English 12 2016 Essay—The Shipping News
You must write a clearly worded and well-organized essay of 1000—1200 words
(12 point Times New Roman font). Use M.L.A. Format. DUE: ____________
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BE AWARE OF YOUR SPECIFIC PURPOSE AND AUDIENCE FOR EVERY WORD YOU WRITE.
Include a strong introductory paragraph that clearly presents the thesis.
Refer to specific characters, events, and quotations in the text to support the
thesis. (your actual given topic, agt, is your thesis)
Maintain a controlling idea throughout your essay. (Write actual sentences
that make direct literal connections to the actual thesis in every single
paragraph that you write.) CTT at the end of body paragraphs.
Use direct quotations from the text to support the thesis. (minimum of
three correctly inserted quotations—consult your hand-outs. It is a good idea
to use at least one quotation in each main body paragraph.) Quotations do
not count toward your word count. Make sure that you follow the three steps
for using quotations in your writing. I expect you to make great choices.
Include a strong concluding paragraph that provides closure to the thesis
argument.
Use M.L.A. format for your quotations and general formatting.
I expect the writing to be clear, precisely worded, and well-organized. This
requires drafting and editing so that you hand in your best possible piece of
writing. I will provide you with an essay writing organizer.
Use my web-site resources on organizing this essay, essay writing, and MLA
format to aid in your writing.
I do not want you to consult outside sources for your essay, but if
you do, cite them or you will be plagiarizing. Do not plead
ignorance on this issue.
 Do not use first person in this essay. No “we”, “you”, “us”
either.
I AM EXPECTING A WELL ORGANIZED ESSAY OF FIVE OR SIX PARAGRAPHS.
Make sure to review your essay writing Pre-Print Checklist!
Writing Assessment— refer to your writing scoring rubric
Thought and Detail
20 points (quotation choices/text support will be crucial)
Organization
5 points
Matters of Choice
5 points (be clear, precise, and specific in your wording)
Matters of Correctness
5 points (including correct use of MLA format)
Essay Topics 2016—The Shipping News
1. The following quotation comes from Ray Bradbury’s classic novel, Fahrenheit
451. One character is trying to explain to the other why books are so important:
Do you know why books such as this are so important? Because they
have quality. And what does the word quality mean? To me it means
texture. This book has pores. It has features. This book can go under the
microscope. You’d find life under the glass, streaming past in infinite
profusion. The more pores, the more truthfully recorded details of life per
square inch you can get on a piece of paper, the more ‘literary’ you are.
That’s my definition, anyway. Telling detail. Fresh detail. The good
writers touch life often. The mediocre ones run a quick hand over her.
The bad ones rape her and leave her for the flies. (Bradbury 83)
Explain how Bradbury’s quotation about excellent writing applies to E. Annie
Proulx’s novel, The Shipping News.
2. The characters in The Shipping News are truly unique to Newfoundland, yet they
are a strong representation of the types of people who exist everywhere. Through
her depiction of diverse character types, what does E. Annie Proulx want to
demonstrate about people in the real world? Refer to at least three important
characters in the novel to support your assertions.
***DO NOT USE QUOYLE AS ONE OF YOUR CHARACTERS***
3. Early in the novel, The Shipping News, Quoyle is a pathetic man with little hope
for redemption. As the novel progresses Quoyle gradually turns into a man who is
both respected and admired. Quoyle's relationships with others have a huge impact
on his growth as a person. Discuss how specific characters impact Quoyle’s
dramatic transformation.
Statement of Purpose: Be sure that you understand your topic.
The statement of purpose combines information from "purpose" and "audience". It is
not a sentence that will actually appear in your essay. It is used to remind you of
your actual topic/purpose as you write your essay. It is what you are supposed to be
doing with your essay. It is what your thesis will argue/prove. It is an idea that
will help keep you on track. Use the novel to prove that your thesis is true.
Write a clear statement of purpose for the topic you choose. Use this to help you
to stay focussed on your actual topic.
In this essay I am going to…
Organizing Your Essay—Apply this step-by-step “formula”
Paragraph #1 Introduction--Funnel Analogy
 Establish that you are writing an essay on the novel, The Shipping News, by E.
Annie Proulx. Do not use the word “essay” as you do this!
 Establish context for the novel as a whole.
 Narrow your topic to the agt as indicated by the actual question you chose. You
may need to quote parts of the question in the introduction.***
 Narrow your topic to the specific thesis for your essay.
Begin each main body paragraph with a Transitional Sentence
Paragraph #2—Your first main body argument
 Transition from your thesis to a specific argument to support your thesis
 Explain how this is demonstrated in the novel. Use a quotation or quotations to
support your assertions--CTT
 Conclude this topic with a clear and strong CTT.
Paragraph #3
 Transition to another specific argument to support your thesis.
 Explain how this is demonstrated in the novel. Use a quotation or quotations to
support your assertions--CTT
 Conclude this topic with a clear and strong CTT..
Paragraph #4 and possibly #5
 Transition to another specific argument to support your thesis.
 Explain how this is demonstrated in the novel. Use a quotation or quotations to
support your assertions--CTT
 Conclude this topic with a clear and strong CTT..
Concluding Paragraph
 Transition back to the original thesis and provide a conclusion to the entire
topic.
 DO NOT PROVIDE A “CHEESEY” REPITITION OF WHAT
YOU JUST SAID.
 PROVIDE FINALITY TO THE TOPIC.
 DO NOT BEGIN A NEW TOPIC AS YOU CONCLUDE!