2. BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND USE YOUR THESIS TO GUIDE YOUR ESSAY. ONCE YOU ESTABLISH A STRONG WORKING THESIS, USE GENERAL AND SPECIFIC PROOF FROM THE LITERATURE TO SUPPORT YOUR ASSERTION
3. PROVIDE PROOF FROM THE LITERATURE THESIS: Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsister mistreat her. POINT ONE: They make her work too hard. GENERAL PROOF: They make her do all the chores. SPECIFIC PROOF (directly quoted or paraphrased from the story): “She was employed in the meanest work of the house: she scoured the dishes, tables, etc., and scrubbed madam’s chamber, and those of misses, her daughters.
4. PROVIDE COMMENTARY ABOUT THE PROOF AS IT RELATES TO YOUR THESIS COMMENTARY: The actions of the stepsister and stepmother prove that they make Cinderella work too hard.
5. SAMPLE WORKING INTRODUCTION Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsister mistreat her. They make her work too hard. They make her do all the chores. “She was employed in the meanest work of the house: she scoured the dishes, tables, etc., and scrubbed madam’s chamber, and those of misses, her daughters. The actions of the stepsister and stepmother prove that they make Cinderella work too hard.
6. REVISED AND POLISHED INTRODUCTION Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsisters mistreat her. They make her work too hard. They make her do all the chores. “She was employed in the meanest work of the house: she scoured all the dishes, table, etc., and scrubbed madam’s chamber and those of misses, her daughters.” She has to attend to the needs of the stepsisters. “[I]t was she who ironed her sisters’ linen, and plaited their ruffles.” “[S]he had excellent notions, and they were very willing she should do.” The actions of the stepsister and stepmother prove that they make Cinderella work too hard.
