Body Paragraphs Lesson 1 Body Paragraph Structure Outline

Body Paragraphs: Lesson 1

Body Paragraph Structure: Outline • • Topic Sentence Narrowed Focus Lead-in to Quote Close Reading of Quote Transition Sentence Lead-in to Quote Close Reading Larger Significance Analysis of Instances, Quotes, and Arguable Claim.

Part 1: Topic Sentence • Definition: the first sentence in your body paragraph, should present your topic and an arguable claim about the topic. • It should act as a presentation of argument, not a factual statement. • An argument must be “controversial. ” • An argument should not be obvious or an observation. • NOT ACCEPTABLE: • “Justice and injustice are important themes in the novel. ” • This is a statement of fact, not an arguable claim. • “Justice should prevail over injustice. ” • This is an opinion, but no one would really argue against it. • Also, a hypothetical…

Part 1: Topic Sentence What It Is • Narrow topic (Specific) • Arguable Claim • “Controversial” • Addresses some larger significance • Pithy/To The Point What It Is Not • A bland introduction • An observation or statement of summary • Do not tell the reader what they already know. • Assume they have read the book. • An obvious, flat claim

Part 1: Topic Sentence What to Do • Present a topic and a statement of significance • Analytical claim • Try arguing against your claim • Indicate why your theme matters • Indicate what the reader can learn from your analysis • Set the tone and foundation for the rest of your paragraph • Work through your paragraph first, then refine your topic sentence when your analysis is complete. What to Avoid • Avoid Observation. • Avoid Speculation or Hypothetical(s). • Avoid simple statement of theme. • Avoid the obvious. • Avoid a vague, toneless opener. • Avoid making a different point by the end of the paragraph.

Part 1: Topic Sentence Good Example: • In The Ox-Bow Incident, Walter van Tilburg Clark uses the character Sparks to present a model for justice in an unjust society. • Topic: What/Who • Argument: Why • Implied: Theme of Justice/Injustice Bad Examples: • The Ox-Bow Incident is an important book. • Sparks is an important character. • Justice is a major theme in the book. • The accused men should not have been hung. • If Croft were not the narrator, the story would be different.

Parts 2 -3: Using Evidence • Part 2: Provide a lead-in sentence to contextualize your quote. • Do NOT go from the topic sentence to the quote without setting up/providing background for the quote. • This sentence may contain brief summary—but only what is necessary to understand the quote. Or, only summarize the quote. • Punctuate your lead-in sentence with a colon (or a comma, if someone is speaking—i. e. Croft says, “). • Part 3: Provide a direct quote: • Should be demarcated with quotation marks. • MLA Format will be covered in the coming days. Typical citation format for novels or short stories is the author’s last name and the page number in parentheses. Example: (Clark 100). • Using Quotes: • Must be relevant for your argument. • Use them as support for your central claim/argument. • Know what they say: you will use the actual words after the quote. • Example: • When speaking to Croft, Sparks spells out his simple moral philosophy: “God is in us, Mistuh Croft … He wuhks th’ough us” (Clark 131). • Red = Lead-in Sentence • Green = Quote

Parts 4 -5: Transition and Using Evidence • Part 4: Transition to next instance/quote • This step can be completed in 1 -2 sentences. • You may briefly analyze or explain the first quote, but you must relate the quotes with these sentences. • Part 5: Provide the next quote • Follow the same punctuation and lead-in guidelines as the first one. • Example: • After explaining how God works through each man via conscience, Sparks goes on to express his disappointment in Croft when Croft falsely claims his support for the lynching. Croft notices Sparks’ disappointment when he then mockingly calls him “sir”: “That ‘sir’ had the politeness of grievance. It annoyed me” (Clark 132). • Purple = Transition from first instance • Red = Lead-in • Green = Quote

Using Evidence: Guidelines • Select quotes with purpose and use them with intent. • Find the specific quotes that best serve and reinforce your inferences and analysis. • Do not quote for the sake of quoting—quoting because you have to. • Trim the quote to only what is necessary for your inference and analysis. • Quote what you will actually use in your paragraph, not the whole passage. • Read the quote carefully. Write about it carefully. • Use specifics from the quote. Draw out specific phrases and ideas in your analysis. • ALWAYS cite your quote and format it in accordance with MLA standards.

Part 6: Close Reading Analysis • Part 6: Use the material in the quotes. Make them serve and support your ideas and argument. • Indicate why you picked these quotes when you had the whole text of the novel to choose from. • Connect the actual words/events/ideas of the quotes to theme. • Explain how the quote’s content reinforces your argument. • Example: • Sparks’ argument about man’s connection to God, who “wuhks th’ough us, ” and his “grievance” at Croft’s noncommittal conscience indicate his role as the soul of the novel. He finds God’s truth to be more important than the flawed, petty, and unjust aims of the posse (and society as a whole). • Red = Using the evidence in the quote. • Blue = Connecting to theme/main idea • Green = Explaining the significance of the words

Close Reading Analysis: Examples • “Excepting Drew, Tetley was the biggest man in the valley, and he’d been there a lot longer than Drew, the first big rancher in the valley, coming there the year after the Civil War” (Clark 87). • What does this tell us about Tetley? What inferences and analysis can we make from this character description? • “Gil did this without saying anything to Rose or even looking at her, though he passed right in front of her. If he hadn’t been too busy about what he was doing, you couldn’t have told he knew she was there. […] When he didn’t [speak], she began to smile at once” (Clark 143). • What does this tell us about Gil? What does it tell us about Rose? What inferences and analysis can we draw about their relationship? • “’All right, ’ Tetley said after a moment, ‘we’ll wait till daylight. ’ […] In a way none of us liked the wait when we’d have go through the whole thing over again anyway. But you couldn’t refuse men in a spot like that three or four hours if they thought they wanted them” (Clark 184 -185). • Why did the posse wait until daylight? Why does Croft (and the others) not want to wait? Why can’t they refuse to wait? What inferences and analysis can we draw from this decision and plot point?

Part 7: Larger Significance Analysis • Part 7: Explain the deeper implications of theme. • Argue why this theme is important beyond the novel. • Why should your reader care about what the book says about justice/injustice? What can your reader learn about theme and apply it beyond the novel? • What larger truth about theme is at work? • Be specific and original, rather than general or obvious. • Prove Your Point • Conclude the paragraph by clearly analyzing the instance in conjunction with the claims you make in the topic sentence. • You must relate your analysis/explanation to the overall argument of the paper. • Think, but do not write, “This matters because…. ” or “This proves my argument because…” • Example: • By asking Croft questions and even mocking his answers, Sparks stands alone as a moral compass, even in the face of discrimination and injustice. In these brief moments, Sparks teaches Croft and the reader the novel’s central lesson: injustice, in any form, is only destructive, as it ruins an individual’s (and society’s) relationship to God, other people, and the self. • Red = Why Sparks matters for the novel • Green = Why Sparks matters for the reader, beyond the novel

Final Product • In The Ox-Bow Incident, Walter von Tilburg Clark uses the character Sparks to present a model for how to act justly in an unjust society. When speaking to Croft, Sparks spells out his simple philosophy: “God is in us, Mistuh Croft … He wuhks th’ough us” (131). After explaining how God works through each man via conscience, Sparks goes on to express his disappointment in Croft when Croft falsely claims his support for the lynching. Croft notices Sparks’ disappointment when he then mockingly calls him “sir”: “That ‘sir’ had the politeness of grievance. It annoyed me” (132). Sparks’ argument about man’s connection to God, who “wuhks th’ough us” and his “grievance” at Croft’s noncommittal conscience indicate his role as the soul of the novel. He finds God’s truth to be more important than the flawed, petty aims of the posse (and society as a whole). By asking Croft questions and even mocking his answers, Sparks stands alone as a moral compass, even in the face of discrimination and injustice. In these brief moments, Sparks teaches Croft and the reader the novel’s central lesson: injustice, in any form, is only destructive, as it ruins an individual’s (and society’s) relationship to God, other people, and the self.

Major Components and Structure I. III. IV. V. VII. Topic Sentence: establish the purpose/argument of your paragraph. Narrowed Focus: hinting at major point of paragraph and specific textual instance. Lead-In Sentence: provide context for your quote. Add direct quote from the text. Transition/Second Lead-in Add second direct quote from the text. Analyze the significance of the specific instances/quotes/details through the scope of your central argument. Why does it matter? Connect Explain Analyze

Paragraph Flow and Coherence Purpose (argument) Text Support via Instance Context for quote Direct Quote Connect Quote to Purpose (Close Reading) Explain the quote in relation to deeper implications Analyze deeper implications