Name: ______________________________________________
Mod: ______
The Outsiders
LITERARY ESSAY
A literary essay is a short, non-fiction composition that tells about a theme or big idea in a piece of literature.
PROMPT: The classic novel, The Outsider, by S.E. Hinton, explores what it means to be a hero and makes
the reader wonder: What does it mean to be heroic and/or gallant?
In a three paragraph essay, define what heroism and/or gallantry mean to you. Then, identify a character
from The Outsiders you would consider to be heroic or gallant and explain in what ways the character you
chose exhibited these traits. Use plenty details and examples from the text to support your answer. In
your essay be sure to:
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Define heroism/gallantry
Identify a character in The Outsiders that you believe was heroic and/or gallant
Explain the character’s heroic and/or gallant behavior
Provide details and examples from the text to clarify your points
Include at least ONE excerpt/direct quote from the novel to support your ideas
Use proper spelling, punctuation, & grammar.
Complete attached outline to ensure that you address all requirements of the task and adhere to the CQE format.
OVER
The Outsiders ESSAY OUTLINE
BE ADVISED—At NO POINT should an expository essay be written in the 1st person point of view. This
means the only time ‘I” should appear is inside a direct quote. NO
“In this essay I will…”
The Outsiders Essay INTRODUCTION
The introduction paragraph of an essay informs the reader what the piece will explore and prove; it introduces the topic that will be
explored.
Plan Introduction:
I.
General statement about literature and/or heroism:__________________________________________________________________________
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II.
Define heroism and/or gallantry:
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III.
Claim/thesis statement that identifies a character from The Outsiders and claims that he/she was heroic and/or gallant. You
MUST include the title (underlined OR italicized) and author of the novel :
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Write Introduction (put it all together!):
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The Outsiders Essay BODY PARAGRAPH
The body paragraph(s) of an essay explore and prove the thesis/claim stated in the introduction. It contains evidence (details and
quotes from the text) that support and clearly prove the accuracy of the claim.
Plan Body Paragraph:
I.
Topic sentence that indicates the character from The Outsiders who was heroic and/or gallant (similar to thesis, but NOT
word for word the same…say the same thing in a different way!):
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II.
(Context) Provide examples from the text in your own words that explain what the character did or said in the story that
prove he/she was heroic. Remember: Set up your quote for the reader. Pretend your reader has not read the novel
before. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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III.
(Quote) Supply a direct quote from the novel that shows the character’s heroic and/or gallant behavior as described in
the context above. Remember: You must copy the excerpt word from word from the text. It must be placed inside
quotation marks and page number indicated in parentheses at the end of the quote. Put your period outside the
parentheses. Example: (7).
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IV.
(Explanation) Explain how the quote helps prove the heroism and/or gallantry of the character:
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Write Body Paragraph (put it all together!): ____________________________________________________________________________________________
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The Outsiders Essay CONCLUSION
The conclusion of an essay restates the claim(s) and reminds the reader of the strengths of your claim(s). It wraps up the essay by
restating the claim(s) and driving your point(s) home. It is the ‘I told you so’ paragraph. The conclusion is not, however, a repetitive
summary or copy of the introduction. Try to use different words to communicate the same idea(s).
Plan Conclusion:
I.
General statement about literature and/or heroes: __________________________________________________________________________
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Statement about heroism and gallantry and what it looked like in The Outsiders:
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III.
Restatement of claim/thesis/statement indicating the character you explored and how you proved he/she was heroic
(include the title- underlined OR italicized- and author of the novel):
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Write Conclusion (put it all together!): __________________________________________________________________________________________________
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