Refers back to thesis statement--"...to describe settings and people."
Draw Discussion to Conclusion
Lets the reader know that the discussion
has come to an end
Consider referring back to "Hooking Reader's Attention"
(1)Stephen
King, creator of such stories as Carrie and Pet Sematary ,
stated that the Edgar Allan Poe stories he read as a child gave him the inspiration
and instruction he needed to become the writer that he is. Poe, as does Stephen
King, fills the reader's imagination with the images that he wishes the reader
to see, hear, and feel. (2)His use of vivid, concrete visual imagery to present
both static and dynamic settings and to describe people is part of his technique.
(3)Poe's short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" is a story about a young man who kills an old
man who cares for him, dismembers the corpse, then goes mad when he thinks he
hears the old man's heart beating beneath the floor boards under his feet as
he sits and discusses the old man's absence with the police. In "The
Tell-Tale Heart," a careful reader can observe Poe's skillful manipulation
of the senses.
The
sense of sight, the primary sense, is particularly susceptible to manipulation. (4) In "The Tell-Tale Heart," Poe uses the following image to describe
a static scene: "His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness
. . ." Poe used the words "black," "pitch," and "thick
darkness" not only to show the reader the condition of the old man's room,
but also to make the reader feel the darkness." "Thick" is a
word that is not usually associated with color (darkness), yet in using it,
Poe stimulates the reader's sense of feeling as well as his sense of sight.
(5)Further
on in the story, Poe uses a couple of words that cross not only the sense of
sight but also the sense of feeling to describe a dynamic scene. The youth in
the story has been standing in the open doorway of the old man's room for a
long time, waiting for just the right moment to reveal himself to the old man
in order to frighten him. Poe writes: "So I opened it [the lantern opening]--you
cannot imagine how stealthily, stealthily--until, at length, a single dim ray,
like the thread of the spider, shot from out the crevice and fell full upon
the vulture eye." By using the metaphor of the thread of the spider (which
we all know is a creepy creature) and the word "shot," Poe almost
makes the reader gasp, as surely did the old man whose one blind eye the young
man describes as "the vulture eye."
(6)The
reader does not know much about what the old man in this story looks like except
that he has one blind eye. In the second paragraph of "The Tell-Tale Heart,"
Poe establishes the young man's obsession with that blind eye when he writes:
"He had the eye of the vulture--a pale blue eye, with a film over it."
This "vulture eye" is evoked over and over again in the story until
the reader becomes as obsessed with it as does the young man. His use of the
vivid, concrete word "vulture" establishes a specific image in the
mind of the reader that is inescapable.
(7)"Thick
darkness," "thread of the spider," and "vulture eye"
are three images that Poe used in "The Tell-Tale Heart" to stimulate
a reader's senses. Poe wanted the reader to see and feel real life. (8)He used
concrete imagery rather than vague abstract words to describe settings and people.
If Edgar Allan Poe was one of Stephen King's teachers, then readers of King
owe a debt of gratitude to that nineteenth-century creator of horror stories.
Below you will find a printable version of the essay analyzed above. Print this essay and analyze it for yourself. Identify within the essay the following elements:
1.
Thesis Statement
2.
Topic Sentence of body paragraph 1
3.
Topic Sentence of body paragraph 2
4.
Topic Sentence of body paragraph 3
5.
Echo of thesis
6.
Body summary
7.
Discussion conclusion
Expository Essay
-an essay which shares, explains, suggests, or explores information, emotion, and ideas
Introductory Paragraph
Hook Reader's Attention
Provide reader with some background on your topic
Develop a clearly written thesis statement (This is where you have analytically broken your topic down into 3-parts)
Arnold Schwarzennegger, Ted Danson, and Oprah Winfrey call it home—at least seasonally.However, few others know of the small resort town nestled in the mountains of North Idaho. Sandpoint, which is located some forty miles south of the Canadian border, has recently made the radar of the nation’s media. USA Today regards it as a Norman Rockwell-meets-Ansel Adams community.Those who have visited Sandpoint, however, simply know the small town for its huge lake, ski mountain, and golf course.
Body Paragraphs
Clearly Written topic sentence for each body paragraph
Supporting sentences which support what was promised in the topic sentence
Sandpoint sits at the edge of Lake Pend Oreille, one of the largest freshwater lakes in the Northwest. The lake affords residents and tourists alike a multitude of recreational activities, including boating, fishing, or just a day out with the family at one of its many beaches. Because of its size, boaters are able to cut the waters with little concern for heavy traffic. The lack of traffic also affords recreationists the opportunity to fish with few disruptions. The lake holds a variety of species, including both trout and bass. For those who do not prefer being on the water, Lake Pend Oreille is surrounded by sandy beaches. The beaches can range from the quiet, slow-paced shores of Green Bay to the busy, populated city beach located in downtown Sandpoint.
Regardless of where you are located in Sandpoint, you can bet that you will be surrounded by scenic mountains, including Schweitzer Mountain. Schweitzer, which is regarded as one of the finest ski mountains in the Northwest, offers runs for the beginner through the advanced.A three-hundred yard bunny hill is located just to the north of the lodge. The hill includes a gradual slopes with small moguls off to the side for those beginners looking for a little more excitement. Beginners are returned to the hill's top by way of tow bar. Here, beginners can view the runs designed for the more advanced skiiers and snowboarders. These runs, which descend from the mountains top to just east of the main lodge, range from winding trails to the straight shot. Those who make their way down these slopes are returned to the mountain's top by one of three lifts, including a high-speed quad lift. From these lifts, one can see Sandpoint and all of its nearby communities.
Among the communities sitting nearby Sandpoint is Kootenai, home to the Jack Nicklaus signature golf course, The Idaho Club. The club, which is in the process of being re-landscaped, challenges golfers with a variey of holes that both slope and dogleg through pockets of trees, waterways, and even occassional wildlife.The courses ninth hole, for example, drives straight for nealry 150-yards but then doglegs left with a pocket of trees bracing the left and a small creek to the right. Because of the creek's location and solitude, one may be able to view the occassional moose that makes it way to this creek...
Concluding Paragraph
Summarize Main Body Points
-Conisder support in each body paragraph
Echo Thesis
-Restate your thesis but in a different way
Draw Discussion to Conclusion
-Consider how you hooked your reader's attention
Whether you are looking for the solitude of one of the lake's quiet bays, the fast paced excitement of downhill skiing, or the somewhere-in-between of the Idaho Club, Sandpoint has it all.Although the sportsman's paradise, including the lake, the mountain, and the golf course, is finding an increasing amount of recognition, and a few stars are now making their way around this recreation destination, there is still plenty of room beneath the North Idaho sky for those still searching for a little "R and R."
