P.E.A.C.E. Paragraph Structure
P – State your Point. Often this is your direct response to a question you are being asked. If you
are being asked to identify a main idea, be sure to follow the rules of thematic statements.
Ex: Q – “Analyze how the author uses figurative language to convey a main idea.” Here
you are being asked a couple of things; you are being asked about figurative
language, and you are also being asked about main idea.
Ex: A – The author uses an extended metaphor throughout the story to express that
humans may not always make the right choice the first time.
E – Give evidence or examples that support your point.
Ex: A – When the author writes, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood… Oh, I kept the
first for another day… I shall be telling this with a sigh / Somewhere ages and
ages hence” (The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost), it is obvious that the narrator
realizes that, later in life, they may regret their choice to take the path less
travelled.
A – Provide your analysis. This is where you explain why or how your chosen “Evidence or
Example” supports your stated “Point”.
Ex: A – The use of the word “sigh” in the quote above can be argued to represent either
relief or regret, and because the author doesn’t tell which it is, the interpretation
that it could be either, or that it may be regret, is an interpretation that many
readers will understand.
C – Connect your analysis to other examples. These examples may come from other texts, from
your own experiences, or from within the same text.
Ex. A – Frost also writes, “And having perhaps the better claim / Because it was grassy
and wanted wear”, letting the reader know that the path that is not taken as often;
“grassy and wanted wear” may be the better path to take; “having perhaps the
better claim”.
E – Extend to the world or make greater connections. Is there anything else you can add?
Ex: A – Even if the narrator believes the path less travelled is the better choice, there
really is no way to know that beforehand, and so, we must all take a risk in
making such choices, and we must accept that even after thoughtful deliberation
there is no guarantee that the first choice will be the right choice.
Example of the final product:
Analyze how the author uses figurative language to convey a main idea.
The author uses an extended metaphor throughout the story to express that humans may not
always make the right choice the first time. When the author writes, “Two roads diverged in a
yellow wood… Oh, I kept the first for another day… I shall be telling this with a sigh /
Somewhere ages and ages hence” (The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost), it is obvious that the
narrator realizes that, later in life, they may regret their choice to take the path less travelled. The
use of the word “sigh” in the quote above can be argued to represent either relief or regret, and
because the author doesn’t tell which it is, the interpretation that it could be either, or that it may
be regret, is an interpretation that many readers will understand. Frost also writes, “And having
perhaps the better claim / Because it was grassy and wanted wear”, letting the reader know that
the path that is not taken as often; “grassy and wanted wear” may be the better path to take;
“having perhaps the better claim”. Even if the narrator believes the path less travelled is the
better choice, there really is no way to know that beforehand, and so, we must all take a risk in
making such choices, and we must accept that even after thoughtful deliberation there is no
guarantee that the first choice will be the right choice.