What I will be looking for in the final essay: a introductory
paragraph that includes author, title of the novel (underlined, if
hand-written; italicized, if typed) with a thesis statement; the body of the
paper should consist of specific examples from the novel that are explained and
related to the thesis statement. Consider this example:
Thesis [that would follow near the
end of the introductory paragraph]: Tim O’Brien’s
novel, The Things They Carried, presents
characters who are admirable, even noble at times; these include Norman Bowker,
Henry Dobbins, Rat Kiley and Kiowa. These men are juxtaposed with soldiers like
the sadistic Azar, the fearful, the drug-using Ted Lavendar, and Curt Lemon,
whose bravado does not mitigate his fear of the dentist. The reader can
better appreciate the men to whom the book is dedicated because of the actions
of these characters.
Body Paragraph One: The
reader is first introduced to Azar in the short chapter titled, “Spin,” when
the narrator relates the episode of Azar blowing up Ted Lavendar puppy. When he
is chastised by the other men, his response is that he is “just a boy.” He,
like the other soldiers is roughly nineteen, and might truly be considered “boys,”
but he is not only young; he is immature. Like the other soldiers, he witnesses
war for the first time; his means of coping with war seems striking in contrast
to soldiers like Henry Dobbins, however. When Alpha Company comes across a young
Vietnamese girl doing what seems to be a ritual dance after her parents have
been killed, Azar mocks and ridicules her
mercilessly; he stops, though, when the Henry Dobbins picks him up and
threatens to drop Azar into the well. The reader is keenly aware that Azar has
no real mechanism for dealing with this kind of death or grief. His cruelty is
evident, too, when he chooses to help Tim O’Brien play a mean prank on Bobby
Jorgensen, the new medic who replaced Rat Kiley. Mitchell Sanders had declined
to help O’Brien because the joke was too malicious and undeserved. Azar,
however, is without scruples and finds it humorous. It is not until Azar is
sent with Norman Bowker and Mitchell Sanders to retrieve Kiowa’s body from
sewage that the reader sees Azar with his defenses down and even apologetic.
This speaks volumes about Kiowa as well as Azar.
NOTES: This is not a
plot summary. This is an analysis that provides evidence which supports the
thesis.
THESIS: The reader can
better appreciate the men to whom the book is dedicated [Henry Dobbins, Norman
Bowker, Rat Kiley, Kiowa, et.al.] because of the actions of these characters
[Azar, Ted Lavendar, Rat Kiley]
Evidence in Paragraph One:
focus is on Azar—cruelty in blowing up puppy; compared to Henry Dobbins re. the
dancing girl; compared to Mitch Sanders—each episode is from the novel and
briefly explained, but related to the thesis; it uses a combination of writing
methods: comparing Azar to another soldier and giving a specific example. Each example
is directly related to the thesis of the paper.
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