CQC Claim Quote Commentary AKA: Making a Quote Sandwich

Before you can add a quote to an essay, you must have a thesis statement! A thesis statement explicitly says what your body paragraphs are going to say. A thesis statement will look somewhat like a list A thesis statement is at the end of your introduction paragraph A thesis statement is the backbone of your entire essay. It is super important!

For example… “John Proctor, Reverend Hale, and Elizabeth Proctor each have separate motivations that add to the progression of the play.” Your body paragraphs will talk about John Proctor Reverend Hale Elizabeth Proctor

Another example…. “ Elizabeth and Abigail differ in their attitudes toward lies and deceit, their relationship with John Proctor, and their family values.” Your body paragraphs will cover: E and A’s attitudes toward lies and deceit E and A’s relation ship with John E and A’s family values

Now that you have your thesis, you are ready to write your body paragraphs. You must have a quote in each body paragraph to support your main idea (AKA your claim). Don’t just throw a quote into a paragraph. Surround the quote. Make a quote sandwich Claim Quote Commentary

So now lets make a quote sandwich! The first part of the body paragraph is your CLAIM.

Claim The claim is where you get to use a little creativity. Use your own ideas! The claim must connect to your thesis statement. Example: Instead of saying “John Proctor likes Abigail.” you should say: John Proctor’s desire for Abigail furthered the plot because if he had not had an affair, Abigail would not have accused Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft.

Quote Use any quote from the book as long as it backs up your claim. For example, Abigail Williams says to John, “I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I come near” (Miller 1.423-25).

Quote To choose a good quote, ask yourself the following questions: Significance – What is the significance of this quote? Purpose – What is the purpose of the quote? Importance – Why is this quote important? Effect – What effect/result does the quote have on the play? Suggestion – What does the quote suggest about the play an/or its characters?

Commentary This part explains how your quote relates to your claim The way the quote fits is clear and obvious to you, however, you need to explain the quote as if you are talking to someone who has never read the story.

Commentary Example: This quote implies that John Proctor’s lust for and affair with Abigail leads to Abigail’s need for vengeance against Elizabeth; therefore, Abigail becomes the leader of the witch-hunt.

Commentary Trigger words indicate that the commentary is coming up. Use them like transition words. Proves, implies, indicates, demonstrates, testifies to, underscores, argues (that, for) shows, supports, illustrates, confirms, establishes

Put it all together to create a good body paragraph: John Proctor’s desire for Abigail furthered the plot because if he had not had an affair, Abigail would not have accused Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft. For example, Abigail Williams says to John, “I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I come near” (Miller 1.423-25). This quote implies that John Proctor’s lust for and affair with Abigail leads to Abigail’s need for vengeance against Elizabeth; therefore, Abigail becomes the leader of the witch-hunt.