Writing Your AFI Body Paragraphs

1. Writing Your AFI Body Paragraphs

2. A few reminders… • Your paper needs to be rooted in the research; in other words, be sure you are supporting your claims with evidence from critical reviews. • Be sure you are using credible sources only! • Seek a mixture of direct quotes, paraphrases, and summaries of information. • Cite all research! • Always explain the research. The research is there to support your argument, but your argument is not clear unless you explain it! • Remember: You must use at least five different sources in your paper. Be sure you are achieving this in your BPs!

3. Sentence A: Transition + Topic Sentence • Use an advanced transition to begin each body paragraph • Avoid Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly • Try As an example, Furthermore, Additionally • For your second and third BPs, you can be especially sophisticated by referring back to the previous paragraph. • In addition to the accuracy with which Vertigo depicts the dizziness through unique camera angles, this film also deserves its spot on the Top 100 List because of its relatable themes of love and lust.

4. Sentence A: Transition + Topic Sentence • After choosing an advanced transitional word or phrase, align your first topic sentence with the first of your three points from your thesis statement. • Be sure your first topic sentence does NOT sound repetitive with your thesis. Seek variety in your wording. • Thesis: To be sure, the film Vertigo is truly deserving of its position on the AFI Top 100 List because of its exploration of the universal theme of desire, its unique use of colors and lighting to symbolize love and lust, and its interesting camera angles that evoke a sense of dreams and dizziness. • Example Sentence A: • Quite powerfully, this film has earned a spot among the top American movies of all time due in large part to the focus on the relatable theme of desire.

5. Sentence B: Explanation of Topic Sentence • Before diving into the research, lead the reader into the paragraph with an analytical, interpretive explanation of the point you are going to make in this paragraph. • In other words, explain your topic sentence further, specifying its meaning with details from your film, if possible. • Be sure to seek variety in your word choice! • Example: • In particular, Hitchcock emphasizes the power of obsession and impulse in relationships through the characters of Scottie and Madeline—characters whose love ends just as quickly as it had begun.

6. Sentence C: Support Thesis with Research • Use your first piece of research to support your topic sentence and, ultimately, your thesis. • Decide what method would be best: summarizing, paraphrasing, or quoting. • Only quote if the author’s words are so eloquent that you could not portray the ideas any better. • Be sure to cite your research information no matter what.

7. Sentence C: Support Thesis with Research • Just like in your literary analyses, you always need to lead smoothly into a quote or piece of evidence; never start a sentence with quoted material. • Remember the Quote Sandwich! • Another way to remember this: TIQE(E): Transition, Introduce, Quote, Explain, (Explain) • Don’t slap your reader with research material! Give it some context: • Who said it? Who is the person who said it? What source is this coming from?

8. Sentence C: Support Thesis with Research • There are a few different ways to introduce research (top bread): • Identify the author and source followed by a powerful verb (asserts, claims, argues, clarifies, conveys, etc.). This is sometimes called a “signal phrase” or “attribution”. • If you do this, you then only cite the page or paragraph number in parentheses after the information because you have already provided the author’s name. • Lead naturally into the information without saying the author’s name, building the evidence into your own sentence(s). • If you do this, you DO need to cite the author and the page or paragraph number in parentheses. • If there is no author for your given source, you can still use the formats above; however, you will replace the author with the title of your article/web page. Remember that article and web page titles are punctuated with quotation marks!

9. Sentence C: Support Thesis with Research • A few examples: • For instance, Newsweek reporter David Ansen powerfully asserts, “In Stewart’s fetishtic pursuit of mystery woman Kim Novak…Hitchcock created the cinema’s most indelible metaphor for the objectification of desire” (par. 2). • According to a Newsweek article, this film is “the cinema’s most indelible metaphor for the objectification of desire” (Ansen par. 2). • This film’s emphasis on desire is built through Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak’s characters, whose relationship acts as a metaphor for the power of love and the emotions that come with it (Ansen par. 2). • Note: If your source doesn’t have an author, simply replace all author references above with the title.

10. Sentence D: Interpret the Research • It is your job to explain what the research means and how it proves your thesis. • Do NOT use first- or second-person in your explanations. • Relate the research to specifics from your film in order to fully develop the point at hand. • Be sure to hone in on how this information makes the film so great. • This may require more than one sentence. • Example: • In other words, when Stewart’s and Novak’s characters fall in love, Hitchcock pursues the all-too-famous question of which is more powerful: love or lust. All humans can relate to this question, thus adding to the overall appeal of the film. Through Scottie and Madeline, Hitchcock shows that desire can have a dizzying effect on all humans, both figuratively and literally.

11. Sentence E: Support Thesis with Research • Add one more piece of evidence from your notes to support your topic sentence and thesis. • Remember to keep the focus on the idea presented in your topic sentence; each paragraph should be about one idea from your thesis. • Be sure to cite this information, even if you are not using a direct quote. • Because you are adding to what you’ve already said, try an additive transition: Furthermore, Additionally, To further this point, In addition, etc.

12. Sentence E: Support Thesis with Research • Examples: • In further exploration of this theme, Hitchcock’s genius prevails as “[Scottie] falls obsessively in love with the image of a woman—and not any woman, but the quintessential Hitchcock woman” (Ebert par. 3). • To further emphasize the theme of desire, film critic Roger Ebert points out, [Scottie] falls obsessively in love with the image of a woman—and not any woman, but the quintessential Hitchcock woman” (par. 3). • The theme of desire is further exemplified when Scottie falls wholeheartedly for a woman he cannot have—a woman who is dead (Ebert par. 3).

13. Sentence F: Interpret the Research • Be sure to explain the research! • Keep your information grounded in the film; in other words, provide some specifics from the movie itself that showcase what it is the research is talking about. • Try to end your interpretation by reiterating why this film is so great. • Example: Indeed, in the movie, Scottie’s lust turns to love and then turns to obsession, and the viewer sees that his downward spiral is the result of loving an unattainable woman. Consequently, Scottie seeks other women and attempts to turn them into Madeline—but with little success. This is an age-old tale, one that piques the interest of the audience due to its universality.

14. Sentence G: Closing Sentence • This sentence serves two purposes: to wrap up the paragraph and to transition into the next paragraph. • All in all, the thematic importance of the movie Vertigo adds to its prominence, but so does its unique use of colors and lighting to symbolize those very themes.

15. Putting it all together Quite powerfully, this film has earned a spot among the top American movies of all time due in large part to the focus on the relatable theme of desire. In particular, Hitchcock emphasizes the power of obsession and impulse in relationships through the characters of Scottie and Madeline—characters whose love ends just as quickly as it had begun. For instance, Newsweek reporter David Ansenasserts, “In Stewart’s fetishtic pursuit of mystery woman Kim Novak…Hitchcock created the cinema’s most indelible metaphor for the objectification of desire” (par. 2). In other words, when Stewart’s and Novak’s characters fall in love, Hitchcock pursues the all-too-famous question of which is more powerful: love or lust. All humans can relate to this question, thus adding to the overall appeal of the film. Through Scottie and Madeline, Hitchcock shows that desire can have a dizzying effect on all humans, both figuratively and literally. The theme of desire is further exemplified as Scottie falls wholeheartedly for a woman he cannot have—a woman who is dead (Ebert par. 3). Indeed, in the movie, Scottie’s lust turns to love and then turns to obsession, and the viewer sees that his downward spiral is the result of loving an unattainable woman. Consequently, Scottie seeks other women and attempts to turn them into Madeline, but with little success. This is an age-old tale, one that piques the interest of the audience due to its universality. All in all, the thematic importance of the movie Vertigo adds to its prominence, but so does its unique use of colors and lighting to symbolize those very themes.

16. Reminders • Cite all research! You don’t want to be accused of plagiarism. • Explain all research! • Be sure to interpret how the evidence you are providing makes your film worthy of its position on the Top 100 list. In other words, prove your thesis over and over and over. • Utilize transitions to create cohesion, both within and between your paragraphs. • Continue to italicize your movie title. • Avoid first- and second-person pronouns. • Be sure to punctuate possessives properly! • Use your outline as a reference.