Page 72 - Demo

160%u2022 Reread each topic sentence. Does it accurately reflect a claim in your thesis? Does it provide a bridge between the line of reasoning in your thesis and the evidence in the paragraph?%u2022 Check your evidence. Are the scenes or characters you%u2019ve chosen to examine the most effective examples to support the claim in the topic sentence of each body paragraph?%u2022 Evaluate your commentary. Does it explain the relationship between the evidence you%u2019ve selected and the claim made in the relevant topic sentence?%u2022 Reread your conclusion. Does the conclusion answer the question %u201cSo what?%u201d and thus emphasize the broader significance of the analysis? Or does it simply repeat the thesis?%u2022 Reread for spelling and grammar. Do you have run-ons or sentence fragments? Misspelled words or typos?%u2022 Read your essay aloud to yourself. Does it sound okay? Can you tighten anything up? Can you add any transitions to smooth out your sentences and make connections foryour reader?%u2022 Step away from the essay. Clear your mind for a few hours%u2014a day if you can. Return to your work with fresh eyes as a reader of it instead of as the writer.%u2022 Reread one final time with a clear head. Just a tune-up. Are there small changes you can make to improve word choice and sentence structure? Does the overall essay make sense and include connected ideas relevant to the prompt?Notice that you will ideally have multiple opportunities to read your essay and make changes once you have completed the initial draft. Even better would be to have time between drafts to step away from the essay since doing so will give you a fresh perspective. You won%u2019t always have this kind of time, though, especially if you%u2019re required to draft an essay during a single class period, but giving yourself the time to do so when possible can turn a decent essay into a great one.Revise the body paragraph you drafted in the activity on page 158. As you work on a second draft, try to address each of the revision steps that apply to your analysis of theme.ACTIVITY Revising an Analysis of Theme in FictionReviewing a Sample Analysis of Theme in FictionThe following student essay responds to the prompt we introduced on page 156. As you read it, think about how you would provide feedback to help this student revise her%u00a0draft.Writing Workshop Analysis of Theme in FictionCopyright %u00a9 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. For review purposes only. Not for redistribution.