1. Powerlessness in “Stains” A Formal Paragraph Example

2. Your POINT - what do you want to argue? In the story, “Stains,” the mother’s memories and self-critical thoughts demonstrate that she is an insecure person.

3. PROOF - offer a reason or example In the story, “Stains,” the mother’s memories and self-critical thoughts demonstrate that she is an insecure person. For instance, early in the story the mother reveals her insecurities when she remembers not being able to help her son when he was ill as a small child.

4. QUOTATION - begin with a lead-in In the story, “Stains,” the mother’s memories and self-critical thoughts demonstrate that she is an insecure person. For instance, early in the story the mother reveals her insecurities when she remembers not being able to help her son when he was ill as a small child. As she remembers his illness she thinks, “Worry parches the mouth, it’s always been that way” (MacFarlane 194). Then she continues with the description of how she wants to help her son but is, in fact, ineffectual. “With every illness ran a high fever…when she held him in her arms in the rocking chair all night she wished she could absorb the heat from his body into her own” (Macfarlane 194).

5. EXPLANATION - explain HOW or WHY the proof and quotation prove the point In the story, “Stains,” the mother’s memories and self-critical thoughts demonstrate that she is an insecure person. For instance, early in the story the mother reveals her insecurities when she remembers not being able to help her son when he was ill as a small child. As she remembers his illness she thinks, “Worry parches the mouth, it’s always been that way” (MacFarlane 194). Then she continues with the description of how she wants to help her son but is, in fact, ineffectual. “With every illness ran a high fever…when she held him in her arms in the rocking chair all night she wished she could absorb the heat from his body into her own” (Macfarlane 194). At this point in the story, readers witness a mother who cannot do anything to stop the illness that plagues her son. While she tries to comfort him, she is anxious about his wellbeing, as he becomes delirious and babbles nonsense. She has little faith in her ability to help her son and fears that she is not an effective caregiver.

6. PROOF #2 - offer a second reason or example In the story, “Stains,” the mother’s memories and self-critical thoughts demonstrate that she is an insecure person. For instance, early in the story the mother reveals her insecurities when she remembers not being able to help her son when he was ill as a small child. As she remembers his illness she thinks, “Worry parches the mouth, it’s always been that way” (MacFarlane 194). Then she continues with the description of how she wants to help her son but is, in fact, ineffectual. “With every illness ran a high fever…when she held him in her arms in the rocking chair all night she wished she could absorb the heat from his body into her own” (Macfarlane 194). At this point in the story, readers witness a mother who cannot do anything to stop the illness that plagues her son. While she tries to comfort him, she is anxious about his wellbeing, as he becomes delirious and babbles nonsense. She has little faith in her ability to help her son and fears that she is not an effective caregiver. Later in the story, she demonstrates her insecurity when she believes that she is the cause of her son’s accident.

7. QUOTATION #2 - begin with a lead-in In the story, “Stains,” the mother’s memories and self-critical thoughts demonstrate that she is an insecure person. For instance, early in the story the mother reveals her insecurities when she remembers not being able to help her son when he was ill as a small child. As she remembers his illness she thinks, “Worry parches the mouth, it’s always been that way” (MacFarlane 194). Then she continues with the description of how she wants to help her son but is, in fact, ineffectual. “With every illness ran a high fever…when she held him in her arms in the rocking chair all night she wished she could absorb the heat from his body into her own” (Macfarlane 194). At this point in the story, readers witness a mother who cannot do anything to stop the illness that plagues her son. While she tries to comfort him, she is anxious about his wellbeing, as he becomes delirious and babbles nonsense. She has little faith in her ability to help her son and fears that she is not an effective caregiver. Later in the story, she demonstrates her insecurity when she believes that she is the cause of her son’s accident. As she sits at home waiting to hear news from the hospital, she thinks, “[I] should have praised him more when he was younger, criticized him less, helped him to have a better self-image. [I know] that now. Maybe then he’d have excelled at something – school, sports, drama – wouldn’t have needed to booze to make him feel important” (MacFarlane 193).

8. EXPLANATION #2 - explain HOW or WHY the proof and quotation prove the point In the story, “Stains,” the mother’s memories and self-critical thoughts demonstrate that she is an insecure person. For instance, early in the story the mother reveals her insecurities when she remembers not being able to help her son when he was ill as a small child. As she remembers his illness she thinks, “Worry parches the mouth, it’s always been that way” (MacFarlane 194). Then she continues with the description of how she wants to help her son but is, in fact, ineffectual. “With every illness ran a high fever…when she held him in her arms in the rocking chair all night she wished she could absorb the heat from his body into her own” (Macfarlane 194). At this point in the story, readers witness a mother who cannot do anything to stop the illness that plagues her son. While she tries to comfort him, she is anxious about his wellbeing, as he becomes delirious and babbles nonsense. She has little faith in her ability to help her son and fears that she is not an effective caregiver. Later in the story, she demonstrates her insecurity when she believes that she is the cause of her son’s accident. As she sits at home waiting to hear news from the hospital, she thinks, “[I] should have praised him more when he was younger, criticized him less, helped him to have a better self-image. [I know] that now. Maybe then he’d have excelled at something – school, sports, drama – wouldn’t have needed to booze to make him feel important” (MacFarlane 193). Evidently, the reader surmises that the mother is second-guessing herself about how she raised her son. She blames herself for not being a better parent who could have helped her son to cope with life in ways that do not involve drinking. She understands the link between supporting her son and his success and she sees where she has failed. Ultimately, she questions her actions of the past and lets these doubts fester and create anxiety while she is forced to wait.

9. SUMMARY - rephrase your POINT and connect to real life In the story, “Stains,” the mother’s memories and self-critical thoughts demonstrate that she is an insecure person. For instance, early in the story the mother reveals her insecurities when she remembers not being able to help her son when he was ill as a small child. As she remembers his illness she thinks, “Worry parches the mouth, it’s always been that way” (MacFarlane 194). Then she continues with the description of how she wants to help her son but is, in fact, ineffectual. “With every illness ran a high fever…when she held him in her arms in the rocking chair all night she wished she could absorb the heat from his body into her own” (Macfarlane 194). At this point in the story, readers witness a mother who cannot do anything to stop the illness that plagues her son. While she tries to comfort him, she is anxious about his wellbeing, as he becomes delirious and babbles nonsense. She has little faith in her ability to help her son and fears that she is not an effective caregiver. Later in the story, she demonstrates her insecurity when she believes that she is the cause of her son’s accident. As she sits at home waiting to hear news from the hospital, she thinks, “[I] should have praised him more when he was younger, criticized him less, helped him to have a better self-image. [I know] that now. Maybe then he’d have excelled at something – school, sports, drama – wouldn’t have needed to booze to make him feel important” (MacFarlane 193). Evidently, the reader surmises that the mother is second-guessing herself about how she raised her son. She blames herself for not being a better parent who could have helped her son to cope with life in ways that do not involve drinking. She understands the link between supporting her son and his success and she sees where she has failed. Ultimately, she questions her actions of the past and lets these doubts fester and create anxiety while she is forced to wait. Clearly, while most people expect competence and confidence from a parent, the mother’s belief that she is unable to help her son overcome both his childhood illness and his teenage drinking, demonstrates that she is insecure.