Essay Structure

Introduction Begin your paper with a opening sentence or “hook” about your topic that catches the reader’s attention. Include context: provide the information the reader will need to understand the topic. State your thesis, your arguable position on the topic. You should have three points (reasons) in your sentence.

Animal Farm Example Orwell’s Animal Farm is much more than a mere fairy tale about animals. It is an allegory for the Russian Revolution in which Orwell shows how a corrupt leader and government can harm, manipulate, and take advantage of its people; he shows the hardships faced by the people through the use of many sympathetic characters, the animals of Animal Farm. The most sympathetic of these is Boxer because he is the most exploited, he naively trusts in Napoleon, and he is bitterly betrayed after working himself to death.

Paragraph 1-3 Write a claim (your first point from your thesis.) Write down the specific textual evidence from the source that you are using to support your thesis. Analyze your evidence: tell the reader what is significant or important about this evidence. How does the piece of evidence support your thesis? Why did you choose to include it? Wrap up your paragraph with a “so what” statement.

Conclusion Make connections for the reader in your conclusion. You should refer back to your thesis, but don’t simply restate it. Use some of the following questions to guide you: What is the larger significance of the topic you chose to write about? What should the reader do or think after reading your paper?

Animal Farm Example Representing the uneducated yet dedicated and loyal working class, Boxer is the most sympathetically presented character. Throughout the novella he is a model to the other animals, so his willingness to follow Napoleon’s orders and continually work harder for the rebellion and tenets of Animalism holds Animal Farm together. Unfortunately, his pitiful slaughtering at the glue factory illustrates the magnitude of the pig’s betrayal.