Aphorism Essay

The goal of this assignment is for students to identify aphorisms—short observations of general truth—in whatever text they are studying and then move through several scaffolded steps to analyze one particular aphorism. Ultimately, this should bring students to an interesting discussion of theme while discouraging plagiarism or reliance on AI.

Aphorism essay overview

Choose an aphorism to work with – one that you like, find interesting, one that you find yourself agreeing with, or one that you find yourself disagreeing with. In the end, one that you want to spend time thinking about. Type this quotation at the top of your page, with appropriate citation.
Context: Show your selected aphorism in context. If your aphorism occurs in the middle of a paragraph, showing that paragraph should be sufficient. If your aphorism is close to the beginning or the end of a paragraph, consider including the paragraphs (or portions of) before or after. The goal is for a reader to see enough of the surrounding text to understand the aphorism in context. Please bold your aphorism.
Rephrase: Paraphrase the aphorism in language that is easy to understand. This may include ideas that come from the context of your aphorism.
Rhetorical analysis: “Unpack” the aphorism. Consider word choice and connotation, sentence structure, use of punctuation, literary devices. Record your findings.
Praise for and criticism of the aphorism: What do you see that is good/true in the ideas of your selected aphorism? And/or, what are the problems or “untruths” that you see in the aphorism?
Related aphorisms/clichés: Think of 1-3 clichés (you can search online if you’d like—a good place to start is clichesite.com) or commonly known quotations that relate to your selected aphorism. These can be quotations that “prove” or extend your selected aphorism, or quotations that “disprove” or go against your aphorism. Include commentary about how the additional clichés/quotations expand the ideas of your original aphorism.
Circle back and conclusion: Your final thoughts on this topic and its application.
Option for a work of fiction: How did this aphorism “play out” in the text as a whole? Did the actions and/or characters “prove” this aphorism to be true? If yes, how? If not, why not? What did they prove (or suggest) instead?

To access a complete version of this assignment, including fully editable materials, detailed instructions and rationale, sample work from each step, and slide decks designed for instructional use, visit my store at teacherspayteachers.com.