Length: Minimum 4 double-spaced pages
Format: See bottom of this page
ssignment Goal: To create an argumentative, thesis-driven essay that uses textual evidence from the graphic novel Maus to create an argument about the significance of the father Vladek’s experiences in the story he tells his son, and to explain how his relationships with at least two other characters in the text change as a result.
Assignment Description: Using the graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman, students will write an argumentative essay that does two main things, and which incorporates research:
• summarizes the plot of the graphic novel in one page (see Essay 1 outline);
• offers an original argument that defines the evolution of the father’s relationship in the story with two other characters in the text supports the thesis argument with supporting paragraphs organized around the college argumentative sequence;follows the directions for the directed conclusion.
To complete the assignment successfully, students will need to read the text, identify the major characters, summarize the entire plot, and locate between two and four total passages to use as evidence for the claims.
Students will also need to incorporate images from the text into the evidence they use to support their thesis.
As you follow the College Paragraph Sequence, remember: to interpret the graphic novel you need to accurately summarize it first. I recommend a summary paragraph after the introduction, like you did for Essay 1.
Conclusion: In your conclusion, write a minimum half-page paragraph that begins with a topic sentence claim that appears in your thesis statement. In the paragraph, discuss an aspect of the text that interested you related to the Holocaust. Explain why you found it interesting, and make sure your paragraph follows the College Argumentative Sequence.
Assignment Structure: Your argument, or thesis, will offer a statement of three or so claims, or a group of connected ‘smaller arguments.’ A claim is ‘little’ or ‘smaller’ argument. Together with a group of connected claims create one big ‘thesis statement,’ which might be anywhere from two to five sentences long.
You will be provided with sample models both for your supporting paragraphs, your direct quotations, your citations of your direct quotations, and your close-readings. We will practice these skills in class.
To create your thesis, you will start by making individual claims first. A claim is a ‘belief’ of yours about the text, which you will support with evidence from the book. We will work on creating claims through a process I call “beginning in the middle of the middle.” This means we will build this draft up from the middle of each body paragraph, one at a time, and write the introduction last. This means you should write the introduction after the conclusion.
This evidence will be in the form of passages from the book that help you explain your claim. You will “quote these passages” using “quotation marks” and references to page numbers in the text where you found these passages in parenthetical citations at the end of sentences where you quote (page numbers from the book come before the periods, or little dots, that end each sentence).
Tips for Drafting
* Wondering just what you plan to argue? Go to the text and find a passage that speaks to the assignment.
* Each claim you make should have at least one, and preferable several (one to three) passages from the text to support it.
* You will find passages to support your claims by reading the book.
* The best way to keep passages ready for citation is to annotate, or mark, the text with your notes and highlights.
* Each claim will also act as a topic sentence, or beginning sentence, for each paragraph in your essay.
* Based on the tip above, you can deduce that you might have somewhere from four to six paragraphs in your paper, depending on how you organize it (introduction, claim one paragraph, claim two paragraph, claim three paragraph, claim four paragraph, conclusion).
* Each paragraph will have some summary of the relevant passages you’re using to support the topic sentence claim of that paragraph.
* Each paragraph will also have a “key quote” where you “quote” the best passage that supports your claim.
* After each quote, you will explain how the quote supports your topic sentence claim.
* After you explain your quote, you will write at least two sentences that explain why the passage is either exceptional (unique) or identifiable (similar) to your life or world.
Format
Five full pages, double-space 12pt Times New Roman font
Regular margins.
12-point font (Times New Roman).
Must be in Microsoft Word or Google Docs (with permission set for me to EDIT)
For formatting, DO:
write your name and give your essay a title; include page numbers; include bibliography (MLA 8th edition).
For formatting, DO NOT:
make a header (as in, no date, course number, professor name, or skipped lines).
Essays that do not achieve three full pages will not qualify for a B or higher but can possibly quality for a B-. Achieving three full pages qualifies you to receive any grade, including an A.
