THE 3.5 ACADEMIC ESSAY Review Notes and Activities

3.5 FORMAT  3.5 Format means  5 = paragraphs  3 = points/topics

INTRODUCTION  A statement that catches the reader’s attention is LEAD

INTRODUCTION  What you plan on discussing in your essay OVERVIEW

INTRODUCTION  A sentence that states your position THESIS STATEMENT

THESIS STATEMENTS  A Working THREE PART Thesis’s formula is… Topic + Position + 3 supporting categories

LET’S PRACTICE  Example: Having an older brother helps you learn more about growing up, gets you picked on or harassed at times, and gives you the opportunity to meet more guys.  Let’s do this better.  What does it need?

SAMPLE INTRODUCTION  Read this paragraph and identify the three main parts (lead, overview, thesis).

 “So, are you enjoying your roasted mammal flesh?” For those of us who have chosen not to eat meat, this is what goes through our minds when we are eating dinner with someone with meat on his or her plate. Yes, I am a vegetarian, and have been one for about two years. There are several kinds of vegetarians; I am a lacto-vegetarian, which means I drink milk and eat eggs but do not eat the actual flesh of cows, pigs, birds or fish. Being a veggie isn’t always easy, but it’s a choice I’m glad I made. My life has improved tremendously since making this change. Vegetarianism is a rewarding way of life which has helped me make wiser nutritional choices in my overall diet, provided me with many personal health benefits and given me the opportunity to help the environment.

THE BODY PARAGRAPHS  Each body paragraph will focus on one point/topic.  This is the focus of the paragraph, and all details should be related to this topic.

THE BODY PARAGRAPHS  Your paragraph should have: a topic sentence that tells the reader what the rest of the paragraph is about and controls the focus of the entire paragraph.

THE BODY PARAGRAPHS  Details that provide strong support for the main idea. These include description, examples, elaboration. The more detailed and specific you can be, the more effective your paragraph will be.

THE BODY PARAGRAPHS  a hook sentence that makes a smooth transition from one paragraph to the next. It should wrap up the paragraph, remind reader of your position and hint at the topic in the next paragraph.

THE CONCLUSION  Review by going back to the idea that was in your lead. Refer to it in some way again. (AKA bookend)

THE CONCLUSION  Restate the thesis from the introduction. (Use similar wording, but DO NOT just repeat it.)  Leave the reader with a challenge statement. You should leave your reader with a strong impression.

COMPARE/CONTRAST INFORMATION AND REQUIREMENTS: In a general compare/contrast, there are several purposes. For this essay (based on literature), your purpose will be: to analyze and to reach a conclusion through showing the similarities and differences.

You will be analyzing two poems for your essay. They must be by the same poet. Your purpose is to make an overall, general statement/conclusion about the poet and then support it through the analysis of two poems by this poet. You are trying to find mostly comparisons between the two poems, not contrasts, to meet the purpose of this piece of writing.

This essay needs to be written as a 3.5 essay with a 3- part working thesis. Your thesis needs to clearly show which subtopics are similarities and which are differences. Your position in the thesis must show what overall statement about the poet that you are trying to make in your analysis.

Example: No position After reading Langston Hughes’ “Children’s Rhymes” and “Song for a Dark Girl”, one is clearly able to see a similar theme, tone, and style in each poem. With a position After reading “Children’s Rhymes” and “Song for a Dark Girl”, one is clearly able to see Langston Hughes’ underlying resentment towards the oppression of his African American people through the similar theme, tone, and style in each poem.

You must have a purpose in comparing the two poems – how these two poems reflect some major aspect of this poet’s work. You need to use the point-by-point method of organization in order to fit the requirements of a 3.5 essay. In this method, the writer discusses both major topics within one subtopic before discussing the next subtopic.

POET and POEMS: (Topic) Sara Teasdale “Sleepless” and “But Not to Me” MY OBSERVATION/INSIGHT ABOUT THESE POEMS: (Position) They look at complexity in relationships HOW THIS IDEA IS DEVELOPED IN THE POEMS: (Subtopics) themes both about the pain of unrequited feelings moods are gloomy, morose speakers are conflicted THESIS STATEMENT: Sara Teasdale delves into the complexity of relationships in her poetry, and her views on the topic are developed through her use of similar themes, mood, and speakers in “Sleepless” and “But Not to Me”.

POET AND POEMS: (Topic) Dorothy Parker “Starlight, Star Bright” and “A Certain Lady” MY OBSERVATON/INSIGHT ABOUT THESE POEMS: (Position) She is a Realist HOW THIS IDEA IS DEVELOPED IN THE POEMS: (Subtopics) her tone is harsh she has a negative outlook she uses straightforward wording (not flowery) THESIS STATEMENT: Dorothy Parker’s Realism is shown in her poems “Starlight, Star bright” and “A Certain Lady,” through her mocking tone, straightforward language, and pessimistic view of relationships.

WRITING ABOUT LITERATURE When writing about literature, you should always do the following:  give complete titles (with correct punctuation) and authors. This should be included in the introduction paragraph.  provide a little background on each work in the introduction, but remember that this is NOT just a plot summary. Your purpose is to analyze, not just summarize.  use present tense verbs to discuss plot events  Example: INCORRECT: In the poem, a man was walking in the woods and came to a fork in the road with two paths. CORRECT: In the poem, a man is walking in the woods and comes to a fork in the road with two paths.

 be sure to use TONS of specific examples from the piece of literature to support your ideas. (Assume the reader of your essay has not read the literature, but the essay should still be understandable without having read the lit.)  when appropriate, use direct quotes to support ideas.  use quotation marks around exact words from the original  always give reference to place in the text – with poems, use line number or stanza number  don’t just insert the quote – provide an explanation as to how the quote supports your idea  Remember, this is a formal essay. It should be written in 3 rd person (no “I think” or “I believe” in it. Just present the information as factual.)