INTRO and MEAL/TEAL

Writing an Introductory Paragraph

Put the sentences below in an order that makes sense. You don't need to write out the sentences but be prepared to justify your choices:

1. In "The Necklace", Mathilde Loisel pays a steep price for her worship of beautiful objects. In "Everything That Glitters", Casey's mother abandons her family in search of wealth and fame.

2. Using symbolism, metaphor and imagery, Maupassant and Seals explore the perils of cupidity.

3. In Matthew 6:24, Jesus says, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

4. Greed is a dangerous thing. When we put money at the center of our lives, we pay a price.

5. In other words, if you want to live a meaningful life, you should try not to worship material things.

6. Two works of literature which explore the dangers of greed are "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant and "Everything That Glitters" by Dan Seals.

Together it reads:

Greed is a dangerous thing. When we put money at the center of our lives, we pay a price. In Matthew 6:24, Jesus says, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." In other words, if you want to live a meaningful life, you should try not to worship material things. Two works of literature which explore the dangers of greed are "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant and "Everything That Glitters" by Dan Seals. In "The Necklace", Mathilde Loisel pays a steep price for her worship of beautiful objects. In "Everything That Glitters", Casey's mother abandons her family in search of wealth and fame. Using symbolism, metaphor and imagery, Maupassant and Seals explore the perils of cupidity.

1. Introduce the general topic:

Greed is a dangerous thing. When we put money at the center of our lives, we pay a price.

2. Introduce the quote (when applicable):

In Matthew 6:24, Jesus says, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

3. Explain the quote and/or connect it to any lens:

In other words, if you want to live a meaningful life, you should try not to worship material things.

4. Introduce the literature:

Two works of literature which explore the dangers of greed are "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant and "Everything That Glitters" by Dan Seals.

5. Relate how each literary work relates to the quote:

In "The Necklace", Mathilde Loisel pays a steep price for her worship of beautiful objects. In "Everything That Glitters", Casey's mother abandons her family in search of wealth and fame.

6. Thesis and road map:

Using symbolism, metaphor and imagery, Maupassant and Seals explore the perils of cupidity.

Put the following sentences in the correct order:

1. In other words, difficult or painful situations can lead to a new and better understanding of the world around you.

2. Life is full of suffering. But the same suffering that cripples us can also redeem us.

3. In The Color of Water, Rachel Shilsky endures a difficult childhood to become Ruth McBride, a pastor's wife and a mother who pushes her twelve children to success. Her son, James, recounts the story of how he came to understand himself.

4. James' description of his early years in school and Ruth's account of her arrival in New York exemplify the fourth stage, Industry vs. Inferiority, and the sixth stage, Intimacy vs. Isolation, of Erikson's theory.

5. One work of literature that explores how this happens is The Color of Water by James McBride.

6. Theodore Roethke once said, "In a dark time, the eye begins to see."

Life is full of suffering. But the same suffering that cripples us can also redeem us. Theodore Roethke once said, "In a dark time, the eye begins to see." In other words, difficult or painful situations can lead to a new and better understanding of the world around you. Erik Erikson, the German psychologist, developed a theory about how our inner conflict leads to growth. One work of literature that explores how this happens is The Color of Water by James McBride. In The Color of Water, Rachel Shilsky endures a difficult childhood to become Ruth McBride, a pastor's wife and a mother who pushes her twelve children to success. Her son, James, recounts the story of how he came to understand himself. James' description of his early years in school and Ruth's account of her arrival in New York exemplify the fourth stage, Industry vs. Inferiority, and the sixth stage, Intimacy vs. Isolation, of Erikson's theory.

1. Introduce the general topic:

Life is full of suffering. But the same suffering that cripples us can also redeem us.

2. Introduce the quote (when applicable):

Theodore Roethke once said, "In a dark time, the eye begins to see."

3. Explain the quote and/or connect it to any lens:

In other words, difficult or painful situations can lead to a new and better understanding of the world around you. Erik Erikson, the German psychologist, developed a theory about how our inner conflict leads to growth.

4. Introduce the literature:

One work of literature that explores how this happens is The Color of Water by James McBride.

5. Relate how each literary work relates to the quote:

In The Color of Water, Rachel Shilsky endures a difficult childhood to become Ruth McBride, a pastor's wife and a mother who pushes her twelve children to success. Her son, James, recounts the struggles by which he came to understand himself.

6. Thesis and road map:

James' description of his early years in school and Ruth's account of her arrival in New York exemplify the fourth stage, Industry vs. Inferiority, and the sixth stage, Intimacy vs. Isolation, of Erikson's theory, respectively.

or

Through James' description of his early years in school and Ruth's account of her arrival in New York, each character exemplifies how conflict can lead to clarity.

Together it reads:

Life is full of suffering. But the same suffering that cripples us can also redeem us. Theodore Roethke once said, "In a dark time, the eye begins to see." In other words, difficult or painful situations can lead to a new and better understanding of the world around you. Erik Erikson, the German psychologist, developed a theory about how our inner conflict leads to growth. One work of literature that explores how this happens is The Color of Water by James McBride. In The Color of Water, Rachel Shilsky endures a difficult childhood to become Ruth McBride, a pastor's wife and a mother who pushes her twelve children to success. Her son, James, recounts the story of how he came to understand himself. James' description of his early years in school and Ruth's account of her arrival in New York exemplify the fourth stage, Industry vs. Inferiority, and the sixth stage, Intimacy vs. Isolation, of Erikson's theory.

A. Rearrange (and write out) the eight sentences below in a logical order according to the this format:

1. Through characterization, symbolism and internal and external conflict, Salinger explores his protagonist's struggles to resolve his grief.

2. For an adolescent, whose sense of self is just beginning to emerge, this experience can be particularly traumatic.

3. Sophocles once said, “Grief teaches the steadiest minds to waiver.”

4. It is a painful truth that most people will have to deal with saying goodbye to someone they love who has died.

5. The Catcher in the Rye is the story of a teenager, Holden Caulfield, whose emotional turbidity derives from his inability to accept his brother’s untimely death.

6. One novel that explores the effect of grief on young people is The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

7. In other words, the loss of a loved one can throw even the most stable individual off balance.

MEAL/TEAL - Writing a Body Paragraph

M = Main idea/topic sentence

E = Evidence

A = Analysis of evidence

L = Link to theme, quote, main idea

B. Your topic sentences should specifically address the road map addressed in your thesis statement. Let's look at the thesis statement from the above example:

"Using setting and inner conflict, McBride explores the idea that misfortune can lead to clarity. "

For the road map above I would expect at least TWO body paragraphs.

The first would explore how McBride uses SETTING to show that bad times can bring clearer understanding. (Find one example of how McBride uses setting to make the point that conflict breeds clarity.)

The second would show how McBride uses INNER CONFLICT to show that bad times can bring clearer understanding. (Find one example of how McBride uses inner conflict to make the point that conflict breeds clarity.)

Each of your body paragraphs should include a topic sentence, usually the first sentence. The topic sentence is really a mini thesis statement. The rest of your paragraph should “prove” the topic sentence true.

How would you modify this template to fit your writing assignment?

"How do Ruth and James exemplify one of Erik Erikson's eight stages of psycho-social development?"