ENGLISH 3

4/5/2021 ENG101_MH_V7: Character Evolution Instructions

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ENG101_MH_V7 | Topic 4: Establishing and Supporting Your Thesis

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Character Evolution Instructions Welcome to the �rst essay assignment in the course!

Most of the essay assignments in this course are centered around a thesis statement, which you may remember from the lesson is a personal, debatable claim that should appear in a single statement at the end of your introduction paragraph (please underline them). Then, each of your body paragraphs is constructed to serve as support in proving your thesis. 

You are required to submit this assignment once and it must meet the assignment prompt to be graded. You may make two attempts if you choose. This will allow you to receive qualitative feedback that can help you improve your submission. 

If you submit two attempts, your highest grade of the two attempts will be used to calculate your overall grade (so a second attempt can only help you).   After you submit your assignment once, a 2nd Attempt Turnitin assignment link (Optional) will become available. Use this 2nd Attempt link to submit your second attempt.  When resubmitting your assignment, avoid focusing solely on the grader’s draft feedback; use the feedback as a supplement to the course lessons and your own revision ideas. Always expect to revise beyond what the grader speci�cally notes. 

4/5/2021 ENG101_MH_V7: Character Evolution Instructions

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Topic and Structure:

Character Evolution – Explain how a character from a novel, �lm, television show, or another medium of your choice evolves—either good or bad—from the beginning to the end of the story.

Your introduction will provide a brief synopsis of the story and then smoothly transition into the last sentence of your introduction—the thesis statement. Next, you will develop at least three body paragraphs, each dedicated to one example (such as a scene) in your chosen medium that serves as support for your thesis claim. Finally, you will compile a conclusion paragraph that synthesizes your �ndings.

Creating the thesis statement:

Is your argument focused and meaningful in a way that it also offers a clear-cut, but debatable point of view, which a reader might either agree or disagree with? Avoid claims that are too obvious to the readers— offer them a new idea! Remember, a thesis also serves as a map for your essay, providing a promise of subtopics you will discuss in your body paragraphs in the order in which they appear in your essay.

Sample thesis statement: In The Midnight’s Shadow, Charles Bellingham begins as a lonely, self-loathing candle maker, but after he meets Miss Charmaine, begins working for the king, and takes an understudy, he transforms into a con�dent man who sees the townspeople and the kingdom as a friendly and prosperous community.

Developing the body paragraphs:

The way you present your supporting evidence is just as important as the evidence itself. When you create a body paragraph with the goal of supporting a claim in your thesis, you want to include a balance of research and/or examples with original material. In other words, original material refers to discussions you develop that help explain the connection between your research and/or examples and your thesis claim. You don’t want to assume that your research and/or examples are enough to prove your thesis—you want to inform your reader how and why cited material serves the purpose you intend.

Therefore, begin each body paragraph with a topic sentence that a�rms your opinion. A topic sentence for the �rst body paragraph in a paper with the thesis from above might say, “Miss Charmaine, ever so charming in her ways, bumps into a scowling Mr. Bellingham, only to annoy him further, but as he slowly raises his gaze to evaluate the source of this unpleasantry, he is rather surprised to see a such a lovely creature affectionately maintaining his stare, eliciting an intrigue that serves as the �rst de�ning moment in Charles’ positive transformation.” Next, follow up the topic sentence with more about this scene that serves as the de�ning moment. Then, spend signi�cant time explaining how the events you just discussed prove your thesis. Finally, end the paragraph with a concluding sentence that synthesizes your efforts.

Compiling the conclusion:

Lastly, compile a conclusion paragraph that summarizes your �ndings in a new manner, using fresh language and perspective. Make sure to work in a restatement of your thesis statement (but not a repetitive version) as well as any other relevant ideas you present in the essay. You want your conclusion to read like new information but without actually presenting new arguments. In sum, synthesize instead of summarize.

 

Notes

·         When you refer to events in your chosen medium, use literary present.

Format Requirements:

4/5/2021 ENG101_MH_V7: Character Evolution Instructions

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Header: Include a header in the upper left-hand corner of your writing assignment with the following information:

Your �rst and last name  Course Title (Composition I)  Assignment name (Character Evolution)  Current Date

Page Layout:

MLA style documentation (please see the tutorial in the course topic) Last name and page number in upper-right corner of each page as a header Double-spacing throughout Title, centered after heading (Title should be more creative than "Character Evolution.")  Standard font (Times New Roman or Calibri) 1" margins on all sides Save the �le as .docx or .doc format

Length: This assignment should be at least 500 words. You must meet word minimums for all essays in this course in order to have your submissions graded.

Underline your thesis statement in the introductory paragraph.

Last modi�ed: Wednesday, September 23, 2020, 11:35 AM

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