According to Hollywood, our heroes save lives while wearing masks to. hide their identity, but the core of their heroism lies behind the mask.

Transcription

1 Sample 1 INTRODUCTIONS According to Hollywood, our heroes save lives while wearing masks to hide their identity, but the core of their heroism lies behind the mask. The reason our super heroes need to hide their true identity is to protect the human half of their superhuman lives. Though they are unstoppable while fighting crime, their weakest moment in every film is when the villain finds their identity and attacks their loved ones. This climax is when we can really admire these characters the most. We can connect with their human side; their weakness and vulnerability. The entire essence of their heroism is an entanglement of extraordinary people who, despite their power, cannot avoid the same human situations that encompass our own lives. It is not just the saving-the-world aspect that we are in awe of, but we empathize with our heroes struggles and admire their ability to overcome them. Our heroes are human, because it takes a human to understand the struggles we face everyday.

2 Sample 2 The poem Creation of Anguish, written by Howard Nemerov helps us to better understand some major themes in Oedipus the King. The creation of anguish is a poem about how even before we were born there was pain and suffering in the world. As an infant we were innocent until a moment in time which caused us to suffer. After this moment we kept receiving pain, doubt, despair, and suffering. We built up walls and separated ourselves from the truth. We lived in oblivion for a moment. But when we go to seek knowledge it can bring a painful and disastrous truth. At some time every human being will ask themselves, Shall I get better or die? But these disastrous events that occurred by seeking the truth lead to discovery. Because, everyone does die, but not everyone truly lives. From these events of pain and suffering we learn something of sympathy. At first we had just waited for something to happen, but now we have learned that no matter how bad something gets, to just keep going, and sweat it out.

3 Sample 3 Throughout our lives, we stumble across a variety of things we wish we did not know. Facts, gossip, and rumors that are all revealed in an alarming fashion. They cannot possibly allow for anyone s understanding of the essential truth. In order for anyone to comprehend the truth, there has to be some sort of organized manor [sic] in revealing it. Emily Dickinson expands on this idea through her poem Tell all the Truth, by illuminating how the tragedy of Oedipus the King cautions us towards the gradual revelation of the truth if we do not wish for any consequences.

4 Thesis Statements with Topic Sentences Example 1 Thesis Wallace Stevens Poems of our Climate helps magnify Sophocles theme that only through imperfection can man be truly satisfied. Topic Sentence 1 As the story opens, Oedipus is offered a perfect setting where if he decides not to pursue the truth, his life would remain without plight. Topic Sentence 2 Even after grasping that it may ruin his perfection, Oedipus decides to still pursue the truth. Topic Sentence 3 It takes the discovery of truth for Oedipus to finally realize that it is better to be imperfect and know the truth instead of being perfect and being oblivious. Checks: Does each TS answer HOW? or WHY? to the thesis? Does it make sense as a paragraph? Wallace Stevens Poems of our Climate helps magnify Sophocles theme that only through imperfection can man be truly satisfied. As the story opens, Oedipus is offered a perfect setting where if he decides not to pursue the truth, his life would remain without plight. Even after grasping that it may ruin his perfection, Oedipus decides to still pursue the truth. It takes the discovery of truth for Oedipus to finally realize that it is better to be imperfect and know the truth instead of being perfect and being oblivious.

5 Example 2 Thesis Dickinson s Tell All the Truth illuminates the effect of reality on Oedipus by magnifying the blinding light of truth. Topic Sentence 1 In her poem, Dickinson uses images of light to show how reality surprises everyone, especially when it surfaces all at once. Topic Sentence 2 Clearly, the full truth can be too much for one person to handle; in Oedipus the King, Oedipus discovers the harsh reality of his life very suddenly, but as a human, he is unable to process everything at once, and eventually, this sudden bluntness leads to his downfall. Topic Sentence 3 When faced with the truth, everyone has options; what matters is not the information revealed, but rather how people choose to deal with reality how those decisions change lives. Checks: Does each TS answer HOW? or WHY? to the thesis? Does it make sense as a paragraph? Dickinson s Tell All the Truth illuminates the effect of reality on Oedipus by magnifying the blinding light of truth. In her poem, Dickinson uses images of light to show how reality surprises everyone, especially when it surfaces all at once. Clearly, the full truth can be too much for one person to handle; in Oedipus the King, Oedipus discovers the harsh reality of his life very suddenly, but as a human, he is unable to process everything at once, and eventually, this sudden bluntness leads to his downfall. When faced with the truth, everyone has options; what matters is not the information revealed, but rather how people choose to deal with reality how those decisions change lives.

6 Segues (Transitions BETWEEN Paragraphs) Example 1 Dickinson s poem helps us to understand how the truth affects Oedipus in Sophocles play. In Tell all the Truth Dickinson s writes that the truth is Too bright for our infirm Delight (3). Using Dickinson s poem we can better understand in the beginning of the play Oedipus the King, that Oedipus cannot handle his truth. Example 2 In the beginning when the truth is told it proves it is too bright for Oedipus s infirm delight. This leads Oedipus to infirm delight to be careful told the truth (Dickinson 3). In Dickinson s poem the speaker instructs, Tell all the Truth but tell it slant (1). Using Dickinson s poem we can understand that Oedipus is given his truth slanted and because of this reason he can accept his truth (1). Example 3 Through this emotion, "Could Have" expresses how easily fear can communicate between people when chance and uncertainty link them. "Could Have" illuminates Sophocles' play, Oedipus Rex, through the similar fear of incidental and random coincidences and their inability to be controlled.

7 Little Stuff (that makes a big difference) this, that, these, those (when used as demonstrative pronouns) must be followed by a noun. It is a matter of precision what does this refer to? You need to be able to name it, or you are not being precise with your language or clear with your thought. Same goes for pronouns make sure there is a clear antecedent. embedded quotations must match rest of sentence grammatically. Make sure that verbs and pronouns match. Use literary present when discussing a piece of art (literature, musical, or visual). If you pick it up and read it again, the plot will unfold again, in the same way. Avoid slang or overly chatty language. It s hard to know where strong voice oversteps its bounds. commas should be used to divide a list, an introductory clause, an appositive, or before a coordinating conjunction semi-colons should be used to divide a complicated list or to join two independent clauses (if you want to stick two related sentences together) Creon was depicted as a rebel by Oedipus since Creon was so hungry to overthrow me (Sophocles 439). This ties along with Creon calling Oedipus out on ruling unjustly, which is basically what a tyrant does.

8 Likewise, Oedipus act of self-mutilation, while crude and barbaric to us, is also his strange way of finding out that there is something redemptive in just accepting whatever control of life someone can have. But if the blinds are opened slowly, then the person s eyes will become accustomed to it and, and they will be more comfortable. Like this, leaving the world of ignorance, and entering that of realization can be an uneasy transition. This is all a reaction to how he, Thebes, and the reader were all deceived by this unnoticed natural coincidence.