ENG 121: Unit 1 Quiz
Imagery
"All moans and shouts and lonely cries and dire pictures of hell.." Hughes uses the reactions of people in hell to help paint a picture of what was going on at the revival.
Argumentation
"God had not struck Westley dead for taking his name in vain or for lying in the temple." Hughes is halfway out of the door when he stated that God didn't strike Westley when he thought that he would.
Since Jesus didn't make himself "visible" to Hughes in his sign of discomfort at the church's alter, he no longer believe that he existed.
"I didn't believe there was a Jesus anymore since he didn't come to help me."
Body Paragraphs
- Contain topic sentences - sentences that introduce the paragraph and its connection to your thesis statement. - Provided support for your thesis - this can be in examples, quotes, statistics, etc. - Connect back, through elaboration, to the thesis statement and the introductory paragraph.
Key Features of the Body Paragraph
- Topic sentence - Supporting sentences - Elaborating or Explanatory sentences - Concluding or transition sentence
thesis statement
- tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion - it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper - directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel - makes a claim that others might dispute - is usually a single sentence near the beginning of your paper (most often, at the end of the first paragraph) that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation
Every paragraph in a paper should be:
- unified: All of the sentences in a single paragraph should be related to a single controlling idea (often expressed in the topic sentence of the paragraph) - clearly related to the thesis: The sentences should all refer to the central idea, or thesis, of the paper. - coherent: The sentences should be arranged in a logical manner and should follow a definite plan for development. - well-developed: Every idea discussed in the paragraph should be adequately explained and supported through evidence and details that work together to explain the paragraph's controlling idea.
How do I organize a paragraph?
Below are a few possibilities for organization, with links to brief examples: - Narration: Tell a story. Go chronologically, from start to finish. (See an example.) - Description: Provide specific details about what something looks, smells, tastes, sounds, or feels like. Organize spatially, in order of appearance, or by topic. (See an example.) - Process: Explain how something works, step by step. Perhaps follow a sequence—first, second, third. (See an example.) - Classification: Separate into groups or explain the various parts of a topic. (See an example.) - Illustration: Give examples and explain how those examples prove your point. (See the detailed example in the next section of this handout
POV story was told
By a 12 yo
Organization and Flow
Each body paragraph and its topic sentence refer directly back to the thesis statement.
Explanatory or Elaborating Sentences
Every paragraph has sentences that relate to the ideas in the topic sentence. These sentences are called supporting sentences. These are the sentences in which the author explains or elaborates on the connections between the supporting sentences and the overall topic.
"I was saved from sin when I was going on thirteen. But not really saved."
Hughes brings irony to the story because his statement doesn't match the title and brings a question to the reader about what the essay is really about.
"Old women with jet-black faces and braided hair, old men with work-knarled hands."
Hughes supplies imagery of psychical chracteristics of the congregation of the church which is similar to characteristics of people in hell.
Slanting
Hughes used slants to show his misinterpretation of actually seeing Jesus. "Still kept waiting to see Jesus."
Problem: the paragraph has more than one controlling idea
If a paragraph has more than one main idea, consider eliminating sentences that relate to the second idea, or split the paragraph into two or more paragraphs, each with only one main idea.
How do I know if my thesis is strong?
If there's time, run it by your instructor or make an appointment at the Writing Center to get some feedback. Even if you do not have time to get advice elsewhere, you can do some thesis evaluation of your own. When reviewing your first draft and its working thesis, ask yourself the following: - do I answer the question? Re-reading the question prompt after constructing a working thesis can help you fix an argument that misses the focus of the question - have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? if your thesis simply states facts that no one would, or even could, disagree with, it's possible that you are simply providing a summary, rather than making an argument - is my thesis statement specific enough? Thesis statements that are too vague often do not have a strong argument. If your thesis contains words like "good" or "successful," see if you could be more specific: why is something "good"; what specifically makes something "successful"? - does my thesis pass the "So what?" test? If a reader's first response is likely to be "So what?" then you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue - does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering? If your thesis and the body of your essay do not seem to go together, one of them has to change. It's okay to change your working thesis to reflect things you have figured out in the course of writing your paper. Remember, always reassess and revise your writing as necessary - does my thesis pass the "how and why?" test? If a reader's first response is "how?" or "why?" your thesis may be too open-ended and lack guidance for the reader. See what you can add to give the reader a better take on your position right from the beginning
Problem: the paragraph has no topic sentence
Imagine each paragraph as a sandwich. The real content of the sandwich—the meat or other filling—is in the middle. It includes all the evidence you need to make the point. But it gets kind of messy to eat a sandwich without any bread. Your readers don't know what to do with all the evidence you've given them. So, the top slice of bread (the first sentence of the paragraph) explains the topic (or controlling idea) of the paragraph. And, the bottom slice (the last sentence of the paragraph) tells the reader how the paragraph relates to the broader argument. In the original and revised paragraphs below, notice how a topic sentence expressing the controlling idea tells the reader the point of all the evidence.
Concluding Sentence
It is sometimes helpful to have a concluding expression in your last sentence to signal the end of your paragraph. Some common expressions used in concluding sentences are listed below. It is apparent ... This is just one ... Consequently, This demonstrates that ...
Body Paragraphs: FORM
Most paragraphs contain between five to ten sentences. The first line of a paragraph is usually indented (begin a few spaces to the right of the margin) to show that there is a new paragraph.
5-step process to paragraph development
Step 1. Decide on a controlling idea and create a topic sentence Paragraph development begins with the formulation of the controlling idea. This idea directs the paragraph's development. Often, the controlling idea of a paragraph will appear in the form of a topic sentence. In some cases, you may need more than one sentence to express a paragraph's controlling idea. Step 2. Explain the controlling idea Paragraph development continues with an expression of the rationale or the explanation that the writer gives for how the reader should interpret the information presented in the idea statement or topic sentence of the paragraph. The writer explains his/her thinking about the main topic, idea, or focus of the paragraph. Step 3. Give an example (or multiple examples) Paragraph development progresses with the expression of some type of support or evidence for the idea and the explanation that came before it. The example serves as a sign or representation of the relationship established in the idea and explanation portions of the paragraph. Step 4. Explain the example(s) The next movement in paragraph development is an explanation of each example and its relevance to the topic sentence and rationale that were stated at the beginning of the paragraph. This explanation shows readers why you chose to use this/or these particular examples as evidence to support the major claim, or focus, in your paragraph. Continue the pattern of giving examples and explaining them until all points/examples that the writer deems necessary have been made and explained. NONE of your examples should be left unexplained. You might be able to explain the relationship between the example and the topic sentence in the same sentence which introduced the example. More often, however, you will need to explain that relationship in a separate sentence. Step 5. Complete the paragraph's idea or transition into the next paragraph The final movement in paragraph development involves tying up the loose ends of the paragraph and reminding the reader of the relevance of the information in this paragraph to the main or controlling idea of the paper. At this point, you can remind your reader about the relevance of the information that you just discussed in the paragraph. You might feel more comfortable, however, simply transitioning your reader to the next development in the next paragraph.
Supporting Sentences
These sentence are used by the author to provide support to the paragraph and the essay thesis. They can be quotes from researched sources, personal anecdotes, statistics, stories or examples. NOTE: These must be in complete sentences or woven into complete sentences.
Point of View
With Langston's older and younger view point being noticable in the essay, we geta more in depth comprehension on how he lost his faith in Jesus. "That I hadn't seen Jesus and that now I didn't believe there wasa Jesus anymore" 12 yo boy POV
Body Paragraphs: Connection and Conciseness
Within each of your body paragraphs, examples, evidence, etc. support the topic sentence and thus refers back to or connects to your essay thesis.
Problem: transitions are needed within the paragraph
You are probably familiar with the idea that transitions may be needed between paragraphs or sections in a paper (see our handout on transitions). Sometimes they are also helpful within the body of a single paragraph. Within a paragraph, transitions are often single words or short phrases that help to establish relationships between ideas and to create a logical progression of those ideas in a paragraph.
academic argument
a persuasive case in writing. you are asked to convince your reader of your point of view. follows a predictable pattern in writing.
How do I create a thesis?
a thesis is the result of a lengthy thinking process. Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment. before you develop an argument on any topic, you have to collect and organize evidence, look for possible relationships between known facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the significance of these relationships. once you do this thinking, you will probably have a "working thesis" that presents a basic or main idea and an argument that you think you can support with evidence. both the argument and your thesis are likely to need adjustment along the way.
introduction
after a brief introduction of your topic, you state your point of view on the topic directly and often in one sentence. After a brief introduction of your topic, you state your point of view on the topic directly and often in one sentence. This sentence is the thesis statement, and it serves as a summary of the argument you'll make in the rest of your paper.
How do I decide what to put in a paragraph?
before you can begin to determine what the composition of a particular paragraph will be, you must first decide on an argument and a working thesis statement for your paper. What is the most important idea that you are trying to convey to your reader? The information in each paragraph must be related to that idea. In other words, your paragraphs should remind your reader that there is a recurrent relationship between your thesis and the information in each paragraph. A working thesis functions like a seed from which your paper, and your ideas, will grow. The whole process is an organic one—a natural progression from a seed to a full-blown paper where there are direct, familial relationships between all of the ideas in the paper. The decision about what to put into your paragraphs begins with the germination of a seed of ideas; this "germination process" is better known as brainstorming. There are many techniques for brainstorming; whichever one you choose, this stage of paragraph development cannot be skipped. Building paragraphs can be like building a skyscraper: there must be a well-planned foundation that supports what you are building. Any cracks, inconsistencies, or other corruptions of the foundation can cause your whole paper to crumble.
persuasion
convincing others that you have an interesting, logical point of view on the subject you are studying
analyze, to interpret, to compare and contrast, to demonstrate cause and effect, or to take a stand on an issue
it is likely that you are being asked to develop a thesis and to support it persuasively.
What is a paragraph?
the unity and coherence of ideas among sentences is what constitutes a paragraph. a paragraph is defined as a group of sentences or a single sentence that forms a unit. Length and appearance do not determine whether a section in a paper is a paragraph. for instance, in some styles of writing, particularly journalistic styles, a paragraph can be just one sentence long. Ultimately, a paragraph is a sentence or group of sentences that support one main idea. In this handout, we will refer to this as the "controlling idea," because it controls what happens in the rest of the paragraph.
take a position or develop a claim about a subject
you may need to convey that position or claim in a thesis statement near the beginning of your draft. the assignment may not explicitly state that you need a thesis statement because your instructor may assume you will include one. when in doubt, ask your instructor if the assignment requires a thesis statement.
