Hello, everyone, and welcome back to ENC I m Dr. Michael Baker, and today we will be talking about the PEAS paragraph.

Transcription

1 1 PEAS Paragraph Transcript SLIDE 01 Hello, everyone, and welcome back to ENC I m Dr. Michael Baker, and today we will be talking about the PEAS paragraph. SLIDE 02 By the end of this lecture, you should be able to identify and define the four parts of a PEAS paragraph. You should also be able to write one of your own. Now, PEAS is an acronym, which means that each letter stands for something. So, the first thing we will do is talk about what each letter means. SLIDE 03 The P stands for point. In most cases, the first sentence of a body paragraph will be what is commonly called a topic sentence. On the most basic level, a topic sentence announces what the paragraph will be about that is, it expresses the main idea of the paragraph. But in academic writing, it is usually better to take the topic sentence to another level. Instead of simply announcing the main idea of the paragraph, the topic sentence or, point should make a claim. Now, remember that a thesis is a debatable claim. The point of any given paragraph should be a smaller claim that, if true, supports the bigger thesis. Now let s look at some sample topic sentences, or points. Remember that in literary studies a thesis should make a debatable claim about a text, and that it should be both original and demonstrably valid. For my example, though, I m going to use a very obvious claim after all, I don t want to accidentally use a thesis one of you might be thinking about using in your upcoming paper. SLIDE 04 So, for now, let s work with this not-so-great thesis (which we ve seen before, in the thesis video): In Nathaniel Hawthorne s story Young Goodman Brown, the stranger Brown meets in the forest is really the Devil.

2 2 Remember that a good point (if proven valid) will be a claim that supports this thesis. SLIDE 05 At sundown, Young Goodman Brown leaves his wife, Faith, to go meet a stranger in the forest. Is this a good point for a paragraph? Well, does this sentence make a claim? Not really. It just restates a fact in the story, the character Young Goodman Brown does exactly what this sentence says he does: shortly before the sun goes down, he leaves his home (despite his wife s protests), and goes out into the forest where he meets a stranger. We know this meeting is planned, because when the two men first meet, the stranger says, You are late, Goodman Brown (191). So, this sentence might be a generic topic sentence for a paragraph that summarizes the story, but it doesn t really make a point. Thus, you want to avoid this type of sentence when writing a literary analysis essay. SLIDE 06 Now, what about this sentence? Although the story never specifically identifies the stranger as the Devil, he clearly plays the role of tempter. Is this a good point for a paragraph? Well, it does make a claim; like our sample thesis, it is a pretty obvious and unoriginal claim, but it is a claim. And, if this claim is demonstrated to be true, it will support our sample thesis that the stranger is the Devil after all, the Devil is a tempter in the Bible. Now let s look at the next letter in our PEAS acronym SLIDE 07 The E in PEAS stands for evidence. In order to prove your point, you have to offer some good reasons for why that claim is true. There are different kinds of evidence, but in literary analysis the best evidence often comes from the text itself. After all, if I want to prove you said something, the best thing I could do is play an audio recording of your voice saying it, or perhaps show an or a text that you sent to me. When possible, go to the source to prove your point about that source.

3 3 So, what would be some evidence from the story that the stranger acts as a tempter? For that, let s look at page 192 SLIDE 08 For example, when Goodman Brown expresses scruples about proceeding with the planned meeting, the stranger casually invites him deeper into the forest: Let us walk on, nevertheless and if I convince thee not thou shalt turn back (192). Note that the first sentence calls our attention to a specific moment in the story shortly after the pair enters the forest but it only provides enough context to orient the reader. It does not offer a lot of plot summary. The second sentence, provides evidence that the stranger acts like a tempter figure by quoting what he says to Goodman Brown. It also provides a page number citation for the quotation but, since it is obvious that the quotation comes from the story, there is no author s name or title provided in the citation. Just the page number. SLIDE 09 Once you have provided a piece of evidence, it is important that you then comment on that evidence. After all, most things can be interpreted in multiple ways. If I argue that the stranger in Young Goodman Brown is the Devil, and I point to the fact that he carries a staff that looks like a serpent, I m assuming that you will connect the staff to the serpent in the Genesis story about the Garden of Eden. But, what if you think about the symbol for the medical profession two snakes wrapped around a staff? You might find my point to be somewhat weak, because couldn t it be a good thing if he is considered a doctor? Maybe he is there to help Goodman Brown in some way. Thus, you need to explain how you interpret the evidence, and you need to relate it specifically to your thesis. So, recall our piece of evidence that showed the stranger inviting Goodman Brown to travel a little farther into the woods. Let s look at how we might analyze it for the reader SLIDE 10 This simple invitation serves to draw Brown deeper into the forest by making him feel like he can turn back any time he wants. From a biblical perspective, Brown s acquiescence here is like giving the Devil a foothold something Christians are warned not to do (Eph. 4:26).

4 4 There are multiple things we could say about our evidence, but this example calls attention to the fact that the stranger is giving Brown a sense of control but, like sin in the Bible, there is the danger of starting small and going too far. SLIDE 11 By the way, it is very important to note that each paragraph will need more than one E and A. One piece of evidence is rarely enough to prove a point, so you need to offer at least two and preferably three pieces of evidence. You will also need to analyze each piece of evidence. So, rather than a PEAS (P-E-A-S) paragraph, you will likely end up with a P-E-A-E-A-E-A-S paragraph. Speaking of the S, let s go ahead and talk about it SLIDE 12 The S stands for significance. At the very end of your paragraph, you should add a sentence that states the importance or the relevance of the point that you have just demonstrated. Some people refer to this as a summary sentence, but it should be more than that. Let s look at a sample S-sentence to end our sample PEAS paragraph SLIDE 13 Because all of these tactics serve one purpose to lead Young Goodman Brown further into the forest (or, symbolically, further into sin) the stranger, just like the Devil in the Bible, acts as a tempter figure. This sentence summarizes the general concepts discussed in the paragraph, categorizes them as tactics, and emphasizes the paragraph s point. We could probably spend some time and thought on this and write a stronger significance, but this one will do for now. But let s add one more E/A to our existing P-E-A-S, and see what a longer paragraph might look like SLIDE 14 Although the story never specifically identifies the stranger as the Devil, he clearly plays the role of tempter. For example, shortly after the pair enters the

5 5 forest, Goodman Brown expresses scruples about proceeding with the planned meeting. The stranger, however, casually invites him deeper into the forest: Let us walk on, nevertheless and if I convince thee not thou shalt turn back (192). This simple invitation serves to draw Brown deeper into the forest by making him feel like he can turn back any time he wants. From a biblical perspective, Brown s acquiescence here is like giving the Devil a foothold something that Christians are warned not to do (Eph. 4:26). Then, when Brown expresses concern that his father would never have approved of such a journey into the forest, the stranger casually remarks that he knew both Brown s father and grandfather quite well; indeed, it is for their sakes that he would fain be friends with Young Goodman Brown (192). Here, the stranger creates a feeling of security for Brown after all, if his forefathers had trusted the stranger, then surely Brown can as well. The stranger then goes on to brag about his many other friends in high places: deacons, selectmen, and even the governor and members of his council. Here, the stranger effectively uses a form of peer pressure to convince Brown to continue on his journey: if the most respected men in the colony are doing it, Brown can, too. The Bible warns against evil people who deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting with their smooth words, and that is exactly what the stranger does (Rom. 16:18 NASB). Because all of these tactics serve one purpose to lead Young Goodman Brown further into the forest (or, symbolically, further into sin) the stranger, just like the Devil in the Bible, should be viewed as a tempter figure. Pause the video and see if you can label the Point, Evidence, Analysis, and Significance. When you re finished, go on to the next slide. [PAUSE A FEW SECONDS] SLIDE 15 In this color-coded version, we can see the Point in red, and three different pieces of evidence in green. After each piece of evidence, you will notice some analysis in blue. Finally, the Significance is at the end, in purple. You might spend some time thinking about how this paragraph could be revised after all, it s not perfect. For example, the last blue sentence near the end feels a little awkward. The idea behind the sentence is good, but perhaps it can be integrated more smoothly. But, in general, this paragraph serves a good purpose. First, it demonstrates the PEAS format. Second, it also shows that a well-developed paragraph is not going to be a very short one. If you write an essay and your paragraphs are between 3-5 sentences long, you probably have not included enough evidence and analysis to prove your point.

6 6 SLIDE 16 In today s lesson we talked about the components of the PEAS paragraph: point, evidence, analysis, and significance. We stressed the need to have more than one E and A, and we