Writing the Literary Paragraph

Writing The Literary Paragraph.

A Literary Paragraph is a paragraph that discusses an aspect such as character in piece of literature such as a novel, short story, or a piece of poetry

A literary paragraph has a title that sheds light on the content, ONE INDENT (see example), an introduction, a conclusion, and middle body

Introductory sentence: MUST INCLUDE AUTHOR AND TITLE of literature and WHAT you will be discussing in the paragraph (novel titles are underlined eg. The Great Gatsby)

Middle body: Must discuss what you have introduced in the introductory sentence with quotations to support your assertions (for paragraphs in this class, please include at least 2 supporting quotations)

Supporting quotations: You MUST incorporate your supporting quotations into the paragraph. That is, the quotation must become a part of your discussion. For example, you might introduce a quotation by saying: When Daisy whispers, “We’ve got to beat them down,” (13), she shows her fear of the power African American people are gaining in American society.

Conclusion: Should signal to the reader that you are finished your discussion. If in doubt, begin a concluding sentence with “In summation” or “In conclusion” or “To conclude.” You may wish to restate your topic of discussion introduced in the first sentence.

In this class, please make your literary paragraphs approximately 1 PAGE SINGLE SPACED (adjust length accordingly for small writing/typing)

Cynthia Maurer

English 12

Ms. White

Racist Attitudes in The Great Gatsby.

In the classic American novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the characters of the white wealthy upper class as represented by Daisy and Tom Buchanan reveal racist attitudes towards African American people during the 1920s. Tom Buchanan shows his distaste for the artistic and political gains that African Americans are making during the 20s when he discusses the Goddard’s book The Rise of the Colored Empires. He supports the book’s idea that “if [wealthy white people] don’t look out the white race will be—will be utterly submerged” (13) as a result of “the rise of the colored empires” (13). Daisy’s reaction to the perceived threat of racial equality is one of violence. When Daisy says, “We’ve got to beat them down” (13), she exhibits the behaviour of a cornered animal lashing out against an attacker. Both Tom and Daisy’s reactions show very little intellectual reflection upon the morality of racism; rather, they display an upper class obsession with superiority and power. In summation, in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Tom and Daisy Buchanan serve to illustrate the fear and loathing of powerful and wealthy individuals direct towards those who strive to gain equality in 1920s American society.