WHAT IS AN ESSAY Introduction to your Mythology

WHAT IS AN ESSAY? Introduction to your Mythology Unit Summative Essay

AN ESSAY IS. . . A piece of non-fiction writing meant to formulate a point of view or argument in relation to the title or question that is sent Is a way to present that argument in such a way that is clear and persuasive to a reader A stage in the writing PROCESS that forces you to look closely at what you have learnt and tests your understanding of the topic An excellent way to provide proof that you understand a subject and have something to say about it

REVIEWING HOW TO WRITE A FORMAL ESSAY In the next few slides we will look at the specific components of each part of the formal essay The basic structure is: Introduction Body paragraphs (1, 2, and 3) Conclusion (first paragraph) (fifth, and final, paragraph) Remember that when we begin to write this essay we will not do it all at once, rather we will chunk the writing process.

PART ONE: INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH

INTRODUCTION (first paragraph) 1. HOOK: a statement designed to introduce your topic in a general way and grab the reader’s attention. Sometimes a quotation, a question, or even just a general comment will do the trick. Here are examples of each of those suggestions: v Quotation: In the beginning of the movie Thor, Thor’s father tells him, “So too must a new generation sacrifice to maintain that peace. Responsibility! Duty! Honour! These are not mere virtues to which we must aspire! They are essential to every soldier, to every king! ” v Question: What makes a person a hero? v General Comment: The film Thor is an entertaining adventure movie, but the story itself relates to a much older tradition.

INTRODUCTION (first paragraph) 2. BRIDGE: Links your Hook to your Thesis, and provides the name of the author(s) and titles you are writing about, if you have not done so elsewhere in the introduction. v For this particular essay, the title of the text is “Theseus and the Minotaur” and the author is Creighton. v An example of a bridge for the movie Thor would be: In the movie Thor, directed by Kenneth Branagh, Thor completes numerous heroic deeds, attempting to earn his honour as a king of Asgard and regain the throne that was taken by his brother Loki. During these tasks he demonstrates the physical prowess and bravery often associated with heroes, but the concept of being a hero can be traced back even further than this. Historian Joseph Campbell identifies six main parts of the Heroic Pattern, a series of elements that most heroic tales share.

INTRODUCTION (first paragraph) 3. THESIS: tells the reader what you will prove and how you intend to prove it. v Thesis Statement: Step 1: Ask “What am I trying to prove? ” and brainstorm ideas Example: - Thor is a hero - Heroes would not be successful without the help of others - It is important to finish what you start - Thor fulfils the elements of the Heroic Pattern Step 2: Choose your best idea Example: Thor is a hero because he fulfils the elements of the Heroic Pattern.

INTRODUCTION (first paragraph) Step 3: Ask “How will I prove this? ” and brainstorm ideas. Example: Birth: - son of King Odin - future king of Asgard Call to Adventure: - “Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of THOR!” - Thor is banished to Earth until he proves to be a worthy king - supernatural abilities are stripped from him Climax/ Final Battle: - Thor fights The Destroyer - Thor attempts to sacrifice himself to The Destroyer in order to protect the mortals on Earth; proves he is wise Step 4: Choose your three best ideas and put them together in a sentence. Each of these three ideas will become the topic of a Body Paragraph.

POSSIBLE THESIS FORMULA Note: You can use the following format for any thesis statement: By examining … [insert your answer to “How? ”], it will be proven that … [insert your answer to “What? ”] 1 2 3 Example: By examining the birth, the call to adventure, and the final battle, it will be proven that Thor fulfils the elements of the heroic quest motif, thus making him a true hero.

SAMPLE INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH Here is what our sample introduction paragraph might look like. [Note: This sample is broken into the parts to emphasize each one, but when you write yours, remember to use regular paragraph form!] Hook: What makes a hero? Bridge: In the movie Thor, directed by Kenneth Branagh, Thor completes numerous heroic deeds, attempting to earn his honour as a king of Asgard and regain the throne that was taken by his brother Loki. During these tasks he demonstrates the physical prowess and bravery often associated with heroes, but the concept of being a hero can be traced back even further than this. Historian Joseph Campbell identifies six main parts of the Heroic Pattern, a series of elements that most heroic tales share. Thesis: By examining the birth, the call to adventure, and the final battle, it will be proven that Thor fulfils these elements of the heroic pattern, thus making him a true hero.

PART TWO: BODY PARAGRAPHS (1, 2, 3)

BODY PARAGRAPHS (1, 2, 3) Each body paragraph must begin with a topic sentence and end with a concluding statement. Each body paragraph must connect with one of the ideas introduced in the Thesis Statement (e. g. birth/ origin, call to adventure, climax/ final battle) Step 1: Find details from the text that back up your point in your first body paragraph. You should have three details to back up your main point of each paragraph. Use quotations as proofs. Step 2: For each proof, provide a sentence or two of analysis and explanation. Step 3: Write a topic sentence and a concluding sentence for each body paragraph. These sentences are called Transition Sentences because they make the transition between one paragraph and the next smooth. They must remind the reader of thesis and indicate that the body paragraphs are connected to each other.

BODY PARAGRAPHS (1, 2, 3) Example: For one body paragraph [Note: Your essay will require three body paragraphs. ] Topic sentence: The first element of the Heroic Pattern that Thor fulfils is the Birth. Point 1: Heroes are born into divine or royal families Proof 1: Thor is the son of King Odin of Asgard. [*Find quotation] Analysis 1: Although not the son of a god, he is still royalty. Point 2: Hero’s childhood encompasses fabulous circumstances Proof 2: Thor was born in a cave in Norway and taken back to Asgard by parents [*Find quotation] Analysis 2: Thor grows up alongside Loki desiring to become king of Asgard like his father, Odin Point 3: Heroes possess supernatural powers Proof 3: Thor had great strength and wielded his powerful and magical hammer (Mjolnir) [*Find quotation] Analysis 3: Thor boasts of his great powers from a young age Concluding Sentence: Through examining these aspects, it is evident that Thor’s birth has many heroic elements.

PART THREE: CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH

CONCLUSION (fifth paragraph) The Concluding Paragraph should sum up your arguments and restate your thesis using different wording. Try to find a really poetic way of expressing yourself (e. g. use symbols and metaphors). Be creative! Sometimes going back to what you wrote in your Introduction can be useful. Try to end with a comment that is more general to explain the significance of your observations.

NOTES ON LANGUAGE Remember that you are writing a formal essay, so your language should be formal. Don’t use the following, unless it is in a quotation: First person pronouns (I, me, my, we, ours) Second person pronouns (you, your) Contractions (don’t, won’t, can’t, …) Slang or common expressions (colloquialisms) e. g. He’s a goof ‘cause he can’t think outside the box. Abbreviations/short forms (intro. , Oct. , . . . ) Internet shorthand (u, b 4, …) Do not reference the essay itself (e. g. This essay proves. . . ) The entire essay must be written in present tense (e. g. Thor is shocked when he realizes that his father is still alive)

MLA FORMAT It is important that you locate the MLA handout that was provided to you in September. If you have lost your copy there is a digital copy for download at: msepatterson. weebly. com The entire essay must be double spaced (including your heading) Top right hand corner (header): your last name and page escalating page number (e. g. Smith 1) Top left hand corner (one space down from header, called heading): Student Smith Ms. English-Teacher ENG 1 DI-03 27 November 2015 Centred title (one space down from heading): NOT italicised, bolded, placed in quotation marks or underlined unless the title includes the name of a text (e. g. The Heroic Pattern: “Theseus and the Minotaur”) This is acceptable, because the title of the text must be placed in double quotation marks.

MLA FORMAT: WORKS CITED PAGE The last page of your essay will be your Works Cited page This page is designed for the writer (you) to record all of the sources that you have accessed during the writing process A failure to include a Works Cited page and include parenthetical citations throughout your essay is academic dishonesty Academic dishonestly or plagiarism will result in you having to complete the assignment over again from the very beginning When you finish writing your essay, press enter until you create a new page in the same word document The page should include your header (with the proper page sequence), the title Works Cited (no bold, italics or underline) and your source entry If your source entry exceeds one line, adjust the second line to be indented as such. . . Smith 5 Works Cited Creighton, David. Deeds of Gods and Heroes. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1967. Print.

YOUR GOAL Compose a formal, five paragraph essay proving how Theseus fulfills the mythological heroic quest motif. http: //fc 02. deviantart. net/fs 70/i/2009/354/5/a/THESEUS_AND _THE_MINOTAUR_by_aka_maelstrom. jpg

STEP 1: BRAINSTORMING AND ESSAY OUTLINE (GRAPHIC ORGANIZER) The first part of your homework for tonight is to brainstorm heroic character traits that Theseus embodies. E. g. Theseus is determined, sincere and brave, which are all traits of someone who is heroic. The second part of your homework for tonight is to brainstorm a minimum of 3 heroic stages (birth/origin, helpers, threshold, etc. ) that PROVE Theseus to be heroic. Consider the heroic stages that will offer you the most evidence for your argument. Keep in mind that you goal is not to summarize what happens to Theseus, rather PROVE HOW HIS STORY FOLLOWS THE HEROIC QUEST MOTIF.

ESSAY OUTLINE EXEMPLAR: Graphic organizers help you to structure your ideas easily They also help you to communicate more clearly They help you to convert and compress what may seem like a lot of disjointed information in a structured, simple to read format They are a visual display of all of your knowledge for the particular topic For this particular assignment, you will be expected to complete this outline as a part of the writing process. It is expected that you will hand in a copy of your completed outline when you submit your good copy. NEXT SLIDE. . . EXEMPLAR