Parts of a Solid Body Paragraph Adapted from the “APEC Formula for Effective Essay Writing” and The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers, Fourth Edition.

Getting Started  For the following exercise, imagine that a student is trying to write a 2/4 essay about the epic poem Beowulf.  After looking at the student’s thesis statement and organizing statement, we will be taking a close look at how she writes her second body paragraph.

Before We Start: The Thesis Statement  Here is the student’s thesis statement: Beowulf shows that Anglo-Saxon society viewed women as the sustainers of their male counterparts.

Before We Start: The Organizing Statement  Here is the student’s corresponding organizing statement (the proofs are numbered). Wealhtheow 1 and the royal daugters 2 serve their husbands and fathers in a variety of ways.

Beginning the Body Paragraph: The Topic Sentence  First, the student needs a topic sentence. The topic sentence is like the thesis for the paragraph. It should tell the reader what the paragraph is about, or what is being proven in that paragraph.

The Student’s Topic Sentence  Since this is the second body paragraph, it should address the second proof. Let’s see what the student writes: Royal daughters of the Anglo-Saxon rulers serve their kings and fathers by marrying for political reasons.

Okay, Now Show Me: The Importance of Evidence  With her topic sentence out of the way, the student can now move on to adding her evidence. Evidence is an example that is used to support the idea of the topic sentence. In a literature essay, evidence often takes the form of a quotation.

The Student’s Evidence  Okay, now let’s see what evidence the student has come up with to support her topic sentence: At one point in the poem, Hygelac must rely on a thane named Eofor. Eofor does not disappoint King Hygelac and as a result Hygelac “gave Eofor his only daughter to bide at home with him, and honor and a bond” (lines 2997 – 2998).

Then, Tell Me Why: Provide an Explanation!  Once she has presented her evidence, the student still needs to tell her readers WHY her evidence is important. In other words, the student needs to provide an explanation.  It is very easy to accidentally skip this important step, probably because a student’s reasoning behind her proof always seems obvious to the student.

AN IMPORTANT REMINDER!  You should never assume that the reader will make the same mental leap you have, and instead explain everything!  This way, there will be no confusion as to why you reached the conclusion you did about your evidence.

The Student’s Explanation  Now, let’s take a look and see if the student properly explained herself: Hygelac’s daughter is serving the political needs of her father by being a reward to a worthy thane. Her marriage also binds the thane to continued loyalty to his king since the ruler is also now his father-in-law.

Bringing it Home to the Thesis: Making a Connection  Of course, the student cannot simply rest on her explanation. She also needs to connect her work back to her thesis.  This connection should wrap her paragraph up, and demonstrate how the evidence supported the topic sentence, and why this paragraph is important to her thesis.

The Student’s Connection  Let’s see how the student connects her work back to her thesis about characters changing in their mindsets: Based on this example, royal Anglo- Saxon women sustain their male counterparts by rewarding and securing the loyalty of warriors.

Don’t forget! Adding a Transition  The best body paragraphs incorporate a transition into their topic sentence. This combination of a topic sentence and transition is called a boundary statement.  A boundary statement begins with a reminder of material covered in the preceding paragraph. It then presents the topic sentence of the paragraph to come.

Revising the Topic Sentence into a Boundary Statement.  The student is going to revise her topic sentence into a boundary statement.  Remember that her first proof was about Wealhtheow, and her second proof (the one she’s working on now) concerns royal women.

Here are the Student’s Revisions!  Here is the student’s original topic sentence: Royal daughters of the Anglo-Saxon rulers serve their kings and fathers by marrying for political reasons.  Here is her topic sentence revised to become a boundary statement: Unlike the peasant women who sustain the physical needs of the men, royal daughters of the Anglo-Saxon rulers serve their kings and fathers by marrying for political reasons.

The Finished Product  Here is the student’s complete body paragraph: Unlike the peasant women who sustain the physical needs of the men, royal daughters of the Anglo-Saxon rulers serve their kings and fathers by marrying for political reasons. At one point in the poem, Hygelac must rely on a thane named Eofor. Eofor does not disappoint King Hygelac and as a result Hygelac “gave Eofor his only daughter to bide at home with him, and honor and a bond” (lines 2997 – 2998). Hygelac’s daughter is serving the political needs of her father by being a reward to a worthy thane. Her marriage also binds the thane to continued loyalty to his king since the ruler is also now his father-in-law. Based on this example, royal Anglo-Saxon women sustain their male counterparts by rewarding and securing the loyalty of warriors. While further evidence would help this body paragraph, the end result is logical, coherent, and well argued!

THE END