Analyzing Batman: The Killing Joke
This is it! This week is all about drafting, revising, and submitting your first really big project, Essay #1. I have no other assignments to worry about this week; focus on writing, revising, editing, and turning in the paper.
Re-linked from last week, here is the essay prompt:
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When you are ready to turn the essay in, make sure you have saved your file as a word or pdf document. Pages and google docs have options to “download as” or “export” the file type. I need the paper to be a .doc or .pdf so I can make the paper itself when I grade.
The basics for this paper:
It is worth up to 100 points. It is due through Canvas by Friday, September 22, no later than 11:59 p.m.
No matter what happens, turn SOMETHING in. Late or missing papers receive no credit. But a paper–no matter how bad–turned in on time will get SOME credit and can be revised for a new grade. That revision is your safety net. See the syllabus in the upper left for details.
Once you are ready to submit a FINAL draft, do so here:
Essay #1: Analyzing Batman: The Killing Joke
What if you want to make changes to a submitted draft? Can you resubmit it? Yes! As long as you resubmit it before the due date and time, however. I will always grade the draft I receive closest to the final due date and time but which isn’t late.
If you want draft feedback, I am available to help several different ways: you may email me a draft, partial or complete, anytime between now and Thursday, 9/21, by noon. I need a little time between rough drafts and final drafts to catch up reading and commenting, and I am encouraging you to draft SOONER this way, too. Send the draft through Canvas or email me at [email protected]. You can send a file or even just copy and paste the writing into the email or message.
I also have drop-in office hours, as I always do, on Tuesday and Thursday. See the office hour link to the left for details.
And you may email me questions anytime. Speaking of questions, I LOVED Discussion #3. I was so happy to help answer questions, even the random ones. Consider reviewing your classmates’ questions and my answers to see if any might help you write a better Essay #1:
Discussion Board #3: Ask the Teacher
The rest of this week’s Canvas page is devoted to advice. Please read this over carefully to maximize your work:
1.) ESSAY ADVICE. Here is a big one: How to structure your body paragraphs; how to develop them; how to write topic sentences; how to conclude this paper; how to introduce this paper; and more advice too. Read this like your Essay #1 grade depends on it:
1C Body, Conclusion, and Introduction B.pdfOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader Download 1C Body, Conclusion, and Introduction B.pdfOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader
Download this. Read it. Read again in the middle of the week. And then read it again before you turn your final paper in. Trust me.
2.) QUOTING TEXT. Do you have to quote The Killing Joke? Yes! Should you quote McCloud and/ or my lecture on visual art? Yes!
So here are some relinks to documents:
Citing Text Effectively.pdfOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader Download Citing Text Effectively.pdfOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader
Understanding Comics (The Invisible Art) By Scott McCloud (2).pdfOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader Download Understanding Comics (The Invisible Art) By Scott McCloud (2).pdfOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader
Killing Joke copy.pdfOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader Download Killing Joke copy.pdfOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader
Ways to Describe Drawn Art (Combined) copy (1).pdfOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader Download Ways to Describe Drawn Art (Combined) copy (1).pdfOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader
By the way, when formatting the title of The Killing Joke, do you underline that title? Put the title in quotes? Italicize the title? Well, what did I just do?!?
Book titles are always italicized. So The Killing Joke and Understanding Comics, being books, get italicized titles. Shorter works get quoted. So my lecture “Ways to Describe Drawn Art” gets quoted.
Why do we do this? Why not italicize everything or quote everything? To prevent confusion. Sometimes a larger work has smaller works named within it, like how a TV show (Game of Thrones) has episodes with their own individual titles (“Battle of the Bastards”) or a newspaper (New York Times) has articles within in, each with their own titles (“President Farts, Economy Blows Up”). Sometimes the larger named work even has a smaller named work within with the SAME NAME (the album Thriller has a song in it called “Thriller.” And the album Kid A also has a song in it called “Kid A”). We italicize one and quote the other for clarity.
3.) DRAFTING BODY PARAGRAPHS. HOW do you draft these body paragraphs exactly?
Well, I have specific advice on the prompt itself and under the Body Guidelines post above.
But I found an old video of mine where I basically take a scene and go from description to analysis, writing notes to a finished paragraph. This is my way of SHOWING you one way to drafting a body paragraph.
This is a long video. It’s optional. Maybe skip to the end to see the paragraph I come up with, then go back to the start to see how I got there.
https://screenpal.com/watch/cYQXexJeceLinks to an external site.
4.) WHAT I GRADE FOR. When I grade, what am I grading FOR? I posted this last week, but maybe now you care more:
What I Grade for and Tricks to Make the Grade (2) (1).pdfOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader Download What I Grade for and Tricks to Make the Grade (2) (1).pdfOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader
It includes advice about writing, too. I have created a rubric for this essay that is a direct reflection of what I’m saying: 70 of the 100 points of this essay come from detail, clarity, support, and insight. For this essay, though, because it’s our first, I have added categories for MLA formatting, thesis statements, and topic sentences. I want to see those basic essay strategies used correctly so we don’t have to keep discussing them for future papers.
5.) FORMATTING. Speaking of MLA formatting, your paper must be MLA formatted! The free, nearly universal guide to MLA formatting is the famous OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Purdue University.
Here is their MLA formatting page.Links to an external site.
And here is a sample MLA formatted essay.Links to an external site. Copy this, except with your name, my name, and so on.
Formatting is easy. It’s TOO easy. When a student gets it wrong, it’s needlessly sloppy.
Speaking of which: My name is spelled “O’Brien.” If you misspell my name, it just doesn’t look good.
If you put “English 1A,” it also looks bad.
If you put the wrong date, it looks bad.
Anyway, this is too easy, I can’t say it enough. There’s no good reason to get this wrong. It’s usually when a student RUSHES that the sloppiness happens.
6.) ESSAY TITLES. Every essay should get a title, and crafting good titles is a lost art. Are you ready for next-level advice? Remember when I said good writing is the presence of excellence, not the absence of error? Well, here is an example of how to add excellence to your work:
Title Formula copy 2.pdfOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader
Requirements: 950
English1C,Essay1GuidelinesBody,Conclusion,andIntroductionEveryessayhasthreemainparts:theintroduction,thebody,andtheconclusion.Thethreepartsgointhatorder,andtheseshouldbefamiliartermstoyou.Let’srevieweachofthemnow,movingintoourfirstessay,butalsotouchingonwhatGOODversionsofthemalldo.First:Whichofthethreepartsisthemostimportant?Theintro?Thebody?Ortheconclusion?Theansweristhebody.Thebodyisnotonlywheremostofyourwritingwillgo,butitiswhereallyoursupportforyourthesiswillbeplaced.Thethesis–themainclaimyouarearguingfor–isveryimportant,butitonlytypicallytakesasentenceortwotowrite.It’stheSUPPORTforthatthesiswherethingsgetspecific,developed,andcomplicated.Andjustlikeevaluatinganargumenthingesonanargument’spremises,thesuccessofanessaylargelydependsonthesuccessofthebodyparagraphs.Therefore,Isuggestyoualwaysstartdraftingbodyparagraphsfirst.AndsoIwillstartwithbodyguidelinesherefirst.BodyParagraphGuidelines:●Youdon’tnecessarilyneedtohaveyourthesiscompletelyinmindyet.Havealoosesenseofwhatyouwanttosayinyouressay–atleastpickyourtopic–butotherwise,itpaystostartwritingabodyparagraphasearlyasyoucan.Why?Becausereally,youarefindingyourargumentintheactofwritingyouressay.Youarenotgoingtohaveitallmappedoutandpre-thoughtbeforehand;thattakestoolongandusuallyleadstosimple,safeessaysanyway.Asyoubegintoformsupport,thethesiswillbecomeclearertoyou.Asyourthesisbecomeslockeddownlater,thenyoucangobackandrevisethebodyparagraphstomoredirectlysupportthatfinalmainclaim.●Bodieshavemultipleparagraphs.Whereasanintroductionisoneparagraphlongandaconclusionisoneparagraphlong,yourbodyneedsmanyparagraphs.Forthisessay,youwillwritefourseparatebodyparagraphs:oneforeachofthefourscenesofthestory.Iknowthisseemslikeanobrainer,buttherearealwaysafewstudentswhohaveonelongparagraph–andonlyonelongparagraph–foranessaybodyonthefirstpaper.Donotdothat.Essaybodieshavemultipleparagraphs,andthisessayshouldhaveexactlyfourbodyparagraphs.●TrickQuestion:Howmanysentencesshouldabodyparagraphhave?Answer:Asmanyasitneedstobegood.Somestudentsgettheideathataparagraphcanonlyhavefoursentences(orsixoreightoramaximumoftensentences).Thisideathataparagraphcanonlyhave“x”numberofsentencesisabsurd.Letyourparagraphbeaslongoras
shortasitneedstobeinordertobegood.Sinceyouaredevotingonebodyparagraphtoonescene,noticethereareaLOTofpanelsyoumightlookat(orjusttwoorthreepanels),andaLOTofdetailsforeachpanel.Youwon’tlookateverydetailofeverypanel,butthebestpaperswillincludemanydetailsfrommanypanels.Thattakestime.Youmustdescribethosedetails(thattakestime).Andthenyoumustinterpretthemeaningofthosedetails(thattakestime).Sodon’tbesurprisedifyourfinaldraftbodyparagraphsbecomequitelong,likeafullpageortwoormore,even.Letthemflow.You’llknowwhentostopbecauseyouwillhavenothingmoretosay.●Bodyparagraphsabsolutelyneedtopicsentences.Thefirstsentenceofeachbodyparagraphisknownasthe“topicsentence.”Itplaysapivotalroleintheparagraphbecauseittellsthereaderexactlywhatishappeningintheparagraphtocome.Itactslikeathesisstatementinthatrespect,exceptit’sathesisfortheparagraph(andnotthewholepaper).Makesureyourtopicsentencetellsthereaderwhatyouaredoingexactlyintheparagraph(Example:“ThesceneatthejailcellbetweenBatmanandthefakeJokerrepresentsourfirstinstanceofhowBatmanandJokerarevirtuallyidentical,notatalloppositesorenemiesliketheyfirstappear”).Idon’twritetopicsentencesuntilAFTERIhavedraftedtheparagraph,however,becauseIdon’tfullyknowwhatmyparagraphclaimwillbeyet.●Quoteandrefertothetexts.Dialoguematters.Soundeffectssometimesmatter,too.Lookforwordsthatshedlightonthemeaningofthescene.It’snotonlywhatcharacterssaybuthowtheysamethem.Quotethewordsifyouusethemastheyappearinthetext.Usemy“CitingTextEffectively”postforthedetails.WhenyouciteTheKillingJoke,put(MooreandBolland)withthecorrespondingpdfpagenumber.Whenyourefertoartofaspecificpanel,namethework,page,andpanel.ButnoWorksCitedpageisrequiredforthisessaybecauseIgaveyouallthesourcesandoutsidesourcesarenotallowed.●Developingabodyinfourmoves.Ihatetheideathatgoodwritingcanbedoneusinga“formula.”Butthereare“moves”goodwriterstendtousetofleshouttheirwork.Herearefourgoodmovesanyandeverybodyparagraphcanuse,andyoucanusethemasoftenasyouwant,andthesearemovesItouchoninmy“HowIGrade”lecture:○Forexample,…/Forinstance,…—introduceaspecificdetailorpanelormomenttoprovideaspecificinstanceofsomethingyou’retalkingabout.Themoreexamples,thebetter.○Inotherwords,…–restateforclarity.Rephraseyourideainnewwordstomakesureitmakesfullsensetoyourreader.○[opinion]because[reason]–Iencourageyoutoshareopinionsandimpressionsandideas.Sayyouwrite“redrepresentspassion.”IsthataFACT?No,ofcoursenot.YetInonethelessthinkyoucanarguewhy“redrepresentspassion”withreasons.Youmightsay“Redrepresentspassionbecauseweassociateredwithlove,hearts,andblood,allemotionalelementsinourlives.”Seehowthatworks?Getinthehabitofalwaystryingtobackupyourideas.
○Thedeepermeaningofthisis…–Iusuallysavethisfortheendofabodyparagraph.Whenyou’veintroducedlotsofdetails,offeredideasandreasonsforthemeaningofthosedetails,takeastepbackandlookforthedeepermeaningofthatparagraph’sfindings.Bespeculative.Bebold.Butlayoutsomepossibilitiesandexplainyourself.Itmakesthewholeparagraphdeeperandmoreinteresting.●Yourfirstroughdraft:Ilovearawroughdraft.Getitdown.Letideaspourout.Bealittlecrazy,even.Butitgetstheprocessofgatheringevidenceanddetailsstarted.UsuallythatfirstroughdraftisREALLYrough–it’sshort,it’ssimple,andit’srarelyverydetailedordeep.Ifyouturneditinasafinaldraft,you’dprobablygetaD(ifthat).Butyouneedtostartroughbeforeyoucangetsmooth;there’snootherwaytodoit.Sogetthatroughdraftdownassoonaspossible.Thelongeryouwait,themoreyourfinaldraftlookslikearoughdraft(andthemoreyourfinalgradelookslikealetterdeeperintothealphabet).Partofmy“rawroughdraft”processisdisablingspellcheck,grammarcheck,andstylecheck.Don’tletcolorfulwigglylinesdistractyoufromwriting.Instead,checkeachofthethosethingslaterwhenyou’realmostdoneandneedafinaledit.●Revisetocleanoutbadideasorimprovegoodones.Revisioniseverything;everygreatwriterreliesonrevisinganuglyroughdrafttomakeitlookbetter.Soonceyourroughdraftisdone,comebacklaterandstartrevisingit.Ifyouhaveanideawithoutanydetailsordefense,getridofit.Butifyouhaveanideathat’sinteresting,askyourself,howelsecanyouimproveit?Canyoufindmoreexamplesofthatidea?Moredetailsthatlinktoit?Canyourestateitforclarity?Canyouprovidemorereasonsforit?Layerondetailstomaketheideastronger.Revisionisallabouttakingwhatalreadyexistsanddeterminingwhatstaysandwhatgoes,andifitstays,howdoyoumakeitbetter?Timeonceagainisyourmainresource.Ittakestimetore-read,torevise,tothinkthingsover,tobrainstormformoreideas,tore-evaluatewhatyou’retryingtosay.Movethroughrevisiononeparagraphatatime.Takebreaks.Takenaps.Drinkcoffee.Textyourfriends.Takeyourdogforawalk.Italladdsuptohelpingyoupaceyourselfandkeepyourmindfreshforrevision.●Asyourbodyevidencerevisesandimproves,startdraftingandkeeprevisingyourthesisstatementtoo.Yourthesisflowsfromyourevidence.Ifyourevidenceisgettingdeeper,yourthesismustreflectthatnewdepthtoo.Sothetwowillkeepchangingtogetherasyouwork.That’sagoodandnormalpartofthewritingprocess.Don’tletyourthesislimityourideas,anddon’tletyourideasshackleyourthesis.Letthemworktogetherandchangetogetherasyougo.YourfinalthesismightupbeingVERYdifferentthanwhereyoustarted.That’sok;morethanok,it’sexciting.——-Onediting:
Onceyourbodyandthesishavetakendecentshape,theywilleventuallyneedtobeEDITEDforspellingandgrammar.Thateditingisalittlepainful,becauseyouneedtocrawlthrougheachsentenceanddoublecheckyourchoices.ButIliketodothatinthefinaldaybeforeIsubmitthepaper.Ifyouedittoosoon,twobadthingscanhappen:1.)yougetsofixatedon“fixing”youforgettogeneratesmart,creativeideas;2.)you“fix”somethingthatyouenduptakingoutorchanginglateranyway,wastingyourtime.Soonceyourbodyisdrafted,waitamomentforediting.Let’smoveontotheintroductionandconclusionfirst.Sometricksforediting:grammarly.com;grammarcheckandspellcheckonyourwordprocessor(turnthembackon);andreadingtheessayoutloudslowly.Theearhearsmistakesbetterthantheeyecanseethembecauseweareusuallyfarbetterspeakersthanwriters.Wehavealotmorepractice.GoodwritingshouldSOUNDgood.——–Nowthatthebodyiscovered,whatabouttheothertwopartsoftheessay,theintroductionandtheconclusion?Whatismoreimportant:theintroduction?Ortheconclusion?Eventhoughintrosarereadfirst,theconclusionisactuallymuchmorepowerfulandimportant.That’sbecauseoncethebodyisdone,it’sthenext,morelogicalparttoworkon–itflowsfromyourbodyparagraphsmoresmoothlyandsignificantly.Conclusions,whenhandledeffectively,carrymoreweightandmakeyourdiscussionstronger,whileintroductionsdon’tneedasmuchtimeorenergytobegood.Yet90%ofyouarewritingconclusionswrong.Solet’stalk.ConclusionGuidelinesFirst,westartwithwhatNOTtodo:Donotsummarizeyourpaper.Donotsummarizeyourpaper.(“Butmypastteacherstoldmeto!”Good.Trackthemdownandtaketheircollegeclass.Ifyoustayinmyclass,though,donotsummarizeyourpaper.Iamnotyourpastteacher.Iamyourcurrentteacher.Trustme,youruniversityprofessorswantyoutostopthisaswell.)
Donotsummarizeyourpaper.(“ButIhaveALWAYSsummarizedpapersinmyconclusions!”Idon’tcare.Thatonlytellsmeyouhaveneverformallywrittenacollege-levelpaperwhichmakesmeequalpartssadforyouandupsetatourschoolsystem.)Donotsummarizeyourpaper.(“AreyousayingtoNEVERsummarizeapaperinaconclusion?”No.Sometimesyouwill.Butnotthispaper.Andnotanypaperinthisspecificclass.)Iamserioushere.ConclusionsassummariesDOexist,butforveryspecificcontexts,likehighschoolsorwhenyouwriteepic,complicatedessaysingraduateschool.Sinceyouareneitherinhighschoolnorgradschool,don’tdoit.Tosummarizeanessaythatisrelativelyshort–andevenifyourfirstpaperistenpagesormore,it’sstillrelativelyshortinanacademicsense–isbothunnecessaryandinsulting.Anywakeful,engagedreaderknowswhatyouressayjustsaidbecauseyoujustsaidit.Tosayitagainaddsnothingbutneedlessrepetition.Don’tdothat.Sowhatdoyoudoinstead?AnotherNOT:Donotaskbroad,randomquestionstosoundsmart.Aconclusionshouldfeelconclusive,notopenendedandvague.Sowhatdoyoudoinstead?AnotherNOT:Donottellthereaderwhat“lessons”youpersonallylearned.That’sinsultingthereaderoryourself,dependingonhowyouphraseit.Youareanadultwritingtoadults,andadultsdon’ttalkabout“lessons”theylearn.Sowhatdoyoudoinstead?Youdrawconclusions.It’scalleda“conclusion”becauseitistheplacewhereconclusionsyouhavedrawngo.Letmeexplain.Wheneverwegatherdataorevidence,wecometosomesortofideaorclaimorthesisor“conclusion”fortheargument(anargumentconclusionbeingthemainopinionyouarecommunicating,yourthesis).Itmightbe“ColonelMustardkilledthebutlerwiththecandlestickinthelibrary”or“Globalwarmingisworsethanever”or“DonaldTrumpneverwantedtoactuallygetelectedPresident.”Whateveryourthesisis,that’sthelargerideaorclaiminplay.Youhavespenttheentirebodysectionofyouressayexplaininganddetailingandsupportingthatmainclaiminthethesis.Bythetimeyourbodyiscomplete,thereadershouldbefullyonyour
side,persuadedbyyourevidence,reasoning,andexamples.Soinotherwords,yourmainideasoranswersarefirmnow.Thecaseisclosed.Butsowhat?Whatfollowsnow?Whatisthesignificanceofthisthesis?Whydoesitmatter?Whatisthereadersupposedtodonow?Whatcanchangenow,basedonwhatyoujustargued?Whatarethetakeawaysfromthiscaseofyours?Howdoesthisconnecttomeaningintherealworld?Answeringoneormoreofthosequestionsiswhatareal,academicconclusionaccomplishes.Ittakesthethesisandrunswithit.Ratherthanmerelyrepeatingthethesisandwhyit’sright,youtakethethesisanddoworkwithit.Soif“ColonelMustardkilledthebutlerinthelibrary,”youmayconcludeanynumberofthings:first,weshouldarresthimimmediately;second,theColonel’srelationshipwiththebutlerisonethatparallelsmanyofotherrelationships,andweneedtobemindfultopreventfuturemurders;orthird,wereallyneedtostopbuyinglargercandlesticksthatmightkillsomeone.Maybeweshouldinstallsecuritycamerasinthelibrary,too.If“Globalwarmingisworsethanever,”youmayconcludeanynumberofthings.Maybeyoucanproposewaystosloworhaltorreverseglobalwarming.Maybeyoucanmakepredictionsaboutwhatnowwillhappensinceglobalwarminghasbecomesobad.Maybeyoucandiscussallthewaysweshouldhaveactedearliertopreventthisfromhappening.Andif“DonaldTrumpneveractuallywantedtogetelectedPresident,”youmayconcludeanynumberofthings,likewhatDIDTrumpwant,ifnottogetelected?Doesitmatterwhetherhewantedtogetelectedornot?HowdoesthischangeourcountryorourgovernmentortheofficeofthePresident?Shouldwealtercandidacyrequirements?IswhatTrumpdidabadthing,agoodthing,amixofboth?Conclusionsarebytheirnatureseveralthings:1.)Conclusionscontinuetheworkofyourbody.Thatmeansyourideasmustsmoothlyflowfromthebodyandextendfromtheideasofthebody,yetnotcompletelyrepeatthoseideas.Sosometimesyouhavebeentoldnottohave“new”ideasinaconclusion.That’snotentirely
accurate.It’ssomewhatnewideasinthatyouhaveneversaidthembeforeintheessay.Butthey’renotCOMPLETELYneweither,meaningoutofnowhere(ifyourthesisisaboutglobalwarming,don’tconcludeaboutfootballorsomethingirrelevanttothattopic).2.)Conclusionsarespeculative.Youdon’tneedtowriteanewessayforanewthesis.Youdon’tbringinnewsourcesor“proof.”Youhaveearnedtherighttoofferlooser,broaderideas.Youstillshouldtrytobesomewhatspecificandexplainyourself,tosupportyourideasinyourownwords.Butyoudon’thavetobequiteasthoroughaboutitasyouwereinthebody.Infact,aconclusionoftenmentionsclaimsthatcouldbecomefuturethesisstatementsinfuturepapers.(Inscience,thisisquitecommon,likearelayraceamongreallysmartpeople.)3.)Conclusionsaredeep,meaningful,andconstructive.Theyaddsomethinginterestingandimportanttothediscussion.Theworldisbig.Youressayissmall.Theconclusionisathoughtfulwaytoconnectthesmallessaytothelargerworld,andinsodoing,itmakesthepaperastrongerdocumentandtheworldabetterplace.Conclusionsaretypicallyneglected,unfortunately.You’retired.Thatbodytookalotofwork.Youmaynotfeellikegettingdeepanymore.That’stoobad,though,becauseagoodconclusionmakesthewholepaperresonate.I’vereadsomanytight,thoroughessaysgetabsolutelyshatuponbylazy,rushedconclusions.Tome,oneofthehallmarksofgreatwriting,andalsooneofthosebasicthingsthatseparatethe“A”papersfromthe“B”ones,isthequalityofthought,connection,andefforthereattheveryend.Everyargumentyoumakehasimplications,sotrytoexploretheminthatconclusion.Butonemorenote:Iliketospendalotofenergyonmylastsentenceortwooftheconclusion.It’sthecapper.It’sthebowonthepackage.It’sthefinalgoodbye.Iwanttoleavethereaderonastrongfinalnote.SoIliketoseekoutonefinalmessageorideathatIfeelreallycapturesorcatapultsthediscussionintosuperdeepormeaningfulterritory.ImaypickametaphororanalogytodramatizeapointIwishtomake.Imaychoosemorewordsmorecarefullytocraftaclever,strongerfinalthought.Don’tendwithavaguestatement.Don’tendabruptly.Don’tendonaquestion.Endstrong,firm,deep.Ifyoupickthedichotomytopic,youmayconsiderhowweoftendividepeopleinto“opposites”andhowthataffectspeopleandhowthatcanbeinaccurateordamaging,etc.Ifyoupickthepsychologytopic,considerwhatyousayaboutinsanityinthisstoryandapplytotherealworld.Wealldeal,tovaryingdegrees,withsanityandinsanity.Whatdoesthestorysay,then,aboutourrealworldpsychology?
Ifyoupickthetraumatopic,youmaywishtocommentonhowtheuseoftraumainthisstoryreflectshowitcanbeorisusedinreallife.Maybeyouorsomeoneyouknowhasexperiencedtrauma(don’tover-shareorcompromiseyourprivacyortriggeryourtrauma,butdofeelfreetoshareifyouarecomfortabledoingso).Whatallofthesedoisrelatethefictionalworldofthisstorytotherealworldofourlives.Trytodothat.Howlongshouldconclusionsbe?Probablyalittleshorterthanameatybodyparagraph–conclusionsdon’tneedquotes,afterall–butstillthickerthanyouareprobablyusedto.Theshortconclusionisthehallmarkof“nottryingveryhard,”whichisnotgoingtohelpyourcredibilityorargumentativeeffectiveness.Atthesametime,thoughyouwanttostillexplainandsupportyourself,youarenotexpectedtouseASmuchevidenceasabodydoes.Sothere’slesspressure,really,overall.IntroductionGuidelines:Finally!Thefirstparagraphofyourpaper,butthelastonetowrite.Andtheleastimportantofthethreemainpartsofanessay.Don’tworry.Ifyouhavedraftedyourbodyparagraphsandconclusionindetail,theintroisnoweasytowrite.First,donotstartyourintroductionwitha“hook.”Youdonotwantafamousquoteeither.Hooksareforworkswhereyouareworriedyourreadermaynotbuyorreadyourwriting.Here,Ihaveaskedyouquestionsandit’sonlyfairthatIstayforyouranswers.Hookscanlookclicheandjuveniletoo,probablybecausesomanyyoungpeopleusethem.Insteadofstartingoffwithahook,goimmediatelyintothetopicorsubjectofyouressay.IwouldmentionthetitleofTheKillingJokeimmediately.IwouldnameAlanMooreastheauthorandBrianBollandastheartistimmediately.Iwouldquicklysummarytheplotofthestoryintwo,maybethreesentencesatmost,forcontext.WhenIsayimmediately,Imeanyourfirstsentenceshouldstartwith:InTheKillingJoke,writtenbyAlanMooreandillustratedbyBrianBolland,[…]Thenlaunchintoasummaryofthestorythatisbriefbutclear.
Thenpivottothespecifictopicyou’vechosen:thedichotomybetweenBatmanandJoker;orsanity/insanity;ortraumaandhowitmotivatesus.Bringupyourtopicclearly,andconnectthattopicbrieflytothetexttoshowhowtheyrelate.Thispartoftheintrotakesanothercoupleofsentencesorso,nothingmajor.Andthenpivottowardthemostimportant–andfinal–partoftheintroduction:thethesisstatement.Athesisstatementalwaysgoesattheendoftheintroduction.Yes,therecanbeexceptions–theimpliedthesis,forinstance–butinundergradacademicessays,itis99.99%thecasethatathesisstatementgoesattheendoftheintro.Ifit’sNOTthere–ifitissomewhereelseormissingentirely–youcausemassiveconfusion,whichshouldneverbeyourgoalinanessay.Athesisstatementdoesnotneedtobeoneandonlysentence,though.Spendtwoorthreesentencestostateathesis,ifyouneedthespace.Itdoesn’tmatterbecauseyou’reaccomplishingthesamegoal,whichistopresentyourmainanswerstothemainquestionsoftheessayprompt.Thesisstatementsshouldfeelsimple,really,whichiswhyit’ssokeytofinishthebodybeforeattemptingtowritethefinalversionofthethesis.It’salmostimpossibletopreviewopinionsyouhaven’tcomeupwithyet.Nonetheless,thesisstatementsgoconsistentlywrong.Usuallythemainissueislackofdetail.Here’sanexampleofapoorthesisstatement:INEFFECTIVETHESIS:IwillanalyzethemeaningofTheKillingJoke.Thatstatementissimpler,butit’sneitherspecificnorentirelyaccurate.Itdoesn’tpreviewthespecificclaimyou’lleventuallyargueanditdoesn’tevenclarifywhichtopicyou’refocusingon.Avoidvaguethesisstatements.Theyinviteweakanalysisonyourpart,andasateacherwhohasreadprobablythousandsofweakthesisstatementsinmycareer,IcantellyoumyheartsinkswhenIreadsomethingvaguelikethat.Worseyetisthis:INEFFECTIVETHESIS:TheKillingJokeisafamousBatmanstory.Butwhatisitsdeepermeaning?That’snotathesisstatement.Thatisnotevenastatementatall.Itisaquestion.It’soktoaskquestionsinyouressay,butyoumustalwaysanswerthemimmediately.Askingaquestionforathesisislikealawyerasking,“Amurderhasbeencommitted,butwhodidit?”andnot
answeringthequestion.Wait,ifyou’rethelawyer,shouldn’tyoualreadyknowwhoyouthinkdidit?WhyareyouaskingME?WheneverIseeavague–ormissing–thesisstatement,Idonotautomaticallyassumeit’saterriblepaper.Ineedtokeepreadingeveryotherparagraphtoknowwhatgradetogiveit,andsometimestherewasjustasimpleomission.Butmostofthetime?Thevagueormissingthesisstatementisaredflagthatthestudentdoesnotknowwhattheyarearguing.Itisthefirstsignthatthereisnoargumentorthatthepaperisallsummary,etc.Agoodthesisstatementusuallyformsoverstagesduringthedraftingprocess.Thatis,youstartoffsimpleandalmosteasy,andthenslowlyadjustitandreviseittomakeitmorecomplicated,meaningful,andinteresting.Thisisagoodreasonnottowaittodraft;thesooneryoudraft,thelongeryouhavetoreviseyourwork.Whatifanessayhasparts?Thenathesismustcoverallthemainparts.Insodoing,youmayneedmorethanonesentence.That’sperfectlynormal.Athesisstatementcanbeoneortwoorthreesentences–asmanyasitneedstoanswerthequestionandstatethemainclaimsofyouressay.Ingradschool,Ioftenneedawholethesisparagraphbecausethereweresomanyideasinplay.Soyourpaperherehasparts,lotsofthem.Youhaveoptionsforagoodthesis,then.Let’smoveontoso-sothesisstatements:MEDIOCRETHESIS:InMooreandBolland’sTheKillingJoke,wecanseetheissueofsanityandinsanityexploredatlength.Atleastthetextandtopicareclear.Butwhat’swrongwiththatthesis?Onceagain:whatisthemainclaimoropinionyouaretryingtoarguefor?It’snotspecificatall.MEDIOCRETHESIS:InTheKillingJoke,JokerandBatmanareoppositesofeachother.Ok,onceagainthetopicandtextareclear,whichisgood.Buttheissuehereisthattheclaimitself–whichisdefinitelyamorespecificopinionthananyoftheearlierexamples–isreally,reallyDULL.Itisobvious.It’sanopinionmostpeoplealreadyacknowledge.Youwantsomethingmorespecific,butalsosomethingmoreboldandinterestingandinsightful.Someofthebestthesisstatementsaresurprising,even.Herearesomeexamples:
EFFECTIVETHESIS:IwilldemonstratethatinTheKillingJoke,JokerisactuallyaninnocentvictimwhileBatmanistherealcriminalresponsibleforthesufferingofothers,includingJokerhimself.EFFECTIVETHESIS:IwillarguethatTheKillingJokepresentsevidencethatallpeopleareinsane;it’sjustthatsomepeoplechoosetousesanityasanillusiontocoverupthepainofthatinsanity,whileothers,namelytheJoker,useinsanitytoescapefromthepainofreality.DONOTCOPYTHOSETHESISSTATEMENTS.Oratleastdoyourownversionofthem.Doyougettheidea?Sointroducingthetext(title,author,artist,andplot);plusyourtopicandhowitrelatestothetext;plusyourthesisstatementequalsintroduction.Easypeasy.———-OurformattingforthisessayandallfutureclassessayswillbeMLA.WheneverIhaveanMLAformattingquestion,IgotothefamousOWLatPurdue.IthenselectMLA.AndeveryquestionIeverhaveisansweredtheresomewhere.Googleit:OWLatPur
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