A Sample Essay on Literature

A Sample Essay on LiteratureYou have probably seen a passage from a high school or college level English textbook that features a passage sample essay in a textbook on literature. You are intrigued by the concept and maybe would like to write your own. You are also wondering if you could use a sentence or two from this sample to build upon.The reality is that the passage sample may be good for an example but not an original creation. Each passage often offers helpful guidance, helpful hints, and the many quotes from famous writers. But, by no means does the passage quote become the only quote you can use. Rather, the passage sample is almost always the first of many quotes you should use to illustrate and end up using a quote from a famous writer.Of course, it is easy to copy or cite from the passage without following its specific structure or style. In fact, most other prose is derivative from the passage sample. It is important to examine the source material and learn how to adapt it to fit into your own style and skill level. That is where you learn the skill of writing, not by copying.At the same time, the passage sample is not the be all and end all of writing your own essay. It is not meant to be. If you follow the tips found in this paragraph sample and choose your quotations carefully, you will avoid plagiarism.The best way to adapt another writer's words is to create your own quotations and use them as a basis for your essay. Quotations can be used to help develop an argument or support a point. They can also be used to suggest the point for which the author was trying to make.One of the most remembered and memorable quotations in the English language was written by Louisa May Alcott. She said, 'No one can have an original thought if he rejects the chance to develop it.' We often believe we have a right to our own thoughts, but the fact is that each of us should have the chance to express our ideas in the form of a unique essay.Why should you care abou t appropriating another person's ideas? It is vital that you are able to use a similar idea to complete a unique piece of writing. Even if you are not inspired by another writer's words, that doesn't mean you should not adopt the tone, style, and structure of that source.Each unique essay has the unique contributions of each author. Their contributions were not meant to be an original creation but a part of the progress of a writer's life. This is the process of writing: taking the words of another and turning them into a unique composition.