Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun

Murphy 1

Student Name

Prof. Name

ENGL 1102-section number

Date

Essay One Guidelines

· Choose a specific topic/sign from Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun. Climb the ladder of specificity so that you start with a tight enough topic to keep you grounded and parallel throughout your study.

· Type your essay in MLA format and submit via CourseDen prior to the beginning of class on the due date AND bring a hard copy to turn in at the beginning of class on the due date. Your essay should be three to four pages in length.

· Give your essay a title that’s relevant to your study. You can be quirky or serious with your title, but you must have one.

· Stage your study by acclimating your reader to your text and by transitioning to a clear introduction of your topic. After reading your introduction, I should know exactly which textual phenomenon you intend to investigate in your essay.

· Present an umbrella thesis (in other words, an overarching claim) that clarifies the direction of your study. This should appear at or near the end of your introduction.

· Fully develop the body of your essay.

· Present at least three theoretical claims (also known as S-S-S sentences, ideas, topic sentences, assertions) about your topic in the body of your essay. Each claim needs its own paragraph or paragraphs. Each claim needs its own illustration and interpretation. Otherwise, you haven’t fully developed your ideas.

· I reiterate: Present a theoretical claim about your topic in each body paragraph. This will be your topic sentence, your IDEA. Make sure that you ILLUSTRATE your idea in each body paragraph and that you INTERPRET your idea in each body paragraph. Of the three “I”s, your interpretation should be the largest part; it should constitute the bulk of the essay’s body.

· Remember: keep your reader grounded in your topic throughout the essay. Stay parallel.

· Write a conclusion that either restates your ideas about your topic OR that briefly sums up your ideas and then invites consideration regarding other potential readings of your topic. It’s impossible to conclusively interrogate and consider a cultural or textual phenomenon, and it’s okay and intelligent to acknowledge this in your conclusion.