Comparative Essays – Beginning to Write

1. Comparative Essays – Beginning to Write

2. Bell Work: Building an Introduction • 1st Sentence: Hook or Opening Sentence • Engages the reader’s attention • 2nd – 3rd Sentence • Should mention the author’s complete name and the complete title of the work being analyzed • 3rd - 5th Sentences • Function to transition ideas from hook to thesis • Thesis Statement • Final sentence(s) of the introduction paragraph

3. Today’s Agenda By the end of this class, you will have: • Developed a working thesis • Began writing an introduction paragraph • Decided on the form of your essay

4. Thesis Example • “Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is a great American novel.” • What’s wrong with this thesis statement? • An opinion about the book, not an argument. • “In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a contrast between life on the river and life on the shore.” • Doesn’t answer the “so what?” question—what is the point of the contrast? What does the contrast signify? • “Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain’s Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of human behaviour, one must leave ‘civilized’ society and go back to nature.” • It presents an interpretation of a literary work based on an analysis of its content and answers the “so what” question.

5. Hooks & Opening Statements • Use a vivid quotation • Create an analogy for your subject • Offer a surprising/interesting statistic or other fact • State an opinion related to your thesis • Avoid clichés