You Say I 'M Notan Expert !'
Sophomore Language Arts Essay I Guide You have selected a topic related to Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, and you are going to write a five paragraph essay demonstrating your expert knowledge about that topic. “Wait,” you say, “I’m NOTan expert!” Ahh, but this is the beauty of research. You have a good mind and you know what you think about your topic. Other people will have thought about this topic, too. Some of them may have spent their lives becoming very knowledgeable about this topic. That does not mean they are right or that their ideas are better than yours. It just means you can use their credentials to build YOUR argument. It isn’t about being right or wrong – it’s about making a good case for what you claim.
_______So start by finding out what some respected people have said. See how it relates to what you think and want to claim in your essay. Write down the pith (most important excerpt – the pith is the heart of a fruit) of what they said and document the source using easybib.com. …show more content…
_______Now write an introduction paragraph that tells the reader what they are about to read about and give them any information that they might need to understand the claim you are about to make and defend.
You don’t need to retell the whole story (assume they know the basics) – just the basics. Make sure the last line of your paragraph is your claim (thesis statement). State it as simply but completely as possible._______
Example 1: In this classic tragedy, it is Brutus’ unwavering determination to be a good man and do the right thing for the society he loves that keeps him from seeing the way people really are and brings about the destruction of himself, his family and his beloved
society.
Example 2: This is a tragedy full of men who follow their ideals or ambitions to ruin, but the more interesting story is that of the women in their lives whose tragedy is that their intelligence, their intuition and their courage to say what they think is ignored and belittled.
_______Now you are ready to write three body paragraphs that explain what you mean in your thesis statement. The first line of each body paragraph should tell the reader what that paragraph is about and relate DIRECTLY to the claim of your thesis statement.
Example 1 topic sentences:
1) In Act II Scene 1 Brutus wrestles with his dilemma about his friend Caesar: he recognizes and loves the man’s greatness as a Roman, but he fears that Caesar’s drive to greatness will destroy the Roman Republic Brutus believes is the highest form of good government.
2) Brutus knows that the uneducated, poor common people love Caesar as a great hero who provides them with food and entertainment, but he is easily fooled by his brother-in-law, Cassius who sends him anonymous notes that appear to be from common people begging him to free them from Caesar’s power grab.
3) After he joins with the other Senators to murder Caesar publically for the good of Rome, Brutus insists that Caesar’s friend Antony be allowed to speak at his funeral because this is the honorable thing to do and he trusts that Antony, as an honorable man will keep his word to speak nothing bad about the men who murdered his best friend.
______With the help of these three good topic sentences you are now ready to fill in the details and support what you are saying with quotes from the play itself or the use of the research you did. You can quote something the “expert” said and agree with it or disagree with it. Or, you can refer to what the expert said in your own words, making it clear that this is not your idea, and again agree or disagree with it. In any of these cases, you MUST CITE THE SOURCE IN-TEXT AND IN YOUR WORKS CITED PAGE.
______Remember that for the purpose of this paper YOU ARE AN EXPERT so you must not weaken your ideas by speaking like this is a conversation. You do not say, “I think,” because that makes what you say just a common opinion. State what you think in third person like it’s a fact and back it up. Remember, in court a good lawyer doesn’t tell the jury, “I think he’s innocent;” he gives them proofs in a persuasive way and states them as facts. Nor do you want to say, “you can see..” or use second person reference like this is a conversation with your buddy. That knocks you right out of the expert chair again. Be stronger than that. Tell them what to believe and prove it with good ideas!
______The conclusion is about putting that final convincing touch on your expert ideas. Just like a good lawyer gives the jury a great closing argument, you need a conclusion paragraph. Remind them of your main idea, the thesis statement. Remind them that they should agree with you because of the proofs you brought them in your body paragraphs. Leave them with a thought for the future related to your idea.
Example 2 conclusion: Some people might say that things are better for women today than in the days of the Roman Republic. Yet all around the world women still make less money than men, have a harder time getting a loan, are expected to do what men say, stay home and raise children, and accept their status as “lesser” human beings. So it is with Shakespeares’ women in Julius Caesar. Portia had every quality that Romans admired: a noble heritage, an education, loyalty and courage, yet she is not trusted as an equal and is left behind alone to kill herself in despair. Calpurnia’s instincts about the danger Caesar is in are exactly right, but Caesar sees her only value as someone to bear him a child and prefers to listen to a man, an enemy who lures him with masculine ambition. Two thousand years later, perhaps this classic tragedy tells us we have not come so far in the modern world as we think.
______Finally, let your essay sit for a day while you congratulate yourself on this big achievement! Learning how to share our ideas effectively is HUGE! Then go back and read it again. Ask yourself: Is there any way to say what I mean better, or in fewer words? Cut out anything that seems too wordy and say it again simply and directly. Do I use words that say exactly what I mean with no slang? (We use slang with our friends, not when we are trying to look like experts.) If it isn’t quite right, try a thesaurus and find a more interesting word. Check your grammar, too! Your ideas may be awesome, but you can’t let people disrespect your ideas because your grammar makes you look weak. If you’re not sure, ask a friend or a teacher to help. Congratulations! You did it! Go celebrate!
_______So start by finding out what some respected people have said. See how it relates to what you think and want to claim in your essay. Write down the pith (most important excerpt – the pith is the heart of a fruit) of what they said and document the source using easybib.com. …show more content…
_______Now write an introduction paragraph that tells the reader what they are about to read about and give them any information that they might need to understand the claim you are about to make and defend.
You don’t need to retell the whole story (assume they know the basics) – just the basics. Make sure the last line of your paragraph is your claim (thesis statement). State it as simply but completely as possible._______
Example 1: In this classic tragedy, it is Brutus’ unwavering determination to be a good man and do the right thing for the society he loves that keeps him from seeing the way people really are and brings about the destruction of himself, his family and his beloved
society.
Example 2: This is a tragedy full of men who follow their ideals or ambitions to ruin, but the more interesting story is that of the women in their lives whose tragedy is that their intelligence, their intuition and their courage to say what they think is ignored and belittled.
_______Now you are ready to write three body paragraphs that explain what you mean in your thesis statement. The first line of each body paragraph should tell the reader what that paragraph is about and relate DIRECTLY to the claim of your thesis statement.
Example 1 topic sentences:
1) In Act II Scene 1 Brutus wrestles with his dilemma about his friend Caesar: he recognizes and loves the man’s greatness as a Roman, but he fears that Caesar’s drive to greatness will destroy the Roman Republic Brutus believes is the highest form of good government.
2) Brutus knows that the uneducated, poor common people love Caesar as a great hero who provides them with food and entertainment, but he is easily fooled by his brother-in-law, Cassius who sends him anonymous notes that appear to be from common people begging him to free them from Caesar’s power grab.
3) After he joins with the other Senators to murder Caesar publically for the good of Rome, Brutus insists that Caesar’s friend Antony be allowed to speak at his funeral because this is the honorable thing to do and he trusts that Antony, as an honorable man will keep his word to speak nothing bad about the men who murdered his best friend.
______With the help of these three good topic sentences you are now ready to fill in the details and support what you are saying with quotes from the play itself or the use of the research you did. You can quote something the “expert” said and agree with it or disagree with it. Or, you can refer to what the expert said in your own words, making it clear that this is not your idea, and again agree or disagree with it. In any of these cases, you MUST CITE THE SOURCE IN-TEXT AND IN YOUR WORKS CITED PAGE.
______Remember that for the purpose of this paper YOU ARE AN EXPERT so you must not weaken your ideas by speaking like this is a conversation. You do not say, “I think,” because that makes what you say just a common opinion. State what you think in third person like it’s a fact and back it up. Remember, in court a good lawyer doesn’t tell the jury, “I think he’s innocent;” he gives them proofs in a persuasive way and states them as facts. Nor do you want to say, “you can see..” or use second person reference like this is a conversation with your buddy. That knocks you right out of the expert chair again. Be stronger than that. Tell them what to believe and prove it with good ideas!
______The conclusion is about putting that final convincing touch on your expert ideas. Just like a good lawyer gives the jury a great closing argument, you need a conclusion paragraph. Remind them of your main idea, the thesis statement. Remind them that they should agree with you because of the proofs you brought them in your body paragraphs. Leave them with a thought for the future related to your idea.
Example 2 conclusion: Some people might say that things are better for women today than in the days of the Roman Republic. Yet all around the world women still make less money than men, have a harder time getting a loan, are expected to do what men say, stay home and raise children, and accept their status as “lesser” human beings. So it is with Shakespeares’ women in Julius Caesar. Portia had every quality that Romans admired: a noble heritage, an education, loyalty and courage, yet she is not trusted as an equal and is left behind alone to kill herself in despair. Calpurnia’s instincts about the danger Caesar is in are exactly right, but Caesar sees her only value as someone to bear him a child and prefers to listen to a man, an enemy who lures him with masculine ambition. Two thousand years later, perhaps this classic tragedy tells us we have not come so far in the modern world as we think.
______Finally, let your essay sit for a day while you congratulate yourself on this big achievement! Learning how to share our ideas effectively is HUGE! Then go back and read it again. Ask yourself: Is there any way to say what I mean better, or in fewer words? Cut out anything that seems too wordy and say it again simply and directly. Do I use words that say exactly what I mean with no slang? (We use slang with our friends, not when we are trying to look like experts.) If it isn’t quite right, try a thesaurus and find a more interesting word. Check your grammar, too! Your ideas may be awesome, but you can’t let people disrespect your ideas because your grammar makes you look weak. If you’re not sure, ask a friend or a teacher to help. Congratulations! You did it! Go celebrate!