Today, we learned how to turn the quotation log into an essay. This lesson is one of our crucial lessons. I'm sorry if you missed it.
However, if you were away today and do not understand the instructions below, be sure to call a friend. You must have your essay introduction ready to submit Thursday for editing purposes. You can get ideas from the English website www.claremont-school.ca/english as well.
Re-read the quotations in your log and your responses looking for quotes which connect. Divide the quotes into three categories (topics). Highlight the quotes so it's easy to see which quotes fit which category. Name each topic/colour with a word or a phrase. For example: loss of innocence, confronting the truth, irony etc.
Next: Distill all of your responses into a good body paragraph topic sentence (thesis) i.e. a sentence which summarizes the main point of all your hard work. This sentence needs to be in formal English. It will become the topic sentence to a body paragraph in your essay. A good place to look for examples is in the green-coloured package sample essay we used for our short story essays.
Repeat this process for all three colours.
Now, take the three sentences and combine them into one, clear sentnece.
This sentence will be the thesis to your essay because it grew organically from your research, which means you will easily be able to prove it.
A thesis needs to be provocative.
It needs to answer the question, so what? Why should we care?
Your thesis is based on your research and your inferences; therefore, it is your opinion, your synthesis of your topic--your ah-ha moment! No one has to agree with you BUT you must be able to prove it. Think of the thesis like a debate topic.
Write the 6 to 7 sentence introduction to the essay. Double space it. Follow the literary must-haves list while you edit and submit it to me tomorrow.
Essay is due Tuesday. Follow the guidelines in the green package and you will do well.
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