pleasemakesureyou’veturnedintomeyourthesisstatementand
topicsentencesandideasforevidence(i.e.makeanoutline)foryour
Frankenstein‘sLegacyessay.
OR
Ifyouarethekindofwriterwhopreferstojust start writing, feelfree to write out your first two pages of your essay instead of doingan outline.
Here are some notes on considerations to keep in mind when writing an essay that you can look over as you need to:
The Anatomy of a Strong Body Paragraph
- An interesting and clear topic sentence which reinforces your thesis without directly repeating your thesis
To create an attention grabbing topic sentence, try one of the following strategies adopted from Chris Juzwiak’s book Touchstones.
- Create a contrast
- Identify the major issues you’ll discuss in your paragraph
- Use creative language or ideas
While in a perfect world we view school as a place of learning,authority questioning, and idea generating, the reality is that teacherscan be mind-numbingly dull, sarcastic, and cruel. Victor Frankensteinexperiences both types of teachers in the novel Frankenstein
- Developing an operational definition of the term “human” is imperative to understanding the novel Frankenstein.
- Bad things happen in cities in the novel Frankenstein suggesting that Shelley is making an argument about the wholesomeness of the country vs. the sins of the city.
2. Interesting and relevant evidence in the form ofquotations, strings of short quotations, summaries, and summaries withshort quotations. A strong body paragraph should have approximatelythree primary pieces of evidence For your essay I recommend having 3 or more strong pieces of evidence for each body paragraph in your essay.
- Vary the types of evidence you use in your essays
- A short quotation with a lead in phrase
- A string of short quotations with a lead in phrase
- A short summary with a lead in phrase
- (keep it clean; don’t add any commentary to your summaries)
- A short summary with short quotations embedded within it and a lead in phrase
(keep it clean; don’t add any commentary to your summaries)
- Quote with lead-in phrase:
- Frankenstein makes a snap judgement that the creature he created is a “catastrophe” (45).
- String of short quotes with lead in phrase:
- The creature is described as having a face of “horrid contrasts,” and as “malignant” and a “wretch” by his creator (45, 89, 89).
Frankenstein relies on Clerval to care for him after he creates thecreature and falls into a feverish sickness. Clerval nurses him back tohealth for several months before Frankenstein is well enough to hear anynews of his family (49-51).
Frankenstein describes the steps he takes to create Frankenstein in adark and sinister way. He uses body parts he buys illegally to createwhat he soon learns is a “catastrophe” (45).
- Commentary, interpretations, and arguments about the evidence you include in your body paragraph
Strategies for commenting on evidence:
Elaborate on other dimensions of a key issue in the evidence
- Although Frankenstein does not say so directly, he apparently assumes that_______________.
Provide additional specific examples to illustrate a point in the evidence
Give advice related to the evidence
- This evidence makes it clear that Frankenstein must be a villain ____________ because….
- Whatever our disagreements about the details of the situation may be, I’m sure that most readers will agree that ____________.
Agree or disagree with the opinions stated in the evidence
- This evidence is problematic because__________
- Shelley makes a compelling point because__________
- While some critics may disagree with Frankenstein’s
argument because_________, here I find myself agreeing with her because__________
When it comes to the topic of ___________, most people will readilyagree that_____________. Where this agreement usually ends, however, ison the question of______________.As I suggested earlier, defenders of ____________ can’t have it bothways. Their assertion that ____________ is contradicted by____________.
Make an ethical judgment about the evidence (is your evidence persuasive or not?)
Although the speaker in this quote is guilty of setting up a strawman argument, I still agree with his main pointthat__________because___________
Compare the evidence to a relevant world event
As I read this evidence I found myself thinking of _____________because ____________. Indeed, both situations are quite similar…
Dos and Don’ts for Thesis Statements
Donot announce what you will talk about in youressay in your thesis. Don’t do what’s in the following example: Inthis essay I will discuss ways to quit smoking.Donot ask a question in your thesis. Don’t do whatis in the following example: Will we ever know the most clear cause ofprison violence? Donot settle for your thesisstatement to merely identify the major support points in your essay.This is something that you might have done in other previous classes.In my class, I want you to have the courage to try something differentand more interesting. The following example is not a very interestingthesis statement. Example: A successful party involves good food,great music, and lots of friends.Do create a contrast in your thesis (see templatesbelow). Example, Although turning the vacant lot on California Avenuewould involve a significant amount of time and effort, the park wouldyield many benefits to our city for years to come.Do use creative and vivid language. Don’t settlefor blah vocabulary words. Example: Glendale is plagued with vacantlots which stymie our city’s reputation as the “jewel city.” Tobeautify the city we must convert these derelict eyesores into spaces ofbeauty and pleasure: recreational facilities such as parks and picnicareas.Do use this class to try something new; I know youcan write a decent thesis statement or you wouldn’t be in this class.Use our course as a chance to try out some different ideas about how towrite an effective argument.
Ideas for Building Strong Thesis Statements
On the one hand critics of Frankenstein argue____________________, on the other, some argue _______________.In myresearch I analyze____________________in order todetermine______________________.
The conclusion of Frankenstein suggest ____________________. But a close analysis shows__________X______________. Although_______X_______ may seem trivial, it matters because _______________________.
My first impression of the text/character(s) was that______________________. Now, however, having ________________ I havecome to see _____________________.
The evidence from the text shows that _________________________. This matters/is important because _____________________.
Ultimately we can determine that X and Y (and Z, if you have a Z)are similar in the following ways ________________. These similaritiesare significant because _____________________________.After analyzing the book Frankenstein,it is clear that Xand Y (and Z if you have a Z) are different in the followingways________________. These differences are significant because___________________________________.Despite the fact that X and Y (and Z, if there’s a Z) are similar,they are also significantly different. For example, whileX___________,Y________________ (and Z__________). These similaritiesand differences are significant because _______________________________.
My argument is that ____________________. This is significant because______________________.
you already know