Writing Body Paragraphs
Before beginning, decide on the best order for your three reasons. Each reason will be the focus of a “body paragraph” for your literary essay. ★ Begin with a transition (First of all, My first reason…, etc.) ★ TOPIC SENTENCES: State your thesis with the one reason for that paragraph. ○ Example: My first reason why Squeaky is a hard person to love is because she has a negative outlook on life. ★ SUPPORTING EVIDENCE AND ANALYSIS: Provide some evidence to support your reason, and analyze and explain that evidence. See below. ○ Example: For example, whenever Squeaky mentions someone, it seems like they are always “stupid” or a “fool.” Also, Squeaky thinks that everyone is out to get her and Raymond, like when she is walking down the street and runs into some girls she knows, she right away starts thinking awful things about them. She says that Mary Louise isn’t “grateful” and that Rosie is “too stupid to know that there is not a big deal of difference between her and Raymond.” These examples show that Squeaky doesn’t think kind thoughts about people, and she doesn’t act kindly toward them either. We have all heard the phrase, “You can’t love someone until you can love yourself.” In this story, we see that the opposite might be true, too. It is impossible to be loveable if you don’t show any love to others. ★ CONCLUDING SENTENCE: Sum up the paragraph and tie it to your thesis. ○ Example: Since Squeaky has a negative view of life, which impacts how she interacts with other people, she is a difficult person to love. Use the same structure for each of your 3 body paragraphs! Use the phrases below to help you analyze your evidence: ★ This shows….because… ★ It is important to notice… ★ ________ means ________, therefore __________ ★ This is significant because.... ★ Even though…(the character)...