The Five Paragraph Essay - DOC

							                                  The Five-Paragraph Essay

Rhetorical techniques (ways of thinking/writing about something):
                                                Persuasion
                                                Description
                                                Exposition
                                            Comparison/contrast
                                            Narrative/anecdotal
Most essays are persuasive using the other rhetorical techniques to support the point. (see    Es below)

What to do when you’ve been assigned an essay:

      Read the assignment question carefully. What are you being asked to do? What are the details?
       How long? What format? Always keep the assignment question in front of you as you write.

For example:
Taboo words (except in direct quotes): you, your good, bad, boring, nice, All personal pronouns: I,
me, my, mine, us, we, our. If you didn’t think it, you wouldn’t be writing it. second person pronouns: you,
your (don’t tell me what I’m going to think, do, say) and foggy or slang adjectives: good, bad, boring, stupid,
bogus, ghetto (yawn), offensive or inappropriate language.

Another example:
All drafts of this essay must be in a folder with your notes/brainstorming, thesis statement formation,
outline/organization, complete source citations, and all edited drafts.


When writing about literature, your primary source will be the selection itself.

      Brainstorming/notes:            Based on your careful reading of the assigned question and your
       knowledge of the primary source, write down ideas, thoughts, questions, quotes, line and/or page
       numbers, etc. you think you might want to use.



      Forming a thesis statement:               From the information you have, your careful reading of the
       question and your reflection on the subject, form a thesis statement. Here are some suggestions:
          1. Number statements Tourists traveling to Rome will want to visit three spectacular sights.
          2. Position statements Although they share the responsibility for the murder of the king, Lady
              Macbeth bears the greatest burden of guilt.
          3. A Few Good Prepositions (According to, After, Along with, In addition to,throughout,
              Since, Until, Because of, During, Despite, Over, Under) Throughout most of World War II, the
              British were alone in defending Europe against Nazi aggression.
          4. To plus a verb To be successful in tennis, a player must be both fast and graceful.
     Organizing, outlining, brain maps, bubblegraphs:                    Using the ideas and the thesis
      statement you have written, organize your essay. Use complete phrases, not one word topic
      heading. Include specific page and/or line numbers for quotes. Some methods are:

                   Sentence or topic outline
                   Mind map
                   Bubblegraph
                   Cloud Web



     Introduction: Where to begin?           Some ideas:
                  Quote or allusion from literary work with explanation/analysis
                                        Compare/contrast
                                         Narrative hook
                                        Attention getter
      Example: Warfare in the Middle Ages was simple: kill or be killed. The strategy was
      simple: have a bigger, badder weapon.
      Avoid “shocker” with no relevance or follow-through. That’s called “reality TV.”
                                                   Definition(s)
      Example: A hero is someone who embodies the values of a culture. For example, a culture
      that values compassion and selflessness will encourage heroes like Mother Theresa or
      Archbishop Romero. A culture that values selflessness and courage will have heroes like
      firefighters and police officers. Twenty-first century Americans define a hero as (use
      Religion book) The Anglo-Saxons lived in a culture of continual war between the tribes of
      Europe and Asia. They valued the physically strong and tactically wise military warrior.
      Confident, unafraid and courageous, a medieval hero was someone who would fight their
      battles for them and give them courage to fight their own internal battles.

      Additional notes on leads:      Avoid questions.
                                      Never begin “I’m going to write about…” or “My
                                      subject is…”(see TABOO words) Do not refer to
                                      yourself or the assignment directions.
     Paragraphs 2,3 and 4:            Supporting your thesis statement

Sentence #1 the topic sentence, introduces the topic. It should include the title of the literary work
being discussed.
Sentence #2: Concrete detail ( not hasty g ) or quote from text.
Sentence #3: Elaborate, Explain this Example how this quote supports the topic
Sentence #4: Another concrete detail or quote to support the topic of this paragraph.
Sentence #5:      Elaborate, Explain how this quote or detail supports the topic
The   Es:   Building blocks for paragraphs:   Example, Explanation, Evidence, Events, Experiences, Expert
Opinion,    Effective illustrations, Elaboration
Notes on quotes: Enclose the title of a short story, epic poem, song, or magazine article in quote
marks. Capitalize all major words – example “The Gift of the Magi” Include author’s name – example
William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 14” tells of the love….
Enclose all quoted material in quote marks. Cite source of quote in essay or footnote – as directed
Know the difference between plagiarism and paraphrasing.
Explain and Elaborate on all quotes.


Notes on word choice: Avoid clichés like the plague (that’s a cliché). Avoid linking verbs (be, am, is,
are, was, were, been) except as helping verbs. Some suggestions: represents, typifies, personifies,
demonstrates, characterizes
Watch for TABOO words. Eliminate, replace and redesign.


   Conclusion:       How do I get out of this!!???


       1.   Restate your thesis (not repeat, restate). Remember those TABOO pronouns! Use
          synonyms.
       2. Include one or more of these words: in fact, clearly, definitely, to sum up, certainly,
            obviously, truly, surely, overall, in conclusion.
       3. The conclusion/clincher/closing paragraph is your last chance to sum up your arguments. Do
            not introduce or move to a new topic.