Table of Contents READING SEUSS...2 THE THESIS SENTENCE...3 WRITING YOUR THESIS STATEMENT...4 SAMPLE THESIS...4 YOUR TURN FOR A THESIS...4 PROVE IT...5 PROVE IT WITH LOGIC...5 PROVE IT WITH EVIDENCE...5 PROVE IT WITH EXPLANATION OF THE EVIDENCE (AKA ANALYSIS)...5 BUILDING AN ANALYTICAL BODY PARAGRAPH...9 YOUR BODY PARAGRAPHS HAVE FOUR PARTS...9 1. START WITH YOUR TOPIC SENTENCE....9 2. THEN INCLUDE YOUR CONTEXT....10 3. THEN INCLUDE (AND CITE!) YOUR EVIDENCE...10 4. THEN PROVE YOUR THESIS WITH EXPLANATION (ANALYSIS)...10 WHEN YOU VE FINISHED, YOUR PARAGRAPH MIGHT LOOK SOMETHING LIKE THIS...11 THE PARAGRAPH, EXPLAINED AGAIN WITH NOTES...11 HOW TO TRANSITION BETWEEN & WITHIN PARAGRAPHS...12 TRANSITION WORD LIST...13 INTRODUCTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS...14 INTRODUCTIONS STEP-BY-STEP...14 CONCLUSIONS STEP-BY-STEP...14 BODY PARAGRAPH 2...17 BODY PARAGRAPH 3...17 CONCLUSION...17 1
Reading Seuss As you read your chosen Dr. Seuss book, keep track of the events that happen on the plot map below. Include page numbers in your plot map so that you ll be able to find your place in the book when you re looking for passages later. Be specific! He s afraid of the dark (12-20) isn t going to work as well as He s afraid of the dark so he hides (12-13) followed by He s still afraid of the dark so he turns on a light (14). Once You ve Finished Reading put on your thinking cap! Using your signposts, try to identify these things about your story. Are there any SYMBOLS in the story? What are they and what do they stand for? What are some of the CONCEPTS in the story? (remember concepts are things like heroism, friendship, prejudice, kindness, growing up, etc). What is one THEME of the story? In other words, what is Dr. Seuss s MESSAGE about one of those concepts (for example Anyone can be heroic if they act with kindness ) 2
The THESIS Sentence Which thing sounds most interesting from the chart above? Symbols or themes? Which symbol or theme would you like to try and write about? Once you ve decided whether you plan to write about SYMBOLS or THEMES, you need write your thesis sentence. The THESIS is the single most important sentence in your essay: The thesis is the main idea or argument that a paper makes. The thesis can contain the reasons the author will use to support the argument. The thesis relates to EVERY body paragraph. In each paragraph, the author must show readers how the ideas presented support the thesis. The thesis is usually the last sentence of the introduction....but that s probably all review from middle school. Now that you re here, we re going to up the ante just a little bit on thesis statements. A GOOD THESIS EXPLAINS both WHAT you see in the text and why that is significant (the SO WHAT). Often the so what is your debatable point about what the author is trying to do or what the author inadvertently does in the text. This is the moment when you create meaning. A GOOD THESIS IS argumentative/debatable. Because the argument in the thesis should be debatable, it will not use the most obvious points of the text. A GOOD THESIS USES a strong verb Strong thesis verbs might include one or more of the following: to conclude to justify to discount to claim to account for to suppose to assert to maintain to challenge to reflect to exemplify to critique to emphasize to suggest to contend to describe to extol to reject to fail to acknowledge to fail to understand to fail to comprehend to acknowledge to question to refute to elucidate 3
Writing Your Thesis Statement Now you need to identify your WHAT and your SO WHAT, then combine them into a single statement. Sample Thesis If I picked SYMBOL in Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss, I might write What: Horton is a symbol for all the good traits in humanity So what: He proves that one person can make the world a better place Thesis: Dr. Seuss made Horton a symbol for all the good in humanity to suggest that even one person can make the world a better place. Your Turn for a Thesis I m writing about (choose one):! Symbol! Theme In by Dr. Seuss Title of Book (or title of the story if you re writing about one of the stories in the Yertle book) What: So what: : Thesis: : 4
Prove it Prove it with LOGIC Most of your essay is a chance to PROVE that your thesis statement is true. So now you want to take some time to think up a list of reasons your thesis is true. For example If my thesis is. Dr. Seuss made Horton a symbol for all the good traits in humanity to suggest that even one person can make the world a better place. Then my reasons might be a list of how I know Horton is a symbol for all the good traits in humanity. He s loyal He wants to help everyone He shows respect to everyone What about you? What are some of the reasons you know your thesis is true? Try to come up with at least three. We ll do the next two steps on our graphic organizers, first on a sample one together and then on a blank one for YOUR thesis. Prove it with EVIDENCE The next step is to find evidence from the story (like actual, word-for-word evidence copied directly from the story). Prove it with EXPLANATION of the evidence (aka analysis) The next step is to break down the evidence into smaller pieces and explain how each piece helps to prove your thesis. 5
Insert filled out organizer here and practice filling it out rest of it together. (Google Doc) Graphic Organizer Sample 6
Insert blank organizer here (Google Doc) Graphic Organizer Blank Exploring Dr. Seuss: An English 9 & 9H Analytical Essay 7
Overview of an Essay: Typical Map of What To Put in Each Paragraph Paragraph 1 is the introduction. Capture the reader s attention. Set the tone of the essay. Introduce the text and the author and give a very brief (1-2 sentence) summary of the story. Lead into and end with the thesis statement. Paragraphs 2, 3, and 4 are the body paragraphs. Each body paragraph: Start with a transition and a topic sentence which states the paragraph s topic as well as how the paragraph relates to the thesis. Include evidence (a quote from the text) to support the point. Devoted to analyzing the evidence and explaining how the evidence supports the thesis. Paragraph 5 is the conclusion. Restate the thesis in new terms and summarizes main points. Leave the reader with a powerful closing image. Transitions......are words or phrases that show readers the relationships between ideas in different paragraphs and within the same paragraph. Use transitions in your topic sentences to connect paragraphs. See How to Use Transitions for a more detailed explanation and Transition Word List for a list of useful transition words. Moving from the Graphic Organizer to the Essay 1. Start with the body paragraphs. It s easier to write your introduction and conclusion if you know what you re introducing and what you re concluding! 2. Each ROW of your organizer will become a body paragraph. " So this is one row, and it will become one paragraph. 3. The graphic organizer doesn t include a plan for your introduction or conclusion, and that s fine. We ll do those last. 4. Start by filling in your name, date, and title in the template on Google Classroom. 5. Then type your thesis statement at the top of the page. It will be the last sentence of your introduction, anyhow, so it s good to have it there on the page! 8
Building an Analytical Body Paragraph Your body paragraphs have four parts: 1. Topic sentence this sentence explains how your paragraph will support your thesis, and it is the boss of the paragraph. Everything else in the paragraph has to connect to this sentence. 2. Context this sentence (or part of a sentence) explains what s happening in the story right around the time the evidence appears. 3. Evidence this sentence or these sentences START WITH YOUR OWN WORDS but then include the actual words, word-for-word from the story. Evidence can t sit by itself in a paragrph. 4. Analysis these sentences explain how the quote proves your topic sentence, and as a result how it proves your thesis. This is the biggest part of your paragraph. So let s try it together. Our sample thesis says In Horton Hears a Who, Dr. Seuss makes Horton a symbol of all the best traits of humanity to suggest that even one person can make a big difference. And our sample graphic organizer for the first row (paragraph) looks like this: 1. Start with your topic sentence. Turn your reason into a topic sentence. My reason says: Horton is compassionate toward everyone. But I want my topic sentence to tie to my thesis. So to turn it into a topic sentence, I m going to write out the connection directly (that part is in bold): One thing that makes Horton a symbol of an ideal human is his compassion toward everyone. 9
2. Then include your context. In the story, my evidence appears right when Horton realizes the Who community is in danger. So that s what I include in my context: Once he understands that the Who community is in danger, 3. Then include (and cite!) your evidence. This is a continuation of the same sentence you just started, and you want it to work smoothly with your context, so it may take some extra words, like it does here (in bold): Once he understands that the Who community is in danger, he realizes that they must be shaking with fear (6). He goes on to say, I can t let my very small persons get drowned! I ve got to protect them, I m bigger than they (14). Notice that you need to include the page numbers your quote appears on in parentheses at the end of the sentence. That s called a citation. The period goes AFTER the citation. Also, notice that the sentence makes sense. The evidence from the story isn t just plopped in there like a thing, it s a meaningful, easy-to-read part of the sentence. 4. Then prove your thesis with explanation (analysis) Turn your analysis box into a paragraph. You can t just type it as it is, right? The first part of my analysis box says Shaking with fear shows compassion because he s imagining their feelings That s not even a sentence, it starts with a piece of evidence instead of with my own words, and it doesn t really explain very much. It s just a note to myself about what I want to say. So when I turn it into a paragraph, I have to explain it a little more thoroughly: His comments reveal compassion because he takes the time to imagine the fear they must be feeling. They are compared to Horton powerless to defend themselves, so he realizes their fear is realistic. Note I didn t have to say shaking with fear in my sentence fear turned out to be enough. Sometimes that happens and that s okay. You ll repeat step 4 with all your notes in the analysis box for your first row, and voila! A body paragraph. 10
When you ve finished, your paragraph might look something like this: One thing that makes Horton an example of the ideal human being is his desire to help others. Once he understand that the Who community is in danger, he realizes they must be shaking with fear (6). He goes on to say, I can t let my very small persons get drowned! I ve got to protect them, I m bigger than they (14). His comments reveal compassion because he takes the time to imagine the fear they must be feeling. They are compared to Horton powerless to defend themselves, so he realizes their fears are realistic. Horton s observations also show compassion because he decides to protect them, which suggests he s helping them in a way they cannot help themselves. Finally, Horton s compassion shines through when he says he s got to help them. In a sense, this comment indicates that he doesn t see helping them as an optional thing, but something required and mandatory. Plus, he feels this responsibility toward the Whos because he recognizes being bigger is a privilege that the small Whos don t have. Using his privilege to protect those without it is especially compassionate in contrast with the attitudes of several other characters, who do not think their power and size makes them responsible for anything except themselves. The Paragraph, Explained Again with Notes One thing that makes Horton an example of the ideal human being is his desire to help others. Once he understand that the Who community is in danger, he realizes they must be shaking with fear (6). He goes on to say, I can t let my very small persons get drowned! I ve got to protect them, I m bigger than they (14). His comments reveal compassion because he takes the time to imagine the fear they must be feeling. They are compared to Horton powerless to defend themselves, so he realizes their fears are realistic. Horton s observations also show compassion because he decides to protect them, which suggests he s helping them in a way they cannot help themselves. Finally, Horton s compassion shines through when he says he s got to help them. In a sense, this comment indicates that he doesn t see helping them as an optional thing, but something required and mandatory. Plus, he feels this responsibility toward the Whos because he The topic sentence is in a box with two lines. The context is underlined The entire passage of evidence and is in a box with squiggly lines and the whole thing is included early in the paragraph with the context Little bits of evidence the parts I broke down and analyzed appear again later in the paragraph, but I don t have to cite them the second time. The analysis is highlighted in gray. Notice that it is the MAJORITY of the paragraph. recognizes being bigger is a privilege that the small Whos don t have. Using his privilege to protect those without it seems especially compassionate in contrast with the attitudes of several other characters, who do not think their power and size makes them responsible for anything except themselves. 11
How to Transition Between & Within Paragraphs Beginner Level Everyone, at a minimum needs to use transition words to connect paragraphs together. This could be as simple as words ate the beginning of each paragraph: Introduction. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.thesis. FirstLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Second, Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Third, Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Clearly, Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum Intermediate Level The next level of transitions in short essays involves using transition words inside your paragraphs. First, Richard Connell uses suspense to draw readers into the story. When Rainsford and Zaroff have lunch together during their second day on the island, Zaroff gets a fire in his eyes when he suggests, tonight, we will hunt. The moment of suspense is almost painful. The reader does not know if Zaroff means that he and Rainsford will hunt together for one of Zaroff s pupils or if Rainsford himself will become the hunted creature. In addition, the general is so polite... In the example, notice that my paragraph starts with first but later in the paragraph I use in addition Sophisticated Level The most sophisticated use of transitions in short essays happens when a writer can make transitions without only relying only on transition words. These transitions are built into the paragraph. They might do this in two ways: 1. Repeat language from earlier in the paragraph 2. Use demonstrative pronouns (this, that, these, those) to connect ideas to one another. Example A First, Richard Connell uses suspense to draw readers into the story. When Rainsford and Zaroff have lunch together during their second day on the island, Zaroff gets a fire in his eyes when he suggests, tonight, we will hunt. The moment of suspense is almost painful. The reader does not know if Zaroff means that he and Rainsford will hunt together for one of Zaroff s pupils or if Rainsford himself will become the hunted creature. In addition, the general is so polite, that it s nearly impossible to believe he will actually do what we fear him doing. Ultimately this moment of suspense appeals to teen readers because it leaves enough space for the reader to figure it out or make a guess before revealing the truth. Teenagers, like many adults, enjoy solving the riddle just a little bit before the author explains it. Example B A game is fun. A dangerous game sounds terrifying and exciting at the same time. Richard Connell plays with that terror and excitement in his short story, The Most Dangerous Game. From death-defying battles with the ocean to creepy dinners with creepier hosts, Connell delivers excitement, suspense and terror, making The Most Dangerous Game the perfect story for teen readers. In example A, notice that I talk about the moment of suspense being painful. Later I repeat that phrase with a demonstrative pronoun: Ultimately, this moment of suspense. The repetition and the demonstrative pronoun tie the ideas together, even though there aren t any so-called transition words involved. In example B, notice that I talk about terrifying and exciting in the first two sentences. Later I say use those ideas to say that terror and excitement. Again, this transition connects the two ideas with repeated language and a demonstrative pronoun. 12
Transition Word List to add on and also besides further furthermore in addition moreover next too first second logical relationship if so therefore consequently thus as a result for this reason since to compare likewise in the same manner similarly to give examples for example for instance to illustrate in fact specifically comparing time & place after as before above below beyond to contrast however on the other hand in contrast nevertheless still on the contrary even though yet although Summary in other words in short in summary in retrospect in conclusion to sum up that is therefore for in retrospect Portions of this handout taken directly from http://buckhoff.topcities.com/using_transition_words.htm Copyright (C) By Michael Buckhoff Portions also taken from Gregory M. Campbell s work found at http://www.bgsu.edu/departments/writing-lab/transition_words 13
Introductions and Conclusions Introductions Step-by-Step 1. Catchy opening line (statistic, observation, wordplay, quote, etc) 2. Make a bridge or a connection to your topic, then introduce the topic to your reader. If you re writing about a book or story, it often helps to give a short summary (1-2 sentences) of the whole thing in case your reader isn t familiar with the story. 3. Include your thesis but you may have to rewrite it in a way that makes sense for the paragraph. Sample Introduction chy opening # s (first two sentences) dge to thesis (starts at m death defying ) A game is fun. A dangerous game sounds terrifying and exciting at the same time. Richard Connell plays with that terror and excitement in his short story, The Most Dangerous Game. From death-defying battles with the ocean to creepy dinners with creepier hosts, Connell delivers excitement, suspense and terror, making The Most Dangerous Game the perfect story for teen readers. "Introduce author and title (starts at Richard Connell ) "Thesis (starts at Connell delivers ) Conclusions Step-by-Step 1. Restate your thesis NOT WORD FOR WORD FROM INTRODUCTION! Write it in a way that makes sense in your paragraph. 2. Restate the author s name and title 3. Conclude the paper a. Option 1: Summarize your main points and discuss how they work together to support your thesis. b. Option 2: If you haven t gotten to talk about how your main points support your SO WHAT, then use this space to explain how all of your main points work together to prove your SO WHAT. 4. Powerful closing line. Really excellent closing lines refer back to the opening line this is called framing. Sample Conclusion Restate thesis, not using the exact same words as before (first sentence) # Summarize main points & evidence (starts at Rainsford s battle ) # Powerful closing line that frames or refers back to opening line (starts with Thankfully, the game ) # With all of its excitement, suspense and terror, Richard Connell s story, The Most Dangerous Game is obviously a great read for teenagers. Rainsford s battle against the ocean, his unnerving realization about what Zaroff hunts and his own narrow escapes from his captor all work together to cultivate teen interest. While plenty of stories offer excitement, and plenty of others terror and still others suspense, only Connell delivers all three. Thankfully, the game about which Connell writes is dangerous only to Rainsford. For readers, it s just plain fun. "Restating author s name and title (also in first sentence) "Building on main points, talking about how main points work together (starts with While plenty of stories ) 14
Exploring Dr. Seuss: An English 9 & 9H Analytical Essay 15
Exploring Dr. Seuss: An English 9 & 9H Analytical Essay 16
Building the Essay with Extra Help Exploring Dr. Seuss: An English 9 & 9H Analytical Essay Stuck on how to begin drafting your essay? Try following these step-by-step instructions. Introduction: 1. Write a sentence to grab the reader s attention. 2. Write a couple of sentences to give the story name, the author name, and a quick plot summary. 3. Write your thesis. Body Paragraph 1 4. Write your first topic sentence. 5. Write a sentence/phrase to introduce the quote 6. Write down the actual quote from the story 7. Write an explanation of how the quote proves the topic sentence/thesis Body Paragraph 2 8. Write a transition word followed by your second topic sentence. 9. Write a sentence/phrase to introduce the quote 10. Write down the actual quote from the story 11. Write an explanation of how the quote proves the topic sentence/thesis Body Paragraph 3 12. Write a transition word followed by your third topic sentence. 13. Write a sentence/phrase to introduce the quote 14. Write down the actual quote from the story 15. Write an explanation of how the quote proves the topic sentence/thesis Conclusion 16. Write two or three sentences to summarize the main points you ve made in the essay OR that explain how all your paragraphs work together to prove your SO WHAT. 17. Write what you think is a good closing line (something that shows readers that you re done). 17