How do I plan an essay?

Example question: How has Arthur Miller made The Requiem a poignant ending to the play?Start by reading the question carefully. In this question, a key word is ‘how’: this question is asking you to explain the ways that Miller has made the ending poignant. Think of some ways and jot them down. From these initial ideas, you can begin to look for examples in the text such as what characters have said. For example, Linda saying that Willy never understood that people are “free and clear”. Now you can link those to themes such as capitalism, the American Dream, family, father-son relationships. Now that you have your points, you can decide how you put them together to form your argument. Some people like to draw a mind map or outline each paragraph in a list to order their points. Your plan needs to give you a clear picture of how your essay will be structured so that you can write a focused argument.