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Other Forms of Writing About Literature

Have you ever gotten lost in a book? Everything around you disappears, and you are immersed in the story. You hang out with the main characters, see what they see, and do what they do. Literature lets you enter a second life. When you reflect on literature, you relive it again. You can go back as many times as you like, and when you write about it, you invite others to come along for the ride.
This chapter shows you how to reflect on literature in three different ways. You’ll write a review of a book, a letter to an author, and a response to a literary prompt. The best way to succeed in any of these forms is to think about characters, conflicts, plot, imagery, and what they all mean—or themes. Each time you look, you’ll see something new!
What’s Ahead
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Book Review
In her book review of Lois Lowry’s The Giver, Natalie Jackson focuses on the main character’s dilemma, or problem.
Better Safe Than Sorry?
Beginning:
The opening sets the scene and states the focus (underlined). Imagine a “safe” world with no muggings, stealing, or war. Would you like to live there? What if this place didn’t let you make your own choices? Would you still be interested? In Lois Lowry’s science-fiction novel The Giver, Jonas lives in such a place. He is quite satisfied with his life until he meets the Giver, and then everything changes.
Middle:
Specific examples from the novel support the focus. Jonas’s world is an eerie place where the Elders control everything. When a boy wants to get married, the Elders choose his wife. When a girl needs new clothes, the Elders give her a uniform. When a family needs food, the Elders choose the items. Worst of all, when someone turns 12, the Elders assign the person a job for life! Now that’s spooky.
Jonas seems content, but, of course, this is the only world that he has known. Then, when he turns 12, the Elders make him the next Receiver of Memory. His job is to remember lessons from the past, when people made their own choices. The Giver is Jonas’s teacher. He shows Jonas people in the past making bad choices that led to fighting and hate. But he also shows people making good choices that led to fun, family parties, and love.
Jonas has to choose between these two worlds, one safe and controlled, and the other one free but risky. The Giver also informs Jonas that the only “safe” people are those that the Elders think are useful. Useless people are usually killed. With all of this knowledge, Jonas is faced with his most important decision: How does he want to live, and for how long?
Ending
The reviewer reflects on the book’s value. On one level, The Giver is a terrific page-turner. You won’t be able to put the book down until you find out what happens to Jonas. On another level, the book gets you thinking about some heavy issues like governmental control, quality of life, and deciding your own fate. For both reasons, The Giver is a must-read.
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Writing Guidelines
Prewriting ■ Choosing a Topic
Review a book that you have recently read, one that you have strong feelings about. But be sure that the book is appropriate for your audience.
Gathering Details
Use a basic collection sheet to plan your review. At the top of the sheet, state the title and author. Then list important ideas and examples that you want to discuss.
Collection Sheet

Writing ■ Creating the First Draft
Beginning ■ In the opening paragraph, grab the reader’s interest, name the title and author of the book, and state your focus. Natalie uses questions to draw the reader into her review.
Middle ■ In the middle part, develop your focus. Natalie uses her collection sheet to help her decide what to include.
Ending ■ In the closing paragraph, reflect on the book’s value and discuss why the reader should (or shouldn’t) read the book. Natalie discusses the book’s value on two different levels.
Helpful Hint
Don’t give away the whole story. Say just enough to get the reader’s interest.
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Revising ■ and Editing ■ Improving the Writing
Remember that revising consists of adding, moving, reordering, and rewriting parts. Editing deals with checking the revised writing for correctness. The checklist that follows can help you revise and edit your book reviews.
_____ Ideas Have I included enough information to help a reader decide whether or not to read the book?
_____ Organization Does my review have a clear beginning, middle, and ending?
_____ Voice Do I sound informative, persuasive, and entertaining?
_____ Word Choice Have I used specific nouns and verbs?
_____ Sentences Does my writing flow smoothly from one idea to the next?
_____ Conventions Is my review free of errors?
A Closer Look at Revising ■ Sentence Fluency
After reviewing her first draft, Natalie felt that the sentences at the start of the fourth paragraph were too short and choppy. She combined them so that they read more smoothly.

A Closer Look at Editing ■ Using Commas in a Series
While editing her revised writing, Natalie adds commas to separate three phrases in a series. (A series contains at least three items.)

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Responding with a Letter
In the following letter to author Neil Gaiman, Devon Steel shares his ideas about writing fantasies connected to reality.
Neil Gaiman
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
195 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
May 2, 2025
Dear Mr. Gaiman,
Beginning:
The writer introduces himself and his reason for writing. I have been a fan of yours for a long time. My favorite is your Sandman graphic novel series, but I also really like Good Omens. Your books are so mysterious and funny.
Middle:
The writer mentions what he likes and makes an observation. You do a great job of taking old mythology and putting it in a modern-day setting. In the Sandman series, you have Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams, get captured and have to escape into the modern world. In American Gods, you have the Norse pantheon rising again in the United States. In Good Omens you go all the way back to the Garden of Eden and have two opposing characters work together throughout time to prevent the End of the World.
Some fantasy writers just put readers in their worlds without connecting to the modern world. George R. R. Martin does that, and so does J. R. R. Tolkien. Others like Rick Riordan or Madeleine L’Engle connect fantasy worlds to our world. That seems to be your main approach, too. Even in Coraline, you have a real girl who gets caught in a scary other world.
I am more like you. I am writing a book called World Beyond Words in which kids in San Francisco fall through the floor of their classroom during an earthquake. They find themselves in a void where they have to speak things into being and create their own world.
Ending:
The writer thanks the author. Thanks so much for your stories. I enjoy them as a reader but also as a young writer.
Sincerely,
Devon Steel
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Responding to a Literary Prompt
Prompt:
Carefully read “I Hear America Singing” (1860) by Walt Whitman. In an essay, analyze the poem. Infer what Whitman means by “singing.” How does this poem reflect America just before the Civil War? How would this poem be different now? Support your analysis with specific quotations from the poem.
Poem

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Prompt Analysis
■ Purpose: To analyze a poem
■ Audience: Test grader
■ Subject: “I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman
■ Type: Essay response to a prompt
Planning Quick List
“I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman
— List of workers doing jobs
— All are singing “varied carols”
— Happily contributing to the US
— Jobs would be different now
— Gender would be different now
Response
What Song Do We Sing?
Beginning:The writer names the author and work and gives a focus (underlined). “I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman paints a picture of workers in 1860 America. The poet lists different workers and describes how they are singing. He writes six lines about men at work and one line about women at work. Whitman uses “singing” as a metaphor about different people joyfully using their varied skills to contribute to the nation.
Middle:
This paragraph analyzes the poem by quoting from it. For Whitman, the song that each person sings is a reflection of the work the person does. The song of mechanics is “blithe and strong.” The song of boatmen is “what belongs to him in his boat.” The song of mothers and young wives and girls is “delicious” as they go about their labors. Often the song is sung at work, as the carpenter “measures his plank,” or as the shoemaker “sits on his bench” or as the hatter “sings as he stands.” It is also sung during breaks, or before work, or after. So the song isn’t the work itself but the pleasure of being useful.
The writer puts the poem in its historical context and offers criticism. This poem was published in 1860, right when the Civil War was beginning. However the poem does not mention the enslaved people who did most of the work in the South. Most of the poem focuses on the labor done by white men, with just one line for the work done by women. Also, the joyful tone of the poem seems to ignore the terrible conflict that was about to unfold. Whitman himself would become a nurse working to tend Civil War soldiers wounded in the war. Was he singing then?
Our country has changed a lot since the Civil War. Many people have worked hard to make those changes come about. I think of the marchers at Selma who sang “We Shall Overcome” as they did the hard, good work of advancing Civil Rights. A decade later, Equal Rights protesters sang, “I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar.” So, even when the work is hard, it still can “sing” as long as it is meaningful.
The writer addresses a key part of the prompt. If “I Hear America Sing” were written now, it would be very different. For one thing, the types of jobs would change. In addition to these skilled craftsmen, there would be computer programmers, air-traffic controllers, Amazon delivery drivers, gig-economy workers, and many other professions. Also, there would be no assumption that skilled workers were men, and that people who work in the home are women. Gender and race would not be simply assumed.
Is the main idea of Whitman’s poem still valid? The poet hears workers happily working. On the one hand, we have had a lot of strikes, which are workers unhappily not working. On the other hand, the people are striking not because they don’t like their jobs, but because they want to be paid a living wage and treated fairly. When these strikes get resolved, workers gratefully go back to work. Do all workers like to work? No, but people do want meaningful work that they are good at doing. So, in that way, Whitman’s metaphor still works. Doing good, honest, meaningful work that makes a difference does make the heart sing.
Ending
The writer offers an interesting final thought. However, maybe Whitman wasn’t trying to just describe what meaningful work feels like. Maybe he was trying to tell us how to be happy on the job. When you are lucky enough to have work that you believe in, you should “sing” it. You should celebrate it. And when many people in society sing their work, the “strong melodious songs” create a kind of symphony.
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Writing Guidelines
Prewriting ■ Getting Ready to Write
Start by analyzing the prompt using the PAST strategy:
■ Purpose: Why am I writing? To analyze? To support an opinion?
■ Audience: Who will read my writing?
■ Subject: What topic should I write about?
■ Type: What form will my writing take?
Planning Your Writing
Next, read the piece provided with the prompt. If a text is not provided, reflect on a piece of literature that you have already thoroughly considered. Then write down a focus for your response and quickly list ideas to include.
Writing ■ Drafting Your Response
Beginning ■ Begin by introducing your text and identifying your focus. (Whitman uses “singing” as a metaphor about different people joyfully using their varied skills to contribute to the nation.)
Middle ■ Write a paragraph for each main part of your response. Draw evidence from the text to support your analysis.
Ending ■ Conclude your response by revisiting your focus and leaving the reader with an interesting final thought.
Revising ■ and Editing ■
Save 5–10 minutes to revise and edit your response to the prompt. Review the PAST questions and check the traits of your writing. (Download a checklist.)
_____ Ideas Have I clearly identified the work and author and stated a focus for my response?
_____ Organization Is my response organized and easy to follow?
_____ Voice Do I sound honest and sincere?
_____ Word Choice Have I quoted important evidence from the source?
_____ Sentences Are my sentences smooth reading?
_____ Conventions Is my writing free of careless errors?