Composition Review Summer Reading Essay

Thesis Guidelines  Mention the authors and titles of the works being discussed.  Do not use pronouns (Ch. 1 pg. 6)  Do not use conjunctions. (Exception: You may use a conjunction such as and to connect the two titles/authors.) Ch. 1 pg. 7  Write in present tense (Ch. 1 pg. 6)  Narrow your topic! Your thesis should be arguable, not self evident. (Ch. 1pg. 8)

Organizational Statement Guidelines  Your organizational statement is separate from your thesis, but it should echo your thesis. (Ch. 1pg. 9)  One sentence (for now)  List the three topics you plan to discuss  Keep it simple—you will add detail in your topic sentences  Use present tense  Use parallel structure (Ch. 1 pg. 10)  Be intentional with the order of your points (Ch. 1 pg )

Quotes and Specific Supports  Basics of quotation selection (pg. 1-2)  See pg. 3-5 (Ch. 2) for what not to do with quotations  Other types of support:  Paraphrase (Ch. 2 pg. 7-8)  Specific Support (Ch. 4)  All examples (quotes, paraphrases, specific supports) must be cited!

Citations  Quotes, citation, period!  Author and page number  Punctuation  Always drop any punctuation at the end of the quote unless it ends with a question mark or exclamation point.  After closing the quote with quotation marks, include the citation (in parentheses)  Finally, place a period after the citation.

Quotation Blending  Introduce: identify the speaker and situation  Explain: interpret the quote and explain its significance  Examples in Ch. 2 on pg. 2-3 (Do not vary the order yet—pg. 3)  Punctuation/Mechanics (Ch. 2 pg. 5-7)  Use standard or block format (Ch. 2 pg. 8-10)  Limit use of block quotations (two maximum)

Reminders!  Quotes/Specific Supports:  Each body paragraph should have one quote or example from each novel.  Explain the comparison in the “explain” section following the 2 nd example (quote/specific support) in each paragraph (letter H).

Transitions  Internal transitions  Transition from the first quote to the second quote in a paragraph  Standard transitions (Ch. 1 pg. 23)— generally strong enough for an internal transition.  Bridge transitions (Ch. 1 pg )—may be used if more detail is needed to construct the transition.

Reminders  Process Grade (50 points total)  Thesis/OS (5)  Quotes/SS (5)  Transitions (5)  Final Check (10)  Peer Edit (15)  Rough Draft (10)

Topic Sentences and Sub- Topics  Topic sentences should be written for each paragraph (Ch. 1 pg )  A subtopic sentence may follow the topic sentence (Ch. 1 pg )  Pay special attention to the information on page 17 (Ch. 1), which shows examples with transitions. Transitions are required!

External Transitions  Transitions must be present in ALL topic sentences! These are external because they are on the external part of your body paragraphs.  Bridge Transitions (Ch. 1 pg. 17, 24-25)  In an eight paragraph essay, use bridge transitions in the first, third, and fifth body paragraphs.  Standard Transitions (Ch. 1 pg. 23)  Use in the second, fourth, and sixth body paragraphs.

Concluding Sentences  Two Parts:  Summarize what you’ve talked about in the paragraph.  Link to the thesis.  Basically, it’s restatement of the topic sentence!  Examples  Basic (Ch. 1 pg. 18)  Aim for Advanced! (Ch. 1 pg. 19)

Introductory Paragraph  The introduction (which comes before your thesis) should be a minimum of three sentences long.  You may wish to begin with general information about the works of literature that you’ll be discussing.  At the close of this introduction section, you should be careful to transition to the thesis. This is best achieved by introducing the idea behind your paper (in this case, the theme and the fact that you’ll be comparing the works).  Other options: lead-in, quote, etc.

Introductory Paragraph American literature offers readers an array of stories as diverse as America’s own people. Although American literature is incredibly multifaceted, its stories are all united by the universal human experience. After all, people’s similarities nearly always outweigh their differences. This undeniable phenomenon emerges in the themes of many American novels, including those by John Steinbeck and Kahled Hosseini. One such theme is the age old idea that one must accept responsibility for his actions. In Steinbeck’s East of Eden and Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, the characters prove that one must take responsibility for his actions in order to find redemption. Redemption is only achieved when on accepts responsibility for obligations to parents, siblings, and oneself.

Conclusion Paragraph  Your conclusion paragraph has three parts:  Restatement of your organizational statement.  You may wish to go into more detail by breaking up your organizational statement into three more detailed sentences. (Ch. 1 pg. 11)  Restatement of your thesis.  Conclusion (Clincher)  This section is a minimum of one sentence, but you may wish to include something a bit longer. The last sentence is the clincher (Ch. 1 pg. 35)

Zero Blend Quotes  Two zero blend quotes are required!  Example on pg. 6 (Ch. 2)  More tips:  Zero in on the most important words!  Create flow by changing words (especially pronouns)  Use [brackets] to indicated any changes— you’ve probably notice this technique in journalistic writing.