Literary Essay Introduction

Title & Author of Text 1

Summary of Text 1
Title & Author of Text 2
Summary of Text 2

Thesis Statement

In the story The Friday Everything Changed, by

Anne Hart, a young girl named Alma attends a school in
which certain privileges are only given to boys. One day
she decides to speak up about girls not being allowed to
carry the water bucket and the environment at her school
begins to change. In the article, Pigeonholed in Pink,
by Andrew J. Rotherham, a father describes his frustration
when shopping for clothing with his daughters. He
expresses his concern over the fact that there are not
enough options in the girls section of stores for those who
want to participate in hobbies labeled as boy activities.
Both texts depict the issue that accepting old views
of gender creates inequalities.

Literary Essay Body Paragraphs 1 & 2

Topic Sentence
Evidence
Elaboration
Evidence

Elaboration
Closing Sentence
The Friday Everything Changed, demonstrates
how believing old views of gender creates inequalities
by discussing how unfair rules at a school were never
challenged before. For instance, the text states,
But mostly you dreamed about it because carrying the
water was something real (p.1). The author uses
perspective to demonstrate how the girls viewed the
job of carrying the water as an important task because
only the boys were strong enough to do it. This also
illustrates that the girls felt inferior to the boys
because they were not good enough to do the same
activity. Another example that brings attention to
the imbalance in the classroom is, If one of those
German planes, like in the war movies, had suddenly
appeared over the school and dropped a bomb, we all
couldnt have been more surprised (p.2). The author
uses descriptive language to demonstrate the shock
Almas question created. It was unheard of for a girl at
that school to even think about carrying the water

buckets because they were viewed as the weaker

gender. The evidence verifies that nobody before
Alma ever thought of questioning these discriminatory
rules.

Literary Essay Body Paragraph 3

o Topic sentence (connects to thesis/theme)
o Similarities
Elaboration
o Differences
Elaboration
o Concluding sentence (connects back to
thesis/theme)

The story and article have similar and different ways

of explaining the dangers of accepting old perspectives of
gender. Both texts address the unequal treatment girls
face in the world around them. Alma and Rotherhams
daughters share the experience of what it is like to grow up
in a society which limits their choices because of who they
are. They exhibit similar feelings of frustration because of
their struggle to break free of the cage society has put
them in. However, the story concentrates more on the
fight for equal rights, while the article focuses on the
message being communicated to girls. Almas actions

show the consequences and hardships of simply asking to

do a job only boys could do. Meanwhile, Rotherham
warns of the damage that could happen to girls selfesteem if stores do not start representing a more equal
balance in the choices offered for boys and girls clothing.
Whether it is a battle to break a rule or an attempt to
revise the message being delivered to young girls, altering
the views of gender proves to be a difficult task.

Literary Essay Conclusion

Restate thesis statement
o Refer back to big ideas in Text 1
o Refer back to big ideas of Text 2
Extend your thinking, by considering:
o Why did the authors write these texts? What is
important to learn?
o How do the ideas of these texts connect to the
outside world?
Consequently, society needs to be more aware of
how aligning with gender perspectives of the past
contributes to unequal treatment of young women. The
authors of these texts are trying to convey a critical
message to the world about providing equal opportunities
to both genders in all aspects of their lives. Whether it is a
job at school or an apparel choice at a department store,

boys and girls need to be seen in the same light. This is

the 21st century and people have evolved so much since
the days women were not even allowed to vote. It is time
to change the way we think about gender and realize that
being a girl should never prevent you from participating in
any activities that boys can accomplish.