Writing a Multi-paragraph Essay

Writing a Multi-paragraph Essay For

This is how a multi-paragraph essay should look. Introduction Paragraph 1st Body Paragraph 2nd Body Paragraph Additional Body Paragraph(s) Etc. if necessary Conclusion Paragraph

Your intro should start general and then get more specific. Talk about the general themes or topics of the book in a way that anyone can relate to. If you are talking about a work of literature, you should not mention the name of the work or any details about it until your thesis statement. Your thesis statement should be the final sentence in your introduction and should contain a debatable opinion; however, you can break it into 2 sentences, if necessary, to make your point. An introductory paragraph is not a lengthy paragraph; normally 2 – 4 sentences long. 1. 2. 3. 4. Thesis Introduction Paragraph

Look at this introduction. Is it general or specific at the start? The fiction Touching Spirit Bear is about a boy named Cole who gets in trouble with the law. The reason he gets in so much trouble is that he has had a hard life. When his father is not beating him, his parents are totally neglecting him. Due to this abuse and neglect Cole is extremely angry and violent. Because of all this he is eventually sent away to an Alaskan island as a punishment for what he has done. In the ficiton Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikealsen, Cole Matthews goes through a reincarnation of sorts and becomes a completely different person once his experience on the island is over.

List your introduction based on Cole and re-write it connecting to EVERYONE Connecting with your audience (everyone): 1. Everyone encounters situations that can cause anger. 2. Some are able to control their anger, yet others can not and resort to violence. 3. However, it is possible for one to change to become a better person. Cole: 1.Cole encounters situations that cause anger. 2.He does not know how to manage it and resorts to violence. 3.He is able to change and become a better person.

Now, let’s see how it looks all together Everyone encounters situations that can cause anger. Some are able to control their anger, yet others can not and resort to violence. However, it is possible for one to change for the better. Super! All you need is your thesis statement and you’re introduction is done!

Thesis Statement • Perhaps the single most important sentence in your essay • Gives you permission to talk about ideas and issues • This sets the topic for your entire essay • It should be general enough to allow you to discuss all the issues you want to cover in your essay • It should be a debatable opinion using powerful words and strong language

Which Thesis Statements follow the guidelines for good thesis statements? • In the fiction Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen, the main character is a boy named Cole Matthews. • In the fiction Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen, Cole Matthews is forever changed during his stay on an isolated Alaskan Island. • In the fiction Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen, the main character is an angry young man named Cole Matthews who gets sent to an Alaskan island for savagely beating another boy. • Cole Matthews, an angry juvenile delinquent whose anger resorts to violence, experiences a transformation due to his experiences on a remote Alaskan Island in the fiction Touching Spirit Bear by author Ben Mikaelsen.

Here are some additional examples to guide you. Remember, you can arrange the wording any way as long as you have all the elements required… • In the fiction Touching Spirit Bear, Ben Mikaelsen portrays how Cole Matthews who handles matters with violence makes a positive transformation during his banishment on a remote Alaskan island. • In the fiction Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen, Cole Matthews is an angry juvenile delinquent who uses violence to resolve his problems. He is banished to a remote island in Alaska where he makes a transformation to become a better person. • In the fiction Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen, Cole Matthew, a destructive juvenile delinquent, changes his outlook towards life and transforms into a better person.

Here are some suggestions on word usage for Cole before • anger results in violence • anger – irritation, fury, rage, resentment, irritation, infuriated, enraged, incensed • violence – aggression, hostility, brutality, belligerence, enmity All you have to do to find a variation of words is highlight the word and press Shift-F7

Here are some suggestions on word usage with Cole after • transform – change, alter, convert • new beginning – new start, resurrection, rebirth, second chance, fresh start, renaissance, awakening/reawakening, • through his experience –events he goes through, obstacles he encounters, altercations, conflicts he endures, struggles he goes through, battles

Writing a Multi-paragraph Essay