Transcript PL1 writting the essay

WRITING AN ESSAY
Step by step
BEGIN WITH THE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR NAME
AND CLASS.
Student’s Name
Jennifer Jones
Course Code
ENG 2DI-03
Teacher’s Name
Ms. Gay
Date
October 27, 2015
NEXT COMES THE TITLE
Your title should be centered on
the page.
You need a two part title.
Do not underline your title.
Underline or put in italics the
name of the book.
A Friend in Need: The Importance
of Siobhan in the Life of
Christopher in Mark Haddon’s the
curious incident of the dog in the
night-time
THESIS: SHOULD SCHOOL DAYS BE
LONGER?
specific topic + debatable view + significance to the audience
Example A: A longer school day does not guarantee that students will
be productive in classes, reminding us that young people need to find
learning meaningful.
Example B: A longer school day next year does guarantee more
learning opportunities, resulting in increased student success.
YOUR INTRODUCTION
Start with a “hook”. A hook
is something that relates to
the idea you will be
discussing.
Introduce your novel, author
and your characters
Outline what you will be
proving.
There is a saying that to truly understand
someone, walk a mile in his shoes; yet, sometimes
all that is needed to understand someone is
knowledge and patience. In Mark Haddon’s the
curious incident of the dog in the night-time, the
protagonist, Christopher Boone, has a form of
Autism; thus, he has very unique needs. Although
Christopher’s parents and teachers try to
understand him and meet these needs, they often
fail because of their own personal issues and
lack of understanding. Siobhan, Christopher’s
only “friend,” works with him at his school; her
interactions with Christopher show that she has a
deeper understanding of him than his parents
and teachers. In fact, Siobhan is the only
person who truly understands Christopher and
his needs. Siobhan speaks to him in terms he can
understand, giving clear instructions and not
using figurative language. Moreover, Siobhan
accepts Christopher’s unique logic in how he
perceives the world, while his other teachers
often find him illogical. Lastly, Siobhan is the only
person who encourages and helps Christopher to
write his detective story.
My hook to gain the reader’s attention.
Introduce the author and the book plus a little review of the plot.
Thesis Statement
Topic #1 to be discussed
Topic #2 to be discussed
Topic #3 to be discussed
There is a saying that to truly understand someone,
walk a mile in his shoes; yet, sometimes all that is needed
to understand someone is knowledge and patience. In
Mark Haddon’s the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime, the protagonist, Christopher Boone, has a form of
Autism; thus, he has very unique needs. Although
Christopher’s parents and teachers try to understand him
and meet these needs, they often fail because of their own
personal issues and lack of understanding. Siobhan,
Christopher’s only “friend,” works with him at his school;
her interactions with Christopher show that she has a
deeper understanding of him than his parents and
teachers. In fact, Siobhan is the only person who truly
understands Christopher and his needs. Siobhan speaks
to him in terms he can understand, giving clear instructions
and not using figurative language. Moreover, Siobhan
accepts Christopher’s unique logic in how he perceives the
world, while his other teachers often find him illogical.
Lastly, Siobhan is the only person who encourages and
helps Christopher to write his detective story.
WHAT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR ESSAY SHOULD LOOK LIKE:
Jennifer Jones
ENG 2DI-02
Mrs. Zeinstra-Dye
October 24, 2014
A Friend in Need: The Importance of Siobhan in the Life of Christopher in Mark Haddon’s the curious incident of the dog in
the night-time
There is a saying that to truly understand someone, walk a mile in his shoes; yet, sometimes all
that is needed to understand someone is knowledge and patience. In Mark Haddon’s the curious incident of
the dog in the night-time, the protagonist, Christopher Boone, has a form of Autism; thus, he has very unique
needs. Although Christopher’s parents and teachers try to understand him and meet these needs, they often
fail because of their own personal issues and lack of understanding. Siobhan, Christopher’s only “friend,”
works with him at his school; her interactions with Christopher show that she has a deeper understanding of
him than his parents and teachers. In fact, Siobhan is the only person who truly understands Christopher
and his needs. Siobhan speaks to him in terms he can understand, giving clear instructions and not using
figurative language. Moreover, Siobhan accepts Christopher’s unique logic in how he perceives the world,
while his other teachers often find him illogical. Lastly, Siobhan is the only person who encourages and helps
Christopher to write his detective story.
WRITING THE “BODY” OF YOUR PAPER:
When you begin writing, start with your topic sentence. The topic
sentence is your #1 topic that will be discussed. As you move through,
add the “proof” or quotes to back up what you have stated. This will
convince your reader to believe you have the right opinion.
BODY PARAGRAPH
Take each of your quotes and form them
into sentences to support your idea.
Topic sentence
Proof 1-explain the challenge of
figurative language
Proof 2 an example
Proof 3 another example with
explanation
Review in a different way
what you have proven.
Teacher example
Siobhan speaks to Christopher in terms he can
understand, giving him clear instructions and guidance rather than
using figurative language. Christopher says he finds “people
confusing” (14). He has difficulty understanding instructions that are
not literal. Metaphors and idioms are particularly challenging for him,
such as when his father tells him to keep his “nose out of other
people’s business” (20). Christopher states that “Siobhan understands”
his confusion (29). She outlines instructions clearly for him so that she
ensures Christopher’s understanding. Siobhan informs Christopher of
how to wait politely for a chance on the swings at school. She says he
must never push other children off the swings, but wait and ask for his
turn, and then wait until they are finished (30). Because Siobhan is
always clear in her instructions, there is no evidence of any confusion
or antagonism between her and Christopher. In fact, Christopher
clearly recalls advice Siobhan provides because it is clear and easy
to follow. When he is alone on his quest to find his mother, he
remembers that Siobhan taught him how to “make [himself] calm” by
creating a pattern with the noise around him (179). She is clear in
addressing Christopher’s strengths and needs which help him cope.
Clearly, Siobhan has a better understanding of Christopher’s need for
clear, literal instructions.
FOR EACH OF YOUR BODY PARAGRAPHS
FOLLOW THIS PATTERN:
Point
Proof
Explain
She outlines instructions clearly for him so that she ensures
Christopher’s understanding. Siobhan informs Christopher of how to
wait politely for a chance on the swings at school. She says he must
never push other children off the swings, but wait and ask for his
turn, and then wait until they are finished (30). Because Siobhan is
always clear in her instructions, there is no evidence of any
confusion or antagonism between her and Christopher.
WRITING A CONCLUSION
When you get to the end of an essay, you need to write a conclusion
which summarizes what you have been focusing on.
Try rephrasing your opinion to start the wrap-up.
Review your points that you made
Connection to my
opening paragraph and
rephrasing of my thesis
List of my three proofs
Finish with a strong statement
Many people in Christopher’s life fail to
understand his specific needs and thus what he
has to offer. Siobhan is the only person who
truly understands Christopher. She is able to
understands how to communicate with him so
that he can become independent in the world.
She accepts his logic and viewpoint of the
world for what it is and does not try to change
him. Siobhan encourages and supports
Christopher’s novel-writing which lead him to
understand that he “can do anything” (221).