Argument Essay
Who is admirable?
• Who is worth admiring in The Great Gatsby?
• Why?
1. Talk with a partner.
2. Tell me your answer.
3. Back up your answer with evidence.
(7 Minutes)
• Example: Nick is worth admiring because he lives by a moral code
that cannot be changed, even with the temptation of money and fame.
An example would be when Nick attended Gatsby’s funeral when
nobody else would.
• Socratic Seminar
• Who is worth admiring in The Great Gatsby?
• Why?
1. Talk with a partner.
2. Tell me your answer.
3. Back up your answer with evidence.
(7 Minutes)
• Example: Nick is worth admiring because he lives by a moral code
that cannot be changed, even with the temptation of money and fame.
An example would be when Nick attended Gatsby’s funeral when
nobody else would.
•
•
•
•
What are your first steps in starting an essay?
Thesis (Pick a side)
Answer the question, using the prompt.
Attention grabber (Using information, anecdote, rhetorical
question)
Now
• Take out a piece of paper. Label it
“Thesis.”
• Take out another piece of paper. Label it
“Statement of fact introduction.”
Write this on your “Thesis” paper.
1. Driving Question for Thesis: Which character in
The Great Gatsby is admirable and why?
2. Jay Gatsby is an admirable character whose
reaching for the impossible is considered heroic.
Write this on your “Thesis” paper.
1. Driving Question for Thesis: Which character in
The Great Gatsby is admirable and why?
2. Answer with FATT.
Example: In the (TEXT) novel (TITLE) The Great Gatsby, by
(AUTHOR) F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby is an admirable
character whose reaching for the impossible is considered
heroic.
Introductions
• You are making a first impression. What
do you do when first meeting someone
you want to like you? Charm? Humor?
Sincerity?
• Writing is a social act.
Introduction
• Anecdotal using Scene
• Rhetorical Question
• Interesting Factual statement
• COLLECT NOTES on these moves.
Introductions
• Write an introduction for each “move.”
• Anecdotal using Scene
• Rhetorical Question
• Interesting Factual statement
Introductions
• Rhetorical Question
– First sentence grabs reader’s attention and
asks a rhetorical question.
– Rest of introduction talks about the “who”,
“what”, “where” of argument.
– Who: Us, a public figure, a family member
– What: judgment, admiral qualities
– Where: Earth, the heavens, your backyard.
Introductions
• Examples:
– “Is a woman judged by her actions or her
thoughts?”
– “If perfection is impossible, why do we judge
harshly for those who are imperfect?”
– Write your own.
Introductions
• Rhetorical Question
If perfection is impossible, why do we judge harshly for
those who are imperfect? Whether it is those in our
personal lives or those who are in literature, we among the
flawed (who, where). Flaws are what keep us human, and
being admired means we accept our flaws, grow from them
(what). THESIS: In The Great Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan is
fatally flawed, but she is admirable because of her
willingness to follow her instincts and live with emotion.
– Who: Us
– What: Flaws and judgment
– Where: Personal lives and literature
Introductions
• Interesting Statement of Fact
– Start introduction with a compelling fact.
– Tone of introduction is factual, objective, and
scientific.
– Writer is telling reader, “I’m not messing with
feelings. It’s all facts, baby.”
– Good for writing that is heavily leaning on
logic
• Research papers
• Science writing
Introductions
• Take out ANOTHER piece of paper.
• Write “interesting fact” on this paper.
Introductions
• Interesting Statement of Fact
• Look up an interesting fact about
character or judgment:
• When Martin Luther King Jr. marched for equality, he
was a target for murder.
• Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 25 years.
• Fifty two percent of marriages end in divorce, which
means someone at some point was not acting admirably.
Introductions
• Start first sentence with interesting fact
Fifty two percent of marriages end in divorce, which means
someone at some point was not acting admirably. Human
beings (WHO) are embedded with flaws, and it is the drama of
trying to understand these flaws under the light of our strengths
that is the human struggle (WHEN), represented through every
day statistics and in literature. Those who live understanding this
struggle are to be admired for their awareness (WHAT). In the
novel The Great Gatsby, Nick Carroway lives with this
awareness, because of his conscious way of living, he is
admirable.
Who, what, where of argument.
– Who: Human Beings, Divorced people
– What: Awareness
Introductions
• Start first sentence with interesting fact
Stanford University’s acceptance rate is 0.6%, and these
candidates are the top students of their schools. These
candidates strive for what they want, despite the statistics,
enduring hours of homework, playing sports, and surviving
disasterous family lives. In the same way these students
strove for greatness, Jay Gatsby in the novel The Great
Gatsby also attains what he wants.
In the novel The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is an admirable
character because he strives for what he wants.
Who, what, where of argument.
– Who: Human Beings, Divorced people
– What: Awareness
Introductions
• Start first sentence with interesting fact
In Ferguson County, protestors were shot at by rubber bullets,
gassed, and beaten my militant police. The protesters were
teachers, mothers, sons: Americans. They believed fiercely
for the right to be equal, to protest the institutional racial
profiling pervading the state. Another person who fiercely
fought for his beliefs was Tom Buchannan, from the novel The
Great Gatsby.
In the novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tom
Buchannan is an admirable character because he fights
mightily for his deepest beliefs.
Who, what, where of argument.
– Who: People who fight for beliefs
Introductions
• Start first sentence with interesting fact
In the novel The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is an admirable
character because he strives for what he wants.
Who, what, where of argument.
– Who: Human Beings, Divorced people
– What: Awareness
– When: Human struggle
Introduction
• Take out a piece of paper and label it,
“Statement of Opinion.”
Introduction
• Father Thesis, Baby Thesis: Statement of
Opinion
• Write a more GENERAL version of your thesis as your
first line. First line must HOOK.
Introduction
Father Thesis, Baby Thesis: Statement of Opinion
Write a more GENERAL version of your thesis as your first
line. First line must HOOK.
GENERAL STATEMENT: The people worth admiring are the
people who don’t know how to be contained.
THESIS: In the novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald,
Jay Gatsby is an admirable character whose reaching for the
impossible is considered heroic.
Who, what, where of argument.
–Who: Visionaries like Christopher Columbus
–What: Boundless imagination,
Introduction
Father Thesis, Baby Thesis: Statement of Opinion
Write a more GENERAL version of your thesis as your first
line. First line must HOOK.
GENERAL STATEMENT:
People with extraordinary visions are bound to do extraordinary
things. President Obama saw a country whose sons would be
able to take care of their dying mothers because we would all
have health care. He saw it first.
THESIS: In the novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald,
Jay Gatsby is an admirable character whose reaching for the
impossible is extraordinary.
Who, what, where of argument.
Introduction
The people worth admiring are the people who don’t know how to
be contained. An artist’s soul is capacious, able to take in the
entire world and place it on a plate, or a blueprint, or a classroom.
A visionary requires limitless thinking and dreaming, a way of
being that cannot be bound by sensibility and conventions.
Christopher Columbus saw a world that in fact never ended, a
circumference that could run forever with enough wind and will.
Those who are tyrannized by fear and limited vision seem always
bound by height, weight, or aptitude, reasons for staying cornered
by fear and cynicism, a combination that always underlies
sadness for what is already determined in their minds. It is our
reaching and straining beyond limitations that make us admirable,
that make life boundless and soaring with the very stars we can’t
reach. In the novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay
Gatsby is one such hero, an admirable character whose reaching
for the impossible is considered heroic.
Introduction
• Scene
•
•
•
•
Use 3 out of the 5 senses
Quickest way to emotionally convince the reader
Pure storytelling
Mr. Kim is nuts about this one. But you should learn other
techniques.
• Who, what, where of argument.
– Who: People, beings, living creatures
– What: Transience
– Where: Living rooms, kitchens, schools, anywhere!
Introduction
• Take out a piece of paper.
• Label it “Scene Introduction.”
Introduction
• Turn in “Scene Introduction” in the back
tray.
Introduction
• Scene: Write 3 sensory details about a
time you experienced the thesis:
EXAMPLE: MR. KIM’s FATHER IN COMMUNITY
COLLEGE.
3 SENSORY DETAILS
• Air conditioning
• Back Pack zipping
• Whispering of students
Introduction
• Scene: Write 3 sensory details.
The air conditioning of the classroom (WHERE) came down heavily on
my father’s (WHO) head, chilling the sweat off of his neck. The
community college classroom was filled to capacity, with 80 students
rustling papers, zipping up back packs, and whispering to each other
before the professor arrived. My father smelled the strange perfumes
that reminded him of fruit and flowers. When the professor began the
lecture, my father was utterly bewildered. He could catch a few
words, but the Chemistry class seemed fractured, unable to be pieced
together. Although he had a minimal understanding of English, my
father charged ahead to take this class to provide a better life for his
family. The impossibility (WHAT) stared him in the face, but he
attempted the class anyways. He ultimately dropped out of the class,
but it doesn’t mean he is less admirable. (TRANSITION TO
THESIS)It is the reaching that matters more than the attaining.
• Who, what, where of argument.
– Who: My father
– What: impossibility
– Where: Classroom
Introduction
• Scene: Write 3 sensory details.
Nick Carraway doesn’t judge people:
The Topanga mall smelled like pretzel and perfume. Jay was quiet, his
hands shoved into his pockets. The loud conversations bounced
off the tile floor, and I could hardly hear Jay’s words as he pulled
out the stack of one dollar bills. He told me he had stolen the
money for a birthday present. I hugged him.
Introduction
• Write your thesis after each of your introductions:
Scene, Rhetorical Question, Factual Statement.
• Example:
The air conditioning of the classroom came down heavily on my
father’s head, chilling the sweat off of his neck. The community
college classroom was filled to capacity, with 80 students rustling
papers, zipping up back packs, and whispering to each other before
the professor arrived. My father smelled the strange perfumes that
reminded him of fruit and flowers. When the professor began the
lecture, my father was utterly bewildered. He could catch a few
words, but the Chemistry class seemed fractured, unable to be pieced
together. Although he had a minimal understanding of English, my
father charged ahead to take this class to provide a better life for his
family. The impossibility stared him in the face, but he attempted the
class anyways. He ultimately dropped out of the class, but it doesn’t
mean he is less admirable. It is the reaching that matters more than
the attaining. In the novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay
Gatsby is one such hero, an admirable character whose reaching for the
impossible is considered heroic.
•
In groups of 3:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Receive two pieces of paper from Mr. Kim
Hamburger Hot Dog your papers.
Read each person’s introductions.
Critique the following items for each
introduction:
1. Transition from introduction to thesis
2. Presence of: WHO-WHAT-WHERE
5. Vote for each partner’s best introduction
on center diamond.
For full credit, you must turn in all reviews
attached to all 3 introductions.
Hamburger Hotdog Paper
Introduction Writer’s Name: Tommy
Kim
Statement of Opinion
Introduction:
Statement of Fact
Introduction:
Favorite
Scene Introduction:
Reviewed By: Brendon Wydra
Introduction
• Note the following items for each introduction:
1. Is the “who-what-where” of the argument present?
2. Do the sentences following the first sentence flow properly? In other
words, is the sentence after the hook relevant or just wacky?
3. Is the transition from introduction to the thesis smooth? Or does it need a
transition word/phrase?
4. Is there even a thesis with “F.A.T.T.”?
• YOU MUST ADDRESS ALL 4 OF THESE ITEMS FOR EACH
INTRODUCTION, “STATEMENT OF OPINION, STATEMENT OF FACT
AND SCENE” IN ORDER TO GET FULL CREDIT.
Hamburger Hotdog Paper
Writer’s Name: Tommy Kim
STATEMENT OF opinion
Introduction
-First line is a great hook, interesting.
-Second sentence didn’t quite make sense with
first sentence.
-Third sentence didn’t stay on topic from first
sentence.
-Transition from intro to thesis was rough and
wasn’t smooth.
Statement of Fact Introduction
-First sentence was interesting, and made
me want to read more.
-The WHO, WHAT, WHERE were clear and
dead-on.
-Transition from intro to thesis was smooth,
expert, and professional gangsta.
Favorite: Statement of Fact
Introduction
Scene Introduction
-Sensory details were strong. Made me
want to eat the paper.
-Sense of place was like reality TV
-Transition from scene into thesis was
rougher than driving without wheels.
Needs to use more transitional words.
Reviewed By: Brendon Wydra
Introduction
• In Groups:
– Highlight and number the following items from
the student essay:
• #1 Thesis
• #2 Transition from paragraph #1 to paragraph #2
Finding Quotes to support your thesis
• Take out a piece of paper.
• Hamburger-Hotdog a regular piece of
paper.
• Write your thesis in the middle diamond.
• Choose two quotes to support your thesis
on the two halves.
Introduction
• How do you find quotes to support your
thesis?
Finding Quotes to support your thesis
• Hamburger-Hotdog a piece of paper.
• Write your thesis in the middle diamond.
• Choose two quotes to support your thesis
on the two halves.
• Choose two quotes to support your thesis.
Gatsby Argumentative Essay
• Take out:
• Hamburger/Hamburger paper
• Say-Mean-Matter Power verbs/phrases
worksheet
• (Extra Fun! Vocabulary: Doltish, Asinine,
Moronic, Vapid)
Hamburger Hotdog Paper
Writer’s Name: Tommy Kim
Quote #1
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Title: The Great Gatsby
Quote #2
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Title: The Great Gatsby
Say: “But with every word she was drawing
further and further into herself, so he gave that up
and only the dead dream fought on as the
afternoon slipped away, trying to touch what was
no longer tangible, struggling unhappily,
undespairingly, toward that lost voice across the
room (Fitzgerald 142).”
Say: “’Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always
had resolves like this or something’ (Gatsby 182).
Quote #3 (Counterargument)
In the novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald,
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Title: The Great Gatsby
Jay Gatsby is one such hero, an admirable character
whose reaching for the impossible is considered heroic.
Say: “He and this Wolfshiem bought up a lot of
side-street drug stores here and in Chicago and
sold grain alcohol over the counter. That’s one of
his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the
first time I saw him and I wasn’t far wrong
(Fitzgerald 141).
Thesis: Gatsby is admirable.
Quote #1
Say: “But with every word she was drawing further and further
into herself, so he gave that up and only the dead dream fought
on as the afternoon slipped away, trying to touch what was no
longer tangible, struggling unhappily, undespairingly, toward
that lost voice across the room (Fitzgerald 142).”
Mean (What does the quote “mean”? Summarize):
This passage explains how Gatsby reaches for the unattainable,
knowing he can’t convince Daisy to leave Tom.
MATTER (How does this matter to the thesis?):
In this case, even though Gatsby knows Daisy will not be with
him, the dream continues, nourishing a vitality in Gatsby’s
imagination, which is essential to his ability to see more than
failure or fear. He suffers for this vision, but it is through
struggle that we transform not only ourselves, but those around
us, as Nick was transformed by Gatsby’s pain.
Thesis: Gatsby is admirable.
Quote #2
Say: “’Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had
resolves like this or something’ (Gatsby 182). ”
Mean (What does the quote “mean”? Summarize):
Mr. Gatz proclaims that his son, ever since he was a
boy, had the habits of achievement, a type of resolve
that craves the impossible.
MATTER (How does this matter to the thesis?):
Ultimately it is this dynamic, between possibility and
impossibility, between the practical and impractical,
that provides the tension to step foot into the wild world
to seek and achieve, sometimes the impossible.
The Counterargument
“I know you are, but what am I?”
Evidence: The Counterargument
What do you know about a “counterargument?”
Contradicts your argument/thesis
Reveals other side
Leaves room for debate
Transition words (antithetical corollary)
But, however, although,
Evidence: The Counterargument
Your parents tell you, “your curfew is set for
10pm. The Van Nuys police website shows that
crime is mostly committed between the times of
10pm-2am.”
Talk to a partner and explain how you can give a
counterargument.
1 minute.
Evidence: The Counterargument
Your parents tell you, “you cannot go to
Alejandro’s party. He was arrested in middle
school for bringing matches and dirty underwear
to school.”
Talk to a partner and explain how you can give a
counterargument.
1 Minute
Evidence: The Counterargument
Your parents tell you, “downtown Los Angeles is
too far. You can’t go there without an adult.”
Talk to a partner and explain how you can give a
counterargument.
1 Minute
Evidence: The Counterargument
Thesis
Contradicting Evidence
Counter-argument on how evidence
Is NOT valid.
Evidence: The Counterargument
Thesis
Contradicting Evidence
Use an UNMENTIONED VARIABLE to show
how contradicting evidence still proves thesis.
Evidence: The Counterargument
Thesis: Pitbulls are one of the friendliest breeds and the ban in
Denver should be overturned.
Contradicting Evidence: Pitbulls have the highest rate of
attacks on humans.
• Unmentioned variable: THE OWNERS!
Evidence: The Counterargument
Thesis: Pitbulls are one of the friendliest breeds and the ban in
Denver should be overturned.
Contradicting Evidence: Pitbulls have the highest rate of
attacks on humans.
Counter-argument on how evidence is NOT valid:
This breed of dog attracts owners who are criminals who raise
the dogs to fight, training them to have violent tendencies. Like
children, mean and violent owners will translate to mean and
violent dogs, and most other breeds have owners who want to
raise their dogs properly. It’s not the dog breed that is violent
but the type of owner who raise them.
Evidence: The Counterargument
Thesis: All types of guns should be legal.
Contradicting Evidence: The Sandy Hook shootings left
dozens of children dead.
Counter-argument on how evidence is NOT valid:
Work with a partner and come up with why this
contradicting evidence can be WRONG. I will give you 3
minutes.
Evidence: The Counterargument
Thesis: All types of guns should be legal.
Contradicting Evidence: The Sandy Hook shootings left
dozens of children dead.
Counter-argument on how evidence is NOT valid:
Unmentioned VARIABLE: Mental Illness!
Evidence: The Counterargument
Thesis: We should encourage the use of capital punishment in
all states.
Contradicting Evidence: Texas has the most executions out
of all states, but the murder rate is also the highest.
Counter-argument on how evidence is NOT valid:
Work with a partner and come up with why this
contradicting evidence can be WRONG (hint, use 3rd
variable, low income, low graduation rates, etc. of TX). I will
give you 3 minutes.
Evidence: The Counterargument
Thesis: We should encourage the use of capital punishment in
all states.
Contradicting Evidence: Texas has the most executions out
of all states, but the murder rate is also the highest.
• Unmentioned variable: Income (low)
Evidence: The Counterargument
Thesis: College athletes should get paid for playing.
Contradicting Evidence: In Slovania, where college players
get paid, they have the highest dropout rate in the world.
Counter-argument on how evidence is NOT valid:
Unmentioned variable: Slovania’s average income is lowest
in the European Union.
Evidence: The Counterargument
Thesis: We should encourage the use of capital punishment in
all states.
Contradicting Evidence: Texas has the most executions out
of all states, but the murder rate is also the highest.
Counter-argument on how evidence is NOT valid:
Work with a partner and come up with why this
contradicting evidence can be WRONG (hint, use low
income, low graduation rates, etc. of TX). I will give you 3
minutes.
Evidence: The Counterargument
Thesis: The Lakers are the best team in basketball this season.
Contradicting Evidence: The Lakers have the worst record
in the league.
Counter-argument using UNMENTIONED VARIABLE on how
evidence is NOT valid:
Work with a partner and come up with why this
contradicting evidence can be WRONG. I will give you 3
minutes.
Evidence: The Counterargument
Thesis: Birmingham Students are the most kind students in all
of the valley.
Contradicting Evidence: Birmingham has the highest rate
of fights.
Counter-argument on how evidence is NOT valid:
Work with a partner and come up with why this
contradicting evidence can be WRONG. I will give you 3
minutes.
Thesis: Gatsby is admirable.
Quote #3 – COUNTERARGUMENT: Find a
quote that CONTRADICTS your thesis.
Say: “He and this Wolfshiem bought up a lot of side-street drug stores here
and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That’s one of his
little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him and I wasn’t
far wrong (Fitzgerald 141).
Mean (What does the quote “mean”? Summarize):
Tom argues that Gatsby is of inferior moral quality because he breaks the
law.
MATTER (How does this matter to the thesis?):
Although some laws make sense in their time, other laws are unreasonable,
playing out the collective paranoia that keep citizens tyrannized. Slavery,
segregation, women’s suffrage (Unmentioned variable) were all legal
embodiments of a vicious tyranny against those who are deprived of political
and social power. Laws can be wrong. Alcohol is now legal, and if any
political figure would try to abolish alcohol today, they would be ensuring
their downfall in the next election. Gatsby’s cause for the impossible
transcended a misguided law, and he was a hero for seeing beyond it.
Hamburger Hotdog Paper
Writer’s Name: Tommy Kim
Quote #1
Quote #2
Say: “But with every word she was drawing further
and further into herself, so he gave that up and only
the dead dream fought on as the afternoon slipped
away, trying to touch what was no longer tangible,
struggling unhappily, undespairingly, toward that lost
voice across the room (Fitzgerald 142).”
Say: “’Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always
had resolves like this or something’ (Gatsby 182).
MEAN: This passage explains how Gatsby reaches
for the unattainable, knowing he can’t convince Daisy
to leave Tom.
MEAN: Mr. Gatz proclaims that his son, ever
since he was a boy, had the habits of
achievement, a type of resolve that craves the
impossible.
MATTER: Ultimately it is this dynamic, between
possibility and impossibility, between the
MATTER: In this case, even though Gatsby knows
practical and impractical, that provides the
Daisy will not be with him, the dream continues,
tension to step foot into the wild world to seek
nourishing a vitality in Gatsby’s imagination,
which
In the novel The
Great is
Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald,
and achieve, sometimes the impossible.
Gatsby
is oneorsuch
hero, an admirable character
essential to his ability to see moreJay
than
failure
fear.
whose reaching for what is believed by others to be
He suffers for this vision, but it is through
struggle
unattainable is heroic.
that we transform not only ourselves, but those
around us, as Nick was transformed by Gatsby’s
pain.
Quote #3 (Counterargument)
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Title: The Great Gatsby
Say: “He and this Wolfshiem bought up a lot of
MEAN: Tom argues that Gatsby is of inferior
moral quality because he breaks the law.
Introduction
• Take out your introduction (Statement of fact and
scene)
• Take out your say-mean-matter hamburger/hotdog
paper
Introduction
• Take out your introduction
• Take out your thesis
• Take out your say-mean-matter hamburger/hotdog
paper
• Take out your 18 moves list
Introduction
• Write your thesis and transition into your thesis
after your favorite introduction:
• Example:
The people worth admiring are the people who don’t know how to be
contained. An artist’s soul is capacious, able to take in the entire
world and place it on a plate, or a blueprint, or a classroom. A
visionary requires limitless thinking and dreaming, a way of being that
cannot be bound by sensibility and conventions. Christopher
Columbus saw a world that in fact never ended, a circumference that
could run forever with enough wind and will. Those who are
tyrannized by fear and limited vision seem always bound by height,
weight, or aptitude, reasons for staying cornered by fear and
cynicism, a combination that always underlies sadness for what is
already determined in their minds. It is our reaching and straining
beyond limitations that make us admirable, that make life boundless
and soaring with the very stars we can’t reach. (Move #1) In the
novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby is one
such hero, an admirable character whose reaching for the
impossible is considered heroic.
Introduction
• Take out the essay “Star Travel” by Tommy Kim.
Introduction
• Writing can be reduced to a series of moves. Let’s see
what kind of moves Mr. Kim has!
•
•
•
•
•
Transience Essay Moves
Take out the essay, “Star Travel” by Tommy
Kim.
Work with a partner
You will highlight each move
I will call on you
Read the first three words of the sentence
for each move.
Underline and number each move:
1. Thesis
2. Introduction to quote
3. Say #1
4. Mean#1
5. Matter#1
6. Transition from matter #1 to next paragraph
7. Introduction to quote (Moves 7 & 8 could be the same sentence)
8. Say #2
9. Mean#2
10.Matter#2
11.Transition from matter #2 to next paragraph
12.Introduce counterargument quote
13.Say #3 (Counterargument)
14.Mean#3
15.Matter#3
16.Transition into last paragraph
17.Restatement of thesis
18.Connect thesis to the rest of the world
Underline and number each move:
1. Thesis
Underline and number each move:
1. Thesis
2. Introduction to quote #1
Underline and number each move:
1. Thesis
2. Introduction to quote
3. Say #1
Underline and number each move:
1. Thesis
2. Introduction to quote
3. Say #1
4. Mean#1
Underline and number each move:
1. Thesis
2. Introduction to quote
3. Say #1
4. Mean#1
5. Matter#1
Underline and number each move:
1. Thesis
2. Introduction to quote
3. Say #1
4. Mean#1
5. Matter#1
6. Transition from matter #1 to next paragraph
Underline and number each move:
1. Thesis
2. Introduction to quote
3. Say #1
4. Mean#1
5. Matter#1
6. Transition from matter #1 to next paragraph
7. Introduction to quote (Moves 6 & 7 could be the same
sentence)
Underline and number each move:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Thesis
Introduction to quote
Say #1
Mean#1
Matter#1
Transition from matter #1 to next paragraph
Introduction to quote (Moves 6 & 7 could be the same sentence)
Say #2
Underline and number each move:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Thesis
Introduction to quote
Say #1
Mean#1
Matter#1
Transition from matter #1 to next paragraph
Introduction to quote (Moves 7 & 8 could be the same sentence)
Say #2
Mean#2
Underline and number each move:
1. Thesis
2. Introduction to quote
3. Say #1
4. Mean#1
5. Matter#1
6. Transition from matter #1 to next paragraph
7. Introduction to quote (Moves 7 & 8 could be the same sentence)
8. Say #2
9. Mean#2
10.Matter#2
Underline and number each move:
1. Thesis
2. Introduction to quote
3. Say #1
4. Mean#1
5. Matter#1
6. Transition from matter #1 to next paragraph
7. Introduction to quote (Moves 7 & 8 could be the same sentence)
8. Say #2
9. Mean#2
10.Matter#2
11.Transition from matter #2 to next paragraph
Underline and number each move:
1. Thesis
2. Introduction to quote
3. Say #1
4. Mean#1
5. Matter#1
6. Transition from matter #1 to next paragraph
7. Introduction to quote (Moves 7 & 8 could be the same sentence)
8. Say #2
9. Mean#2
10.Matter#2
11.Transition from matter #2 to next paragraph
12.Introduce counterargument quote
Underline and number each move:
1. Thesis
2. Introduction to quote
3. Say #1
4. Mean#1
5. Matter#1
6. Transition from matter #1 to next paragraph
7. Introduction to quote (Moves 7 & 8 could be the same sentence)
8. Say #2
9. Mean#2
10.Matter#2
11.Transition from matter #2 to next paragraph
12.Introduce counterargument quote
13.Say #3 (Counterargument)
Underline and number each move:
1. Thesis
2. Introduction to quote
3. Say #1
4. Mean#1
5. Matter#1
6. Transition from matter #1 to next paragraph
7. Introduction to quote (Moves 7 & 8 could be the same sentence)
8. Say #2
9. Mean#2
10.Matter#2
11.Transition from matter #2 to next paragraph
12.Introduce counterargument quote
13.Say #3 (Counterargument)
14.Mean#3
Underline and number each move:
1. Thesis
2. Introduction to quote
3. Say #1
4. Mean#1
5. Matter#1
6. Transition from matter #1 to next paragraph
7. Introduction to quote (Moves 7 & 8 could be the same sentence)
8. Say #2
9. Mean#2
10.Matter#2
11.Transition from matter #2 to next paragraph
12.Introduce counterargument quote
13.Say #3 (Counterargument)
14.Mean#3
15.Matter#3
Underline and number each move:
1. Thesis
2. Introduction to quote
3. Say #1
4. Mean#1
5. Matter#1
6. Transition from matter #1 to next paragraph
7. Introduction to quote (Moves 7 & 8 could be the same sentence)
8. Say #2
9. Mean#2
10.Matter#2
11.Transition from matter #2 to next paragraph
12.Introduce counterargument quote
13.Say #3 (Counterargument)
14.Mean#3
15.Matter#3
16.Transition into last paragraph
Underline and number each move:
1. Thesis
2. Introduction to quote
3. Say #1
4. Mean#1
5. Matter#1
6. Transition from matter #1 to next paragraph
7. Introduction to quote (Moves 7 & 8 could be the same sentence)
8. Say #2
9. Mean#2
10.Matter#2
11.Transition from matter #2 to next paragraph
12.Introduce counterargument quote
13.Say #3 (Counterargument)
14.Mean#3
15.Matter#3
16.Transition into last paragraph
17.Restatement of thesis
Underline and number each move:
1. Thesis
2. Introduction to quote
3. Say #1
4. Mean#1
5. Matter#1
6. Transition from matter #1 to next paragraph
7. Introduction to quote (Moves 7 & 8 could be the same sentence)
8. Say #2
9. Mean#2
10.Matter#2
11.Transition from matter #2 to next paragraph
12.Introduce counterargument quote
13.Say #3 (Counterargument)
14.Mean#3
15.Matter#3
16.Transition into last paragraph
17.Restatement of thesis
18.Connect thesis to the rest of the world
Introduction
• Take out your introduction (scene/statement of
fact, statement of opinion)
• Take out your say-mean-matter
hamburger/hamburger paper
• Take out my essay “Star Travel” with your notes.
Essay
Take out the following and begin your essay:
•2 introductions (interesting statement of fact and scene)
•Hamburger/Hamburger paper
•My rubric, paragraph by paragraph
1.Thesis
2.Introduction to quote
3.Say #1
4.Mean#1
5.Matter#1
6.Transition from matter #1 to next paragraph
7.Introduction to quote (Moves 7 & 8 could be the same sentence)
8.Say #2
9.Mean#2
10.Matter#2
11.Transition from matter #2 to next paragraph
12.Introduce counterargument quote
13.Say #3 (Counterargument)
Move #1
• Write your thesis after your transition into your
thesis.
• Example:
The people worth admiring are the people who don’t know how to be
contained. An artist’s soul is capacious, able to take in the entire
world and place it on a plate, or a blueprint, or a classroom. A
visionary requires limitless thinking and dreaming, a way of being that
cannot be bound by sensibility and conventions. Christopher
Columbus saw a world that in fact never ended, a circumference that
could run forever with enough wind and will. Those who are
tyrannized by fear and limited vision seem always bound by height,
weight, or aptitude, reasons for staying cornered by fear and
cynicism, a combination that always underlies sadness for what is
already determined in their minds. It is our reaching and straining
beyond limitations that make us admirable, that make life boundless
and soaring with the very stars we can’t reach. (Move #1) In the
novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby is one
such hero, an admirable character whose reaching for what is
believed by others to be unattainable is heroic.
MOVE #2, PARAGRAPH #2!
• Introduce quote “move. Summarize what is happening
around the quote. Assume the reader hasn’t read the book.)
• Use the following template:
(Character’s Name) first exemplifies how
he/she is admirable by (who-what-when of
scene), “Quote” (Fitzgerald #)
– Example: When Gatsby was in the hotel room with Daisy,
Tom and the entourage of friends, he saw that his argument
for Daisy to leave Tom was flagging, that he was immersed in
what was hopeless.
Move #3 - 5
(Move # 3) “But with every word she was drawing
further and further into herself, so he gave that up and only the
dead dream fought on as the afternoon slipped away, trying to
touch what was no longer tangible, struggling unhappily,
undespairingly, toward that lost voice across the room
(Fitzgerald 142).” (Move # 4) This passage explains how
Gatsby reaches for the unattainable, knowing he can’t convince
Daisy to leave Tom. (Move # 5) In this case, even though
Gatsby knows Daisy will not be with him, the dream continues,
nourishing a vitality in Gatsby’s imagination, which is essential
to his ability to see more than failure or fear. He suffers for this
vision, but it is through struggle that we transform not only
ourselves, but those around us, as Nick was transformed by
Gatsby’s pain.
Move #6 & 7
• Transition “move” into paragraph #3
• Use the following template:
(Move #6) Not only does Fitzgerald
highlight_____________ about this character, he
also emphasizes how___________. (Move #7)
(Summarize what is happening around quote.)
Another example of (Character’s name) being
admirable takes place when (_who-what-when),
Paragraph #3: Moves 8-10
Move 8 (Say): “’Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had
resolves like this or something’ (Gatsby 182).
Move 9 (Mean) Mr. Gatz proclaims that his son, ever since he was a boy,
had the habits of achievement, a type of resolve that craves the
impossible.
Move 10 (Matter) Ultimately it is this dynamic, between possibility and
impossibility, between the practical and impractical, that provides the
tension to step foot into the wild world to seek and achieve, sometimes
the impossible.
Paragraph #4: Moves 11-15
Move 11 (Contrast Transition): Although this character’s traits are overall
admirable, there are some traits that some might find unappealing.
Move 12 (Introduce quote): Summarize what is happening around quote.
Move 13 (Say: a quote that CONTRADICTS your thesis)“He and this Wolfshiem
bought up a lot of side-street drug stores here and in Chicago and sold grain
alcohol over the counter. That’s one of his little stunts. I picked him for a
bootlegger the first time I saw him and I wasn’t far wrong (Fitzgerald 141).
Move 14 (Mean): Tom argues that Gatsby is of inferior moral quality because he
breaks the law. Move 15 (Matter): Although some laws make sense in their
time, other laws are unreasonable, playing out the collective paranoia that
keep citizens tyrannized. (Unmentioned Variable)Slavery, segregation,
women’s suffrage were all legal embodiments of a vicious tyranny against
those who are deprived of political and social power. Laws can be wrong.
Alcohol is now legal, and if any political figure would try to abolish alcohol
today, they would be ensuring their downfall in the next election. Gatsby’s
cause for the impossible transcended a misguided law, and he was a hero
for seeing beyond it.
Paragraph #4: Moves 16-18
16.
17.
18
Transition into last paragraph
Restatement of thesis
Connect thesis to the rest of the world
(Move 16: Transition) Laws that are morally detestable
require courage and vision to break. These traits also fuel the
hearts and minds who chase after stars, empowering the great
contributors of our society. (Move 18: Connect thesis to rest
of the world)Thomas Edison, Neal Armstrong, Rosa Parks all
stood tall against the impossible, and with courage and vision
they defined a quintessential American ideal. (Move 17:
Restatement of thesis) Like Gatsby, we are at our best when
we are struggling, fighting for a vision that seems impossible.
Dreams are no longer real when we achieve them. In order
for us to live authentically, we continually need to place the
impossible in front of us.
Essay Rubric
• If you are finished, turn in the following,
stapled:
1. Your Essay
2. The rubric, graded by your partner (attach the
paper your partner WROTE on)
Finish!
1. Turn in your rough draft in the back tray.
2. If you are not done, finish the essay this weekend or come into
tutoring during lunch. Or schedule a time to meet. DEMAND
a time to meet. Own your life.