In For The Kill

Plan of Attack – Going in for the kill

After finishing reading the book, I close it and think about what struck me the most and I’ll figure out the reason why it struck me, to find a motif to discuss.

Then, I will have to read the text twice to understand the significance of the motif I’ve chosen to discuss. Of course I will have to annotate the text to be able to come back to look for quotes that support my argument. So here are the first baby steps:

·         I read the book at least twice

·         I annotate  

·         I choose a topic

Once I’ve found a motif to discuss (I would like to use a motif as the center of focus in my essay), I will look for a question that I can ask myself and which I will answer in my essay. This is like a research question or the purpose of a lab report. It will make it easier to stay on topic while writing and researching. When I found a general question that will sum up my topic, I will look for a more focused and specific question.

Next, I will look for examples in the text that illustrate the motif I’m discussing. I will write the page numbers as well as personal annotations next to the examples as to not forget why I thought it was an example in the first place. Once again, I’ll sum up the little steps towards the goal:

·         I find a general question summing up my topic

·         I then reduce it to a more specific question

·         I look for examples in the text

·         I note down the page numbers of the examples and write down my thoughts about the examples that came to me while reading them

Once this is done, I will think of the main focuses of my essay, so that I can start to formulate topic sentences for my body paragraphs. When this is thought of, I will start writing an introduction to my paper, including the different arguments of my essay. This won’t be the final introduction; it will be more of a pre-plan for the organization of the paper.

To support any arguments of the essay, I will have to read secondary sources on the text and my topic, so that I can come to a better conclusion in the end. For that, I will consider reliable sources on the internet, as well as literary pieces in the school library.

When this step is achieved, I can start to write up a basic outline of my essay. I will then proceed to look for specific quotes in the text that are relevant to my motif and support my thesis statement. These quotes will be added to the outline, and then a first draft of the paper can finally be written. The first draft includes all my thoughts and quotes and has to be edited by a peer and at least twice by myself. I have to look for grammatical structure as well as context. The second draft will look like I would like my final draft to look. It will include the use of primary and secondary sources, quotes, thesis statement, body paragraphs with topic sentences, and a well structured conclusion.

After writing the second draft, I will proof read it again to finalize it and finish it up as being the final essay.

I read Asim's plan of Attack, ( http://asimlikesenglish.blogspot.com/2011/02/plan.html ) and I realized that I didn't discuss the thesis statement enough. He said: "6. Write my thesis
a. This will probably take a while, and I will end up having many different wordings of the same thing but it’s all good ". I agree that it will take a while, but I would add that there should be a certain method of attack. I'm not sure how I will approach writing my thesis statement yet, but I'm sure it'll all work out somehow.