Terminology and Structure

An essay is a piece of writing that gives your thoughts about a subject. Essays should be approximately 3-5 paragraphs long.

A body paragraph is a middle paragraph in an essay. It develops a point you want to make that supports your thesis.

A body paragraph typically follows the following structure:

1.M – Main Idea2.C – Context 3.E – Evidence4.A – Analysis5.L – Link to Thesis

Main Idea (Paragraph Topic / Claim Sentence)

Evidence #1 (Concrete Detail)

Analysis (Commentary)

Analysis (Commentary)

Evidence #2 (Concrete Detail)

Analysis (Commentary )

Analysis (Commentary)

Link to Thesis (Concluding Sentence, Link back to Overall Thesis)

approximately 100+ words

Context for Evidence #1 (Background)

Context for Evidence #2 (Background)

1 chunk

2 chunk

Main Idea (Paragraph Topic / Claim Sentence) Subject + Opinion Makes a claim

Context Introduces evidence Provide background

▪ What was happening in the story at the time?▪ Who said the quote? Who was the speaker

talking to?

Evidence (Concrete Details) Facts, Examples, Support, Proof, Quotations

Analysis (Commentary) Insight, interpretation, inference, personal

response, reflection, etc. How your quote proves the claim in your

paragraph Uses language from the quote Approximately 2 or more sentences

Link to Thesis (Concluding Sentence) Gives a finished feeling to the paragraph Ties claim back to the main thesis of the

paper

In order to ensure that a paragraph has enough analysis, each of your paragraphs should keep a balanced ratio between Evidence and Analysis:

2+1 :Evidence Analysis

(Concrete Details) (Commentary)

Sentence 1: (M) Mr. P is a great teacher. Sentence 2: (C): He communicates each student’s progress

regularly. Sentence 3: (E): For example, he posts our grades each week. Sentence 4: (A) He obviously cares for his students. Sentence 5: (A) He wants all his students to succeed. Sentence 6: (C): Mr. P also dedicates a great deal of time to his

students Sentence 7: (E) Mr. P makes time to help students afterschool

everyday. Sentence 8: (A): He is understanding and patient with everyone

in class Sentence 9: (A) Mr. P believes that with a little help, every

students can succeed. Sentence 10: (L) There should be more teachers like Mr. P

“Hanging Fire,” a poem by Audre Lorde, is about teenager’s anxiety about growing up. In each of the stanzas, the speaker’s anxiety always comes back to the sad refrain that her mother is in the “bedroom with the door closed.” This refrain suggests that her mother is not available to help her. The narrator worries that her mother will not be there for her for problems as minor as her “ashy” knees and as major as whether she will “die before morning comes.” The author’s use of diction in “Hanging Fire” highlights the concerns of a young girl coming of age.

“Hanging Fire,” a poem by Audre Lorde, is about teenager’s anxiety about growing up. In each of the stanzas, the speaker’s anxiety always comes back to the sad refrain that her mother is in the “bedroom with the door closed.” This refrain suggests that her mother is not available to help her. The narrator worries that her mother will not be there for her for problems as minor as her “ashy” knees and as major as whether she will “die before morning comes.” The author’s use of diction in “Hanging Fire” highlights the concerns of a young girl coming of age.

“Hanging Fire,” a poem by Audre Lorde, is about teenager’s anxiety about growing up. In each of the stanzas, the speaker’s anxiety always comes back to the sad refrain that her mother is in the “bedroom with the door closed.” This refrain suggests that her mother is not available to help her. The narrator worries that her mother will not be there for her for problems as minor as her “ashy” knees and as major as whether she will “die before morning comes.” The author’s use of diction in “Hanging Fire” highlights the concerns of a young girl coming of age.

“Hanging Fire,” a poem by Audre Lorde, is about teenager’s anxiety about growing up. In each of the stanzas, the speaker’s anxiety always comes back to the sad refrain that her mother is in the “bedroom with the door closed.” This refrain suggests that her mother is not available to help her. The narrator worries that her mother will not be there for her for problems as minor as her “ashy” knees and as major as whether she will “die before morning comes.” The author’s use of diction in “Hanging Fire” highlights the concerns of a young girl coming of age.

“Hanging Fire,” a poem by Audre Lorde, is about teenager’s anxiety about growing up. In each of the stanzas, the speaker’s anxiety always comes back to the sad refrain that her mother is in the “bedroom with the door closed.” This refrain suggests that her mother is not available to help her. The narrator worries that her mother will not be there for her for problems as minor as her “ashy” knees and as major as whether she will “die before morning comes.” The author’s use of diction in “Hanging Fire” highlights the concerns of a young girl coming of age.