expository essay tutorial
TRANSCRIPT
The 5 Paragraph EssayArt 108 Ancient to MedievalProfessor Melissa Hall
The 5 Paragraph EssayStandard essay format consisting of five parts
1. Introduction2. First supporting paragraph3. Second supporting paragraph4. Third supporting paragraph5. Conclusion
Click icon to add picture
The Introduction (3-5 sentences)
Engage your readerState your thesis
Click icon to add picture
The Introduction (3-5 sentences)
Your essay should begin with a sentence that engages your reader.
Think of your first sentence as a “hook” that draws your reader in.
Common rule of thumb: go from general to specific
Click icon to add picture
The Introduction (3-5 sentences)
Avoid “dawn of time” introductions: From the beginning of time . . . Ever since the dawn of time . . . Since man first walked the earth . . . All art is . . .
Click icon to add picture
The Introduction (3-5 sentences)
The “dawn of time” introduction is too generalized to be meaningful
Click icon to add picture
“Art has changed over the centuries, and it has also differed from civilization to civilization. Some societies have used art to to gain control of the mysteries of the universe, while others have used it to exert power.”
The Introduction (3-5 sentences)
Revised introduction: more concreteClick icon to add picture
“To modern viewers, the cave paintings at Lascaux and Chauvet are beautiful works of art. However, it is unlikely that the pictures were made for purely aesthetic enjoyment. Recent theories suggest that our earliest ancestors made art to gain control over their environment, and to probe the mysteries of the universe.”
Topic of essay
is clear
The Introduction (3-5 sentences)
The introductory statement should be followed by a thesis statement
The thesis statement typically comes at the end of the introductory paragraph, and is a statement of what your essay will show
Click icon to add picture
The Introduction (3-5 sentences)
Click icon to add picture“To modern viewers, the cave paintings at Lascaux and Chauvet are beautiful works of art. However, it is unlikely that the pictures were made for purely aesthetic enjoyment. Recent theories suggest that our earliest ancestors made art to gain control over their environment, and to probe the mysteries of the universe. This essay will examine the theories of Sympathetic Magic and Shamanism, and explain how each of these theories can be applied to an understanding of the painted caves at Lascaux and Chauvet.”
The Introduction (3-5 sentences)
Click icon to add picture“To modern viewers, the cave paintings at Lascaux and Chauvet are beautiful works of art. However, it is unlikely that the pictures were made for purely aesthetic enjoyment. Recent theories suggest that our earliest ancestors made art to gain control over their environment, and to probe the mysteries of the universe. This essay will examine the theories of Sympathetic Magic and Shamanism, and explain how each of these theories can be applied to an understanding of the painted caves at Lascaux and Chauvet.”
The thesis statement lays out the structure of the essay
The BodyThe body of the essay consists of supporting
examples/evidence1. First supporting paragraph2. Second supporting paragraph3. Third supporting paragraph
Click icon to add picture
The Body For this essay, the structure might look like this
1. First supporting paragraph(s) Description Analysis
2. Second supporting paragraph(S) Description Analysis Similarities/differences from first
3. Third supporting paragraph: discussion of third example
Description Analysis Similarities/differences from the other two examples
Click icon to add picture
Discussing ExamplesDiscussion of examples must include:
Identification (title, date, medium/materials, location or museum collection)
Description: you must describe what the work is before analyzing specific details
Click icon to add picture
AudienceAssume that your audience has never taken an
art history courseYou are the expert, and must explain
Click icon to add picture
ResearchYou have already done research for this essay!
Click icon to add picture
Incorporating ResearchQuotation: direct quotation of author’s words,
contained in quotation marksParaphrase: re-stating/re-phrasing author’s
ideas, but in your own wordsSummary: condensed version of an author’s
main ideas/key points/argument
Click icon to add picture
Block Quote
Signal phrase
When using block quote, essay
should still make sense,
even if the quote was
crossed out
Paraphrase/
Summary
QuotationQuotation should be used sparinglyQuotations should be worth quotingDon’t let quoted material do the work for you!
Click icon to add picture
How to Paraphrase
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SObGEcok06U
MLA Guide to Citation Format
http://www.sunywcc.edu/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/MLA-Guide.pdf