It’s Quick!
It’s Easy!
It’s Fun!
Well….. Maybe not Fun…
Your Mission...
.
Write a multi-paragraph essay
comparing and/or contrasting
the use of archetypes in the
Sumerian poetry to the movie
Indiana Jones and the Raiders
of the Lost Ark.
The Basics of the Essay
• Set up the paper according
to the Multi-paragraph
structure.
• Rather than each idea
getting one sentence, each
gets a paragraph.
• Coming up with a strong
outline helps you keep your
paper organized.
Venn Diagrams/Prewriting
• You can visualize what
you’re comparing/
contrasting by using a
Venn diagram.
• How you fill out the
Venn diagram
determines how you
will set up the outline
of your essay.
Setting Up the Outline:
Three Ways to Write the Essay
• T: A really,
really good
thesis.
• D: Similarity 1
• D: Similarity 2
• D: Similarity 3
• C: A really,
really good
conclusion.
• T: A really,
really good
thesis.
• D: Difference 1
• D: Difference 2
• D: Difference 3
• C: A really,
really good
conclusion.
•T: A really,
really good
thesis.
•D: Poem
•D: Movie
•C: A really,
really good
conclusion.
The Thesis
• The thesis sentence
provides a blueprint
for the entire essay.
It provides both the
FOCUS of the essay
and the Controlling
Ideas, which limit the
scope of the essay
A thesis is NOT:
• A Question
•A Statement of purpose.
•The purpose of this
essay is to…
•A narrative, descriptive
sentence.
Sooooo….What IS a thesis, you ask????
A Thesis IS...
… a detailed, expository sentence which
sets up the structure of the argument,
points toward the conclusion and
clarifies your position for your audience.
Example:
Although 3,800 years separate their creations, The
Epic of Gilgamesh and Raiders of the Lost Ark have
remarkable similarities in their use of imagery, the
hero, and the hero’s quest, demonstrating that the
ancient archetypes still tell us about the human
condition today.
Where do you put the
thesis statement?
This depends on the assignment,
but in most cases, the best
place is at the end of the
introduction. Start your subject
broad, then work your way to
your specific thesis.
The Body Paragraphs
• To provide sufficient
• Detail paragraphs
detail, each body
provide the supports paragraph needs:
for your thesis
– A topic sentence.
statement. Your
– Several supporting
details should be
specific details from the
works.
found in that thesis
– Transitions to help your
statement.
paragraph flow
• Use PLENTY of
– A concluding sentence
Quotes from the
• Obviously, this will take
works to support
a significant number of
your thesis.
sentences!
The Conclusion
• The conclusion is the most difficult part of
the essay to explain…but
• A good conclusion…
 Highlights, but does NOT restate, the thesis
 Shows the subject in a larger context (What
makes the subject important?).
• Consider the conclusion to be like a
satellite photograph. It looks over the
specific points of your essay, but it puts
them in a much broader context.
It’s
That
Easy!!!
How to Avoid Failing this Assignment
• Do NOT make careless proofreading errors. I don’t want to
have to do your spell checking or grammar proofing. YOU
HAVE BEEN WARNED.
• Do NOT rehash the plot of the works. We’ve all read the
poem and seen the movie. Only use the plot to support your
points. DO NOT RETELL THE PLOT! Remember the math:
Plot Summary = F.
• Do NOT use first person--no “I think. . . “ or “I believe. . . “
If you write these or any other related phrases, I will
CROSS THEM OUT!! So, save me the trouble and don’t use
them.
• Here’s a really important one--DO NOT SIMPLY SAY, “The
epic is similar to and different than the movie.” This thesis,
or anything like it, says NOTHING.
The Bottom Line...
• WHAT: A multi-paragraph essay,
typed, double spaced, one-inch
margins.
• HOW: Black ink, “Plain” font large
enough to read.
• WHEN: Drafts will be due...
______________________________________