“Somebody who is just like all of us; men and women who understand the meaning of independence, and the importance of a generous heart… And I say that somebody, damn it, is a dog!” Why is Red Dog important to the community of Dampier?

Introduce writer and text. Outline the main arguments/points you will make. Give an indication of the organisation of your essay. Concluding sentence relating back to the topic and emphasising your contention. Remember the importance of key words. Answer topic directly. Use key terms from topic. State a firm opinion.

“Somebody who is just like all of us; men and women who understand the meaning of independence, and the importance of a generous heart… And I say that somebody, damn it, is a dog!” Why is Red Dog important to the community of Dampier?

Red Dog’s independent nature is appealing to the miners because of their different backgrounds and their lack of shared connections. Just as Red Dog hitches a ride into Dampier, the miners come from all around the world, and lack a common culture or sense of belonging. At the beginning of the film, the Hamersley Iron Mining community is little more than a group of homesick men. Red Dog “was an excellent listener” with whom the miners could share their worries and stories. He became “a doggie for all” but “no one in particular”, as he respected and helped all the miners equally. Red Dog initially became valued by the community for these listening skills and the comfort he brought these otherwise lonely men. EXPAND: Explain what you mean in greater detail, and give it a more specific focus. EVIDENCE: Use quotes from the text to support your argument. LINK: A Concluding sentence relating back to the topic. Remember the importance of key words. TOPIC SENTENCE: this is the main idea of what you will be discussing in the paragraph. Include at least 1-2 quotations.

“Somebody who is just like all of us; men and women who understand the meaning of independence, and the importance of a generous heart… And I say that somebody, damn it, is a dog!” Why is Red Dog important to the community of Dampier?

Red Dog is important to the community of Dampier because he is just like all of its members. He reflects their independence, a shared life that has emerged despite a vast number of different backgrounds, the free spirit and wanderer in all their natures, and the capacity for companionship, loyalty and love. He shows us that there is more to this community than a “bunch of dirty miners”; that beneath their dusty exterior, they are a community, and a dog, “who are loyal by nature, not design…[and] know the meaning of love and loss”. Summarise/draw together the content of the body of your essay, drawing together main points. Strong terminating sentence. It could relate back to the topic. Summing-up statement about the text and main idea of ideas you have covered. Remember the importance of key terms. Give a final evaluation of issues/point of view.

Remember the Checklist: Have you proofread and ensured that:  There are no SPELLING or GRAMMATICAL ERRORS?  The LANGUAGE is FORMAL, and not conversational?  CAPITALS ARE USED CORRECTLY, including in character names?  The title of the book is ITALICISED whenever it is used?  You have NOT used CONTRACTIONS (e.g. make sure you write “is not”, not “isn’t”)  You have NOT used the first person (“I think that…”) or the second person (“you see this when…”)  Quotation marks are used appropriately and appear EITHER SIDE of EVERY quote.