Argumentative Essay

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Essay: We’ve completed the “Odyssey,” and now we are going to put our final thoughts about it in writing. It’s been a long 2 weeks away. But, don’t worry! We will do some review and take it step-by-step so that you have enough time and information to write this essay.

Essay: We will write an ARGUMENTATIVE essay. What is an argument?

Essay: Argument: Claim: Evidence: expressing a point of view on a subject and supporting it with evidence Claim: point of view Evidence: support for your point of view with three pieces of textual evidence

Argument:

Essay Topics: You will get to choose which topic you want to write on. Pick one that you find the most interesting so that you have a better and easier time writing it!

Essay Topics: Do you agree or disagree with these statements based on your reading of the Odyssey. Odysseus is a good hero. Odysseus is a good man. Women are portrayed fairly in the Odyssey. Odysseus changes and grows throughout his journey. Odysseus is a good leader. All of the gods on Olympus care about the human beings on earth. The gods on Olympus have the same flaws as the humans on earth.

In your notebook: Pick a topic. Write it down. Do you agree or disagree with the statement? 3. What are three reasons that you agree or disagree with this statement?

In your notebook: Look at your three reasons. Tell me why you think they are good pieces of evidence. For example: I agree with the statement that the gods on Olympus have the same flaws as the humans on earth. One piece of evidence is that after Poseidon’s son is killed, he seeks revenge against Odysseus - sends a storm to keep him from getting home. This is a good piece of evidence because, even though Poseidon is a god, supposedly better than and above the human condition, he shows a need for vengeance - a very human flaw.

Bell Work: Today we go on the search for textual evidence! What is textual evidence and why is textual evidence more important than just plain old evidence?

Textual Evidence: Textual evidence is evidence that you get directly from the text. quote paraphrase summary

Example: Sacrifice is a theme in “Kitty and Mack: A Love Story.” For instance, Kitty is an intelligent girl with a very promising academic future. However, after Mack is shot, she stops going to school in order to show Mack how much she loves him. For example, Kitty tells her grandfather, “I decided to stay home from now on and take care of Mack” (96). In other words, in order to help Mack through this difficult time, Kitty is willing to sacrifice her education.

As noted on page 79, For example, When the author states,”....” An example of this occurs when the main character says, “...” As stated in the text, The author illustrates this point when she states, Toward the end of the story Ken says, “...” For instance, As Zilpha Keatley Snyder points out, In the words of ...

Bell Work (Monday) Many of the introductory paragraphs in your last papers looked like this: The purpose of poetry is to express emotion. That’s it! One sentence! Today we will work on making those introductions more comprehensive. Based on what you know already, what should a good introduction do for a paper?

Introduction Set context background information 2. State why the main idea is important Why are you making this argument? 3. State your thesis statement. Odysseus is a good man because ….

Set Context Ask yourself: What does my read need to know to understand this paper? If my reader knows absolutely nothing about my topic, what should I tell them so that they understand my paper?

Thesis: Odysseus is a good hero. What kind of background information or context will my read need?

Context - Example Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey tells the story of the hero Odysseus’ 10 year journey home from the bloody Trojan war. Throughout his journey, he encounters many challenges and faces many dangerous mythical monsters, before finally making it home to his family in Ithaca.

Why is this important? Now we need to ask ourselves: Why are we even having this argument? If somebody was arguing against me, what would they say? (Counter Argument)

Why is this important? Counter Argument Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus’ 10 year journey home from the bloody Trojan war. Throughout his journey, he encounters many challenges and faces many dangerous mythical monsters, before finally making it home to his family in Ithaca. While some would argue that Odysseus is not a good hero throughout this journey because his extreme curiosity and recklessness often leads his men into danger and many to theirs deaths, in reality, Odysseus is a great hero because …..

State your thesis! You have THREE reasons that you are using to support your argument. Stick those in your thesis statement!

Context, Importance, & Thesis Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus’ 10 year journey home from the bloody Trojan war. Throughout his journey, he encounters many challenges and faces many dangerous mythical monsters, before finally making it home to his family in Ithaca. While some would argue that Odysseus is not a good hero throughout this journey because his extreme curiosity and recklessness often leads his men into danger and many to theirs deaths, in reality, Odysseus is a great hero because he saves his men from the cyclops, risks his life to get home, and defends his wife’s honor when he finally returns.

Your Turn! Now it’s your turn to write an introduction. Make sure you have context, importance, and your thesis.

(Context) Homer’s The Odyssey is the story of (Counter Argument) While some would argue that because , (Thesis) I believe that because .

Bell Work (Tuesday) Today we work on our body paragraphs! We have everything we need, we just need to put it together. Think back to our essays on poetry - our body paragraphs followed a specific format. What did each letter stand for? M. E. L. Con.

M.E.L.Con. M. - Main Idea E. - Evidence L. - Link (Warrant) Con. - Conclusion

Thesis: Odysseus is a good hero (M) One reason that Odysseus is a good hero is because he consistently saves his men from danger. (E) For example, when Odysseus’ men are at risk of being killed by the Cyclops, he states: “Now this seemed to my mind the best plan… I bade my comrades with me … to lift the stake and grind it into his eye when sweet sleep should come upon him” (250). (L) In other words, Odysseus comes up with a cunning plan - to get the Cyclops drunk and stab him in the eye - in order to rescue his men from the monster. Odysseus, is then able to lead most of his men to safety. (Con) Odysseus thinks quickly on his feet and puts value in his men’s lives - all qualities of a good hero.

Transitions: 1st Body Paragraph: One reason Odysseus is a good hero is …. 2nd Body Paragraph: Another reason Odysseus is a good hero… Odysseus is also a good hero because…. 3rd Body Paragraph: Finally, Odysseus is a good hero because … A final reason Odysseus is a good hero is ….

Ready, Set … Write!