OUTLINE

Title:

Introduction:

1. Interesting and relevant opening sentences (2-3 sentences).

2. Identification of author and text under discussion.

3. Thesis statement.

4. Organizational statement revealing the organization of your essay.

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Body paragraphs:

 Topic sentence – the main idea of that paragraph and how it is related to your thesis.

1. At least 2 or 3 pieces of textual evidence. These could include a direct quotation, a paraphrase of an event and/or a summary of a key event.

2. At least two direct quotations, used to support your thesis.

   1. ​never use back to back quotes;

   2. lead into each quote in such a way that the context is established;

   3. insert the quotes into your writing smoothly and grammatically correctly;

   4. provide a reference after each quote in MLA style.

3. Analysis of and relevance of each quote and other textual evidence must be provided.
4.  Identification of formal element (e.g. setting, conflict, etc.) used in the quote or that is being discussed in the paragraph.
5.  Concluding sentence and a transition into next paragraph.
6.  Each paragraph must have coherence and unity.

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Conclusion:

1. Reaffirm thesis but never using the same words as the introduction.

2. Highlight your strongest arguments.

3.  End with an interesting opening or closing statement.

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Works Cited