Jane Schaffer Writing

Now that you know the terms, it’s time to apply this knowledge to your writing. Below you will find the model for both a one-chunk paragraph and a two-chunk paragraph. As you are learning to write effectively, you should aim to structure your writing in a similar manner.

Topic Sentence

Concrete Detail

Commentary 1

Commentary 2

Concluding Sentence

1 Chunk Paragraph

Example:

A basic 1-chunk Jane Schaffer paragraph is a minimum of five sentences and should be organized as seen here.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury contains many allusions that enhance the overall narrative. For example, Professor Faber references William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar reminds Montag, “ ‘Remember, Caesar, thou art mortal” (Bradbury 82). This allusion draws parallels between Montag and Caesar, showing how they need to be careful as they begin enacting their dangerous plan. Additionally, much like how Caesar is eventually betrayed by Brutus, Montag is also be betrayed by someone whom he thought he could trust—Beatty. Overall, this brief allusion draws meaningful connections between the ambitious Caesar and the rebellious Montag.

This example shows the basic Jane Schaffer structure applied to a literary analysis. The CD in this case was a quote from the text and the commentary is my interpretation of the text.

In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, Curley is characterized by his insecurity, which often causes him to start conflicts with those he sees as a threat. In Chapter 2, Candy describes Curley to George, “Curley’s like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys. He’s alla time picking scraps with big guys. Kind of like he’s mad at ’em because he ain’t a big guy. You seen little guys like that, ain’t you? Always scrappy?” (Steinbeck). Curley’s own personal insecurities about his shorter height make him feel that he needs to start fights with stronger characters in order to prove how tough he is to everyone else. Curley’s fights with other men on the ranch are all fruitless attempts to gain the respect that he believes he deserves. Candy also states that Curley’s “cockier” than ever to which George states that perhaps he is “showin’ off for his wife” (Steinbeck). Curley is particularly insecure about his own masculinity which causes him to both obsess over where his wife is and about impressing her. However, what he does not understand is that everyone around him can see through these attempts at being “tough” and know his true character. Thus, Curley’s insecurity and his constant need to prove himself only lead to the other characters having a lower opinion of him.

In this example, there are 2 separate CDs from the text. There are 2 sentences of commentary per CD that refer directly back to the quote to help support the point from my topic sentence.

Now that you have reviewed the basic Jane Schaffer structure, it’s time to start crafting your own paragraphs! Here is some advice that may help!

Tips for writing an effective…

• Select only the most relevant portions of your source to either quote or paraphrase

  • Don’t just select any random quote from the text! Choose the quotes that will best support the point you stated you would make in your topic sentence

• Focus on the facts!

  • Your analysis should appear in the commentary so just concentrate on providing your evidence

• Quote integration!

  • Remember: a quote cannot stand on its own as a complete sentence. This means you MUST integrate the quote into your sentence. You can introduce your quote with a lead-in followed by a comma or use other quote integration strategies to help introduce your evidence

• Use quote lead ins to provide essential context to your evidence that your reader may need to follow your argument

• CITE YOUR EVIDENCE

  • Not sure how to do that? Click the button below to learn how!

• When conducting an analysis, use your first commentary after the CD to provide your interpretation of the CD

• Use your second commentary after the CD to take your analysis one step further by explaining in your own words how the quote/paraphrase demonstrates the main idea from your topic sentence

  • Making connections helps strengthen your writing

• Don’t just summarize or restate the quote

  • Explaining the quote is different from repeating the quote. Additionally, commentary should be focused on opinion and interpretation—not summary (which is fact!)

• Remember that you should always have more commentary/analysis than you do evidence from the text

  • Your teachers will likely be paying more attention to the effectiveness of your commentary than the rest of your paragraph. Focus on your personal interpretation of the work and flex those analytical skills!

• Avoid “I” statements

  • This is just generally good practice anyway, but (unless you are writing a personal narrative) remember that you don’t need to state “I think…”, “I believe…”, or “In my opinion…” You are the author of your own writing so it can be inferred that all commentary reflects your own personal opinion without you needing to state it.

Topic Sentence

• If you are only writing one paragraph, be sure to state the title of your work and your author

• If you are writing a full essay, use transition words and phrases to link your paragraphs together

  • Ex: First/Second/Finally, In addition to, However, As a result, Due to, Furthermore, Consequently, Another example, Additionally, etc.

• Get to the point right away

  • Remember to save your analysis for your commentary, just focus on the main idea

• Use the language of the prompt and/or question in your topic sentence

  • For example, if you are asked to “In one paragraph, identify why Atticus Finch is a hero to his community” your topic sentence could look like: “In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is a hero in his community because…”

• DON’T REPEAT YOURSELF

  • Students often repeat themselves between topic and concluding sentences. Avoid repetition whenever possible. Your concluding sentence should naturally wrap up your main ideas and leave your reader with a final thought without restating what you’ve already said.

• Use a transition word or phrase

  • Ex: In conclusion, Overall, Finally, All in all, Thus, Ultimately, For this reason, etc.

• Avoid introducing new evidence

  • Your conclusion sentence (especially when you are writing a shorter response) should be wrapping up your argument. You shouldn’t introduce evidence that you will not be explaining in more detail. Save your evidence and analysis for your CDs and CMs.

• If you are writing a full essay…lead in to your next paragraph

  • Effective conclusion sentences in larger written analysis help transition between ideas. This creates cohesion between your paragraphs and shows evidence of planning and organization. This can be tricky to do, but the most effective essays have paragraphs that seamlessly lead from one to the next.