The Critical Lens Essay - Useful Phrases for Organizing Your Introductory Paragraph

Follow the approved structure for Regents Essay writing:  Please don’t risk giving the Regents indigestion… use only the right ingredients… please…..

Introduction- introduce the critical lens:

X once said,"____________."

Interpret the Critical Lens

•       In other words… 

•       By this X means to say that….

•       The point X is making is….

•       The meaning of this quotation is ….

•       The critical lens tries to remind us that ….

•       We should try to understand that what the author really means is…

•       A good quote goes a long way…

•       In today’s language the author is saying…
•       X states, “______________.”
•       As the prominent philosopher X puts it, “______________.”
•       In X’s view, “_______________.”
•       Basically X is saying ________________
•       In making this comment, X argues that ______________
•       X is insisting that ______________
•       The essence of X’s argument is that __________
 

Introduce your view: Agree or Disagree

•       People who don’t read might not agree because…. but I think X is right because…

•       Of course there are at least two sides to everything, but I agree/disagree with X because…

•       I think the critical lens is very sensible because…

•       I don’t think the critical lens can explain everything, but I can agree with it because…

•       Personally, I think the critical lens should not need any further explanation than what it is saying, but just in case someone reading this doesn’t get it, let me state that I agree with what it is saying because…

•       I have never read this critical lens before, but as you can guess from my interpretation of it, I am in complete agreement/disagreement with the author because….

•       I agree!  The critical lens is right because…

•       While it might seem disrespectful to argue against such a well-regarded writer as the one who write the critical lens is, I beg to differ because…

•       No, the idea behind the critical lens is just plain wrong and I disagree with it because…

•       This critical lens is very interesting, even confusing, but I agree because what he/she is really saying is…

•       Do I agree with the critical lens?  Yes and no, but mostly yes because….
•       Most of the works of literature I have studied cause me to agree/disagree with the critical lens because...
•       Let me be perfectly clear, the critical lens is absolutely correct/incorrect because....
•    The claim made by X in the critical lens is just pain wrong because...
•      Part of what X is saying in the critical lens is accurate and true and part of it is inaccurate and false.  I am going to focus my writing on the part that can I agree/disagree with, which is, _________ because...

Introduce your example:

•       Let me give you an example of what my view of what the critical lens is trying to say by discussing a section of [novel/play/poem/short story] by [author’s name]. 

•       The best way to show you what my interpretation of the critical lens is and that I agree with it is by giving you an example from [work of literature] by [author’s name]

•       The critical lens is just a theory about literature, what will show you what it means is by giving you an example of [work of literature] by [author]. 

•       The critical lens will really make sense to you if you follow my examples from [work of literature] by [author’s name]

•       Let us apply the meaning of the critical lens, which I hope you will agree with as I do, to a work of literature: [title] [by author]

Introduce a literary device or technique and an example from the work of literature you have chosen to write about in the previous sentences:

•       Authors help readers to understand the work of literature by using certain literary devices, such as ….  In this case, the author uses [literary device].

•       The author uses [literary device].  For example….

•       The critical lens focuses on one piece of the work of literature.  By looking at [literary device] we can get even a closer look at why the critical lens is so right.

•       [Literary device] helps the reader see the real message of the [work of literature].  For example….

•       To connect the critical lens to a work of literature you have to choose the right literary device to focus on.  I think [literary device] best illustrates the author’s skill as a writer and is an example of the meaning of the critical lens because…

Conclude your Essay by reintroducing your Introductory paragraph at the end of the Essay:

•       To conclude, as you see, the critical lens means… and I think it is quite true.  To best prove it I have given examples from [work of literature 1 and work of literature 2].  I have also shown that the author uses [literary device] to in his/her writing.

•       Finally, as we have shown, the critical lens means…. and I agree/disagree because… and have used [works of literature] to prove….

•       Let’s summarize….

•       And now you can see that…..

•       Most assuredly you understand that the critical lens makes sense because of the examples I have used from two works of literature.

•       If I had more time I might use additional scenes or sections to argue that the critical lens is right/wrong, or by using many other works of literature, but now is the time to say goodnight.

Introductory Paragraph Model:
Critical Lens:

"When writers write from a place of insight and real caring about the truth, they have the ability to throw the lights on for the reader." - Anne Lamott (adapted)

Anne Lamott once said, "When writers write from a place of insight and real caring about the truth, they have the ability to throw the lights on for the reader."   Basically Anne Lamott is saying ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 _______________________________________________________________

 _______________________________________________________________.  People who don’t read might not agree because _______________________, but I think Anne Lamott is right because _______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_____________.  The best way to show you what my interpretation of the critical lens is and that I agree with it is by giving you an example from [work of literature] by [author’s name] and [work of literature] by [author’s name].  The critical lens focuses on one piece of the work of literature.  By looking at [literary device] we can get even a closer look at why the critical lens is so right.

After you have written your Introductory Paragraph you are ready to write your Body Paragraphs - two for each work of literature you cite in the Introductory Paragraph.

Body Paragraph 1 - focus on a specific and detailed example from a work of literature that supports your opinion of the critical lens

Body Paragraph 2 - focus on a specific literary devise and a detailed example from the work of literature you have written about in Body Paragraph 1

Body Paragraph 3  focus on a 2nd specific and detailed example from a 2nd work of literature that supports your opinion of the critical lens

Body Paragraph 4 - focus on a specific literary devise and a detailed example from the 2nd work of literature you have written about in Body Paragraph 3

Concluding paragraph