Your "DEAR" essays are critical, meaning they should focus on some central point of significance in the novel. That central point (or THESIS) should be stated in the introduction to your paper and should be supported throughout the essay with details and specific examples (or EVIDENCE). Those details must be cited according to MLA.
This paper should utilize your primary source ONLY. In other words, DO NOT use any summaries or articles you find on the Internet. If you do use outside sources, it will be obvious to me; I will be forced to give a ZERO to any plagiarized papers. For Seniors, that might make the difference between graduating and not graduating. Don't take that chance. Simply do your own work and take the grade it deserves.
The paper should do the following:
(1) State a clear thesis -- i.e. what is your argument?
(2) Mention your main points in the Intro
(3) Support each main point with a body paragraph
(4) Begin each body paragraph with a topic sentence that ties the point to the thesis
(5) Use specific examples (summarized and/or quoted) to support your points
(6) Cite all specific examples
(7) Conclude by summarizing your central argument
Consider this scenario: You are a lawyer defending a client in a murder trial. Is it sufficient to simply tell the jury your client is innocent? No. You need to present evidence. Each bit of evidence needs to be clearly for the purpose of proving your client's innocence. You state your main points at the beginning of the trial and again at the end (called a summation). Like a trial lawyer, you have an audience of your peers (i.e. the jury), and it's your job to convince them of the validity of your argument.
Now, what kind of argument can you make about a book? You can focus on theme, of course, explaining that the book has some central point or message. You can also focus on character development, considering a character's growth or change throughout the novel. Finally (actually, there are other options), you can consider the importance of setting (or landscape) on the plot and/or the characters. As noted, there are other options, and I'd be happy to discuss them with you. Email me.
This paper should utilize your primary source ONLY. In other words, DO NOT use any summaries or articles you find on the Internet. If you do use outside sources, it will be obvious to me; I will be forced to give a ZERO to any plagiarized papers. For Seniors, that might make the difference between graduating and not graduating. Don't take that chance. Simply do your own work and take the grade it deserves.
The paper should do the following:
(1) State a clear thesis -- i.e. what is your argument?
(2) Mention your main points in the Intro
(3) Support each main point with a body paragraph
(4) Begin each body paragraph with a topic sentence that ties the point to the thesis
(5) Use specific examples (summarized and/or quoted) to support your points
(6) Cite all specific examples
(7) Conclude by summarizing your central argument
Consider this scenario: You are a lawyer defending a client in a murder trial. Is it sufficient to simply tell the jury your client is innocent? No. You need to present evidence. Each bit of evidence needs to be clearly for the purpose of proving your client's innocence. You state your main points at the beginning of the trial and again at the end (called a summation). Like a trial lawyer, you have an audience of your peers (i.e. the jury), and it's your job to convince them of the validity of your argument.
Now, what kind of argument can you make about a book? You can focus on theme, of course, explaining that the book has some central point or message. You can also focus on character development, considering a character's growth or change throughout the novel. Finally (actually, there are other options), you can consider the importance of setting (or landscape) on the plot and/or the characters. As noted, there are other options, and I'd be happy to discuss them with you. Email me.