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 Shakespeare’s play Macbeth…  After looking at the student’s thesis statement and controlling sentence, we will be taking a close look at how she writes her second body pargraph.

Before We Start: The Thesis Statement  Here is the student’s thesis statement: In his play Macbeth, William Shakespeare creates several dynamic characters who experience a profound change in their mindsets from the opening of the play.

Before We Start: The Controlling Sentence  Here is the student’s corresponding controlling sentence (the proofs are numbered). Macbeth 1 and Lady Macbeth 2 both come to regret their decision to kill Duncan.

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: Lady Macbeth comes to regret her decision to kill Duncan.

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: In Act Five, Scene One, she sleepwalks, trying to wash her hands clean of blood that only she can see, but eventually realizes that “all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten [her] little hand.”

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: The fact that she was so concerned with washing her hand that it was causing her nightmares, coupled with the fact that she could not get her hands clean demonstrates that she felt guilt about having committed murder.

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: Since it is clear that Lady Macbeth felt guilt, it follows that, at least part of her regretted her decision to kill Duncan, which demonstrates a change in her mindset from the opening of the play.

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 Macbeth, and her second proof (the one she’s working on now) concerns Lady Macbeth.

Here are the Student’s Revisions!  Here is the student’s original topic sentence: Lady Macbeth comes to regret her decision to kill Duncan.  Here is her topic sentence revised to become a boundary statement: In a slightly different fashion than her husband, Lady Macbeth also comes to regret her decision to kill Duncan.

The Finished Product  Here is the student’s complete body paragraph: In a slightly different fashion than her husband, Lady Macbeth also comes to regret her decision to kill Duncan. In Act Five, Scene One, she sleepwalks, trying to wash her hands clean of blood that only she can see, but eventually realizes that “all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten [her] little hand.” The fact that she was so concerned with washing her hand that it was causing her nightmares, coupled with the fact that she could not get her hands clean demonstrates that she felt guilt about having committed murder. Since it is clear that Lady Macbeth felt guilt, it follows that, at least part of her regretted her decision to kill Duncan, which demonstrates a change in her mindset from the opening of the play. While further evidence would help this body paragraph, the end result is logical, coherent, and well argued!

THE END