Suggestions for Critical Writing Paragraphs

MLA style: Heading, header, double-spaced, author/ page number in parentheses

Title: Create a title that's original and reflective of your overarching theme

Argument statement: Must be a universal statement and must incorporate interpretive language; "should" is a good verb to use to persuade others

Body sentences: Each body sentence develops a new level of support for your argument statement; body sentences use short excerpts of textual evidence to provide support for the particular area of support

Ending: Synthesizes the argument and support into a coalesced, elevated sentence that applies universally and to contemporary society; the ending no longer refers to the text

Concluding sentence: Builds to a crescendo, is persuasive, is built around interpretive language, and leaves the reader contemplating the critical analysis as a whole