EWRT 1C CLASS 11

AGENDA

The ThesisIntroductionsThe Argument Conclusions

THE INTRODUCTION

The writer of the academic essay aims to persuade readers of an idea based on evidence. The beginning of the essay is a crucial first step in this process. In order to engage readers and establish your authority, the beginning of your essay has to accomplish certain business. Your beginning should introduce the essay, focus it, and orient readers.

INTRODUCE THE ESSAY

The beginning lets your readers know what the essay is about, the topic. The essay's topic does not exist in a vacuum, however; part of letting readers know what your essay is about means establishing the essay's context, the frame within which you will approach your topic.

ORIENT READERSOrienting readers means providing the information and explanations necessary for your readers to understand your argument. Orienting is important throughout your essay, but it is crucial in the beginning. Readers who don't have the information they need to follow your discussion will get lost and quit reading.

Supplying the necessary information to orient your readers may be as simple as answering the basic questions of who, what, where, when, how, and why. It may mean including a short summary of the text you'll be analyzing.

At the minimum, the Introductory paragraph should briefly introduce the author, the style of poem (sonnet, blank verse, free verse), and the basic topic/theme the poem addresses. Do make sure it leads up to the thesis; don’t begin your argument in the introduction.

THESIS STATEMENT

The thesis of the essay will be your statement of interpretation about what a particular poem means. There are two related questions that you should consider in order to come up with the thesis for your poetry essay:

1. What is this poem about? (determined through a close reading)

2. Why did the writer choose to use the words, images, metaphors and perhaps the particular kind of rhythm scheme; what effect do they achieve?

Your thesis statement should contain answers to these questions. Often thesis statements are complex enough to require two or even three sentences. If you need multiple sentences to express your idea, use them.

WHY A STRONG THESIS?

A paper needs a strong thesis statement so that it can make a strong argument. Weak thesis statements can result in papers with no clear direction or in papers that rely on summary to fill their pages. A good thesis statement predicts limits and organizes the content of the essay. In other words, it notifies your reader about the scope of the paper, telling him or her exactly what your paper will cover and in what order.

EXAMPLES OF POETRY THESES• Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” uses robust imagery and a

profoundly ironic tone to illustrate the paradoxical nature of the speaker’s childhood relationship with his father, suggesting that a father’s love is not always expressed through a gentle caress.

• Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” juxtaposes imagery of playfulness and violence to evoke an ambiguous tone of reverence mixed with fear, illustrating the speaker’s attempt to reconcile his paradoxical childhood relationship with his father.

• The waltzing ritual in Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” is not about dancing; it is about a man who asserts and maintains physical control over his son even as he loses control over himself.

THE ARGUMENT

The first body paragraph generally presents the large issues; for example, it might advise the reader of dramatic tension or describe the speaker’s paradox or conflict.

The next paragraphs should develop the discussion of the conflict by focusing on details of form, rhetoric, syntax, and vocabulary. In these paragraphs, the writer should analyze or explain the poem by discussing details line by line. The writer should include important elements of rhyme, rhythm, and meter here.

Each paragraph should consist of a point which is credible, relevant to your thesis, and analytical.• Remember that you are attempting to convince

your reader of certain position.

• Start each paragraph with a topic sentence that tells your reader the focus of your argument. Make sure that your topic sentence ties back to your thesis.

• The body of the paragraph should support your the assertion (and by extension, your thesis) with convincing evidence.

You must create a compelling argument through evidence, and you must present that evidence in the context of your own argument.

• Before the quotation, describe the evidence in terms of the context of the poem. Where is it located in the poem? Inform the reader what he or she should be looking for in the poem.

• After the quotation, explain problematic syntax or vocabulary or describe any particular rhetorical strategy you will include in your analysis.

• Then, when you analyze the quote, show how it supports the claims you are making in your thesis. This is the most important part of your paper; it is where you make your interpretation clear to the reader and where you prove your thesis. Don't assume that the quotation will speak for itself—you must explain it, so the reader understands your interpretation.

TIPS TO KEEP IN MIND

1.Refer to the speaking voice in the poem as the speaker” or “the poet.”

2.Use the present tense when writing the explication. The poem, as a work of literature, continues to exist!

3.To avoid unnecessary uses of the verb “to be” in your compositions, the following list suggests some verbs you can use when writing the explication:

WRITING CONCLUSIONS

The conclusion is your last chance to persuade your readers to accept your point of view, and to impress yourself upon them as a writer and thinker. The impression you create in your conclusion will stay with readers after they have finished the essay.

The end of an essay should therefore convey a sense of completeness and closure as well as a sense of the lingering possibilities of the topic, its larger meaning, its implications: the final paragraph should close the discussion without closing it off.

TO ESTABLISH A SENSE OF CLOSURE, YOU MIGHT DO ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING:

1. Conclude by framing your essay, that is linking the last paragraph to the first, perhaps by reiterating a word or phrase you used at the beginning.

2. Conclude with a sentence that's compound or parallel in structure; such sentences can establish a sense of balance or order that may feel just right at the end of a complex discussion.

3. Conclude by setting your discussion into a different, perhaps larger, context.

4. Conclude by considering the implications of your argument (or analysis or discussion). What does your argument imply, or involve, or suggest?

HOW NOT TO END YOUR ESSAY

1. Don't simply summarize your essay. A brief summary of your argument may be useful, especially if your essay is long, but shorter essays tend not to require a restatement of your main ideas.

2. Avoid phrases like "in conclusion," "to conclude," "in summary," and "to sum up." These phrases can be useful in oral presentations. But readers can see when an essay is about to end. You'll irritate your audience if you belabor the obvious.

3. Don't undercut your authority by making statements like, "this is just one approach to the subject; or, there may be other, better approaches”; or, “this is just my opinion.”

HOMEWORK

Draft your essay

Bring a copy to class tomorrow.