essays

3-minute read

• 26th May 2023

When writing an essay, you’re likely to mention other authors’ works, such as books, papers, and articles. Formatting the titles of these works usually involves using quotation marks or italics.

So how do you write a book title in an essay? Most style guides have a standard for this – be sure to check that first. If you’re unsure, though, check out our guide below.

Italics or Quotation Marks?

As a general rule, you should set titles of longer works in italics , and titles of shorter works go in quotation marks . Longer works include books, journals, TV shows, albums, plays, etc. Here’s an example of a book mention:

Shorter works include poems, articles, chapters of books, episodes of TV shows, songs, etc. If it’s a piece that’s part of a biggHow to Write Book Titles in Your Essayser work, the piece considered a short work:

Exceptions to the Rule

The rule for writing book titles in italics applies specifically to running text . If the book title is standing on its own, as in a heading, there’s no need to italicize it.

Additionally, if the book is part of a larger series and you’re mentioning both the title of the series and that of the individual book, you can consider the book a shorter work. You would set the title of the series in italics and place the book title in quotation marks:

Punctuation in Book Titles

Do you need to apply italics to the punctuation in a book title? The short answer is yes – but only if the punctuation is part of the title:

If the punctuation isn’t part of the title (i.e., the punctuation is part of the sentence containing the title), you shouldn’t include in the italics:

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Summary: Writing Book Titles in Essays

We hope you’ll now feel confident when you’re writing and formatting book titles in your essays. Generally, you should set the title in italics when it’s in running text. Remember, though, to check your style guide. While the standards we’ve covered are the most common, some style guides have different requirements.

And once you finish writing your paper, make sure you send it our way! We’ll make sure any titles are formatted correctly as well as checking your work for grammar, spelling, punctuation, referencing, and more. Submit a free sample to try our service today.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you write the title of a book in a sentence.

Set the title of the book in italics unless the book is part of a larger work (e.g., a book that’s part of a series):

When do you use quotation marks for titles?

Place titles of shorter works or pieces that are contained in a larger work in quotation marks:

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How to Write a Book Essay

Book essay writing is an omnipresent assignment imposed by many professors, especially if you are dealing with literature constantly. An essay on a book is usually a way for your teacher to get proof that you gained something from analyzing this book. They want to make sure that you read the book, thus having some personal thoughts that you’d like to express. Also, writing an essay is quite helpful for developing your skills at articulating thoughts. If you want to know how to write a book essay, then we are here to help you understand it in detail.

What to Consider Writing an Essay on a Book

What is different from your usual essay, is that you need to express your thoughts after reading a certain work and then choose a direction to go from. It is a combination of character analysis combined with your personal feelings on the work that ultimately culminates in the creation of an expressive critical essay on a book. But how to write an essay about a book? Mind you, a professional essay on a book consists of certain criteria, that like chemical compounds create a proper reaction from a reader’s perspective:

• This is the flair that you base your essay upon. This is when you’re creativeness comes to play, you want your essay to be unique
• The way you structuralize sentences and pick certain words for your essay.
• The basic structure of an essay, which usually consists of an introduction, main body, and conclusion.
• Your essay bears an informative approach, being somewhat emotive to express personal thoughts on a particular book.

📚 How to Prepare for Book Essay Writing

Before writing an essay about a book, you need to think clearly about which plan to use, so that the flow of thoughts lines up into coherent, logical sentences.

How to start off an essay about a book? Immediately after receiving the topic of the essay, ideas and images will begin to arise in your head (of course, if you have read the work). On a rough sheet of paper, sketch the phrases or words that first come to mind. Then they can be developed into a whole essay.

So, think carefully about what you want to say about the topic. Then write down your thoughts on paper in a column. And then decide in what order you want to display these thoughts on paper. This is necessary for a clear and distinct structure of the work.

Read the Book Exhaustively

So how to start an essay about a book? Naturally, the main path to successfully writing an essay on a book is to more or less know the contents of the story. We’re not talking about remembering every single character trait or knowing the gist of each internal monologue. Just focus on what you find alluring about the story, trying to create the idea from a scene that you enjoy in particular. Then you can connect this scene to the character development, thus proving a point that even the smallest scene can influence the overall conclusion of the story. Plus, not knowing the story will make you unable to bring in examples, thus making you obliged to order an essay online .

Make Up One’s Mind About the Topic

How to write a book analysis essay perfectly? Another important thing about approaching a book essay is setting up an idea you’d like to share with the readers. Do you want to lead to a positive conclusion, something philosophical, or go in the direction that no one previously dared to? The idea here is that you need to create a point to focus on and try not to digress from it as much. Do you want to show how the hero struggles with basic human needs? If so, then don’t describe scenes where they do the opposite.

Prepare an Outline

How to write an analysis essay on a book? You have to think of a good outline. An outline is a sort of plan that you don’t want to diverge from. Planning is one of the fortes of humanity and without it, your essay might sound clunky and chaotic. Jumping randomly from point to point won’t get you high scores. Imagine creating an overarching ladder where your point gets stronger and stronger due to the logical nature of your essay. Think about how you want to start your essay, the quotes to strengthen your point, and the natural conclusion you’d like to bring your readers to. This is the gist of an outline.

Don’t Forget About Quotes

Another important aspect of how to write a book analysis is quoting a character to properly refer to a particular scene. An essay usually implies that you have access to all the resources you need, so it wouldn’t pose difficulty to look up a direct quote of a character that correlates with your thoughts. This is extremely important for professors as they want to be persuaded that you know what you are talking about. This is especially true if they are a fan of the story you are writing an essay on. People usually look for like-mindedness, being extremely happy about seeing someone agreeing with them.

📑 How to Structure Your Book Analysis Essay

How to introduce a book in an essay? Like any essay, a creative writing paper in literature consists of several elements:

• Introduction.
• Definition of the problem, its relevance.
• The formulation of one’s position.
• Arguments that support it.

The structure of the final essay on literature should be clear. Do not make too many paragraphs, but do not break the text into many small passages.

How to Start a Book Analysis Essay?

In the introductory part, the information should be written as if it were read by someone completely unfamiliar with the problem. Here you need to reveal the topic, the problem, and the relevance of the essay. The questions you can put in front of you will help with this:

• What work are you writing your essay/essay on?
• What do you know about the author of the work?
• What is the genre of the work (comedy, drama, novel, etc.)? What aspects would you like to explore in your work?

Writing a Thesis Statement

How to start a paragraph about a book? You are in need of a thesis statement. A thesis statement is the main element for creating a perfect introduction and is your cornerstone to transition to the main body. It is a sentence where you state the main point of your essay, wanting to announce what it is that you are going to analyze. Thus the path to succeeding with the thesis statement is to make it correlate with your conclusion. In fact, you might even start writing a conclusion first, and then write a thesis statement based on it.

Create a Body Paragraph

Here it is necessary to highlight the thoughts that the work evoked, the emotions toward the chosen character or its circumstances.

Each idea will have to be supported by examples from the original text of the work. If you say that the problem of war worries the character, then you need to give examples in which this excitement is conveyed to the reader.

The main part is, for the most part, your reasoning about what you care about in the whole story. Show the evolution of your thought here, from what point in the work it originated, how it evolved, and what conclusion it eventually led to.

Book Essay Conclusion

And this is the finale you lead your readers to. So how to write a conclusion for an argumentative essay ? You create a final point based on everything you’ve been describing in the main body, reinstating the main point in the introduction. Mind you, that conclusion shouldn’t have any new information that wasn’t previously described. You just want to make your thoughts ironclad and protect those from basic criticism.

Need Help Writing an Essay on Books?

How to write an essay on a book when you are not invested in it? If you have an issue with creating an essay on books, then we are more than ready to help you out here. Not everyone is ready to read a book for the sake of making a teacher happy. Sometimes literature can be unbearable with a student who has no interest in or time to engage with it. Nevertheless, your assignment needs to be done and if a perfect score is something you are aiming for, then our paper writing services are the way to go.

Our team is made of literature experts that can learn the book in-depth, knowing exactly what your teacher might be looking for. We stick to the structure described in this article, coming up with a quality outline, and then writing a proper essay that is full of argumentation and persuasiveness.

What is the purpose of a book analysis essay?

A book analysis essay is usually created to write your thoughts on a particular book, trying to prove a personal statement concerning it. Perhaps you’d like to dive into the inner thoughts of a character, analyzing what elements led them to a particular path. You can go the other direction and analyze the writer’s style, complimenting them on creating this rich world. Furthermore, a book analysis essay can be full of critique for nobody is obliged to love everything.

How to talk about a book in an essay?

The main idea of writing an essay about a book is stating the point that is yours and yours only. The path to success is all about loving what you write, instead of feeling obliged to do something. If you just want to create something for the sake of just making an assignment, then your essay can feel bland. If you don’t like the work you need to write an essay on, then go with this direction and bring your fair share of critique.

How to start an essay on a book?

Asking yourself how to start an essay on a book? An essay usually starts with an introduction. You start it with a philosophical sentence that usually invites the reader to reminisce about the contents of the book. This is where you usually state the purpose of your essay, outlining the main point that you are further going to prove in the main body.

How many paragraphs are in a book essay?

The format for a book essay can differ from professor to professor but usually, it has five paragraphs or so. You don’t need to create a huge memoir on a particular book. Rather, you pick some narrow aspect hidden within it and try to condense your thoughts into one page. The most important aspect here is to not make it watery, repeating your point with no progress.

How to write an analysis paper on a book with a good outline?

The outline is the blueprint for creating your essay. This is where you want to create your main point, and then plan how you are going to prove it with particular examples from a book. An outline exists to properly structuralize your essay, without feeling random.

Argumentative Essay Introduction

In essay writing, the toughest part is always starting it. Most students agree: when you get the introduction paragraph right, you become much more confident about writing the rest of the paper. And, when it comes to more specific academic…  Read More

How to Write an Essay on a Book

Book essay writing is an omnipresent assignment imposed by many professors, especially if you are dealing with literature constantly. An essay on a book is usually a way for your teacher to get proof that you gained something from analyzing…  Read More

How to Write a Conclusion for an Argumentative Essay: Outline and Examples

Writing a conclusion for an argumentative essay can be a breaking point for most students. This section is critical to your academic project because it guides your paper to a safe landing. Failing to pay special attention to this part…  Read More

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A Step-By-Step Guide to Writing an Essay on a Book

Topic and assignment prompt, essay structure, why is it important.

Outlining Essay Structure

Organizing your essay efficiently is important for making sure it’s clear, concise, and to the point. Before you start writing, it’s important to understand the basic structure of an essay. Most essays are composed of an introduction, body, and conclusion.

The introduction serves as an opening paragraph where you should introduce the topic and provide any necessary background information that readers may need in order to understand the essay. A good introduction will explain why a reader should care about your topic and capture the attention of the reader.

The body is the main section of the essay where you will provide evidence, quotes, and any other relevant information to prove your point. It is important to make sure that each body paragraph has only one main point, and all of the evidence presented in the paragraph supports that one point.

The conclusion is the last paragraph of the essay. It should wrap up all of the points you made in the body and leave the reader with a sense of closure. It should also create a takeaway, or something for the reader to remember about what they have just read.

To make sure your essay is organized and has a consistent tone throughout, it is important to outline what each section should include. Outlining your essay structure before beginning eliminates unnecessary stress and makes sure you don’t forget any important points.

Research Phase: The Importance of Researching the Book

Before you dive into writing your essay on a book, you’ll want to make sure that you have done your research. No matter how familiar you are with the subject, it’s important to conduct research to ensure that your essay is accurate and well-informed.

Research can help you form a stronger thesis statement, better support your arguments, and provide evidence for your claims. It can also help you to organize your thoughts, uncover new ideas and angles, gain a deeper understanding of the text, or even find quotes or references that you can use in your essay.

Research should always come first. It helps to lay a strong foundation for the rest of your essay and it can save you from making any embarrassing mistakes. Have a clear understanding of the book’s themes, characters, and plot before you begin. Read reviews and criticisms, and take down notes for later.

Start by reading the book itself. Take your time and pay attention to details. Make notes, highlight any important passages, and consider different interpretations. After you get an overall gist of the book, expand your research outward into scholarly reviews, biographies, and other texts that can provide an objective, informed perspective.

The more research you do, the stronger your essay will be. Be sure to include all of the sources you used in your bibliography section. Research can be a tedious process, but with enough effort and dedication, you’ll be able to craft a well-informed, thoughtful essay on any book.

Pre-Writing Phase: Planning Your Essay

The pre-writing phase is the most important part of writing an essay on a book. Taking the time to plan your essay and organize your thoughts will help structure your argument and make your writing smoother. The pre-writing phase should involve a few key steps.

• Brainstorm – Before you start writing, spend some time thinking about the book and how it relates to any themes, characters, or symbolism. Jot down your ideas so that you have a better understanding of what you want to focus on.
• Outline – Write down some notes and make an outline of what you will cover in each paragraph. This will help you stay organized while writing and keep everything on track.
• Research – Research any facts or quotes you may need to include in your essay. This will help you back up your claims and make your paper stronger.

Taking the time to plan ahead will help ensure your essay on a book is written clearly and effectively. You’ll be able to shape your argument easily and make sure you don’t miss anything important.

Thesis Formation

The thesis statement is a critical part of any essay on a book. It should be clear, concise, and capture the main argument and point of view of the essay. To ensure that your essay’s thesis statement is well-crafted, it is essential to follow a step-by-step guide.

Step One: Brainstorming Ideas

Before writing a thesis statement, you should brainstorm some ideas related to the book’s content. Consider the key elements of the book and think about how they could be connected into an argument or observation. Write down any ideas that pop into your mind, and use them as a basis for forming your thesis statement.

Step Two: Developing the Argument

Once you have a few ideas in mind, it is time to start developing a coherent argument. Try to make a connection between the ideas to create an original argument. Then, think about why this argument is important and what makes it relevant to the text.

Step Three: Writing the Thesis Statement

Now that you have an argument in mind, you are ready to craft your thesis statement. It should be a single sentence that clearly and concisely expresses your main argument. Generally, it should follow the same structure as any other essay’s thesis statement, stating the primary point of view, the evidence supporting it, and any other relevant details.

Step Four: Proofreading

The final step of crafting a great thesis statement is to proofread and edit it. Make sure that the statement is clear, concise, and captures the argument accurately. Additionally, pay attention to grammar and spelling. A minor mistake can weaken the force of the statement significantly.

Creating an effective thesis statement can help get your essay off to a strong start. As long as you follow these steps, you will be able to form a well-developed argument that can help you write a great essay on a book.

Drafting an Organized Paragraph

Editing: benefits and how to approach it effectively.

When writing an essay on a book, editing is a crucial step in the process. It can often be overlooked or skipped, but it shouldn’t be! Editing offers many valuable benefits, and it’s important to understand how to approach it effectively.

One of the biggest benefits of editing is that it gives you the opportunity to look at your essay with fresh eyes. Once you’ve written the paper, it can be nearly impossible to look at it objectively. Editing allows you to look at it critically and make necessary changes.

Editing also helps you to catch grammar mistakes, spelling errors, and typos. A single error can easily ruin an entire essay, so it’s essential to go over the paper and make sure everything is perfect. This can only be done by editing the paper carefully.

Finally, editing can help you to make sure that the essay is coherent and well-written. After writing the paper , you might realize that the introduction and conclusion don’t match up, or that two paragraphs contradict each other. Editing will help you to identify such issues and make the necessary adjustments.

Now that we’ve discussed the benefits of editing, let’s look at how to approach it effectively. The first step is to read the entire essay through once without making any changes. This should give you a good overview of the paper and allow you to spot any major issues. The next step is to go through the paper again and make notes as you go along.

You should pay particular attention to grammar, spelling, typos, and structure. Make a note of anything that stands out and needs to be changed. Don’t worry if you can’t fix it right away – just write it down and come back to it later. The goal is to get an overall picture of what needs to be done.

Finally, it’s time to make the actual changes. Take your time and read each sentence carefully before you make any changes. Don’t be afraid to delete or add content between paragraphs to ensure that the essay flows naturally.

In summary, editing is an essential step in the essay-writing process. It offers many benefits, including the ability to look at the essay objectively, catch grammar mistakes and typos, and ensure that the essay is coherent and well-written. When approaching the editing phase, it’s important to read the paper through once without making any changes, make notes as you go, and take your time when making the actual changes.

Formatting – Adhering to Academic Standards

Formatting your essay correctly is a critical step in the writing process. It shows that you have taken care to put together an essay that follows the academic standards.

Here are a few tips for formatting your essay according to academic standards:

• Make sure the margins of your essay are set to one inch on all sides.
• Your font should be size 12 Times New Roman or Arial.
• Use double spacing between lines, and make sure there is no extra space before or after each paragraph.
• When quoting direct text, indenting it five spaces will make it easier to read.
• Include a header at the top of your document that includes the title of the essay, your name, and the page number.

Formatted correctly, your essay will present itself as concise, organized, and professional. This is a must when following academic standards.

If you want to ensure that your essay looks even better, check with your professor for specific formatting requirements for your assignment.

By taking the time to properly format your essay, you are showing that you understand the importance of adhering to academic standards. This will help you get the best grades possible!

Understanding the Assignment

Writing an essay on a book can be quite a challenge for many students. One of the most important skills for tackling this task is to understand the assignment. To begin, students should read carefully and take notes on the writing prompt. Pay close attention to all the instructions as they are key to crafting an effective essay. This includes being mindful of any keywords or phrases in the prompt that will require further research.

When interpreting the instructions, it is also important to consider any extra guidelines or expectations the professor may have provided. These can include formatting, length, and specific areas of emphasis such as themes or characters. Questions such as ‘Who is the protagonist?’ or ‘How do the themes interact?’ should be actively considered while writing the essay. This helps produce a focused piece of work that is tailored to meet the requirements.

In addition, consider questions such as ‘What do I need to include?’ or ‘What is the purpose of this essay?’. Answering these questions allows students to identify their main points and develop an argument around them. This is a crucial step for forming an essay that is logical and cohesive.

Finally, students should always use the essay assignment to test their understanding of the book. It is often beneficial to leave time at the end of the writing process to review knowledge and reflect on any unanswered questions. Doing so ensures that the essay is comprehensive and addresses all aspects of the prompt.

Understanding the assignment is a vital step when writing an essay on a book. By paying attention to the prompt and any additional guidelines, students can ensure that their assignment is focused, detailed, and suitable for the task.

Effective Use of Quotes

Make sure your quote is relevant to the main argument of your essay.

Choose a quote that is engaging and thought-provoking.

Include the right amount of detail – don’t use too much or too little.

Explain the quote in your own words and provide context.

Think critically about the quote and how it applies to your argument.

Integrate the quote into your essay so that it flows naturally.

Tools for Writing an Essay on a Book

When writing an essay on a book there are certain tools that can help make the process easier. Knowing some of these basic terms and tools can help you write a better essay and make it much more enjoyable.

Creating an outline is one of the most important steps in writing an essay. It provides structure to your essay, ensuring that each point is made in the correct order and that the essay flows logically. Outlining also helps you stay organized and remember what needs to be included in the essay.

Doing research is important when writing an essay about a book. Read through the text and make notes about any interesting or pertinent information you find. Also, look for additional sources that can provide further insight into the book or the topics it raises.

Grammar and Spelling Checkers

Grammar and spelling checkers can be extremely useful when writing your essay. They can help you identify mistakes or typos that you may have missed. Double-check your work before you submit it to make sure it is as accurate and error-free as possible.

Writing Resources

Finally, there are many great writing resources available online that can provide further advice and guidance on how to write an effective essay. Look through examples of essays written by other students and learn from their techniques and approaches.

Knowing some of these basic terms and tools can help you get off to a strong start when writing an essay on a book. Do your research, create an outline, and use grammar and spelling checkers to make sure your work is as perfect as possible. Finally, don’t forget to look for other writing resources that can provide insight and advice.

Writing an essay on a book can be a daunting task, especially when attempting it for the first time. This guide aims to make the process of writing an essay on a book simple and easy-to-follow. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can make the process of writing your essay much easier.

A good conclusion should summarize the main points of the article, explain how to approach writing the final version, and reiterate why the content was important. To conclude your essay, start by summarizing the arguments and ideas that you presented throughout your paper. Then, move on to discussing why you chose to write the essay and the importance of studying the book. Finally, provide a brief statement that sums up the main points of the essay.

When writing the final version of your essay, there are some key points to keep in mind. First, proofread your work for any typos or errors. Make sure to properly cite any quotes or references that you used in your essay. Finally, consider having a peer review your essay to get another perspective and catch any mistakes that you might have missed.

Writing an essay on a book can be a rewarding experience when done correctly. The most important part of the process is to fully understand the material and the prompt. By following the steps outlined in this article and taking the time to research and plan, you can write an effective essay on a book.

Nick Radlinsky

Nick Radlinsky is a devoted educator, marketing specialist, and management expert with more than 15 years of experience in the education sector. After obtaining his business degree in 2016, Nick embarked on a quest to achieve his PhD, driven by his commitment to enhancing education for students worldwide. His vast experience, starting in 2008, has established him as a reputable authority in the field.

Nick's article, featured in Routledge's " Entrepreneurship in Central and Eastern Europe: Development through Internationalization ," highlights his sharp insights and unwavering dedication to advancing the educational landscape. Inspired by his personal motto, "Make education better," Nick's mission is to streamline students' lives and foster efficient learning. His inventive ideas and leadership have contributed to the transformation of numerous educational experiences, distinguishing him as a true innovator in his field.

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How to Write an Essay Introduction (with Examples)   

The introduction of an essay plays a critical role in engaging the reader and providing contextual information about the topic. It sets the stage for the rest of the essay, establishes the tone and style, and motivates the reader to continue reading. 

Table of Contents

What is an essay introduction , what to include in an essay introduction, how to create an essay structure , step-by-step process for writing an essay introduction , how to write an introduction paragraph , how to write a hook for your essay , how to include background information , how to write a thesis statement .

• Argumentative Essay Introduction Example: 
• Expository Essay Introduction Example 

Literary Analysis Essay Introduction Example

Check and revise – checklist for essay introduction , key takeaways , frequently asked questions .

An introduction is the opening section of an essay, paper, or other written work. It introduces the topic and provides background information, context, and an overview of what the reader can expect from the rest of the work. 1 The key is to be concise and to the point, providing enough information to engage the reader without delving into excessive detail. 

The essay introduction is crucial as it sets the tone for the entire piece and provides the reader with a roadmap of what to expect. Here are key elements to include in your essay introduction: 

• Hook : Start with an attention-grabbing statement or question to engage the reader. This could be a surprising fact, a relevant quote, or a compelling anecdote. 
• Background information : Provide context and background information to help the reader understand the topic. This can include historical information, definitions of key terms, or an overview of the current state of affairs related to your topic. 
• Thesis statement : Clearly state your main argument or position on the topic. Your thesis should be concise and specific, providing a clear direction for your essay. 

Before we get into how to write an essay introduction, we need to know how it is structured. The structure of an essay is crucial for organizing your thoughts and presenting them clearly and logically. It is divided as follows: 2  

• Introduction:  The introduction should grab the reader’s attention with a hook, provide context, and include a thesis statement that presents the main argument or purpose of the essay.  
• Body:  The body should consist of focused paragraphs that support your thesis statement using evidence and analysis. Each paragraph should concentrate on a single central idea or argument and provide evidence, examples, or analysis to back it up.  
• Conclusion:  The conclusion should summarize the main points and restate the thesis differently. End with a final statement that leaves a lasting impression on the reader. Avoid new information or arguments. 

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to write an essay introduction: 

• Start with a Hook : Begin your introduction paragraph with an attention-grabbing statement, question, quote, or anecdote related to your topic. The hook should pique the reader’s interest and encourage them to continue reading. 
• Provide Background Information : This helps the reader understand the relevance and importance of the topic. 
• State Your Thesis Statement : The last sentence is the main argument or point of your essay. It should be clear, concise, and directly address the topic of your essay. 
• Preview the Main Points : This gives the reader an idea of what to expect and how you will support your thesis. 
• Keep it Concise and Clear : Avoid going into too much detail or including information not directly relevant to your topic. 
• Revise : Revise your introduction after you’ve written the rest of your essay to ensure it aligns with your final argument. 

Here’s an example of an essay introduction paragraph about the importance of education: 

Education is often viewed as a fundamental human right and a key social and economic development driver. As Nelson Mandela once famously said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” It is the key to unlocking a wide range of opportunities and benefits for individuals, societies, and nations. In today’s constantly evolving world, education has become even more critical. It has expanded beyond traditional classroom learning to include digital and remote learning, making education more accessible and convenient. This essay will delve into the importance of education in empowering individuals to achieve their dreams, improving societies by promoting social justice and equality, and driving economic growth by developing a skilled workforce and promoting innovation. 

This introduction paragraph example includes a hook (the quote by Nelson Mandela), provides some background information on education, and states the thesis statement (the importance of education). 

This is one of the key steps in how to write an essay introduction. Crafting a compelling hook is vital because it sets the tone for your entire essay and determines whether your readers will stay interested. A good hook draws the reader in and sets the stage for the rest of your essay.  

• Avoid Dry Fact : Instead of simply stating a bland fact, try to make it engaging and relevant to your topic. For example, if you’re writing about the benefits of exercise, you could start with a startling statistic like, “Did you know that regular exercise can increase your lifespan by up to seven years?” 
• Avoid Using a Dictionary Definition : While definitions can be informative, they’re not always the most captivating way to start an essay. Instead, try to use a quote, anecdote, or provocative question to pique the reader’s interest. For instance, if you’re writing about freedom, you could begin with a quote from a famous freedom fighter or philosopher. 
• Do Not Just State a Fact That the Reader Already Knows : This ties back to the first point—your hook should surprise or intrigue the reader. For Here’s an introduction paragraph example, if you’re writing about climate change, you could start with a thought-provoking statement like, “Despite overwhelming evidence, many people still refuse to believe in the reality of climate change.” 

Including background information in the introduction section of your essay is important to provide context and establish the relevance of your topic. When writing the background information, you can follow these steps: 

• Start with a General Statement:  Begin with a general statement about the topic and gradually narrow it down to your specific focus. For example, when discussing the impact of social media, you can begin by making a broad statement about social media and its widespread use in today’s society, as follows: “Social media has become an integral part of modern life, with billions of users worldwide.” 
• Define Key Terms : Define any key terms or concepts that may be unfamiliar to your readers but are essential for understanding your argument. 
• Provide Relevant Statistics:  Use statistics or facts to highlight the significance of the issue you’re discussing. For instance, “According to a report by Statista, the number of social media users is expected to reach 4.41 billion by 2025.” 
• Discuss the Evolution:  Mention previous research or studies that have been conducted on the topic, especially those that are relevant to your argument. Mention key milestones or developments that have shaped its current impact. You can also outline some of the major effects of social media. For example, you can briefly describe how social media has evolved, including positives such as increased connectivity and issues like cyberbullying and privacy concerns. 
• Transition to Your Thesis:  Use the background information to lead into your thesis statement, which should clearly state the main argument or purpose of your essay. For example, “Given its pervasive influence, it is crucial to examine the impact of social media on mental health.” 

A thesis statement is a concise summary of the main point or claim of an essay, research paper, or other type of academic writing. It appears near the end of the introduction. Here’s how to write a thesis statement: 

• Identify the topic:  Start by identifying the topic of your essay. For example, if your essay is about the importance of exercise for overall health, your topic is “exercise.” 
• State your position:  Next, state your position or claim about the topic. This is the main argument or point you want to make. For example, if you believe that regular exercise is crucial for maintaining good health, your position could be: “Regular exercise is essential for maintaining good health.” 
• Support your position:  Provide a brief overview of the reasons or evidence that support your position. These will be the main points of your essay. For example, if you’re writing an essay about the importance of exercise, you could mention the physical health benefits, mental health benefits, and the role of exercise in disease prevention. 
• Make it specific:  Ensure your thesis statement clearly states what you will discuss in your essay. For example, instead of saying, “Exercise is good for you,” you could say, “Regular exercise, including cardiovascular and strength training, can improve overall health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.” 

Examples of essay introduction 

Here are examples of essay introductions for different types of essays: 

Argumentative Essay Introduction Example:  

Topic: Should the voting age be lowered to 16? 

“The question of whether the voting age should be lowered to 16 has sparked nationwide debate. While some argue that 16-year-olds lack the requisite maturity and knowledge to make informed decisions, others argue that doing so would imbue young people with agency and give them a voice in shaping their future.” 

Expository Essay Introduction Example  

Topic: The benefits of regular exercise 

“In today’s fast-paced world, the importance of regular exercise cannot be overstated. From improving physical health to boosting mental well-being, the benefits of exercise are numerous and far-reaching. This essay will examine the various advantages of regular exercise and provide tips on incorporating it into your daily routine.” 

Text: “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee 

“Harper Lee’s novel, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ is a timeless classic that explores themes of racism, injustice, and morality in the American South. Through the eyes of young Scout Finch, the reader is taken on a journey that challenges societal norms and forces characters to confront their prejudices. This essay will analyze the novel’s use of symbolism, character development, and narrative structure to uncover its deeper meaning and relevance to contemporary society.” 

• Engaging and Relevant First Sentence : The opening sentence captures the reader’s attention and relates directly to the topic. 
• Background Information : Enough background information is introduced to provide context for the thesis statement. 
• Definition of Important Terms : Key terms or concepts that might be unfamiliar to the audience or are central to the argument are defined. 
• Clear Thesis Statement : The thesis statement presents the main point or argument of the essay. 
• Relevance to Main Body : Everything in the introduction directly relates to and sets up the discussion in the main body of the essay. 

Writing a strong introduction is crucial for setting the tone and context of your essay. Here are the key takeaways for how to write essay introduction: 3  

• Hook the Reader : Start with an engaging hook to grab the reader’s attention. This could be a compelling question, a surprising fact, a relevant quote, or an anecdote. 
• Provide Background : Give a brief overview of the topic, setting the context and stage for the discussion. 
• Thesis Statement : State your thesis, which is the main argument or point of your essay. It should be concise, clear, and specific. 
• Preview the Structure : Outline the main points or arguments to help the reader understand the organization of your essay. 
• Keep it Concise : Avoid including unnecessary details or information not directly related to your thesis. 
• Revise and Edit : Revise your introduction to ensure clarity, coherence, and relevance. Check for grammar and spelling errors. 
• Seek Feedback : Get feedback from peers or instructors to improve your introduction further. 

The purpose of an essay introduction is to give an overview of the topic, context, and main ideas of the essay. It is meant to engage the reader, establish the tone for the rest of the essay, and introduce the thesis statement or central argument.  

An essay introduction typically ranges from 5-10% of the total word count. For example, in a 1,000-word essay, the introduction would be roughly 50-100 words. However, the length can vary depending on the complexity of the topic and the overall length of the essay.

An essay introduction is critical in engaging the reader and providing contextual information about the topic. To ensure its effectiveness, consider incorporating these key elements: a compelling hook, background information, a clear thesis statement, an outline of the essay’s scope, a smooth transition to the body, and optional signposting sentences.  

The process of writing an essay introduction is not necessarily straightforward, but there are several strategies that can be employed to achieve this end. When experiencing difficulty initiating the process, consider the following techniques: begin with an anecdote, a quotation, an image, a question, or a startling fact to pique the reader’s interest. It may also be helpful to consider the five W’s of journalism: who, what, when, where, why, and how.   For instance, an anecdotal opening could be structured as follows: “As I ascended the stage, momentarily blinded by the intense lights, I could sense the weight of a hundred eyes upon me, anticipating my next move. The topic of discussion was climate change, a subject I was passionate about, and it was my first public speaking event. Little did I know , that pivotal moment would not only alter my perspective but also chart my life’s course.” 

Crafting a compelling thesis statement for your introduction paragraph is crucial to grab your reader’s attention. To achieve this, avoid using overused phrases such as “In this paper, I will write about” or “I will focus on” as they lack originality. Instead, strive to engage your reader by substantiating your stance or proposition with a “so what” clause. While writing your thesis statement, aim to be precise, succinct, and clear in conveying your main argument.  

To create an effective essay introduction, ensure it is clear, engaging, relevant, and contains a concise thesis statement. It should transition smoothly into the essay and be long enough to cover necessary points but not become overwhelming. Seek feedback from peers or instructors to assess its effectiveness. 

References  

• Cui, L. (2022). Unit 6 Essay Introduction.  Building Academic Writing Skills . 
• West, H., Malcolm, G., Keywood, S., & Hill, J. (2019). Writing a successful essay.  Journal of Geography in Higher Education ,  43 (4), 609-617. 
• Beavers, M. E., Thoune, D. L., & McBeth, M. (2023). Bibliographic Essay: Reading, Researching, Teaching, and Writing with Hooks: A Queer Literacy Sponsorship. College English, 85(3), 230-242. 

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Writing A Book Title In Your Essay – The Right Way

Table of contents

• 1 APA Style: How to Write Book Titles in Essays
• 2 APA Style Essay: Writing The Name of The Author
• 3 MLA Style Essay: Citing a Book Title
• 4 Chicago Style Essay: Writing the Book Title
• 5 Writing Various Types of Titles
• 6 Should We Underline or Italicize Book Titles?

When you are writing an academic essay , the book title and author’s name should be written in italics. However, if the book title is part of a larger work (such as a journal article), it should be underlined instead. So, you’re wondering how to write a book title in an essay?

Writing an essay with a book title can be tricky, particularly because each style guide has its own formatting rules for including titles in the main text. Whether you are using MLA, APA, Chicago, or Harvard referencing styles, you will need to consider how to properly format the book title. For more complicated literature-based assignments, seeking assistance from an admission essay writing service may be wise, as they specialize in writing essays that incorporate academic sources.

In this article, we will explore how to write both titles in an essay properly so that you avoid any mistakes!

APA Style: How to Write Book Titles in Essays

When writing an essay, you must follow the style guide provided by your professor. Some teachers may require you to use APA style and others MLA style. There are some rules on how to quote a book title in an essay. You should use italics and quotation marks when writing book titles in essays. For example: “ The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II. “

When writing a book title in APA Style , you should be aware of these rules:

Write the book title in italics and place it after the author’s name, which is presented in reverse order (last name first).

Use quotation marks around the headline of a chapter or article.

Capitalize proper names that are not common nouns (names of people, places, organizations), but do not capitalize words such as “and,” “or,” “to,” or “and/or.”

Do not capitalize prepositions that appear at the beginning of titles if they are followed by an article (e.g., “A,” “An”), but do capitalize prepositions at the beginning of titles if they are not followed by articles (“Of”).

The first word of the headline should be capitalized, as well as any other words after a colon or hyphen. For example, “The Elements of Style: Grammar for Everyone”  or “Theories of Personality: Critical Perspectives.”

Capitalize proper names and words derived from them (e.g., the names of people, places, organizations), except proper nouns used generically (e.g., ‘a bed’).

APA Style Essay: Writing The Name of The Author

You should always use the full name and surname of the author in your APA essay because this will give proper credit to the writer. If you do not mention the author’s full name, people may not know who wrote what and will think you copied it from somewhere else. This will cause lots of problems for you and your reputation as well.

Make sure that all authors’ names appear in the same format in each entry. For example, if one person’s surname is Smith and another’s is Jones, both have first names starting with “J.” It may seem like they are being cited as different people when they’re actually written differently from each other on separate pages in your paper.

To write an APA essay without any issues, there are certain rules that you need to follow while writing an author’s name in APA essay:

• Use only one author’s name in your paper unless there are multiple authors
• If there are multiple authors, then use both their last names followed by the initials of their first names
• Only use initials of first names when there are three or more authors; otherwise, use full names with their last names

Example: Johnson, M.C., Carlson, M., Smith, J. N., & Hanover, L. E.

MLA Style Essay: Citing a Book Title

Now let’s discuss how to mention a book in an essay. The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th edition, published by the Modern Language Association (2014), contains detailed rules about how to cite a book title in an essay.

The following guidelines will instruct you on how to refer to a book in an essay in MLA style :

• List your sources at the end of your paper, before the works cited page or bibliography.
• Use italics for titles of books, magazines, and newspapers, but not for articles within those publications, which should be placed in quotation marks.
• Include all relevant book information under two categories: “title” and “author.” In the former category, include the work’s title and its subtitle if there is one; do this even if neither appears on your title page (see below). In the latter category, include only primary authors who have written or edited an entire book; if there are multiple contributors, you should cite them separately under each.

The general format for citing the title of the book in an essay is as follows:

Author’s last name, first initial (Date). Title of Book with Subtitle if there is one. Publisher Name/Location of Publisher; Year Published

Chicago Style Essay: Writing the Book Title

One of the most important things to remember when writing in Chicago style is how to write the title of a book in an essay. To write a good book title in an essay, you should follow these steps:

• Write it at the beginning of your sentence.
• Capitalize it just like any other noun or proper noun.
• Put a comma after the title unless it’s an introductory clause or phrase. For example: “The Firm,” by John Grisham (not “by”) and “The Catcher in the Rye,” by J.D Salinger (not “and”).
• In addition to the book’s name, punctuation marks should also be italicized.

For example: Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince: Children’s Edition

Writing Various Types of Titles

Now that we covered how to write a book title and author in an essay, it’s time to look at some different types of titles. When you write a book title in an essay, several things must be considered. Whether it’s a book, series, chapter title, editor’s name, or author’s name, how you write it depends on where it appears in your paper.

Here are some key rules for writing headings for novels:

•  Use capital letters to write the title of the novel. For example,  The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett .
• Use italics and capital letters to write the name of the author and his/her other works mentioned in a book title—for example,  Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (1813) .

You should use quotation marks when writing headings of short title poems, articles, and stories.

However, before deciding which format to use, it is important to understand the main idea you want to express in your essay. Additionally, you could use essay papers for sale to help you accomplish your goal of writing an essay effectively.

Should We Underline or Italicize Book Titles?

It depends on which style guide you use. The Modern Language Association and Chicago Manual of Style both suggest using italics, while the American Psychological Association suggests using quotation marks with a few exceptions.

The way you write the title of a book in an essay is different depending on the instructions you were given. For example, if you’re writing an essay in APA style, use quotation marks around the book’s name. If you’re writing for MLA or Chicago style , however, italicize the book’s name instead. If you’re writing a handwritten essay instead of using a computer, capitalize and underline the book’s name.

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KCSE SET BOOKS ESSAY QUESTIONS and ANSWERS

Enjoy free KCSE revision materials on imaginative compositions, essay questions and answers and comprehensive analysis (episodic approach) of the set books including Fathers of Nations by Paul B. Vitta, The Samaritan by John Lara, A Silent Song by Godwin Siundu, An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro and Parliament of Owls by Adipo Sidang'. This blog is useful to Kenyan students preparing for KCSE; and their teachers.

Monday 10 April 2023

The samaritan set book essay questions and answers, john lara's the samaritan essays questions and answers.

THE SAMARITAN ESSAYS QUESTIONS

Despite facing many difficulties, people who strive to bring positive change usually succeed. Using Nicole in John Lara's The Samaritan , write an essay in support of this statement.

Nicole, the Ethics and Innovation teacher at Sagrada Secondary School, is the embodiment of an unwavering moralist determined to bring positive change to Maracas Municipality. Despite facing serious resistance from the leaders, her effort bears fruit when the corrupt leaders are apprehended. Resoluteness in doing the right things brings victory.

Nicole stands firm when the Mayor of Maracas Municipality orders for a halting of activities related to the Samaritan App and her firmness pays off. The aim of the Samaritan App is to expose corruption and agitate for the prosecution of the culprits. When he realises that the App may expose his failures, ineptness and corrupt deeds and possibly lead to his prosecution, Mossi-oa-Tunya declines to launch it or award Alvita and Montano, the brains behind the innovation. He alleges that the App may turn out to be a platform for misinformation, lies and witch-hunt. Although he acknowledges that the school is doing a good job in nurturing visionaries and innovators, he has jitters about giving the Samaritan App the green light. The skit by Nicole, Alvita and Montano clearly demonstrates that the App can be used to share sensitive information like the Municipal Procurement Process. The Mayor is hesitant to allow its commissioning. In an attempt to stop the operations of the App, he claims he needs time to think, and will launch the App at his own convenient time. He orders Nicole and Principal Narine to halt all activities regarding the App until his office gives them the clearance. He demands that they write to the Ministry of Education citing fundamental errors. Nicole firmly rebuts that the App passed all tests done by senior officers at the Ministry of Education and skillful software engineers. The Mayor tries to intimidate Nicole when he states that he is Mossi-oa-Tunya: the smoke that thunders and a Mayor with express mandate by the people of Maracas. He raises his voice and points his walking stick at Nicole. He demands that she pens the letter and send a copy to him in an hour’s time. Nicole is adamant that the matter is beyond her since the App was taken over by the National Information and Communication Technology Corporation and she determinedly says that she will only do what is right. Madam Principal confirms Nicole's resolute nature when she claims she is bound to ignore the Mayor’s orders since she usually doesn’t compromise on what she thinks is right. In the long run, Mayor Mossi fails to intimidate Nicole and operations of the App are not halted. Mossi is exposed as a corrupt leader and is eventually arrested. Nicole’s determination pays off.

Moreover, Narine, the principal, admonishes Nicole hoping that   she would abandon her quest for a better Maracas but Nicole remains steadfast until the end when her effort bears victory. The principal acknowledges that the Samaritan App has sent shockwaves across the municipality, driving leaders into terrible panic. She advises Nicole to think long and hard about the Samaritan App. Narine says she is single-handedly focused on providing students under her care with quality education. She vows that she will not allow any teacher to deviate from this course. She appears to be persuading Nicole to stop the operations of the Samaritan App. She advises her, as a senior administrator and her mother’s age mate , to know which battles to wage, which ones to avoid, and those to defer. She avers that a young girl like Nicole cannot battle against an elephant like Mossi. Standing firm, Nicole tells her boss that an elephant that kills a rat is not a hero. She also wonders if the principal would rather that they abandon the Samaritan, an ingenious innovation, with great potential of improving the Municipality to appease an egocentric political class. The principal offers no support for Nicole. She instead chooses to step back. This does not dampen Nicole's spirit. The principal feels Nicole is a headstrong girl. She is fed up. She says she is not a house help or a secretary to keep receiving calls on behalf of Nicole. She also feels threatened when the leaders call saying that they are visiting Nicole at school. The principal feels that the App will not change anything and counsels Nicole with the wise words that, “The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists”. Nicole does not heed even when Narine adds that, “If you can’t turn the wind, turn the sails”. Nicole stays firm. She cannot give in and allow the plunder of public resources. Her resoluteness pays off when the leaders including Bembe and Mossi are arrested by Tajo, the head of Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau. Surely, resoluteness results in victory.

Thirdly, Nicole chooses to stand firm when the Inspector General of police, Bembe, tries to unnerve her by arresting her on trumped-up charges. When Mossi and Bembe realise that the Samaritan App was being used to air their dirty linen in public, they plan to visit and talk to Nicole. Mossi correctly points out that Nicole may be a very difficult person. Nicole is determined to do the right thing. Bembe insists that he has a way of making people switch allegiances. Bembe has a ploy to accuse Nicole of theft of school furniture, a computer or a generator. He plans to get people to steal the school   generator and accuse Nicole of the crime then ask the judge to put her in. True to his word, Bembe goes to Sagrada Secondary School to arrest Nicole citing a wide range of accusations including disobeying authorities, being located at the scene of a murder and stealing the school generator. Nicole is not intimidated. She knows that her obligation is to do what is right, not to obey leaders blindly. A leader cannot compel her to do the wrong things. Her choice to do the right thing is not negotiable. Even in the face of an impending jail term, she is not subdued by Bembe's preposterous fabricated charges. She tells him that it will get him nowhere and that that will be the darkest day of his career. Bembe orders the police to handcuff Nicole and the strong-willed teacher resists until she is overpowered. Bembe is only but trying to intimidate Nicole to stop pursuing the activities of the Samaritan App claiming it poses grave danger to society. Nicole replies that she is but a simple teacher trying to do what is right. While Bembe posits that Nicole has an evil plan, she insists that The Samaritan App has no personal agenda and is a people’s platform of protecting and promoting public good. When she is arraigned in court, thousands of protesters from all walks of life mob the court precincts in solidarity with Nicole, leaving Bembe with an egg on his face. Furthermore, his bosses summon him over the impropriety. Eventually, Bembe is arrested for his involvement in a wide array of crimes and abuse of office. Nicole’s determination to do good ends in victory.

Apart from that, Alvita and Montano try but fail to plead with miss Nicole to give up the Samaritan App and she tells them to stand firm with the App and this pays off when the corrupt leaders are arrested. When the unscrupulous leaders are whisked away by the police, Alvita cries triumphantly that, “You can never escape from the consequences of your actions”. These are the exact words of the resolute miss Nicole. The apprehensive students are the brains behind the Samaritan App. But they are now worried that as a result of the Mayor’s ultimatum, the App may get their beloved teacher in trouble. Nicole insists that the Samaritan App is an excellent platform for them to speak out against wrongdoing and share ideas that will make their lives better. The leaders of Maracas municipality are like the priests and Levite who ignore the injured Samaritan. They do not care about the people. Neither do they come to their aid. They only pursue their own selfish interests. The students still think that miss Nicole is in grave danger. The teacher is determined to stand for a cause that can bring a better tomorrow for everyone. The Samaritan has been all over the media platforms and Alvita thinks it has grown so big that it is no longer good for them anymore . The two students suggest that she transfers to a different school. Nicole asks them not to chicken out at every trial or threat. They must stand firm and demand that their leaders do the right thing. She demands that they are not discouraged and that they stay brave. This is not an effort in futility. The corrupt leaders including Mayor Mossi are eventually arrested.

Also, Nicole remains steadfast when the Mayor approaches her and tries to beg for mercy seemingly penitent of his evil acts and attempting to sway Nicole to eliminate some negative information about him from the Samaritan App. The Mayor starts by apologizing to Nicole for being a bit hard on her earlier. He wants to have an honest talk with her. He concedes that he made some mistakes and is ostensibly there to make the clean breast of everything and to seek Nicole’s   understanding and help. Nicole is taken aback by the change of heart from the initially overbearing Mossi-oa-Tunya, the untouchable smoke that thunders. He even offers Nicole a bribe. He asks her to quote her figure. Looking straight at him, Nicole affirms in a firm voice that she can never be part of such a scheme. She is disappointed that a man entrusted to fight corruption is instead the chief perpetrator. Stuttering, the penitent leader claims he was offering to invest in the Samaritan App. Mossi feels he is being wrongly accused on the Samaritan. Nicole reminds him that as the overall leader the buck stops with him. Mossi tries to exonerate himself by slinging mud at his fellow politicians for instance Ramdaye, deputy Mayor, for misappropriation of funds; Ted King, the secretary of Health and Environment; Seymour, the secretary in charge of Planning and Development and Judge Ian Jaden. The Mayor claims that he cannot do anything about the rot in the municipality, inadvertently admitting his ineptness. Nicole notes that the whole Municipal Council is a criminal enterprise. Mossi admits that he steals at most three slices of the loaf meant for the people. He points fingers at everyone else for eating the whole loaf including the wrapping and the vendor where applicable. Nicole resolutely suggests that all those he accuses are answerable to him. When he realizes that Nicole wasn’t going to be swayed by his emotional pleas, he turns to threats. He demands that she deletes every post that cast him in the negative light or else she will discover why he is called Mossi-oa-Tunya: the smoke that thunders. Nicole remains resolute to do the right thing. Eventually, Mossi-oa-Tunya, the smoke that thunders, is arrested by the anti-corruption police. Indeed, standing firm in doing the right thing brings positive results.

Lastly, the leaders of Maracas Municipality attempt to appease Nicole by playing power politics and offering her a high office in the Municipality but she declines the offer, standing her ground until the felonious leaders are arrested. The eight leaders meet at the Chamber of the Principal Judge with the aim of saving their skins from The Samaritan. They have assembled to figure out a way to escape being thrown behind bars at Baneta Express Prison. Basdeo suggests that they talk to Nicole. Mossi warns him that she is very firm. He tried appealing to her mercy, she couldn’t budge. He tried intimidation and still she couldn’t yield. Basdeo suggests that they give her a powerful position at the municipal council. They plan to let her tell them the position she wants and voila! she becomes part and parcel of the municipal leadership. Jaden suggests that they bring her a box of chocolate as an incentive but Mossi cautions him that she won’t take it. When they meet Nicole, they all grovel. Jaden seeks for forgiveness for intruding into Nicole’s busy schedule. Bembe apologizes profusely for arresting Nicole. Mossi also apologizes for treading on her toes. Although she is puzzled, Nicole accepts the apologies and also expresses regret in the event that she offended any of them. She politely declines Ted's offer of a golden ring. The leaders admit serious mistakes in the leadership that have brought the Municipality to a crisis. They avow that the ship is sinking. They request Nicole’s contribution in enhancing service delivery to the people and she accepts. They ask her to name the senior position she would like to occupy. Jaden proposes that she should assume the role of Director General. Nicole declines the offer telling the gentleman that they don’t need new laws, contracts or positions but a change of spirit among the people and especially among the leaders. Nicole tells them that to salvage the bleak situation they should do the right thing; that is, make a U-turn about dipping their fingers in the public till and pursuing personal gains. At this point, her efforts bring good tidings when the corrupt officials are arrested and escorted to the Anti-Corruption investigation Bureau.

In conclusion, triumph is a result of an unwavering spirit especially when we champion for good. Nicole's determination to stamp out corruption in Maracas Municipality and to have the disreputable leaders brought to book ends in a jackpot when they are all arrested signaling a new dawn.

When citizens elect selfish leaders, they end up suffering. Write an essay in support of this claim basing your illustrations on John Lara's The Samaritan .

Some leaders only care about their selfish interests. When such self-seeking leaders are elected, they abuse their powers and break the law with impunity. They engage in vices such as corruption, drug trafficking, murder, gang warfare, misappropriation of public funds etc. The citizens who vote them in bear the brunt of such cruelty, lack of integrity and inefficiency.

Ramdaye, the Deputy Mayor of Maracas municipality, is a selfish man whose corrupt ways lead to the suffering of many citizens of Maracas. Despite knowing that he has never accomplished anything in his life other than swindling people, the people overwhelmingly vote for him. He is in charge of the Department of Physical Infrastructure. He uses this position to award his companies and those of his relatives tenders for construction of roads, bridges, pavements, drains and water courses. They misappropriate the funds and do a shoddy job. He is also in charge of construction and maintenance of secondary roads. Due to his ineptness, the workers do such a shoddy job that the poor quality roads look like abandoned battlefield destroyed by bombs. Even tractors get stuck on such roads! Moreover, citizens still elect him even when they know him as a conman who prints fake title deeds and sells the same plot to as many as ten people. He sold Bembe, the Inspector General of police, land that belongs to Maracas university. That is how he has earned his livelihood all these years. He has destroyed lives of countless people because of his greed (P42). When he learned about the “Rodengate Affair”, in which justice Ian Jaden was rearing rats and introducing them into farms to undermine local production in order to import corn through his company, Prime Orchard Limited, he is silenced by bribery. He is given money and shares in the company. His family is also doing all Municipal Council projects that fall under his Department denying deserving citizens a chance to offer their prowess and earn an honest coin. Thus, residents continue to suffer under his watch. Indeed, citizens suffer when they elect rogue leaders like Ramdaye.

Ted King is also a self-seeking leader who causes anguish to the citizens of Maracas Municipality owing to his selfish nature. He is the Municipal Secretary for the Department of Health and Environment. Despite his infamous reputation as a pirate and a nuisance to the public, people vote for him overwhelmingly into the Municipal Council. The youth and all are excited by his evil hairstyle, ripped jeans, bangles, necklaces and other adornments. After inviting bids for construction of health centres, Ted ensures companies associated with his relatives and friends win the tenders. He conspires with them and steals all the money allotted for the project and ends up putting up site offices that resemble cowsheds. A former DJ, Ted was responsible for noise pollution and pirating other people’s music. Citizens, tired of the nuisance and agony, complained ceaselessly. Furthermore, he is illiterate and spews gibberish on the floor of the chamber. He reeks of illicit brew like one who sleeps in a brewery or a nightclub. Together with Seymour, he is responsible for supplying air to the Municipal Council. This means that their companies receive huge sums of public funds without rendering any service. He further supports Seymour’s rallying call that they reallocate the budget in order to use public funds to fight the corruption cases against them. Citizens who vote in leaders like Ted end up in anguish since the self-seeking leader does not deliver services to them instead they embezzle funds for their selfish interests.

Thirdly, Seymour, is the self-seeking secretary to the Municipal Department of Planning and Development. In spite of his moral failings, the people elected him overwhelmingly. He bribes people using his drug money to buy his way into office. To get building plans approval in Maracas municipality, people simply bribe Seymour and the rotten Inspectorate Unit under him. Proper building standards are not adhered to thus putting the lives of the people living in such buildings at great risk. Never mind that Maracas is in a seismically active area. The people have also suffered under his callous leadership since anyone who dares bat an eyelid ends up disappearing mysteriously. He runs a murderous gang known Black Swan Gang which is responsible for shootings and violence. People read about this in the papers but they still elect him. Apart from that, he demands that Mossi justifies reallocation on the need to address the issue of the terrible waste disposal system in the town. It is a serious health hazard for the citizens since the garbage is strewn all over the place and the drains are broken. Instead of fixing the problem, he wants them to use the funds to fight off the imminent corruption cases against them. Seymour is also known for drug trafficking. He has ruined the lives of many children who have dropped out of school because of drugs, some have become cabbages, some roam aimlessly or have lost their minds and worse still others have died because of drugs. He also has a fake law certificate that he uses to intimidate people with. His whole family including his two children and wife have been ruined by drugs. Surely, people who vote for such evil leaders can only blame themselves for the agony their leaders put them through.

The mayor of Maracas municipality, Mossi-oa-Tunya, is also a selfish leader whose avarice results in untold suffering for the subjects under him. He claims that he was voted in by hundreds of thousands of people. All these people voted for him in spite of his iniquity. Using his powers, he tries to halt the operations of The Samaritan App, an innovation used to fight corruption and other vices in Maracas Municipality. He tries intimidate Ms. Narine, the Principal, and Ms. Nicole the Ethics and Innovations teacher at Sagrada Secondary School. In the past, he has been forced by Seymour to misallocate public money to fund unnecessary demands like sitting allowances for useless committee meetings. He is also responsible for the municipal capture; the worst form of corruption and abuse of office. His private interests determine the direction of public policy. He asks Mr. Harvester to use public funds to buy all newspapers that portray the Municipal leaders in bad light and to organize daily press conferences to clear their names and save their skin. Apart from that, he runs a gang of riotous youth known as the Red Eagle Gang. He admits stealing public resources when he alludes to a loaf bread meant for the people from which he takes three slices for himself. Although the buck stops with him, he points fingers at other leaders like Ramdaye and Seymour, completely refusing to admit blame. He is only keen on protecting his political career. Under his watch, the citizens suffer a den of leaders who participate in corruption, murder, stealing, dishonesty and sexual perversion. Electing such leaders is a sure way to end up in the quagmire of agony.  

In conclusion, citizens who want their region to develop with expediency must elect honourable leaders of integrity. Supporting inept leaders who only care about their own interests results in agony for the citizens.

Immoral people try to hide their misdeeds but when the truth comes out, they face the consequences of their actions. Making reference to John Lara's The Samaritan , write an essay to support this statement.

Some people are dishonest or unethical. They go to great lengths to conceal their immorality or wicked deeds. Inevitably, the truth comes out and they pay for their sins. Characters like Mossi, Jaden and Bembe in The Samaritan learn this the hard way.

Mossi tries to conceal his immoral acts but when the truth is revealed, he faces the consequences. Mossi is exposed for being corrupt. He is accused of municipal capture - the worst form of corruption and abuse of office(P38). He is also accused of inflating the cost of projects and presiding over shoddy municipal projects(P62). He fails to call his municipal secretaries to order and rebuke them despite having information about the corrupt and inept leaders. He admits that he has some skeletons in the closet and he goes to great lengths to keep these misdeeds a secret (P29). First, he refuses to launch the Samaritan app claiming it may have far-reaching implications (P15,23). He orders Ms. Nicole to write to the ministry officials expressing his reservations about the Samaritan app. He also threatens the principal Ms. Narine. This is because the aim of the Samaritan App is to promote the public good by exposing corruption and other vices in the municipality and agitating for the prosecution of the culprits(P23). Secondly, he convenes an urgent meeting to try and avert the adverse effects of the exposure. He orders Mr. Harvester to buy all the newspapers in an effort to conceal his misdeeds. The headlines of the newspapers   such as ‘The Caribbean Watch', ‘The Sentinel’ and ‘The Spotlight’ are extremely damaging for him and the other leaders. He supports Bembe's idea of banning the Samaritan app and orders Harvester to issue a circular to that effect (P27-28). Mossi wants computer experts to hack and mess up the app.   He calls for a meeting of his dependable allies and asks Harvester to prepare a comprehensive press statement to counter the allegations against them(P43). He intends to hold a press conference daily. The mayor visits Ms Nicole and admits his mistakes and begs her to help her by eliminating incriminating information about him from the app. He even offers her and the innovators, Alvita and Montano, a bribe. Nicole declines(P60-61). When his remorseful approach fails, he orders Nicole to delete all negative posts about him from the app, trying to conceal his wrongdoing (P73). He later on apologizes to Nicole and even offers her a post at the municipal council. He shakes her hand vigorously when he mistakenly thinks that she had accepted the offer. The truth about his unethical deeds is, however, all over the app and mainstream media. Mossi tries to hide behind Nicole when he and others are accosted by Tajo, the National Anti-corruption Investigation Bureau boss. He is arrested and cuffed and escorted to the National Anti-corruption Investigation Bureau headquarters. Indeed, no one can escape from the consequences of their actions.

Secondly, Inspector Bembe tries to hide his unscrupulous deals but when the truth comes out he faces the music. Inspector Bembe has always been very discreet about his private affairs. His face is covered with an expression of horror when it is revealed that people are demanding for information about the source of funds he used to build Madingo Golf Club. Mossi reminds him that there is nothing you can do on earth without someone knowing about it(P26). The secretive policeman is exposed on the Samaritan app and accused of an array of illegalities including; corruption, drug peddling, violation of human rights and extortion(P38). ‘The Caribbean Watch’ newspaper reports that his hotel and his home are built on Maracas University land - which is public land. A lobby group has moved to court to have the land restored to the university(P40). He is also exposed for gang involvement - being a member of Ghettoboyz. His hotel is famously known as Motorist Highway Hotel since it was built using proceeds of corruption; bribes from motorists. His officers collect bribes from the guilty and innocent alike. The police force has been converted into his own personal outfit(P41). To conceal his immoral deeds, Inspector Bembe suggests that they threaten some of the reporters(P22) and that they ban The Samaritan app in Maracas Municipality. He is ready to enforce the law(P27). He then tries to intimidate Nicole by accusing her of stealing the school generator, being at a scene of a murder, disobeying authorities and being too strong-willed for a school teacher (P94-95). He then arrests her on trumped up charges while demanding to know where The Samaritan is hidden. When this fails, he tries to apologize to Nicole as they attempt to lure her with a job offer(P131). When faced by Tajo, the anti-corruption police boss, he staggers and almost falls as he seeks cover(P138). He is then arrested and handcuffed. As a diabetic, he is bound to face a rough time in prison (P99). When evil deeds come to the light, the perpetrators suffer the consequences.

Justice Jaden tries to strategically conceal his dirty deals but he suffers when his secrets are divulged. Mossi reveals that judges in Maracas municipality are worse than temple robbers. He tells Jaden that they all have some skeletons in the closet. Jaden thinks of himself as a strategic schemer. He posits that what matters is not what you do, but how you do it. He claims that you can fly into forbidden territory and get away with it, provided you do it under the radar(P29). Indeed, he is part of the syndicate just like Mossi insinuated. A company linked to him - Prime Orchard Farm - was involved in the “rats and other rodents scandal”. He is a shareholder in the company(P105). He gives biased rulings in favour of Ivy, his mistress, considering single sourcing for her company as opposed to a competitive bidding and also in favour of Prime Orchard Farm when the company is sued for being the source of destructive rodents. The farm rears rats that are released into farms to undermine production of grains in order to increase demand for imported grain since Prime Orchard Farm is one of the largest importers of corn in the municipality. The specially trained cats at the farm eat chicken instead of rodents. Jaden also uses his public office to amass a fortune for himself. He is also corrupt since he takes money from litigants to determine cases in their favour. When he realizes his evil deeds have been exposed, he beseeches Harvester to organize a meeting with Mossi, Basdeo and others with the view to saving their skins from their Samaritan app and concealing their unethical acts. He also plans to apply the principle of double jeopardy, that is initiating prosecution in order to preempt any legal move against them. He then suggests temporarily halting activities of the Samaritan app citing intrusion of privacy(P123). To further conceal his misdeeds, he is part of the schemers offering Nicole a lucrative post in the municipal council. His exposure causes him immense suffering. He experiences hallucinations when he sees rats and other rodents and catches the smell of sewer rats, nausea and stomach ulcers. When accosted by Tajo, the National Anti-corruption Investigations Bureau chief, he crouches under the boardroom table. He is then arrested and cuffed. Indeed when misdeeds are exposed, the miscreants suffer adversely.

Seymour insists on reallocation of budget items or submission of a supplementary budget in order to use the money to fight the impending cases against them when his misdeeds are exposed. When his fraudulent acts are exposed, he suggests that they talk to the people posting on the Samaritan app and pay them to stop(P24). Companies linked to him are exposed on the Samaritan app and the newspapers for supplying air to the municipality then bill the municipal council huge sums of money without rendering any service. He supports Bembe’s idea of banning the Samaritan app, and justifies this by claiming it is a suspect spy app. He also cites absurd reasons like theft of confidential information like bank details, cyber bullying and pornography in schools(P27). Seymour suggests that they should rely on Justice Ian Jaden should the issue escalate to court(P29). In addition to that, he posits that the leaders should talk to Alvita and Montano(P30) or use money from the municipal council coffers to bribe witnesses as they fight the cases(P31). In a bid to further hide his wickedness, he proposes that Mossi should allow reallocation of funds, ostensibly to manage the waste disposal system. In real sense, some of the money would be used to fight the cases against him. He has been a culprit in such misallocation of funds in the past by compelling the mayor to irregularly part with funds for regular travel with enhanced allowances, unnecessary committee meetings and loans and mortgages. He pushes the mayor to the wall in an effort to compel him to approve the supplementary budget in order to conceal his wrongdoing. Seymour was once a poor, jigger-infested hoodlum. Now he lives in grandiose villas and mansions, indulges in sumptuous delicacies in classy hotels and drives swanky state-of-the-art vehicles(P35) thanks to his corrupt ways. He is behind protracted delays in the issue of building approvals, bribes to get a building plan, and gang violence with Black Swan gang, selling drugs and ruining the lives of the youth in Maracas municipality. Eventually he is arrested, cuffed and escorted to the anti-corruption headquarters by Tajo. He shuffles around Nicole on his feet in confusion. Surely, when ones evil deeds come to the light, they regret the consequences of their actions.

In conclusion, indeed unethical people attempt to conceal their misdeeds albeit unsuccessfully. Eventually, they face the music when their sins are exposed.  

Selfish leaders create many problems that affect citizens. Making reference to John Lara’s The Samaritan , write an essay to support this statement.

Many issues facing citizens of Maracas Municipality are a creation of self-seeking leaders. Leaders like Mossi, Bembe, Jaden, Ramdaye and Seymour lack consideration for the citizens and are only concerned with their own selfish ambitions. These result in many problems for the citizens.

Mayor Mossi creates many problems for the citizens of Maracas as a result of his selfishness. He selfishly declines to either award Alvita and Montano, the innovators of the Samaritan app, or launch the app. He cites far-reaching implications. He orders Ms. Narine and Ms. Nicole to halt any activity regarding the app(P16). Nicole was to write a letter to the officials expressing the mayor’s reservation about The Samaritan(P17). The Samaritan had been approved by senior officials at the Ministry of Education and experienced software engineers(P16). Mossi later misuses his power when he threatens Nicole and Narine(P19). Mossi is accused of municipal capture which is the worst form of corruption and abuse of office. He later owns up his mistakes and seeks Nicole’s help(P60). Owing to his selfishness, he wants her to eliminate some negative information about him on the app. He even offers to bribe Nicole and the kids(P61). Mossi is also accused of inflating costs of projects and presiding over shoddy municipal works(P62). Later, he orders Nicole to delete every post that casts him in negative light(P73). When Ramdaye and others plan to move a vote of no confidence against him, he asks justice Jaden to jail Basdeo, Ramdaye, Seymour and Ted only because he wants to save his skin. Never mind that earlier on he did not bother to have them convicted, despite having intel about their wrongdoing, accusing the judges of being worse than temple robbers(P67). As the overall leader, Nicole notes that the buck stops with him(P62). Everything Mossi does is motivated by his selfish interest rather than public interest. Thus, the municipality is rife with problems such as corruption, murder, theft, deceit and sexual perversion(P90). These problems affect the citizens thanks to Mossi’s avarice. Surely, uncaring leaders create problems which affect the citizens.

The deputy mayor Ramdaye is a selfish leader who creates a myriad of problems for citizens of Maracas Municipality. He is the municipal secretary in charge of infrastructure. Under his watch, the citizens have to make do with terrible roads in the municipality. The council pays a lot of money for the roads but only a few kilometres of roads are dug up. The contractor pours old black oil and claims the road is tarmacked. The roads look like abandoned battlefields ruined by detonated bombs and are so terrible that   even tractors get stuck on them(P62). He fuels nepotism since only his companies and those of his relatives win tenders for construction of roads, constructions of bridges, drains and waterways. They misappropriate funds and do not do any meaningful work(P63). He also prints fake title deeds and sells ten plots to ten different unsuspecting people. He swindles many people including Bembe, the Inspector General of police, to whom he sells grabbed land that belongs to Maracas University. He has ruined the lives of countless people through his greed(P42). The citizens are adversely affected because of the substandard infrastructure. Ramdaye is a self-seeking leader since his family is involved in municipal projects and it does business with the municipal council. Such selfish leaders initiate serious problems that burden the citizens.

Ted King is also a leader that creates problems that adversely affect the citizens. Ted is the secretary in charge of health and environment. The healthcare sector in Maracas is in disarray. Hospitals today barely have any medicine(P9). There are no drugs in hospitals because of theft(P91). He invites bids for construction of health centres but due to his selfishness, only companies associated with his friends and family win tenders. Ted steals all the money budgeted for healthcare. He puts up site offices that look like cowsheds. It is said that he “ate” a whole hospital(P64). People also complained of noise pollution when he worked as a deejay. Apart from that, he also pirates other people’s music(P65). For his selfish interests, he tries to whip up racial and class prejudice in a bid to ouster Mayor Mossi. Many problems experienced by citizens are created by selfish leaders like Ted King.

As a result of Seymour’s selfishness, the plight of citizens of Maracas is aggravated. He is the municipal secretary in charge of planning and development. There is a public outcry over companies that bill the municipality huge sums of money without rendering any services. Thus, Seymour is accused of supply of air(P24). In order to exonerate himself, he proposes that they have a conversation with those posting damaging information about him on The Samaritan app and they pay them to stop(P24). He selfishly suggests that they get money from the municipal fund through the reallocation of budget line items. They can justify the reallocation of funds on the alleged need to address the problem of poor waste disposal since there is garbage all over the place and the drains are broken, leading to a serious health hazard. In reality, the public funds would be used to fight off the impending cases against them(P33). In the past, he has misused public funds through regular travel with enhanced allowances, sitting allowance for unnecessary committee meetings, loans and mortgages(P34). He insists on approval of a supplementary budget to selfishly obtain the cash or else they eject the mayor from office(P35). When elected, he was dirt poor but now he swims in stolen public money(P35). As an incompetent self-seeking secretary of planning and development, he is behind protracted delays in building approvals in Maracas. One needs to part with dollars to get building plan approvals. The inspectorate unit under him approves improper buildings because of corruption(P66). He is also involved in gang violence as the head of the Black Swan gang that is responsible for shooting, violence and disappearance of people. He also sells narcotics and has ruined lives of many children who have dropped out of school, become cabbages, roam aimlessly, lost their minds and even some have died(P67). He was voted in overwhelmingly after bribing voters using drug money. Indeed, citizens are affected adversely by the selfish actions of self-serving leaders such as Seymour.

Bembe, the Inspector General of police, is a self-seeking leader and as a result he creates many problems for the citizens of Maracas Municipality. Ironically, the Inspector General of police is accused of an array of crimes ranging from corruption, violation of human rights, drug peddling and extortion(p38). His hotel, Madingo Golf Club, is built on Maracas University land which is public land(P40). Bembe is corrupt since the hotel was built with money obtained from proceeds of corruption. He has transformed the police force into his own outfit for collecting bribes from the guilty and innocent alike. His hotel is now known as Motorists Highway Hotel owing to the fact that his officers collect bribes from motorists every day(P41). He is also involved in gang violence as a member of Ghettoboyz gang. Together with Mossi, he organized the senseless chaos and violence, in a bid to avert the vote of no confidence motion against Mossi who had promised to help him concerning his grabbed land(P45). Bembe also arrests an innocent Ms. Nicole on baseless trumped up charges of disobeying authorities and stealing the school generator. He alleges her phone signal was located at the scene of a murder(P94). On his order, two police officers violently arrest Nicole, cuffing her and dragging her on the floor. All this unnecessary harassment is an effort to conceal his criminal activities and avoid prosecution and possible conviction. She is later acquitted and released unconditionally. Lastly, Bembe misuses his power when he assigns a consignment of officers to support Mossi’s Red Eagle Network to cause violence and chaos in the municipality. They burn mattresses among other things thus degrading the environment. Surely such selfish leaders like Bembe cause any problems which affect citizens.

Jaden is the principal judge in Maracas Municipality but many citizens suffer because he is selfish. The justice system in Maracas is flawed. Ted King insinuates that with enough money, one can easily influence investigators, lawyers, prosecutors and judges( P33). The courts in Maracas are undependable since they follow the money more often than they follow justice(P44). The courts cannot prosecute the corrupt inept leaders since the judges are part of the syndicate. In fact, they are worse than temple robbers!(P67). Because of selfish leaders like Jaden, Maracas is undergoing destruction because there is no justice in the law courts(P91). Justice Jaden claims that he does not operate in a vacuum hence his thinking and action is influenced by the ethos operating in the society(P116). A company linked to him - Prime Orchard Farm - is linked to the rats and other rodents scandal. He is a shareholder in the company(P105). He sends his mistress Ivy to Mossi to secure a contract of killing rats and other rodents ravaging rice and cornfields in the municipality. When members of the municipal council reject the contract and insist on a competitive bidding, Jaden rules in the favor of Ivy's company, Vertebrae Pest Control, a subsidiary of Prime Orchard Limited(P106-107). He says single sourcing was permissible in the public interest but in reality, it is only due to his avarice. His company Prime Orchard Farm, reared rats to undermine the production of corn in order to increase the demand for imported grains. Prime Orchard Farm is one of the largest importers of corn in the municipality. When Prime Orchard Farm is sued for being the source of rodents, he rules in favour of the company claiming that rodents are a normal phenomena. The cats they rear at the farm become wild and they eat chickens instead of rodents. Jaden also uses his office to amass a fortune for himself. Surely, selfish leaders like Justice Jaden create an array of problems that affect the citizens.

In conclusion, many of the problems facing citizens are creations of self-serving leaders like Mossi, Bembe and Ramdaye among others.

People who engage in wrongdoing cannot escape from the consequences of their actions. Write an essay to support this claim basing your illustrations on John Lara’s The Samaritan.

Some people take part in illegal or dishonest deeds hoping that they will get away with it. Such misconduct usually leads to serious consequences. Characters like Bembe and Jaden engage in crime but when their sins are exposed they face repercussions and try as they may, they do not escape the long arm of the law.

Inspector Bembe takes part in an array of criminal activities including corruption and violation of human rights among others but eventually he pays for it. When he learns that he has been exposed on The Samaritan, he suggests that they should threaten some of the journalists(P22). Bembe is an evil man who is always secretive about his private affairs, so he is shocked to learn that people know about his hotel, Madingo Golf Club(P28). He suggests that they ban The Samaritan App(P27). He is accused of corruption, violation of human rights, drug peddling and extortion(P39). This exposé makes him drift into a coma since he has issues with his blood sugar(P38). ‘The Caribbean Watch' newspaper claims that Bembe’s hotel and home are built on Maracas University land - which is public land. A lobby group is moving to court to have the land restored to the university. When Bembe learns of this, he breathes heavily while trembling. He sunk all his life savings in putting up the hotel and the home, and he is retiring in a few months time. Apart from that, Bembe is also a member of a shadowy gang - Ghettoboyz - that robs people. His hotel is called Motorists Highway Hotel since it was built with bribes collected from motorists. He has converted the municipal police force into a personal outfit for collecting bribes from the innocent and the guilty alike. Furthermore, he arrests Ms. Nicole on fabricated charges of stealing the school generator and disobeying authorities(P95,100). He orders his two officers to arrest Nicole. They cuff her and drag her on the floor. She is, however, released and the case dismissed. Bembe tells Mossi that they are doomed. He prefers to die than to be a derelict or an inmate. He asks the lord to have mercy on him. He suffers from a runny stomach. He cannot last a week in prison because he is diabetic. These are his last days, he says(P99). When she’s arrested, Nicole gets support from touts, hawkers, students, women and men of all walks of life.(P100.) Later, he apologises to Nicole. Claiming the arrest was a misunderstanding he admits his mistake and begs for forgiveness (131-132). He is later arrested. Trying to escape the dragnet, he staggers and almost falls as he struggles to take cover (P138). Clearly, no one can escape from the consequences of their actions.

Justice Ian Jaden pays for his sins after abusing his office and engaging in a number of unethical acts. He is a corrupt judge who thought he could get away with his misdeeds for he posits that you can fly into enemy territory and get away with it provided you do it below the radar. That what matters is not what you do but how you do it. He thinks that since he is educated and strategic he can beat the system and escape Scot free(P29). Jaden is unethical since his relatives are involved in doing business with the municipal council(P69). Jaden’s company, Prime Orchard Farm, is involved in a fraud case dubbed the ‘grain scandal’(P102). He is fraudulently awarded a contract for killing rats and other rodents ravaging rice and corn fields in the municipality(P106). He gets the contract through single sourcing rather than competitive bidding. Jaden then rules that given the urgency to safeguard the grains, single sourcing was permissible in the public interest(P107). He also rules in the favor of prime orchard farm when the company is sued for being the source of destructive rodents in the municipality(P108). Jaden takes bribes from litigants to determine cases in their favour and uses his office to amass a fortune for himself. When he is exposed, he suffers stomach ulcers and hallucinations when he starts seeing huge smelly sewer rats. He also helped some friends by making biased rulings in their favor as an interested party and he was given shares in the company as a reward for this illegality. He is now in a dilemma since the mayor is suing the said company. He suffers a myriad of challenges including seeing rats and other rodents running all over the place, catching the smell of sewer rats, wanting to throw up, stomach aches and having more severe ulcers(P116). He organizes a meeting with other leaders hoping to escape the risk of prosecution. His suggestions about double jeopardy or a temporal ban of the Samaritan app also hit a snag(P123). His attempt to lure Ms. Nicole with the promise of a plum position as the director general in the municipality is also futile(P134). He is arrested by Tajo, The anti corruption boss. He tries to crouch under the boardroom table to avoid arrest(P138). Indeed, no one can escape from the repercussions of their actions.

Mayor Mossi involves himself in dishonest deeds and inevitably faces the ramifications with actions. He is accused of many crimes including municipal capture - which is the worst form of corruption and abuse of office, in which his private interests determine the direction of public policy(P39). When he learns that The Samaritan app could be used to expose the rot in the municipal procurement process, he declines to launch it claiming that the municipal leaders need time to reflect on the implications of the app(P15). He even instructs Nicole to write to the officials concerning his reservations(P18) and oders Ms. Nicole and Ms. Narine to halt any activity concerning the app in a bid to conceal the illegalities the leaders are engaged in(P16). He convenes meetings with other leaders in an effort to escape the consequences of his actions(P20). He also asks Harvester to buy all newspapers from all vendors using public funds, since they contain damaging information about the leaders(P21,41). After a disagreement, Seymour and others want to move a vote of no confidence in Mossi. Mossi loses consciousness when he learns that he may end up in the uninhabitable Baneta Express Prison(P38). He also plans to use press conferences to fight the allegations against him(P43). Mayor Mossi admits taking part in an ethical deeds(P60). However, he tries to downplay his role in the plunder of public resources when he says that unlike other leaders who gobble up the loaf meant for the people, he only takes a slice or two or three(P68-69). He wants Nicole to prevail over the kids who made the Samaritan to eliminate some negative information about him on the app(P60). The corrupt mayor even has the audacity to offer Nicole and the children a bribe claiming that everybody needs money(P61). On the issue of development, he is accused of inflating the cost of projects and overseeing shoddy municipal works. When Nicole refuses to budge, he accuses the people of electing evil people into public office and later on whining(P71). He also orders Nicole to delete every post that casts him in negative light on the Samaritan App(P73). Mossi tries to lure Nicole with a plum job and promises of changes in the municipality for example; that public resources will no longer be stolen, justice will be served and not preserved for the rich, the police will stand with the innocent and not the crooks or lawbreakers and lawmakers will promote public interests rather than feathering their own nests(P133-134). Mayor Mossi pays for his immorality when he is arrested by Tajo, the anti-corruption chief. He tries to hide behind Nicole, when Tajo declares that he was there to escort them to the anti-corruption headquarters(P138). Indeed, wrongdoers cannot escape the ramifications of their actions.

Hon. Seymour also engages in a number of criminal activities and ultimately faces the consequences of his actions. He is the municipal secretary in charge of planning and development(P20). He is accused alongside Hon. Ted of supplying air. Their companies bill the municipal council huge sums of money every month but they do not render any services. This illegality is exposed on the Samaritan app(P24). Springing to his feet with clenched fists, Seymour declares that no one can write that kind of stuff about him. In a trembling voice, he says that those are fake documents and declares war against those behind the allegations(P25). He suggests that they think creatively about a way to stop the Samaritans App(P27), or the need to rely on Justice Jaden should the matter escalate to court(P29). He also suggests that they persuade Alvita and Montano to drop the matter(P30) or simply use public money from the municipal fund through reallocation of budget line items to fight the cases(P32-33). This money, according to Ted, could be used to take care of investigators, lawyers prosecutors and judges(P33). Seymour makes it clear that the money will be used to fight off cases against them, but they can justify the relocation on the ostensible need to fix the problem of the terrible waste disposal system, which is a serious health hazard(P33). This is illegal. Seymour was elected as a poor and jigger-infested hoodlum but now he lives like a king in grandiose villas and drives swanky cars thanks to stealing public money(P35). In the department of planning and development, he is behind the protracted delays in the issue of building approvals, and one needs to part with dollars in order to get building plans. They rotten inspectorate unit under him approves improper buildings as long as you part with dollars(P66). His law degree was printed downtown(P66). He also leads the murderous Black Swan Gang which is responsible for shootings and violence and disappearance of people. Seymour takes part in the selling of narcotics and this has ruined the lives of many people(P67). As a result, his eldest son is always at the rehab, the other one is always inebriated at the casino and the wife is a perpetual drunk(P70). He faces the consequences of his actions when he is arrested by Tajo, the head of the Anti-corruption Bureau. He shuffles on his feet in confusion when the policeman introduces himself. He is handcuffed by uniformed police officers, bundled out and escorted to the anti-corruption headquarters(P138). Clearly, an ethical people cannot escape from the ramifications of their misdeeds.

Ramdaye, the deputy mayor, is a leader that takes part in dishonest deeds but eventually pays for his imprudence. Despite being a leader, Ramdaye is a notorious swindler. He sells Bembe public land that belongs to Maracas University. That is how he has earned his livelihood for all these years. He has ruined the lives of countless people through his greed(P42). Only his companies and those of his relatives win tenders for the road construction, construction of bridges, drains and water courses. They misappropriate the funds and do a shoddy job(P63). Ramdaye also swindles people by printing ten title deeds for the same plot and selling it to ten different people(P63). He is a corrupt and dishonest leader since he is bribed by Ivy in order to keep mum about the rodent gate affair. He is also made a shareholder of Prime Orchard Limited. Eventually, he faces the consequences of his actions when he is arrested by Tajo, who is in charge of anti-corruption. Ramdaye shuffles around on his feet in confusion before two uniformed officers handcuff him and bundle him out of the room. Truly, one cannot escape from the consequences of their actions.

In conclusion, it is clear to see that when one engages in unethical acts for example corruption, gang involvement, nepotism etc. they cannot escape punishment. Ultimately, they pay for their sins.

Those who unite only for selfish reasons are bound to fail. Making reference to John Lara’s The Samaritan , write an essay to support this statement.

Some people only come together for the common purpose of pursuing their selfish interests. Such people are always unsuccessful in achieving their goal. In The Samaritan , Mossi and other leaders only unite in an effort save their skins from the exposé on The Samaritan app in order to avoid possible conviction but their meetings end in disarray and ultimately they fail to achieve their common goal.

Mayor Mossi unites with other key leaders in the municipal administration with the aim of saving their skins in the wake of damaging revelations about them in the media but this unity proves futile in the long run. The mayor convenes an urgent meeting when he learns that the leaders had been exposed on the Samaritan app and newspapers such as “The Insight” whose headline screams: ‘Rot in Maracas   Municipal Council Exposed’(P21). Mossi refused to launch the Samaritan app when he figured out the innovation may be a problem for the leaders(P23). The app can be used to expose corruption and other vices and agitate for prosecution of the culprits(P23). The main aim of this unity is to attempt to avert possible prosecution and conviction. Seymour suggests that they have a conversation with those posting on the app and pay them to stop(P24). He also suggests that Jaden helps them in case the issue escalates to court.   Mossi insist that they must work together since they all have some skeletons in the closet(P29). Seymour insists they should mobilize enough money to fight any impending cases(P31). He avers that they should get their money from the municipal fund and Ted says they can use it to pay investigators, lawyers, prosecutors, and judges(P33). He says they could justify the reallocation by claiming it would be used to fix the waste disposal system which poses a health hazard but Mossi dismisses him saying it was against the law. The meeting degenerates into a spat pitting Mossi against Ted and Seymour. They accuse each other of several crimes. Seymour and Ted threaten to hound Mossi out of office but he cautions them that he is “The smoke that thunders”. Eventually, they fail to stop the Samaritan app or the prosecution since they are arrested in the long run. Clearly, coming together for selfish reasons bears no fruit.

Mossi brings together his dependable allies so that they could agree on the handling of the Samaritan crisis which had snowballed into a huge nightmare for them (P37) but this unity of convenience proves futile. Mossi, Bembe and Harvester meets in the Jungle room at the Madingo Golf Club. Each one of them is accused of many misdeeds and the purpose of their unity is to try and escape the dragnet. Bembe is accused of countless cases of corruption, violation of human rights, drug peddling and extortion(P38). Harvester is accused of many crimes of abuse of office including doing letters banning the use of apps and directing the ICT officer to take steps against suspect apps(P38). On the other hand, Mossi is accused of many crimes particularly municipal capture which is the worst form of corruption and abuse of office where private interests determine the direction of public policy(P39). Harvester is also accused of using public funds to purchase all newspapers following Mossi orders(P40). “The Caribbean Watch” newspaper alleges that Bembe’s hotel and home are built on Maracas University   land and a lobby group is moving to court to have the land restored back to the university(P40). He is also accused of being a member of Ghettoboyz gang which robs people. He has further converted the municipal police force into his personal outfit for collecting bribes and his hotel which is now dubbed ‘Motorists Highway Hotel’ was built with bribes collected from motorists(P41). This trio convenes for several selfish reasons: Saving Bembe’s land from his repossession, saving Mossi from being ejected from office through a vote of no confidence, and escaping retribution following the exposure on the Samaritan app. They plan to arrange for press conferences to give the impression that the municipal council is running normally(P43). The most important and urgent problem according to Mossi is dealing with the vote of no confidence in him(P43). They raise a number of solutions including arresting the sponsors of the motion, stopping the move in court, mobilizing Mossi’s political base to defeat the motion on the floor, and funding gangs - Red Eagle Network and Ghettoboyz - and undercover police officers to disrupt the meeting at the municipal headquarters(P44-47). They plan to deal with the Samaritan by either talking to Ms Nicole or blackmailing her by accusing her of stealing school property including a computer or a generator(P47). They also plan to talk to Jaden to jail Ramdaye, Seymour and Ted(P47). They fail terribly. They are unable to stop the Samaritan, the judge dismisses Nicole’s case and sets her free(P100), Bembe is badly embarrassed when the fools he sent to steal the generator are unsuccessful in their endeavour, and he has been summoned to the headquarters in the capital by his bosses. The vote of no confidence is still on as Ramdaye and his group are regrouping to have a massive rally at Atobold stadium(P101). Also, the Anti-Corruption Investigation Bureau is on to them(P102). Ultimately, they fail to stop the prosecutions as they are all arrested. Surely, coming together only for selfish reasons is pointless.

Hon Ramdaye, Hon Seymour and Hon Ted also meet to mobilize the entire municipal council to pass the no confidence motion against Mayor Mossi(P75). Ramdaye was also in talks with Basdeo who was is to work with them(P80). The purpose of this unity is to form a coalition for their own selfish reasons and also to avoid prosecution after being exposed on the Samaritan app. They meet in the Sky Room at the Madingo golf club. Seymour and Ted are accused of supplying air; there is public outcry over companies that bill the municipal council huge sums of money every month but do not render any services. These companies are linked to Seymour and Ted(P24). In order to fight the impending prosecution, Seymour suggests that through a reallocation of budget line items, they get money from the municipal fund. Ted says the fund can be used to take care of the investigators, lawyers, prosecutors and judges(P32). They end up disagreeing with Mossi who accuses them of notoriety over misallocation of funds: from regular travels with enhanced allowances, sitting allowances of unnecessary committee meetings, to loans, and mortgages(P34). Seymour and Mossi trade accusations over questionable deeds committed by either of them. Seymour insists that Mossi approves the supplementary budget or be ejected out of office(P35). This group is meeting to advance the no confidence motion. Ted is tasked with talking to councillors and Aldermen   to seek their support. Basdeo is interested in forming a coalition with the trio and all members of the mixed ethnicity. His condition is that when Seymour becomes mayor, he should immediately appoint him the deputy mayor(P80). The group is planning to have a massive rally on Wednesday at the Atobold Stadium to rally the people against Mossi. Their alliance is a big failure since Ted is on the phone all night but gets very little support from the councillors and aldermen (P76). Even after canvassing, his overall assessment is that the situation is not very good. It is difficult to know which direction the vote would go(P79). The rally does not take place and they also fail to stop the Samaritan. They are arrested by Tajo, the head of Anti-Corruption investigations Bureau.   They are all handcuffed bundled out and escorted to the anti-corruption headquarters for questioning. Indeed, uniting for selfish reasons is bound to end up in failure.

Mossi and Bembe come together with Jaden with a view to fight back against Ramdaye and company who are trying to remove Mossi from office but this unity is fruitless in the end. Mossi desperately tries to stop the move to eject him from office. He manages to send his goons from Red Eagle Network to abort a meeting of the conspirators at the municipal headquarters and plans to use the same method to stop a rally his enemies are planning(P101). When he leads the Anti-Corruption Investigation Bureau is also involved, he posits that Justice Jaden holds the key out of the mess. He intends to use the grain scandal to make the stiff-necked judge to cooperate(P102). Mossi informs Jaden that he needs him to help him initiate cases against Ramdaye and his team quickly and secure convictions as soon as possible, preferably in a day, in order to derail the plan to remove him from office(P103). Bembe adds that the judiciary is core in dealing with The Samaritan and Mossi is willing to grease Jaden's palm(P104). Jaden is unwilling to play ball but they force his hand by alluding to the rats and other rodents scandal. They remind Jaden that he is also in the mess just like they, thanks to The Samaritan. They remind him of how rats were reared in Prime Orchard Farm and released into corn and rice fields(P105). The idea was to undermine the domestic production in order to increase demand for imported grains because Prime Orchard Farm was one of the largest corn importers in Maracas (P107). Mossi blackmails Jaden into an alliance with them by ordering Bembe to arrest the owners of Prime Orchard Farm(P105). Jaden and his mistress Ivy own the company as shareholders. Mossi and Bembe will only spare him on condition that he convicts Ramdaye and Basdeo for the involvement in the grain scandal and he jails Ted and Seymour for supplying air to the municipal council(P112). All this is a selfish attempt to stop his removal from office and possible conviction. They fail eventually since as much as Jaden eventually agrees to work with them, their union bears no fruit since they fail to stop activities of The Samaritan and are arrested by the anti-corruption boss Tajo. They are handcuffed and manhandled by two uniformed officers accompanying Tajo(P138). Surely, uniting in pursuit of selfish goals is clearly futile.

Justice Jaden sets up a meeting with Harvester for his own selfish reasons but he fails in the end.  He is in a mess and it concerns The Samaritan(P114). He insists that they must find a way of helping each other since each of them is in hot soup(P115). Mossi has instructed the municipal council to file cases against Ramdaye, Seymour, Ted and Basdeo in order to forestall the vote of no confidence(P115). Jaden is in a dilemma because he is also entangled in the case(P116). He made a biased ruling and was paid using shares of a company the municipal council is suing. Jaden proposes an alternative dispute resolution. He says that Mayor Mossi, Basdeo and others come together to talk to one another since none of them is clean. He suggests that they secure a truce in order to deal with The Samaritan as a united force(P118-119). The leaders meet at the Chamber of the principal judge for a meeting convened by Jaden purposely to save their skins from the Samaritan(P120). Each of them is exposed on The Samaritan for engaging in a number of crimes. The leaders fail to agree on the real problems facing them and most of them give selfish responses, for example: Mossi says the problem is his impending removal from office, Seymour talks of Mossi’s refusal to give them municipal funds, Harvester blames the Samaritan, Bembe talks about the school kids, Basdeo alludes to the skeletons in the closet while Jaden says the problem is the risk of persecution(P121). The leaders come up with several suggestions in pursuit of redemption for example double jeopardy, temporal halting of the use of The Samaritan app(P123) and even offering Nicole a powerful position in the municipality(P125). Jaden is picked to speak to Nicole on their behalf(P127). To their dismay, their plan is unsuccessful since Nicole declines to take up the position of director general(P134-137). She says they don’t need new laws, positions, or offices but a change of heart or spirit among the people and especially the leaders. She blames the leaders for breaking the law and pursuing the selfish interests at the expense of their people(P137). A commotion ensues when the anti-corruption chief walks in. Their ploy fails because they cannot not stop The Samaritan despite their best efforts instead they are arrested and frog marched to the anti-corruption headquarters for questioning. When people unite for the sole purpose of securing their selfish needs they fail.

In conclusion, coming together for selfish reasons is pointless. The self-seeking leaders come together for their own selfish reasons but they fail. Despite their endeavour, their chickens come home to roost.

Change can be initiated through the effort of ordinary citizens. Closely referring to Nicole in The Samaritan by John Lara, write an essay to support this statement.

Some people may come off as normal and not different or special in any way. However, through their determined attempts such people are capable of bringing change. In John Lara’s The Samaritan, Nicole, a simple teacher, ignites change in Maracas Municipality when she midwifes the idea of The Samaritan app.

Ms Nicole inspires Alvita in Montano to invent the Samaritan app, an innovation that helps to institute change in Maracas Municipality. She is the teacher in charge of innovation and a mentor to the two students(P55). She midwifes the students’ idea and also guides them, in her role as a teacher and a mentor(P56). Alvita and Montano are to be awarded a prize for creating the winning innovation at the Secondary Schools’ National Innovation Competition(P1). The official launch is graced by the mayor Mossi-oa-Tunya, other distinguished leaders, members of the school board, the principal and teachers(P2). Nicole’s efforts in mentoring the students who invented The Samaritan app is invaluable since the innovation can be useful in initiating change by protecting the environment. People can provide details of the location and people involved in illegal activities that degrade the environment by sharing photos and videos. Officials can then log in and see the reports(P11). The Samaritan can also bring about change by ensuring proper use of public resources. People can share information about the municipal procurement process that is what the municipal is procuring, how the tenders are awarded, who wins the tenders et cetera. This can bring change since the information is pigeonholed with the Crimes and Integrity Commission(P12). Ordinary people volunteer information that advances public good(P13). Although the mayor declines to launch The Samaritan, it will still be launched by the president when schools reopen(P16). The app was assessed by senior officials at the Ministry of Education together with experienced software engineers and given a clean bill of health(P17). Although it was the brainchild of the two school children guided by Ms. Nicole, the ethics and innovations teacher, it has been taken over by the National Information and Communication Technology Corporation(P18). Indeed, the efforts of ordinary citizens can bring about change.

As a result of Ms Nicole’s effort, the Samaritan app is used by the people to expose the rot in the municipality and help in prosecution of the culprits and this sends the leaders into a panic. People can share information on the conduct of municipal affairs(P23). It is also used in promoting public good by exposing corruption and other vices and agitating for the prosecution of the culprits(P23). It has been used to expose vices such as supply of air, drug trafficking, grabbing public land, inflation of cost of municipal projects, use of proxies to secure tenders, undertaking shoddy public works, murder and gang warfare. The information on the people and companies involved is very detailed(P25). The information includes the culprit’s personal details for example the lifestyles of the individual municipal leaders, where they live and the properties they own like houses, vehicles and businesses(P26). A lobby group, comprising of lawyers, called The Samaritans is calling upon people to volunteer as witnesses and helping the prosecution of those involved in corruption and abuse of office. They are also trying to petition the local government minister, the prime minister and the chief justice to take action(P26-27). Because of Ms Nicole’s tireless effort, people have an excellent platform to expose corrupt leaders, leading to their prosecution and conviction. Surely, change can be instigated through the efforts of ordinary people like Ms Nicole.

Ms Nicole’s effort help the reporters and editors in the mainstream media to gather enough information on the municipal leaders setting in motion the wheels of change. The focus of the local newspapers is on the municipal leaders and the stories are extremely damaging(P21-22). Mossi asks Harvester to buy all newspapers from the vendors as early as possible for it was in their best interest. Newspapers like The Caribbean Watch, The Seninel, The Insight and The Spotlight all talk about the municipal council as a criminal enterprise, the leaders being stripped naked, the rot in the municipality and a call for imprisonment of the leaders. Such headlines have been published every day for the last one month. Ted wonders if such headlines are unusual, Jaden suggests that they should give the reporters more boxes of chocolates while Bembe avers that they should threaten some of them. The Samaritan app is the source of the information in the newspapers(P22). There is a damaging story about Harvester in the newspaper about the misuse of public funds when Mossi instructed him to buy all newspapers using public funds. The Sentinel highlights a vicious  duel between Mossi and Seymour. The Caribbean Watch has damaging information about Bembe. They claim his hotel and his home are built on public land, he is a member of Ghettoboyz,  a shadowy gang that robs people, he has converted the municipal police force into his own personal outfit and he collects bribes from motorists(P40-41). All this information in the mainstream media is sourced from the Samaritan app. It is through Ms Nicole’s effort that such rot is exposed. Surely, ordinary people can be agents of change through their tireless endeavor.

Ms Nicole initiates change in Maracas Municipality through her lessons on morality, ethics and the perils of disobedience at Sagrada Secondary School . She is the ethics and innovation teacher at the school(P3). She always does what she thinks is rights(P18). Teachers like Ms Nicole try their best to mold the characters of their learners. They teach them to uphold the moral and civic virtues without which society can never prosper, be fair, just and peaceful. She teaches them virtues of honesty, truthfulness, generosity, integrity and transparency. This can help bring change since it is the lack of virtue that is ruining the society. Teachers also strive to develop virtuous creative thinkers and innovators(P72). She also teaches the learners to be organized. She tells her learners that everything has to be well-organized and neat since a disorganized mind cannot plan. She teaches her class about the heart having two spirits - the good and the bad. The good spirit obeys while the bad spirit disobeys and leads to destruction(P87-88). She cautions the students about the perils of disobedience. The fall of Jerusalem and the temple were as a result of the people disobeying the Creator. This happened in the Ancient Near East in 587 BC(P90). The acts of disobedience in society today include corruption, murder, theft, lies and sexual perversion(P90). The evil spirit is prevalent in society today and Maracas Municipality is undergoing destruction as a result of lack of drugs in hospitals because of theft, bribery in the police force and travesty of justice in the law courts(P91). Ms Nicole asks the students to reject the spirit of the beast and resist all those being controlled by this spirit since consequences of disobedience are inescapable for both the society and the individual who disobeys(P91). Ms Nicole’s effort to guide the learners to be morally upright is laudable. This will help change the behaviour of the citizens of Maracas Municipality. Indeed, efforts of ordinary people can cause change in the society.

Nicole’s effort jolts the leaders into talking about change in the municipality. Ms Nicole is an ordinary teacher but she wields massive influence because of her determined effort. Mossi visits her in school and begs her to help him regarding The Samaritan. Bembe also tries to intimidate her by arresting her on trumped up charges of stealing the school generator and disobeying authorities. People from all walks of life including touts and hawkers show up to support Nicole when she is arrested. They were mobilized through the Samaritan app. Nicole is a force to reckon with since people displayed the solidarity never before witnessed in Maracas Municipality. Bembe is also summoned by his bosses for this folly. Bembe and Mossi later visit Nicole and apologise. Nicole rejects Ted’s offer of a golden ring. The leaders now claim that there is need for drastic change. Ms Nicole says that her role in the new order is that she owes the municipality and the country is civic duty. She is ready to work with patriotic citizens to enhance transparency and accountability(P133). Mossi claims that the municipality was going to embrace change whereby public resources will never be stolen, justice will be served, police will stand with the innocent and law makers will promote public interest(P133-134). Due to Nicole’s influence, she is offered a new position as the director general in the municipal council where she will be a consultant with oversight powers over all the departments in the municipality and will be answerable only to the mayor(P135). Nicole says that they do not need new offices or positions. She says that the change they desire is the change of heart and spirit among the people but mostly among the leaders(P135). That is taking responsibility for the well-being of the municipality and abiding by the laws(P135-136). She blames the leaders for being interested in personal gains, dipping their fingers into the public till and breaching the law. When the leaders are arrested, Alvita echoes Nicole’s sentiments that you can never escape from the consequences of your actions(P138). Surely, an ordinary person’s effort can initiate change in society.

Lastly, Ms Nicole champions for change when she advises her students to ape the Samaritan in the Good Book by standing up for a cause that can bring a better tomorrow for all of them(P52). When the Samaritan saw the injured Jew, despite holding a different view on religion and the hostility that existed between Jews and Samaritans, he treated the man with compassion, dressed his wounds and took him to a safe place. This is unlike the priest and the Levite who did not stop to help the man. Ms Nicole rightly posits that the leaders and public officials cannot come to the aid of the people. They are like the priest and the Levite who ignored the injured Jew. They talk about pursuing public interest but they are not committed. They are shepherds who have turned against the sheep. Ms Nicole points out that it is up to all of them, ordinary citizens, without any claim to any office, to be one another’s keepers and to take care of one another(P51). Ordinary citizens can be there for one another through the Samaritan app which is an excellent platform(P51). It gives everyone an opportunity to speak out against wrongdoing, share ideas that would make life better, do the right thing and take responsibility for the progress of the municipality. She assures Alvita and Montano that the Samaritan will change the course of history and urges them to strive to improve their lives and not chicken out at every obstacle or threat(P52). Surely, through the efforts of ordinary people we can witness change.

In conclusion, ordinary people like Nicole can institute change. She inspires others like Alvita, Montano, the reporters and editors, the hawkers and touts to agitate for change. Although she is a simple teacher, she is a beacon of change in Maracas Municipality.

Using public funds to enrich oneself cannot bring true happiness. Write an essay in support of this statement, citing illustrations from John Lara's The Samaritan.

Some people use money meant to be invested in the public sector to make themselves wealthy or wealthier. This does not give them the fulfilling or satisfying feeling that comes with true happiness. They may have the riches but they lack the peace and harmony of body, mind and soul. In The Samaritan by John Lara, leaders like Ted and Seymour use public funds to enrich themselves but this does not give them true happiness.

Jaden uses public funds to enrich himself but this does not give him true happiness. Justice Ian Jaden is the principal judge in Maracas Municipality. He has countless mistresses and relatives doing business with the municipal council(P69). Together with his mistress Ivy, he is involved in the grain scandal. He uses his position to compel Mossi to award Ivy a contract for killing rats and other rodents ravaging rice and cornfields in the municipality(P106). His company, Prime Orchard Farm, was rearing rats which were let loose into the farms. They would then kill and parade some but the whole idea was to undermine domestic production in order to increase demand for imported grains. Prime Orchard Farm is one of the largest corn importers in the municipality(P107). To Jaden, using his public office to amass a fortune for himself seemed a normal thing since everybody else was doing it. Litigants gave him money and he ruled kisses in their favour. It worked and he accumulated wealth. He looked forward to retiring soon and enjoying the fruits of his labour. He is like the foolish rich man in the good book who also prepared to retire and enjoy his wealth(P112). Instead of enjoying, he suffers. He holds his stomach with both hands while bending down. He suffers from stomach ulcers and hallucinations. Mossi wants him to jail Ramdaye and his team but this puts Jaden in a dilemma because he helped some friends by making a biased ruling and they paid him by giving him shares in a company the municipal council is suing. He claims the ethos operating in society influences his thinking and action as a judge(P116). He does not enjoy true happiness even after amassing wealth. He has been tormented by the issue of the rodents. He has been seeing rats and other rodents running all over the place and he has been catching the awful smell of sewer rats which makes him want to throw up. His stomach aches. His ulcers have since worsened(P117). Justice Jaden crouches under the boardroom table when accosted by Tajo, the anti-corruption boss(P138). Together with others, he is handcuffed and bundled out by the police officers(P139). Truly, true happiness cannot be found by stealing public wealth.

Bembe also uses public funds to make himself wealthy but this does not give him satisfaction or fulfillment. People are wondering where he got the money to put up Madingo Golf Club. He is shocked when he learns that people know it belongs to him having kept his private affairs discreet(P26). He says that this is his worst nightmare. This exposé comes at a time when he had just finished putting up his hotel and is as broke as a church mouse(P31). He informs Mossi and Harvester about the high likelihood of his untimely death anytime soon(P38). He found out from The Samaritan that he is accused of corruption, violation of human rights, drug peddling and extortion. This gives him the willies - a strong feeling of nervous discomfort - and his blood sugar is not good. At one point he drifted into a coma(P38). His hotel and home are also built on public land - Maracas University land. A lobby group is moving to court to have it restored back to the university (P40). With a dreadful expression on his face, Bembe says that that would be a very unfortunate joke(P40). He breathes heavily and trembles. He also gets a little bit hard of hearing. He had put all his life savings into the hotel and home since he is retiring in a few months time(P41). The hotel was built with bribes collected from motorists. The municipal police force is his personal outfit for collecting bribes from the guilty and innocent alike. The officers do not enforce law and order. They collect bribes for Bembe(P41). His foiled attempt to intimidate Nicole puts him in more trouble. She is acquitted but he is summoned to the capital by his bosses to explain the folly(P100). He tells Mossi that they are doomed. He prefers to die than be an inmate or a homeless person. His stomach has been running since The Samaritan came to town. He cannot last a week in prison since he is diabetic(P99). He has run out of ideas and wants to flee into the mountains, dig a hole and live there(P100). He does not enjoy his ill-gotten wealth since he is eventually arrested by the anti corruption police. He staggers and almost falls as he seeks cover but he is still handcuffed and bundled out like a criminal. Indeed, stealing public wealth causes misery not true happiness.

Seymour, the secretary in charge of planning and development, uses public funds to enrich himself but this does not give him true happiness. Mossi calls him a senseless thief. He was elected just the other day as a poor and jigger-infested hoodlum. Now he is living like a king in grandiose villas and mansions, eating delicacies in classy hotels and driving state-of-the-art vehicles. He cannot justify his current financial status. Mossi wonders who doesn’t know that he has stolen the money(P35). Seymour is accused of supplying air to the municipal council. Their companies bill the municipal council huge sums of money every month without rendering any services(P24). To cover up, he suggests they get money from the municipal fund through reallocation of budget line items(P33). They could use the problem of the waste disposal system which is in a terrible state to justify the reallocation but use the money to fight against the prosecution(P33). In the past, he has misused public funds through regular travel with enhanced allowances, sitting allowances for unnecessary committee meetings, loans and mortgages(P34). In his department of planning and development, one has to part with dollars to get building approval. The inspectorate unit under him is also riddled with corruption(P66). Seymour does not get true happiness from his illicitly acquired wealth. His eldest child is always at rehab, the other one is inebriated permanently at the casino and the wife is total garbage and a perpetual drunk(P70). He is also arrested by the anti-corruption police. He is handcuffed and bundled out of the room. Surely, ill-gotten wealth can never be a source of true happiness.

Ted King acquires wealth illegally by stealing public funds but this does not bring him true happiness. Mossi calls him a senseless thief. Ted is the secretary, Department of Health and environment. He was elected just the other day as a poor and jigger-infested hoodlum. Now he lives in grandiose villas and mansions like a king, indulging in delicacies in classy hotels and drives state-of-the-art vehicles. He cannot justify his financial status. He stole public money(P35). He is accused alongside Seymour of supplying air to the municipal council. Their companies bill the municipal council huge sums of money without rendering any service(P24). He supports Seymour’s suggestion of using municipal funds to take care of investigators, lawyers, prosecutors and judges(P33). He is infamous for forcing Mossi to misuse public funds for regular travel with enhanced allowances , sitting allowances   for unnecessary committee meetings, loans and mortgages(P34). Despite having stolen a lot of public funds, he cannot raise a meaningful amount to fight the cases that may be brought up against them(P31). Ted is accused of “eating” a whole hospital. He ensured his companies and those of his friends won the tenders for bids for construction of health centres. He stole all the money budgeted for health centres and put up site offices that looked like cowsheds(P64). Ted is now sickly despite accumulating wealth illegally(P65). When he offers Nicole a golden ring, she declines and says that she doesn't wear them. This is awkward and embarrassing (P132). Ted is later arrested by the anti-corruption police. Indeed, stealing public funds to make one wealthy does not make one truly happy.

Lastly, Mossi also enriches himself using proceeds of corruption but this does not make him truly happy. Seymour tells Mossi that he will never get away with the crimes committed under his watch. He says that Mossi knows how much he has stolen(P34). When he learns that people can use the app to share information about the municipal procurement process, he scratches his head thoughtfully, sips some water and turns uncertainly towards the school principal and then Harvester. Mossi refuses to launch the app(P21) and convenes   a meeting of key leaders to fight the app instead because the information posted casts the leaders in bad light(P23). Mossi admits that all the leaders have some skeletons in their closet(P29). In the past, he has conceded to endless demands of misallocation of public funds ranging from regular travel with enhanced allowances, sitting allowances for unnecessary committee meetings, loans and mortgages(P34). He temporarily loses consciousness when he learns that his deputy, Seymour and Ted are working to bundle him out of office. He fears they will send him to prison. He sees Baneta Express Prison any time he closes his eyes. He can even smell the revolting stench in the cells though he has never been there(P33). Mossi is accused of many crimes including municipal capture, which is the worst form of corruption and abuse of office in which once private interests determine the direction of public policy.   Mossi is forced to own up his mistakes and seek understanding and help from Ms Nicole, a simple school teacher(P60). He even offers her and the students a bribe in his desperation(P61). Mossi admits that he steals public wealth when he says that a loaf of bread for the people comes through him and he takes three slices for himself because he is part of the people(P69). He is also accused of inflating costs of municipal projects and presiding over shoddy municipal works(P61). He is forced to apologize to Nicole for treading on her toes(P132). He is also humiliated when she turns down the offer of the prestigious position of director general in the municipal council(P135). When confronted by the police officers arresting them, he tries to hide behind Nicole(P138). Clearly, stealing public funds to make one wealthy does not bring true happiness or satisfaction.

In conclusion, those who steal public funds do not find joy or fulfillment, instead they constantly worry about how they can protect their ill-gotten wealth.

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Using public resources to enrich oneself cannot bring happiness " . Write an essay in support of this statement citing illustrations from John Lara's ' The Samarian '

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It’s the roadmap to your essay, it’s the forecast for your argument, it’s...your introduction paragraph, and writing one can feel pretty intimidating. The introduction paragraph is a part of just about every kind of academic writing , from persuasive essays to research papers. But that doesn’t mean writing one is easy!

If trying to write an intro paragraph makes you feel like a Muggle trying to do magic, trust us: you aren’t alone. But there are some tips and tricks that can make the process easier—and that’s where we come in.

In this article, we’re going to explain how to write a captivating intro paragraph by covering the following info:  

• A discussion of what an introduction paragraph is and its purpose in an essay
• An overview of the most effective introduction paragraph format, with explanations of the three main parts of an intro paragraph
• An analysis of real intro paragraph examples, with a discussion of what works and what doesn’t
• A list of four top tips on how to write an introduction paragraph

Are you ready? Let’s begin!

What Is an Introduction Paragraph? 

An introduction paragraph is the first paragraph of an essay , paper, or other type of academic writing. Argumentative essays , book reports, research papers, and even personal  essays are common types of writing that require an introduction paragraph. Whether you’re writing a research paper for a science course or an argumentative essay for English class , you’re going to have to write an intro paragraph. 

So what’s the purpose of an intro paragraph? As a reader’s first impression of your essay, the intro paragraph should introduce the topic of your paper. 

Your introduction will also state any claims, questions, or issues that your paper will focus on. This is commonly known as your paper’s thesis . This condenses the overall point of your paper into one or two short sentences that your reader can come back and reference later.

But intro paragraphs need to do a bit more than just introduce your topic. An intro paragraph is also supposed to grab your reader’s attention. The intro paragraph is your chance to provide just enough info and intrigue to make your reader say, “Hey, this topic sounds interesting. I think I’ll keep reading this essay!” That can help your essay stand out from the crowd.

In most cases, an intro paragraph will be relatively short. A good intro will be clear, brief, purposeful, and focused. While there are some exceptions to this rule, it’s common for intro paragraphs to consist of three to five sentences . 

Effectively introducing your essay’s topic, purpose, and getting your reader invested in your essay sounds like a lot to ask from one little paragraph, huh? In the next section, we’ll demystify the intro paragraph format by breaking it down into its core parts . When you learn how to approach each part of an intro, writing one won’t seem so scary!

Once you figure out the three parts of an intro paragraph, writing one will be a piece of cake!

The 3 Main Parts of an Intro Paragraph

In general, an intro paragraph is going to have three main parts: a hook, context, and a thesis statement . Each of these pieces of the intro plays a key role in acquainting the reader with the topic and purpose of your essay. 

Below, we’ll explain how to start an introduction paragraph by writing an effective hook, providing context, and crafting a thesis statement. When you put these elements together, you’ll have an intro paragraph that does a great job of making a great first impression on your audience!

Intro Paragraph Part 1: The Hook

When it comes to how to start an introduction paragraph, o ne of the most common approaches is to start with something called a hook. 

What does hook mean here, though? Think of it this way: it’s like when you start a new Netflix series: you look up a few hours (and a few episodes) later and you say, “Whoa. I guess I must be hooked on this show!” 

That’s how the hook is supposed to work in an intro paragrap h: it should get your reader interested enough that they don’t want to press the proverbial “pause” button while they’re reading it . In other words, a hook is designed to grab your reader’s attention and keep them reading your essay! 

This means that the hook comes first in the intro paragraph format—it’ll be the opening sentence of your intro. 

It’s important to realize  that there are many different ways to write a good hook. But generally speaking, hooks must include these two things: what your topic is, and the angle you’re taking on that topic in your essay. 

One approach to writing a hook that works is starting with a general, but interesting, statement on your topic. In this type of hook, you’re trying to provide a broad introduction to your topic and your angle on the topic in an engaging way . 

For example, if you’re writing an essay about the role of the government in the American healthcare system, your hook might look something like this: 

There's a growing movement to require that the federal government provide affordable, effective healthcare for all Americans. 

This hook introduces the essay topic in a broad way (government and healthcare) by presenting a general statement on the topic. But the assumption presented in the hook can also be seen as controversial, which gets readers interested in learning more about what the writer—and the essay—has to say.

In other words, the statement above fulfills the goals of a good hook: it’s intriguing and provides a general introduction to the essay topic.

Intro Paragraph Part 2: Context

Once you’ve provided an attention-grabbing hook, you’ll want to give more context about your essay topic. Context refers to additional details that reveal the specific focus of your paper. So, whereas the hook provides a general introduction to your topic, context starts helping readers understand what exactly you’re going to be writing about

You can include anywhere from one to several sentences of context in your intro, depending on your teacher’s expectations, the length of your paper, and complexity of your topic. In these context-providing sentences, you want to begin narrowing the focus of your intro. You can do this by describing a specific issue or question about your topic that you’ll address in your essay. It also helps readers start to understand why the topic you’re writing about matters and why they should read about it. 

So, what counts as context for an intro paragraph? Context can be any important details or descriptions that provide background on existing perspectives, common cultural attitudes, or a specific situation or controversy relating to your essay topic. The context you include should acquaint your reader with the issues, questions, or events that motivated you to write an essay on your topic...and that your reader should know in order to understand your thesis. 

For instance, if you’re writing an essay analyzing the consequences of sexism in Hollywood, the context you include after your hook might make reference to the #metoo and #timesup movements that have generated public support for victims of sexual harassment. 

The key takeaway here is that context establishes why you’re addressing your topic and what makes it important. It also sets you up for success on the final piece of an intro paragraph: the thesis statement.

Elle Woods' statement offers a specific point of view on the topic of murder...which means it could serve as a pretty decent thesis statement!

Intro Paragraph Part 3: The Thesis

The final key part of how to write an intro paragraph is the thesis statement. The thesis statement is the backbone of your introduction: it conveys your argument or point of view on your topic in a clear, concise, and compelling way . The thesis is usually the last sentence of your intro paragraph. 

Whether it’s making a claim, outlining key points, or stating a hypothesis, your thesis statement will tell your reader exactly what idea(s) are going to be addressed in your essay. A good thesis statement will be clear, straightforward, and highlight the overall point you’re trying to make.

Some instructors also ask students to include an essay map as part of their thesis. An essay map is a section that outlines the major topics a paper will address. So for instance, say you’re writing a paper that argues for the importance of public transport in rural communities. Your thesis and essay map might look like this: 

Having public transport in rural communities helps people improve their economic situation by giving them reliable transportation to their job, reducing the amount of money they spend on gas, and providing new and unionized work .

The underlined section is the essay map because it touches on the three big things the writer will talk about later. It literally maps out the rest of the essay!

So let’s review: Your thesis takes the idea you’ve introduced in your hook and context and wraps it up. Think of it like a television episode: the hook sets the scene by presenting a general statement and/or interesting idea that sucks you in. The context advances the plot by describing the topic in more detail and helping readers understand why the topic is important. And finally, the thesis statement provides the climax by telling the reader what you have to say about the topic. 

The thesis statement is the most important part of the intro. Without it, your reader won’t know what the purpose of your essay is! And for a piece of writing to be effective, it needs to have a clear purpose. Your thesis statement conveys that purpose , so it’s important to put careful thought into writing a clear and compelling thesis statement. 

How To Write an Introduction Paragraph: Example and Analysis

Now that we’ve provided an intro paragraph outline and have explained the three key parts of an intro paragraph, let’s take a look at an intro paragraph in action.

To show you how an intro paragraph works, we’ve included a sample introduction paragraph below, followed by an analysis of its strengths and weaknesses.

Example of Introduction Paragraph

While college students in the U.S. are struggling with how to pay for college, there is another surprising demographic that’s affected by the pressure to pay for college: families and parents. In the face of tuition price tags that total more than $100,000 (as a low estimate), families must make difficult decisions about how to save for their children’s college education. Charting a feasible path to saving for college is further complicated by the FAFSA’s estimates for an “Expected Family Contribution”—an amount of money that is rarely feasible for most American families. Due to these challenging financial circumstances and cultural pressure to give one’s children the best possible chance of success in adulthood, many families are going into serious debt to pay for their children’s college education. The U.S. government should move toward bearing more of the financial burden of college education. 

Example of Introduction Paragraph: Analysis

Before we dive into analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of this example intro paragraph, let’s establish the essay topic. The sample intro indicates that t he essay topic will focus on one specific issue: who should cover the cost of college education in the U.S., and why. Both the hook and the context help us identify the topic, while the thesis in the last sentence tells us why this topic matters to the writer—they think the U.S. Government needs to help finance college education. This is also the writer’s argument, which they’ll cover in the body of their essay. 

Now that we’ve identified the essay topic presented in the sample intro, let’s dig into some analysis. To pin down its strengths and weaknesses, we’re going to use the following three questions to guide our example of introduction paragraph analysis: 

• Does this intro provide an attention-grabbing opening sentence that conveys the essay topic? 
• Does this intro provide relevant, engaging context about the essay topic? 
• Does this intro provide a thesis statement that establishes the writer’s point of view on the topic and what specific aspects of the issue the essay will address? 

Now, let’s use the questions above to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of this sample intro paragraph. 

Does the Intro Have a Good Hook? 

First, the intro starts out with an attention-grabbing hook . The writer starts by presenting  an assumption (that the U.S. federal government bears most of the financial burden of college education), which makes the topic relatable to a wide audience of readers. Also note that the hook relates to the general topic of the essay, which is the high cost of college education. 

The hook then takes a surprising turn by presenting a counterclaim : that American families, rather than students, feel the true burden of paying for college. Some readers will have a strong emotional reaction to this provocative counterclaim, which will make them want to keep reading! As such, this intro provides an effective opening sentence that conveys the essay topic. 

Does the Intro Give Context?

T he second, third, and fourth sentences of the intro provide contextual details that reveal the specific focus of the writer’s paper . Remember: the context helps readers start to zoom in on what the paper will focus on, and what aspect of the general topic (college costs) will be discussed later on. 

The context in this intro reveals the intent and direction of the paper by explaining why the issue of families financing college is important. In other words, the context helps readers understand why this issue matters , and what aspects of this issue will be addressed in the paper.  

To provide effective context, the writer refers to issues (the exorbitant cost of college and high levels of family debt) that have received a lot of recent scholarly and media attention. These sentences of context also elaborate on the interesting perspective included in the hook: that American families are most affected by college costs.

Does the Intro Have a Thesis? 

Finally, this intro provides a thesis statement that conveys the writer’s point of view on the issue of financing college education. This writer believes that the U.S. government should do more to pay for students’ college educations. 

However, the thesis statement doesn’t give us any details about why the writer has made this claim or why this will help American families . There isn’t an essay map that helps readers understand what points the writer will make in the essay.

To revise this thesis statement so that it establishes the specific aspects of the topic that the essay will address, the writer could add the following to the beginning of the thesis statement:

The U.S. government should take on more of the financial burden of college education because other countries have shown this can improve education rates while reducing levels of familial poverty.

Check out the new section in bold. Not only does it clarify that the writer is talking about the pressure put on families, it touches on the big topics the writer will address in the paper: improving education rates and reduction of poverty. So not only do we have a clearer argumentative statement in this thesis, we also have an essay map!  

So, let’s recap our analysis. This sample intro paragraph does an effective job of providing an engaging hook and relatable, interesting context, but the thesis statement needs some work ! As you write your own intro paragraphs, you might consider using the questions above to evaluate and revise your work. Doing this will help ensure you’ve covered all of your bases and written an intro that your readers will find interesting!

4 Tips for How To Write an Introduction Paragraph

Now that we’ve gone over an example of introduction paragraph analysis, let’s talk about how to write an introduction paragraph of your own. Keep reading for four tips for writing a successful intro paragraph for any essay. 

Tip 1: Analyze Your Essay Prompt

If you’re having trouble with how to start an introduction paragraph, analyze your essay prompt! Most teachers give you some kind of assignment sheet, formal instructions, or prompt to set the expectations for an essay they’ve assigned, right? Those instructions can help guide you as you write your intro paragraph!

Because they’ll be reading and responding to your essay, you want to make sure you meet your teacher’s expectations for an intro paragraph . For instance, if they’ve provided specific instructions about how long the intro should be or where the thesis statement should be located, be sure to follow them!

The type of paper you’re writing can give you clues as to how to approach your intro as well. If you’re writing a research paper, your professor might expect you to provide a research question or state a hypothesis in your intro. If you’re writing an argumentative essay, you’ll need to make sure your intro overviews the context surrounding your argument and your thesis statement includes a clear, defensible claim. 

Using the parameters set out by your instructor and assignment sheet can put some easy-to-follow boundaries in place for things like your intro’s length, structure, and content. Following these guidelines can free you up to focus on other aspects of your intro... like coming up with an exciting hook and conveying your point of view on your topic!

Tip 2: Narrow Your Topic

You can’t write an intro paragraph without first identifying your topic. To make your intro as effective as possible, you need to define the parameters of your topic clearly—and you need to be specific. 

For example, let’s say you want to write about college football. “NCAA football” is too broad of a topic for a paper. There is a lot to talk about in terms of college football! It would be tough to write an intro paragraph that’s focused, purposeful, and engaging on this topic. In fact, if you did try to address this whole topic, you’d probably end up writing a book!

Instead, you should narrow broad topics to  identify a specific question, claim, or issue pertaining to some aspect of NCAA football for your intro to be effective. So, for instance, you could frame your topic as, “How can college professors better support NCAA football players in academics?” This focused topic pertaining to NCAA football would give you a more manageable angle to discuss in your paper.

So before you think about writing your intro, ask yourself: Is my essay topic specific, focused, and logical? Does it convey an issue or question that I can explore over the course of several pages? Once you’ve established a good topic, you’ll have the foundation you need to write an effective intro paragraph . 

Once you've figured out your topic, it's time to hit the books!

Tip 3: Do Your Research

This tip is tightly intertwined with the one above, and it’s crucial to writing a good intro: do your research! And, guess what? This tip applies to all papers—even ones that aren’t technically research papers. 

Here’s why you need to do some research: getting the lay of the land on what others have said about your topic—whether that’s scholars and researchers or the mass media— will help you narrow your topic, write an engaging hook, and provide relatable context. 

You don't want to sit down to write your intro without a solid understanding of the different perspectives on your topic. Whether those are the perspectives of experts or the general public, these points of view will help you write your intro in a way that is intriguing and compelling for your audience of readers. 

Tip 4: Write Multiple Drafts

Some say to write your intro first; others say write it last. The truth is, there isn’t a right or wrong time to write your intro—but you do need to have enough time to write multiple drafts . 

Oftentimes, your professor will ask you to write multiple drafts of your paper, which gives you a built-in way to make sure you revise your intro. Another approach you could take is to write out a rough draft of your intro before you begin writing your essay, then revise it multiple times as you draft out your paper. 

Here’s why this approach can work: as you write your paper, you’ll probably come up with new insights on your topic that you didn’t have right from the start. You can use these “light bulb” moments to reevaluate your intro and make revisions that keep it in line with your developing essay draft. 

Once you’ve written your entire essay, consider going back and revising your intro again . You can ask yourself these questions as you evaluate your intro: 

• Is my hook still relevant to the way I’ve approached the topic in my essay?
• Do I provide enough appropriate context to introduce my essay? 
• Now that my essay is written, does my thesis statement still accurately reflect the point of view that I present in my essay?

Using these questions as a guide and putting your intro through multiple revisions will help ensure that you’ve written the best intro for the final draft of your essay. Also, revising your writing is always a good thing to do—and this applies to your intro, too!

What's Next?

Your college essays also need great intro paragraphs. Here’s a guide that focuses on how to write the perfect intro for your admissions essays. 

Of course, the intro is just one part of your college essay . This article will teach you how to write a college essay that makes admissions counselors sit up and take notice.

Are you trying to write an analytical essay? Our step-by-step guide can help you knock it out of the park.

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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How to Write a Book Title in an Essay: A Simple Guide

Julia McCoy

Mastering the art of citation is crucial for academic writing, and one common dilemma writers face is how to write a book title in an essay.

In this blog post, we’ll delve into the ins and outs of citing book titles, exploring different citation styles, and providing practical tips to ensure your essays are not only well-written but also properly referenced.

Whether you’re navigating the nuances of MLA, APA, or Chicago style, we’ve got you covered with clear guidelines and examples to help you confidently write book titles in your next masterpiece.

Let’s get started!

Table Of Contents:

How to write book titles in essays, how to format book citations, writing various types of titles in essays, emphasizing book titles in essays, punctuating and capitalizing book titles, examples of writing book titles in essays, faqs – how to write a book title in an essay.

Writing book titles in essays can be tricky, especially with different style guides like MLA, APA, and Chicago. But don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with some tips and examples on how to quote a book title in your essay.

MLA Style Guide

In MLA style, book titles are italicized, both in the text of your paper and in the Works Cited list.

For example: Toni Morrison’s Beloved is a powerful novel about the lasting impact of slavery.

Similarly, in the style guide of the American Psychological Association, book titles should also be italicized in the text and the reference list.

For instance: In The Catcher in the Rye , Holden Caulfield grapples with the transition from adolescence to adulthood.

Chicago Manual

In Chicago style, book titles are italicized in the text and the bibliography.

Like this: Michael Pollan explores the origins of our food in The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals .

Regardless of the style guide, there are some general formatting rules to keep in mind.

Titles of books should be underlined or italicized. Titles of stories, essays, and poems are placed in quotation marks.

Refer to the text specifically as a novel, story, essay, memoir, or poem, depending on what it is.

Capitalization Rules

Use capital letters to write the title of a novel.

For example, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Quotation Marks

Titles of stories, essays, and poems are placed in “quotation marks.” This helps differentiate them from longer works like novels or non-fiction books.

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s dive into some specifics for different types of titles you might encounter.

Journal Articles

If the book title is part of a larger work, like a journal article, it should be underlined instead of italicized.

Short Stories

Titles of short stories should be placed in quotation marks.

For example: “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson.

Chapter Titles

When referencing a chapter title, enclose it in quotation marks.

For instance: “The Boy Who Lived” from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone .

Article Titles

Article titles, like those found in English-language newspapers or magazines, should also be placed in quotation marks.

For example: “Why We Crave Horror Movies” by Stephen King.

Newspaper Titles

Italicize the names of newspapers, like The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal .

The names of websites should generally be italicized, such as The Huffington Post or BuzzFeed .

Book Series

When referring to a book series as a whole, italicize the name of the series. Individual books within the series should also be italicized.

For example: the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, which includes titles like Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets .

Sometimes you want to draw extra attention to a book title in your essay. Here’s how to do it effectively.

When to Italicize

As a general rule, italicize the titles of longer works such as books, edited collections, movies, television series, documentaries, or albums.

When to Use Quotation Marks

Shorter works like poems, articles, book chapters, songs, TV episodes, or other shorter works should be placed in quotation marks.

Exceptions to the Rules

As with any rule, there are exceptions. Some style guides prefer underlining to italics. Others may recommend using quotation marks around the title and italicizing or underlining the name of the newspaper or magazine it appears in.

When in doubt, always check with your instructor or the publication you’re writing for.

Punctuation and capitalization are key when it comes to book titles in essays. Get it wrong, and your writing won’t look as polished.

Using Question Marks

If a book title ends with a question mark or exclamation point, include it in the italics.

For example: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

In general, capitalize the first word and all major words (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and some conjunctions).

Don’t capitalize articles, prepositions, or conjunctions unless they’re the first or last word.

Some style guides recommend capitalizing prepositions five letters or longer.

Title case is the most common form of title capitalization and is found in all four major title capitalization styles (AP, APA, MLA, and Chicago).

Capitalize the first word in the title, the last word in the title, and all “major” words in between.

Proper Nouns

Always capitalize proper nouns, such as the names of people, places, organizations, or other proper nouns in a book title.

For example: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling.

Let’s look at some examples of how to write book titles in various situations.

Classic Literature

When referencing a classic work of literature, italicize the book’s title in the text of your paper.

In the Works Cited entry, include the author’s full name, the title of the book (in italics), the publisher, and the year of publication.

For example:

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice . Penguin Classics, 2002.

Contemporary Literature

For a contemporary work, follow the same format in the text of your essay.

In the Works Cited entry, include the author’s name, book title (in italics), publisher, year of publication, and medium of publication (print, web, etc.).

Here’s an example:

Whitehead, Colson. The Underground Railroad . Doubleday, 2016. Print.

Non-Fiction Works

When citing a non-fiction book, use the same format as you would for a fictional work. Italicize the book title in the text and the Works Cited entry. Include the author’s name, book title (in italics), publisher, year of publication, and medium of publication.

For instance:

Krakauer, Jon.  Into the Wild . Anchor Books, 1997. Print.

How do you write the title of a book in a sentence?

In sentences, capitalize the first word and proper nouns. If it’s central to your point, italicize it.

Is a book title italicized or in quotes?

Book titles are usually italicized. Quotes are for shorter works like articles or poems.

How do you write a book title in a handwritten essay?

If handwritten, underline book titles instead of using italics to highlight them.

So there you have it – your complete guide to how to write a book title in an essay. By following these simple rules for MLA, APA, and Chicago style, you’ll be able to format your book titles correctly every time.

Remember, the key is to be consistent and pay attention to the details. Whether you’re italicizing, underlining, or using quotation marks, make sure you’re applying the rules consistently throughout your essay.

Written by Julia McCoy

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