Topic Sentences

Topic sentences are the sentences that usually come at the start of a paragraph and they make clear what the POINT of that paragraph is going to be. They should:

• Refer clearly to the question, often using a key word like ‘trauma’
• Talk about an effect on the audience created by the writer
• Make clear the link between this paragraph and the previous one
• Often include connectives
• Be as concise as possible
• Use the writer’s name

The following example topic sentences were written in response to the question ‘Compare the way that Seamus Heaney conveys the experience of childhood trauma in ‘The Barn’ and another poem of your choice.’

• Heaney effectively depicts the persona’s childhood trauma as his imagination twists out of control in ‘The Barn’ …
• The impression of a child’s over-active imagination is also suggested in ‘Death of a Naturalist’ as …
• The childhood experiences described show the pain and anguish the persona is suffering.
• Heaney additionally uses words with war-like connotations to create a feeling of fear.
• By creating a suffocating and trapped atmosphere within the poem, Heaney conveys the experience of childhood trauma successfully.
• In both poems words with connotations of death are used to amplify the morbid atmosphere.
• The persona’s trauma in ‘The Barn’ is shown through the use of war-like words which have connotations of death and horrific, terrifying events.
• Heaney shows how oppressed he felt when …
• Heaney often gives the impression that the persona is small, weak and insignificant in comparison to the outside world
• Heaney uses the personification of everyday things to give the impression that things are not what they seem.
• Furthermore, we see Heaney use the same technique in Mid Term Break when …

Notice that, for instance in the last example, not all of these topic sentences actually use the words trauma. This is because the words ‘furthermore’ and ‘same technique’ make it clear that the point in this paragraph is the same as in the one before and so there is no need to repeat it. This is not only concise but also creates a smooth link between the paragraphs.