DR JAMIL’S EGL 1010
Fourth Expository Essay
Your fourth essay is either an ethical, or a classification, or a resemblance claim. Choose one prompt from the following sections.
ETHICAL CLAIM PROMPTS:
What does the moral dilemma in Kanafani’s “The Land of Sad Oranges” reveal?
OR
How does Gansberg describe the ethical failure in Kitty Genovese’s neighbors in “38 Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call Police”?
OR
Both Gregory Kuzmich and the society are guilty of unethical conduct in Chekhov’s “The Confession”. But is Gregory more culpable than the society, or is the society more culpable than Gregory?
OR
What does the moral dilemma in Shiga’s “Han’s Crime” reveal?
OR
How does Hemingway describe war in “Old Man at the Bridge”?
OR
What does the Old Man’s moral dilemma reveal in Hemingway’s “Old Man at the Bridge”?
CLASSIFICATION CLAIM PROMPTS:
How many kinds of irresponsibility does Kanafani discuss in “The Land of Sad Oranges”? What are these different kinds of irresponsibility, and what do they reveal?
OR
How many kinds of apathy does Gansberg discuss in “38 Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call Police”? What are these different kinds of apathy, and what do they reveal?
OR
How many kinds of homicide does Shiga discuss in “Han’s Crime”? What are these different kinds of homicide and what do they reveal?
OR
How many kinds of greed does Chekhov describe in “The Confession”? What are these different kinds of greed, and what do they reveal?
OR
How many kinds of innocence does Hemingway discuss in “Old Man at the Bridge”? What are these different kinds of innocence and what do they reveal?
OR
How many kinds of guilt does Hemingway suggest in “Old Man at the Bridge”? What are these kinds of guilt and what do they reveal?
OR
Identify your main claim (argument) on the left-hand corner of the first page, and attach the (first page of) the directions sheet to your essay after highlighting your prompt question.
Your essay is a sustained development of a clear and specific answer to the prompt question of your choice. Do not write a summary of the plot of any of your readings. Do not generalize. This is a short essay and not an elaborate project, so choose your topic accordingly. Pay attention to your primary source. Always keep in mind that you need to preserve unity and coherence in your essay. Write complete and coherent sentences. And try to show a sense of transition. I encourage you to use quotations, but don’t quote or paraphrase without a reason. Explicate your quotations. All your sub points should be connected with your main point. Every quotation you cite should be relevant to your main point, and hence should be in support of the sub point for which you are using it. Avoid using clichés and words that are vague. Because your aim is to be clear and concise, you have to choose your words well. Be economic with your words but not miserly! Your essay should show your ability to think. When you write keep in mind that you are sharpening your ability to analyze. Do not pass off someone else’s words or ideas as your own. Always acknowledge your source(s). Be sure to provide in-text citation for all your sources and also a “Works Cited” page at the end. Use the MLA style of documentation.
In the introduction you should introduce the subject matter and work your way from the motivator to the thesis statement. Be sure to mention the author’s name and the title of the text in the motivator, which is the first part of your introduction. Try to begin your motivator in an interesting way so that your reader is motivated into reading your essay. The first part of the motivator is the broadest part of your essay because you introduce the broad subject first. Your prompt question contains your topic. Then you narrow down the scope so that you can lead your reader to your limited subject. After this you are ready to state a main point (main claim) about your limited subject. This specific point about a specific topic is the thesis statement. The thesis statement is not a question but rather an answer to a significant question. It is a precise point about a limited subject-matter. Hence it should not be a “fact” that is in your text, nor should it be a claim mentioned by somebody else (a secondary source, a character, or narrator). A precise answer to your prompt question is your thesis statement. You arrive at your claim (argument) by way of the author’s suggestions. Your causal or process argument must grow out of a thorough reading of the text and should not be a distortion of the “facts”. Provide the thesis statement by the end of the introduction. Remember that the thesis statement shows significance by answering the “so what” question. If your main point does not answer the “so what” question, it is not a complete thesis statement.
The body of the essay follows the introduction. All the paragraphs here are called central paragraphs. As the introduction is the “claim” part of your essay, so the body is the “support” part of the essay. Here you explain your main point through sub points and supporting evidence (specific support). In short, you show what you tell in the thesis statement. The number of your paragraphs here will depend on the number of sub points you provide to back up your main point. Each of the paragraphs in the body of the essay should explain only one sub point (sub claim) and provide specific support – examples, where you make use of the “facts” of the text(s)– for that sub point. You may also make use of statements by authorities or statistics -different kinds of secondary sources- as part of your specific support. Acknowledge your secondary sources and use them relevantly. As each sub point is a part of the main point, it should be clearly connected with the main point. Begin each of these paragraphs with a topic sentence, and then provide the specific support. A topic sentence sums up a sub point. In other words, it provides the point of the paragraph. Develop your sub points logically. Don’t jump from one point to another (or even one sentence to another). Make your sub points flow logically from one to another. That is, don’t move from one point to another without having adequately developed that point, and try for a smooth transition. You should organize your discussion to show a logical growth of thought.
The last paragraph is the conclusion. In your conclusion you can throw in a clincher. If that doesn’t come, don’t worry. You can summarize your main point and sub points, but don’t repeat the exact words of your introduction. Try to say something that may develop from your main point but don’t say something unconnected or contradictory to what you have established in your essay. You don’t even need to summarize your main point unless you are writing a relatively long essay. Say all you have to say, show all you have to show in connection with your main point in the body of the essay, and the conclusion takes care of itself. So don’t fret over a perfect conclusion.