United We Read
The Year the Colored Sisters Came to Town
By Jacqueline Guidry
Lesson 9
Let’s put your understanding of analogies to use. In preparing to write our first essay, let’s think of it in PWS style. An essay is similar to a PWS paragraph essay which has simply been streeeeeeetched. It will have a main idea for the entire essay and 2-4 paragraphs developing that idea.
The main idea of an essay is called its thesis. It does exactly what a Thesis Statement does in a paragraph, present in general the main idea of a piece of writing that varies in length form 500-750 words. It is the type of writing you will be doing in exposition. Each paragraph will begin with a topic sentence of its own. Think of these as the lead—off ideas. Each topic sentence will have its own lead-offs using transitioning. Each TS must be supported, so here again we have lead-off ideas in support of the paragraph’s main idea. These are expected to be followed up. When an author writes about literature, these follow-ups are traditionally story details. These developmental paragraphs will not each have a clincher. This clincher or conclusion is saved until the last few sentences of the final developmental paragraph where the author concludes the entire essay in 1-3 sentences. Choose a graphic organizer which will best help you to plot or plan.
1. Write a character sketch. Choose one character from the novel and present a generalization about the character in the thesis statement. Think of the 4 ways in which a character is developed. Which of these might be helpful in presenting this character? In dreaming up a thesis, consider the role the character plays in the novel.
2. How is the theme of change presented to readers in the novel? What are the ways – plot events, symbols, character – the author uses to deliver this idea to the reader?
3. Which character(s) have changed the most in the novel. Just how and why does this change take place?
4. How does the author present the idea of community in the novel and for what reason? The author presents several communities in the novel. What are these? Which ones receive the most attention? Just what is the role community plays?
These different questions within each topic are simply to get you thinking. By answering them you are doing a sort of prewriting to help you to get to your thesis statement idea. Although they might help you to organize your essay, they are not meant to be your essay or its structure in and of themselves.
Monday – Prewriting, organizer complete, Thesis statement and topic sentences. These should be in full sentence form. Under each topic sentence give a listing or cluster of the developmental ideas.
Tuesday – Rough draft (no introduction)
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