FINAL PAPER INSTRUCTIONS/
CRAFTING AN IDEAL
INTRODUCTION/ HATCHET
Monday November 9, 2015
Quiz: Define the Following Literary Terms
• Theme
• Conflict (Also name four different types of conflict)
• Verbal Irony
• Dramatic Irony
• Connotation
• Denotation
• Imagery
• Point of View (Name the three we have discussed)
• Antagonist
• Satire
Homework
• Read Hatchet 11-15
• Summary/ Reflection 9 (with vocabulary portion). Your reflection must have both a
model introduction and model paragraph. This means your reflection for this week
must be at least two pages long.
• 6 entries into your dialectical journal.
• Grammar Assignment: is to include 1 subordinating conjunction sentence and 2
coordinating conjunction sentences. Underline the subordinating conjunction
sentence, and italicize the coordinating conjunction sentences. For every
conjunction you use correctly you will get 35 points on the grammar potion.
• If you are missing an assignment, your parents have been notified of this through
email. You have until Friday (before noon) to turn in the work that you are missing.
If you do not, you will keep your zero in my grade book.
In addition…
Notebook
• I will be collecting your notebooks next week. Last time, the
organization of the notebook was (overall) not up to the
standards set forth in class. Your notebook must be organized
with these distinct sections.
There should be at least 3 sections in your notebook
1)Dialectical Journal Entries (42)
2)Summary/ Reflection Assignments (7)
3)Misc. Documents (things such as your syllabus, graded
grammar documents, graded quizzes, etc.)
4) (Optional) class notes.
All work documents must be hole punched and in the rings of
your binder/ notebook. Failure to do this will result in a failing
grade for this assignment.
CRAFTING
INTRODUCTIONS
• “Introductions and conclusions are important because
they are the places where the readers are paying the
most attention”
• “If readers don’t like your introduction, chances are they
wont like the rest of you paper”
• Try to put yourself in your readers position; if you had to
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read a paper you might ask yourself:
“What is this?”
“Why am I reading this?”
“What is the writer trying to persuade me of?”
“Why is this important?”
Why should I care?”
Five Introductory Moves
Your introduction should answer some of your readers’
questions immediately by making some or all of the
following moves:
Five Moves (continued)
• Move 1: Identify your topic.
• Move 2: State your purpose.
• Move 3: State your main point, thesis statement, or a
question you will answer.
• Move 4: Offer background to your topic.
• Move 5: Stress the importance of the topic to your
readers.
• There is no set order in which these moves can be done.
• “The first three are the most important, because these
moves tell readers (a) what you are writing about (b)why
you are writing (c) what you want to explain or prove. The
other two moves will help your readers familiarize
themselves with your topic.”
• Generally, your paper’s main point, or thesis statement,
should arrive somewhere near the end of the introduction.
Using a Grabber
• “To catch a reader’s attention, some writers like to use a
grabber or hook at the beginning of their introduction”
Ask an Interesting Question
• “A question draws readers into the text by prompting them
for the answer”
• “Have you ever thought about becoming a
professional chef? The training is rigorous and the
work can be difficult, but the rewards are worth it.”
State a Startling Statistic
• An interesting statistic can immediately highlight the
importance of the topic
• “A recent survey conducted by ‘us news’ showed that
nearly one in three graduating high school students
are not prepared for introductory college courses.”
Make a Compelling Statement
• “Make a statement that challenges readers at the
beginning of the text.”
• “ Unless we take action now on global warming, we
are likely to see massive storms and rising ocean
levels that will drown costal cities.”
Begin with a Quotation
• “A quote is a good way to pique your readers' curiosity.”
• “The great American, Ben Franklin, once said, ‘They who
would give up an essential liberty for temporary security
deserve neither liberty nor security.’ Today, it seems like
our fellow citizens are more willing than ever to make this
trade.”
Using a Lead to Draw in Readers
• “A lead is the first one or two paragraphs of a news story
in a magazine, newspaper, or Web site. Like a grabber,
the aim of a lead is to capture the readers’ attention while
giving them good reasons to continue reading.”
Scene Setter
• “A scene setter describes the place in which something
important or interesting happened.”
Anecdote
• “An anecdote starts out with the introduction with an
interesting true story that happened to the author or
someone else.”
Case Histories
• “A case history tells two to three very short stories about
different people who have had similar experiences or
problems.”
• “ The ‘lead’ comes before your main point (i.e. your thesis)
in the introduction. Its job is to draw your readers into your
paper and encourage them to keep reading.”
Thesis Statement
• tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of
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the subject matter under discussion.
is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the
reader what to expect from the rest of the paper
directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an
interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject
itself.
makes a claim that others might dispute. is usually a
single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that
presents your argument to the reader.
The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and
organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the
logic of your interpretation
Example 1
In early December 1971, the first Chicano Studies director
Felipe Ortego walked into the administration building at
University of Texas of El Paso in support of MEChA students
overtaking the building and taking, then President Joe Smiley
hostage. Ortego recalls, “Then silently, as the clock moved
toward noon, the MEChA students ushered the secretaries out
of the office and locked the doors. Phones were disabled. Joe
Smiley grew nervous. The room crackled with the electricity of
uncertainty” (Parnassus). Though Ortego did not help plan this
“blow out,” he supported his students in this decision. Ortego, his
fellow Chicano faculty, and MEChA students had grown frustrated
with the lack of attention their request for higher cultural
representation within the university received. They had come to the
conclusion that the only way to be taken seriously was to take a
radical stance, and force the administration to hear them.
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This event represented the frustration of Mexican Americans from years of
repeated attempts to have access to equal opportunities in education. These
earlier attempts were not far reaching enough to bring about the demands they
wanted. Thus, the “Chicano Movement” emerged with a new radical stance to
force the decisions they wanted through militant action. Though much discussion
has been given to the Chicano Movement’s K-12 involvement through high school
“blow outs,” this paper seeks to investigate the Chicano Movement’s lasting
impact in higher education. More than this, it seeks to investigate the more radical
approaches taken by the Chicano Movement, and investigate the success of
these methods in higher education (university level). To investigate this on a
more localized, and thus more specific level, this paper will investigate the
implications of the MECHA’s (the Chicano student organization) takeover of
the University of Texas at El Paso’s administration building in December
1971 in an effort to have more cultural representation at the state level, as
well as in their teachers. To create an in-depth analysis of this “blowout,” I
will first investigate the development of radicalism as a tool for the Chicano
Movement. This paper will then shift to investigate the goals of MECHA in
the blow out and immediate effects it had on higher education for these
students. Finally, the lasting implications of this blowout for students and
educators at the University of Texas at El Paso will be discussed.
In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, it is clear that the
text offers commentary on the state of education as being less
than satisfactory, specifically through the character “Scout.” (1)
In chapter four of the text, expounding on ideas articulated
earlier in the novel, Scout clearly challenges the education that
she receives in her day school. She specifically finds it
unfathomable that the education system she is in represents the
ideal of those who created it. (2) This is clearly seen when Scout
says, “as I inched sluggishly along the treadmill of the Maycomb
County school system, I could not help receiving the impression
that I was being cheated out of something” (Lee, p.37). She
elaborates on this idea by offering, “I did not believe that twelve
years of unrelieved boredom was exactly what the state had in
mind for me” (Lee, p.37).
• (3) As a result, it seems clear that the school in the text is in
fact providing very few educational opportunities for the
students. Though this is Scout’s first year of formal education,
she already feels “cheated,” and furthermore envisions nothing
but “boredom” in her future. (4) Furthermore, this formal
education is juxtaposed against the “real education” that her
brother Jem performs on his own: “Jem was a poor example:
no tutorial system devised by man could have stopped him
from getting at books “ (Lee, p.36). (3) Jem’s own self directed
education (going to books for answers of his own volition) is
clearly shown to be the “real” education. (4) Thus, in chapter
four of this text, Scout clearly shows the lack of education and
learning that occurs at her school, and furthermore, shows the
benefits of a self directed education. (5)
Example 2
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The validity of a public education system, and moreover, the
benefits of a public education for students has been a hotly
debated subject throughout American educational history. In
addition, what a real education looks like is difficult to categorize
(4). Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, offers an interesting
perspective into what a real education is through multiple
vantage points she offers throughout her novel. She
demonstrates the consequences of a harsh, inflexible education
through Boo Bradley, the public education system in Maycomb,
as well as, the education the Finch’s receive at home (1).
Moreover, the reader becomes subject to the dichotomy of a
inferior, ignorant public school education versus a self directed,
exploratory education that one is able to carry out on their own
(2 & possibly 5). This paper asserts that Lee illustrates the selfdirected education as being the “true education,” specifically
through her use of satire in chapter four of the text; the reader is
able to see Scout’s commentary reflects that Jem’s self directed
education clearly trumps that of the Maycomb County school
system (3).
Example from Advanced Literature and
Composition Student
An egalitarian society, is it a utopia or hell? The futuristic
short story written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. “Harrison Bergeron,”
details a society in which citizens are forced to be identical to
each other in their appearance, behavior and achievements.
According to measures violently enforced by the United States
Handicapper General, those who are above average are
required by law to wear handicaps which limit their abilities.
Centered on the developments concerning the Bergeron family,
the story illuminates the argument of whether total equality is
beneficial or detrimental to society at large. This powerful story
critiques egalitarianism. This type of government results in a
dysfunctional and totalitarian nightmare. Therefore, through an
in-depth analysis of the text, this essay will clearly outline the
potential dangers of an egalitarian society and the reasons
behind its eminent failure.