EXPLORING MODERN CONNECTIONS TO CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY Essay Tips

Introduction Paragraph  Your creative lead should focus on your theme, not your three texts. Get your audience thinking about the “big idea” you’ll be covering in your essay.  Your thesis statement could look something like this:

Sample Thesis Statements  War brings out both the best and the worst in people; Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front, the film Platoon, and Rod Nordland’s article “No Victory Dances” develop this theme and show how Remarque’s work is relevant today.  [theme sentence]; Alan Paton’s Cry, the Beloved Country, the film [film title, in italics], and [article’s author]’s article [article title, in quotes] develop this theme and show how Paton’s work is relevant today.

Body Paragraphs  Should begin with transition words or devices.  Topic sentences should explain which of the three texts is being covered in that paragraph.  You are analyzing HOW each text develops your theme … so you will use quotes from the texts to illustrate your ideas!

In-Text Citations  Novel  (Author’s Last Name Page Number)  (Paton 101)  Movie  (Title of Movie)  (Magnolia)  Article  (Author’s Last Name Page Number [if applicable])  (Miller 5) OR (Miller)

Conclusion Paragraph  Your conclusion should focus, again, on your theme, but it should also discuss how Paton’s work is still relevant today.  Remember to restate your thesis.

Works Cited – Novel  Last name, First name. Title of Work. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. Medium of Publication.  Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, Print.

Works Cited – Movie  Title. Director. Film Main Performers. Original Release Year. DVD or VHS. Distributer or Studio, Release Year of your version.  Ed Wood. Dir. Tim Burton. Perf. Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette DVD. Touchstone, 2004.

Works Cited – Online Article  Author(s). "Title of Article." Website Name. Website Publisher, Date of Publication. Web. Date of Access.  Weil, Andrew. “The New Politics of Coca.” New Yorker.com. The New Yorker, 15 May Web. 11 Nov

Other Reminders  Typed, MLA format  Include a Works Cited page  Turned in on paper AND on Turnitin.com