Essay Format and Structure (1 Viewer)

[cook E]

Hey, this question may have been asked before but how many poems can I use for my belonging essay? (btw I'm studying Emily Dickinson's poems).

Also, How should I structure it?

(If I only need to include two of her poems)
-Intro
- First body paragraph(ED Poem)
- Second body paragraph (related material)
- Third body paragraph (ED poem)
- Fourth body Paragraph(Related material)
- Conclusion

(If I need to include three of her poems)
-Intro
- First body paragraph(ED Poem)
- Second body paragraph (related material)
- Third body paragraph (ED poem)
- Fourth body paragraph (ED poem)
- Fifth body Paragraph(Related material)
- Conclusion

I really need to know as I'm having difficulty trying to cut down my essay using three of her poems.

Thanks

 

[yours]

hi im doing dickinson also, I've read some 15/15 essays with different structures so unfortunately there is no hard-fast rule that I can figure out as of yet. One essay was 4 body paragraphs, each like so:
1
Topic sentence
Poem 1 - 1 example (quote/technique)
poem 2 - ""
RT - ""

2
different topic sentence
(same as above)

etc.

I think the teacher liked it because it looked 'integrated', although when I was re-reading it for the umpteenth time I started to realise the topic sentences weren't particularly distinct from one another and there was this weird paragraph before the conclusion where they just described the meaning of two of the poems without any quotes/techniques and the teacher ticked it... I'm having trouble coming up with topic sentences that are distinct from one another. They always end up linking too closely or just being the same thing in different words.

This is by far the most frustrating essay of all the english advanced ones.

 

[herbs1]

For dickinson, you really want to have a thesis and some arguments for your structure. Lets take a simple example:

Thesis: Society prevents individuals from belonging with barriers, so belonging must be compensated on ones own terms:

So you'd structure that in some manner as:

Topic sentence (eg): social barriers can prevent belonging to individuals:
Ed poem 1
Rt

Topic sentence: individuals may choose not to belong, even if nothing prevents them from
Ed poem 2
Rt

topic sentence: individuals who don't belong can compensate for it by belonging on their own terms
Ed 1
Ed2

This way, you have an integrated and sophisticated argument and compare 2 texts at a time meaningfully.

 

[yours]

For dickinson, you really want to have a thesis and some arguments for your structure. Lets take a simple example:

Thesis: Society prevents individuals from belonging with barriers, so belonging must be compensated on ones own terms:

So you'd structure that in some manner as:

Topic sentence (eg): social barriers can prevent belonging to individuals:
Ed poem 1
Rt

Topic sentence: individuals may choose not to belong, even if nothing prevents them from
Ed poem 2
Rt

topic sentence: individuals who don't belong can compensate for it by belonging on their own terms
Ed 1
Ed2

This way, you have an integrated and sophisticated argument and compare 2 texts at a time meaningfully.

"so belonging must be compensated on ones own terms:" Is there a neater way of expressing this?

" individuals who don't belong can compensate for it by belonging on their own terms" - Is this paradoxical?

To belong on ones own terms suggests a state of belonging where the individual enforces certain conditions or restrictions. I would leave out 'individuals who don't belong'. It's a valid point that 'individuals can avoid compromising their identity/beliefs by belonging on their own terms', because this suggests their own 'terms' are that they can still follow some of their own beliefs etc. It's saying that they are caught somewhere between the state of belonging and not belonging, but this doesn't mean they don't belong (which your point marks as a qualifier).

You can't 'not belong' and 'belong on your own terms' at the same time. You just 'belong on your own terms'.

 

[themanman]

"so belonging must be compensated on ones own terms:" Is there a neater way of expressing this?

" individuals who don't belong can compensate for it by belonging on their own terms" - Is this paradoxical?

Ive read exemplar essays where they go

Opening statement
poem 1
Closing statement

Opening statement
poem 2
closing statement

linking paragraph

opening statement
poem 1

etc

 

[yours]

Ive read exemplar essays where they go

Opening statement
poem 1
Closing statement

Opening statement
poem 2
closing statement

linking paragraph

opening statement
poem 1

etc

why did you quote me? Your response is unrelated to mine