Slides for Day 7 in EWRT 1A

1. EWRT 1A
Day 7
Essay 2

2. AGENDA
 Presentation: Essay #2: The
Concept Essay
 Discussion: Ngo and Toufexis
 Introduce essay #2 the
concept essay: Magic
 In-Class Writing: Consider
categories of magic.
 Ranking the plausibility of
creatures

3. Essay #2:
The Concept Essay

4. Ngo: “Cannibalism: It Still Exists”
Get into your
houses to discuss
this essay and
answer questions.

5.  First, briefly summarize the essay
 What is the concept about which Ngo writes?
 Which extended anecdote does Ngo use to help
explain the concept?
 What is his thesis?
 How does he define and classify his concept? Which
are Categories? What are the Types?
 Find examples of each of his classified concepts.
 How does he define his concept?

6. Brief Summary and Concept
Next: Extended Anecdote

7. Extended Anecdote
Next: Thesis and classification

8. Thesis and Classifications
Next: Definitions

9. Definitions
Next: Exemplification

10. Exemplification
Endocannibalism
 Survival: Vietnamese boat
refugees
 Ate people as they died on the
boat
 Dietary: Miyanmin (both types
really)
 Eats their own dead and catches
outsiders
 Religious/Ritual: African tribe of
the Bimin-Kuskusmin
 Eat parts of genitalia to enhance
reproductivity
Exocannibalism
 Survival: Japanese troops’ supply
lines cut
 Sacrificed Arapesh people to feed
troops
 Dietary: Leopard people; Alligator
people
 Hunt victims
 Religious/Ritual: Bangalas and
South American Tribes
 To honor those held in high-esteem,
they sacrifice slaves and captives

11. Ngo has written a concept essay
about cannibalism
 Use this essay as a model for you own!

12. Toufexis “Love: The
Right Chemistry”
Get back into your
houses to discuss
this essay and
answer questions.

13. Take 10 Minutes to Answer These Questions
 First, summarize the essay.
 How does Toufexis “Hook the Reader”?
 How does Toufexis focus her plan?
 How does she create a logical plan?

14. Summary
Next: Hooking the reader

15. Hooking the Reader
 What does Toufexis do to catch Readers’
attention?
 The title—”Love: The Right Chemistry”
 The epigraph quoting Greta Garbo’s line from the
film Ninotchka.
 The conversational tone of the essay
Using “O.K.” and “Let’s” rather than the more
formal “let us.”
Next: Focusing the Plan

16. Focusing the Plan
What She Does
 She focuses on certain scientific aspects
of romantic love, specifically the
evolutionary biology and
neurochemistry of love between adult
human heterosexual mates.
 By keeping to her focus, she is able to
present information that is unfamiliar,
and therefore interesting, to her
readers.
What She Does Not Do
 Because she wants to emphasize
love as a tool to promote
reproduction, she does NOT include
same-sex love, or nonsexual love
between friends and family
members
 She does NOT discuss views on love
by various religions or cultures.
Next: A logical plan

17. A Logical Plan
Introduction of
topic
Thesis
Forecast
Transitions
She provides clues for the reader:

18.  Introduction of Concept: Paragraph 1: She announces that she is writing about “romantic
love,” a concept that she will address with “scientific precision.”
 Thesis: Paragraph 2: What seems on the surface to be irrational, intoxicated behavior is
in fact part of nature’s master strategy—a vital force that has helped humans survive,
thrive, and multiply through thousands of years”
 Forecast: In paragraph two: “Love rests firmly on the foundations of evolution, biology,
and chemistry.”
 Toufexis also uses transitions to let the readers know when she is leaving one topic and
going to another: here is the transition from evolutionary biology to neurochemistry:

19. THE TECHNICAL DETAILSThe Concept Essay
 Topic: Write an essay about the
concept of Magic. Choose a
“limiter,” that is, a way to focus
your concept into a more
specific topic that interests you
and that you want to investigate
further. When you have a good
understanding of the focused
concept you have chosen,
explain it to your readers,
considering carefully what they
might already know about it and
how your essay might add to
what they know.
Format your essay in MLA style. Submit it through
Turnitin.
Your finished text should be between four and six pages,
excluding the Works Cited page. This means you should
have at least four complete pages (one line on page five
to be safe!).
The Works Cited page for this research project must
contain at least three entries. One of these might be
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The second
will be from a dictionary or other source that helps you
define both your concept and your limiter. The other
can be from a book, an article from a scholarly journal,
a credible website, or an article from a popular
magazine, such as Time, National Geographic, or the LA
Times.

20. Limiters to Consider
Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Divination,
Magical Creatures, Transfiguration, History of Magic,
Herbology, Spellcasting, Animagi, (or Bananamagi?)

21. In-Class Writing: Consider “limiters” for your concept essay on Magic
 Make a list of four different possibilities: For example, Potions, Spellcasting,
Animagi, and the History of Magic.
1. Which of the four seem more interesting? Write paragraphs for two of them,
sketching out what you already know about that particular kind of magic.
2. Think of at least one example for each from HP
List from previous slide:
Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions,
Divination, Magical Creatures,
Transfiguration, History of Magic,
Herbology, Spellcasting, Animagi

22. This is a list of 20 supernatural beings. Ignore, for the moment, whether you
personally believe any of these exist. Instead, consider whether they seem as if
they could exist. In other words, how plausible is each of these creatures. Then
rank them 1-20 based on plausibility.
(1=most plausible [most likely could exist];
20 = least plausible [least likely could exist])
Bring the list of your rankings with you to our next class.
Notes:
--the Leviathan is a sea
monster mentioned in the
Hebrew Bible.
--Harpies are half-woman,
half-bird.

23. Homework
 Read: HP through chapter 18.
 Read: “Fantastic Beasts and How to Rank Them”
(link on Canvas).
 Post #8 Finish your in-class writing (slide 21), and
find a definition for your limited concept. It can be
from a dictionary or an encyclopedia.
 Post #9: Name the two limited concepts about
which you wrote paragraphs. Find a few lines from
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban that
illustrate each limited concept. Copy the
quotation into your post, and then explain how the
example demonstrates, defines, or embodies the
concept. (Include page numbers)
 Bring: Post #9 and SMG (the green book) to class