Prompt: In Snow White, what is the
primary cause of the Queen’s demise?
• Here’s our thesis statement for this
argument:
– The Queen’s jealousy is the ultimate cause of
her downfall.
REASONS – written as topic sentences
that start each body paragraph and
support the thesis
1. Jealousy can often lead to destructive choices.
2. Jealousy, left unchecked, often grows more and
more powerful.
1. Reason/Topic Sentence
• Begin each body paragraph with a general topic
sentence (the reason; does not specifically refer to
texts) that expresses the main point of the paragraph
and supports the thesis.
– “Jealousy is a powerful emotion that can often lead to ruin.
It’s harmful to one’s self-esteem and can tempt one to make
destructive decisions .”
2. Context/ Quote Introduction
• Move into a supporting statement that leads into
your specific textual evidence. Provide adequate
context in a sentence or two.
– “In Snow White, the Queen’s envy erupts into both selfhatred and malice toward her stepdaughter. The
author describes the Queen as a person who “…
3. Use Relevant, Supportive Textual Evidence
• Incorporate your direct quotation from the text:
– “The author describes the Queen as a person who
“hated anyone whose beauty rivaled her own” and says
“she watched her stepdaughter with angry, jealous
eyes” (2).
4. Analysis of Quote
• Explain and analyze the textual evidence AND
HOW IT:
– a) effectively supports your reason
– b) how this connects back to your thesis
– “Clearly, the Queen feels she does not rival her stepdaughter in beauty and feels like less of a woman next
to Snow White. Feeling inferior to her young stepdaughter fosters a sense of hatred and anger. These
feelings tempt the Queen to make a terrible decision—
to kill her stepdaughter— which are a direct cause of
her downfall.”
THESIS: The
Queen’s jealousy
is ultimate cause
of her downfall.
Using the
Oreo
Cookie
Style!
Sentence(s) that
introduce the quote
Quote and citation
Sentence(s) analyzing
and explaining the
quote w/ 2 connections
“TOPIC SENTENCE(S): Jealousy is a powerful emotion that can often lead to ruin.
It’s harmful to one’s self-esteem and can tempt one to make destructive decisions.
OREO:
-TOP: In Snow White, the Queen’s envy erupts into both self-hatred and
malice toward her stepdaughter. The author describes the Queen as a person who
-MIDDLE: “hated anyone whose beauty rivaled her own,” and says “she
watched her stepdaughter with angry, jealous eyes” (2).
-BOTTOM: Clearly, the Queen feels she does not rival her step-daughter in
beauty and feels like less of a woman next to Snow White. Feeling inferior to her
young step-daughter fosters a sense of hatred and anger (connection to reason).
These feelings tempt the Queen to make a terrible decision—to kill her
stepdaughter— which are a direct cause of her downfall (connection to thesis).
The rest of your body paragraph:
• After your analysis, TRANSITION to your next
support point with textual evidence and
complete the process again. (OREO:
introduce/context, textual evidence, analysis)
• Transition Example: “Not only does the Queen
showcase her destructive jealousy with Snow White,
she also lets her envy control her emotions with her
friends…”
• Wrap up with a concluding sentence that
summarizes the paragraph.
• Concluding Sentence Example: “The Queen’s jealous
rage at Snow White, as well as her own friends, clearly
shows the reader how her envy destroys her.”
Then, repeat the whole process for the NEXT body
paragraph:
1. Topic Sentence
2. Intro/Context to TE #1
3. TE #1
4. Analysis w/ 2 connections
5. Transition & Intro/Context to TE #2
6. TE #2
7. Analysis w/ 2 connections
8. Concluding Sentence
Helpful Hints…
Examples of Different Words
to Integrate Direct Quotations
(verbs that help indicate the mood of the quote)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
____implies
____responds
____claims
____writes
____refutes
____observes
____emphasizes
____insists
Snow White expresses…
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
____compares
____acknowledges
____agrees
____comments
____suggests
____confirms
____disputes
____reasons
The Queen retorts … The author observes…
When quoting from the text, the internal citation
goes after the closing quotation marks but
before the final period.
The Queen reveals her inability to rein in her
jealousy when she orders the hunter to kill
Snow White, saying, “My envy compels you to
take Snow White deep into the forest . . . and
there, my faithful one, kill her” (Grimm 7).
End quotation marks, space,
parenthesis, author’s last name, page
number, parenthesis, period.