broad general statement (reference the ideas of your essay without naming the book)

1. broad general statement 
(reference the ideas of your 
essay without naming the book) Step 1 
Step 2 Step 3 connect your general 
statement to the book/play; 
give title and author of book/play thesis statement

2. Sample Introduction definition of term It is well-known that a person’s popularity does not necessarily correspond with a person’s intelligence. After all, the pseudo-celebrities of reality shows may be known by millions, but such individuals often lack good judgment—in other words, they are fools. Similarly, Matthew Harrison Brady, the prosecutor of Robert E. Lee’s play Inherit the Wind, also has broad popular support, at least at the beginning of the play. However, he too is a fool, for he lacks good judgment in both the types of arguments he makes and the way he makes such arguments. Step 1: broad general statement Step 2: connect statement to book Step 3: thesis author and title

3. Sample Introduction Just as one man's trash can frequently be another man's treasure, one man's idea of redemption can often be another man's definition of sin. In Arthur Miller's famous play about Puritan life, The Crucible, two important characters illustrate the perilous journey from sin to redemption. Mary Warren submits easily to her friends' peer pressure and values her personal safety over redemption and truth. John Proctor, by contrast, is willing to leave behind three children and a pregnant wife in order to avoid sin and achieve his idea of redemption. Therefore, by juxtaposing the characters of Mary Warren and John Proctor, Arthur Miller reveals the theme that extraordinary amounts of courage are needed to transition from sin to salvation, and, unfortunately, not everyone has the strength and willpower to reach forgiveness. Step 1: broad general statement Step 2: connect statement to book Step 3: thesis author and title

4. Structure of body paragraph:

5. Sample Body Paragraph Matthew Harrison Brady is a fool because he continues to pursue inane arguments in the face of reason. For example, when the defense attorney Henry Drummond asks Brady about when the world was created, Brady blusters, "In fact, [Bishop Usher] has determined that the Lord began the Creation on the 23rd of October in the Year 4004 B.C. at--uh, at 9 a.m.!" (96). It is impossible for any person to know the exact hour the world began, yet Brady insists on pretending he does. Because Brady lacks good judgment by pursuing his line of thinking even when it is obviously faulty, he is a fool. Step 1: topic







 sentence Step 2: example and quote from book Step 3: concluding sentence cited quote

6. Sample Body Paragraph Dimmesdale's emotional investment in Pearl is quieter than Hester's, but his sin has nonetheless created a connection with the child. If it was not for this attachment, Dimmesdale probably would not hold much of an interest in Pearl's well-being and would not have stood up for her and Hester at Governor Bellingham's manor. When threatened with being torn apart from her daughter, Hester appeals to Dimmesdale, asking that he speak for her because "[he] hast sympathies which these men lack" and "knowest what is in [her] heart" (Hawthorne 113). As a pastor he does know her heart, but as her lover and the father of her child, he knows her better too. Dimmesdale would want his family to be together if possible, and even if he did not want to be with them, Dimmesdale certainly does not want to harm them. He loves Pearl, and such devotion is also shown at Bellingham's manor when he "looked round, laid his hand on [Pearl's] head, hesitated an instant, and then kissed her brow" (Hawthorne 115). Even though Dimmesdale refuses to acknowledge his family, his sin has created a strong bond with Pearl and Hester. Step 1: topic








 sentence Step 2: example and quote from book second example Step 3: concluding sentence cited quote

7. Structure of conclusion:

8. do NOT repeat word for word from intro Sample Conclusion Though Matthew Harrison Brady is popular and well-known, his inability to recognize his errors makes him, in the end, a fool. From Brady, we all can learn the importance of owning up to one's mistakes. We are all human, and we are all susceptible to errors in judgment, particularly when we are arguing about something important to us. However, if we fail to show humility by recognizing those errors, and instead persist in our line of thinking, we too will be fools. Step 1: echo thesis Step 2: leave the reader with something to think about or suggest the reader take an action