1. Using Quotes in an Essay

2. Incorporating (“Weaving”) Quotes
1. Choose only the most relevant passage from a
sentence or sentences.
2. “Weave” them into your own writing.

3. Example
While it initially serves as camouflage, the boy’s
painted faces become symbols for masking the evil
that they do. When the boys paint their faces, they
are able to do things that they would never do
normally.
“He capered toward Bill, and the mask was a thing
on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from
shame and self-consciousness.” (Golding 64)

4. Example (cont.)
I incorporated just the piece of
the passage I needed, and I
“wove” it into my own
sentence.
Put citation after quote
(or at end of sentence if
quote is within
sentence). Citation
should include author’s
last name and page
number in parentheses
with the period AFTER
the parentheses.
While it initially serves as camouflage, the boy’s
painted faces become symbols for masking the evil
that they do. When the boys paint their faces, they
are able to do things that they would never do
normally. When Jack wears his mask, he is
“liberated from shame and self-consciousness”
(Golding 64).

5. Practice
The sow’s head, the Lord of the Flies, becomes a
symbol for the evil within all human beings. In
fact, the Lord of the Flies is described with dark
images.
“Simon found he was looking into a vast mouth.
There was blackness within, a blackness that
spread.” (Golding 144)

6. Altering Quotes So They Fit Your
Essay
1. Use ellipses (…) to indicate that something has
been omitted from the quote.
2. Use brackets ([ ]) to replace a word/phrase and add
a word/phrase to a quote.

7. Example
Not knowing that the beast is actually a dead
paratrooper, it fuels the boys’ fear, resulting in
terrible things. When Ralph, Jack, and Roger climb
the mountain to search for the beast, they are
unable to distinguish that it is just a man in the
dark.
“Behind them the sliver of moon had drawn clear of
the horizon. Before them, something like a great
ape was sitting asleep with its head between its
knees. Then the wind roared in the forest, there
was confusion in the darkness, and the creature
lifted its head, holding toward them the ruin of a
face.” (Golding 123)

8. Example (cont.)
Not knowing that the beast is actually a dead
paratrooper, it fuels the boys’ fear, resulting in
terrible things. When Ralph, Jack, and Roger climb
the mountain to search for the beast, they are
unable to distinguish that it is just a man in the
dark. When the wind picks up and lifts the
paratroopers lifeless body, the boys believe it is “the
creature lifted its head, holding toward them the
ruin of a face” (Golding 123).

9. Not knowing that the beast is actually a dead
paratrooper, it fuels the boys’ fear, resulting in
terrible things. When Ralph, Jack, and Roger climb
the mountain to search for the beast, they are
unable to distinguish that it is just a man in the
dark. When the wind picks up and lifts the
paratroopers lifeless body, the boys believe it is “the
creature [lifting] its head, holding toward them the
ruin of a face” (Golding 123).
Example (cont.)
To make the sentence clearer, I changed “lifted” to
“lifting” and put it in brackets. Now, it reads as a clearer
sentence.

10. Practice
Piggy’s glasses, now the main source of power on
the island, become the target of Jack’s ambitions,
and when he finally steals Piggy’s glasses, he “was
a chief now in truth” (Golding 168).

11. Using Quotes in a Paragraph

12. Question: Discuss one type of conflict found in
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, using a specific
quote that illustrates this conflict.
Response:
Person versus self is a type of conflict found in
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. This is seen
most frequently through the character of Ralph.
Throughout the novel, Ralph struggles with his
conscience as he decides how he will relate with
the other boys on the island. For instance, after
Ralph told the other boys Piggy’s name, Piggy is
hurt. As Ralph considers how to respond to Piggy,
he “[hovers] between the two courses of apology or
further insult” (Golding 25). It is this kind of internal
struggle that characterizes Ralph’s decision making
throughout his time on the island.
topic
sentence
background
/context
sentencewith
quote
concluding
sentence

13.  Task: Write a paragraph response to the
question below, using a quote from the novel.
Incorporate it as shown in the example.
 Question: Discuss how a specific object is used
as a symbol in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies,
using a specific quote that illustrates the use of
this item. Be sure to address both its literal and
symbolic use.
(Discuss the conch, which is introduced as a
symbol for democratic leadership on page 22. Use
a quote from this part of the novel.)