1a plus 14

1. EWRT 1A
CLASS 14

2. AGENDA
• Discuss Marginalization articles #1 and #2
• Review Prompt #3
• Review Basic features of an Argument essay
• Lecture: The outline
• --The Introduction: Presentation of the issue
• --The Thesis: A Clear Position
• -- The Argument
• Reasons and support

3. IN YOUR HOUSES: DISCUSS
MARGINALIZATION ESSAY #1
“The Pain of Social Rejection” by Kirsten Weir
1. What is the main argument in this paper?
2. What kind of examples does the author provide? Do
they support her argument?
3. What are the causes of “Social Rejection”
4. What are the consequences of it?
5. What kind of sources does the author use?
6. How can we use this article as evidence to support our
own discussion of marginalization?

4. IN YOUR HOUSES: DISCUSS
MARGINALIZATION ESSAY #2
“How the Stress of Racism Affects Learning”
By Melinda D. Anderson
1. What is the main argument in this paper?
2. What kind of examples does the author provide? Do
they support her argument?
3. What are the consequences of both unintended and
overt racism?
4. What is psychological trauma?
5. What kind of sources does the author use?
6. How can we use this article as evidence to support our
own discussion of marginalization?

5. ESSAY #1: THE WRITING ASSIGNMENT
In this essay, you will argue a position. Please consult chapter 6 in the
St. Martin’s Guide for a detailed discussion of the requirements of an
argument essay.
The essay topic: identify a character in The Chamber Of Secrets or The Prisoner of Azkaban, who is
marginalized in some way. In your essay, do the following:
1. Explain how the character is marginalized and provide examples of the marginalization using quotes
from the book and/or from the film.
2. Then discuss ways in which the character responds to the marginalization that you see as productive
or unproductive and why.
3. Finally, extend your insights to contemporary society; how does this character’s marginalization
compare to others you see who are also marginalized?
At some point in your essay, you must include a counterargument and respond to it effectively.

6. REVIEW BASIC FEATURES OF AN
ARGUMENT ESSAY
1.A Focused Presentation of the Issue
2.A Clear Position
3. Plausible Reasons and Convincing Support
4.Anticipating Opposing Positions and Objections

7. LOOKING AT SAMPLE PAPER 3: WORK
ALONE OR TOGETHER
Bracket the following components and label them:
1. The title.
2. Where the character is introduced.
3. Where the book and author are introduced.
4. A quote or quotes from an outside source. Is there just one?
5. The thesis statement.
6. At least three quotes from the book.
7. An MLA-style citation for a quotation.
8. An MLA-style citation for a summary that is NOT a quotation.
9. For each of the four body paragraphs, bracket the sentence that introduces the POINT of that
paragraph to the reader. (Called the “topic sentence.”)
10. In the conclusion, mark three different components:
--restatement of the thesis.
--why this matters (the answer to “so what?”)
--a call to action

8. The Introduction: A Focused Presentation of the Issue:
A beginning to your essay that orients your readers by
establishing the background for the essay. Often, the
introduction to an essay about a text includes a directed
summary.
The Thesis: A Clear Position
A statement that tells your readers simply and directly what
you want them to think about the issue and why. You might
also forecast your reasons, mentioning them in the order in
which you will take them up in your argument
Let’s look at the introduction and
clear position.

9. DIRECTED SUMMARY
• A directed summary provides readers of your paper with the information they need to understand
your argument and explanation.
• State the title and author of the primary text or film near the beginning of the first paragraph,
perhaps in the first sentence. This is essential so that the reader knows which work you are
discussing. If you are discussing more than one novel, you might mention the series or the genre.
Because you will also be discussing the marginalization of a specific character from the novel, you
should introduce both of those as well. Here is an example from the sample essay you will read for
homework.
What do you notice about these first introductory sentences?
J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books depict a world that secretly coexists alongside our own, a delightful world
containing magical spells and fantastic creatures. This world provides readers (and viewers) with an escape from our
everyday experience. Unfortunately, there is one way in which Harry Potter’s world clearly reflects our own, and that
is in the way women and girls are marginalized and traumatized by patriarchy. [. . .] Hogwarts and the wizard world
depicted in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (hereafter referred to as The Chamber of Secrets) is clearly a
patriarchy and its effects on the women in the world are troubling. We can see this most clearly in the treatment of the
character Moaning Myrtle.

10. • Hook the reader, but assume that the reader is familiar with the work
about which you are writing. Do include relevant story context. Do
not include too much plot summary in either the introduction or in the
rest of the essay. Do include brief references to the part(s) of the
story that will support your thesis.
• Here is another part of the introduction from the sample paper:
Moaning Myrtle is a ghost who used to be a female student at Hogwarts who was killed another
student, Tom Riddle (who is later revealed to be Voldemort, the dangerous and powerful villain who
is focused on exerting fascist patriarchal control over the wizard world and Hogwarts). But while
we might expect Moaning Myrtle’s tragic death and afterlife to elicit sympathy from the residents
of Hogwarts, she instead becomes teased and avoided by students and ghosts alike.
Where is the relevant context?
What reference do you imagine will support the thesis?
Where is the hook?

11. • You will eventually state your thesis near the end of the introduction (your
introduction might be more than one paragraph). Note the Clear transition from
the introduction to the thesis, which must clearly and specifically state what the
essay will analyze. Let’s look one more time at the introduction to the sample
essay:
But while we might expect Moaning Myrtle’s tragic death and afterlife to elicit sympathy
from the residents of Hogwarts, she instead becomes teased and avoided by students and
ghosts alike. Moaning Myrtle first appears as a character who seems to be a kind of comic
relief;
Which is transition text?
How does the transition text help smooth the way to the thesis?

12. LET’S GO BACK TO THE SAMPLE ESSAY
• But while we might expect Moaning Myrtle’s tragic death and afterlife to elicit
sympathy from the residents of Hogwarts, she instead becomes teased and avoided by
students and ghosts alike. Moaning Myrtle first appears as a character who seems to be
a kind of comic relief; however, by the end of The Chamber of Secrets, a reader
who pays close attention to how she is shamed, isolated, and rejected cannot help
but see her as a symbol of the damage and trauma that patriarchy inflicts and the
position of helplessness that it produces.
Where is the transition again?
Where is the thesis to the essay?
Is it unambiguous?
Is it qualified?
Is it arguable?
What “forecasting words” has the writer used to give the reader hints about the
body paragraphs?

13. MAKE SOME NOTES ABOUT HOW YOU MIGHT BEGIN YOUR
ESSAY. YOU CAN REFINE THEM LATER AND INCLUDE BRIEF
REFERENCES TO YOUR IDEAS IN YOUR OUTLINE.
1. Title and director; original studio; date of release or the author and title
of the novel.
a. Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Scholastic, 1999.
2. State the title and author/director of the primary text or film near
the beginning of the first paragraph, perhaps in the first
sentence.
3. Hook the reader, but assume that the reader is familiar with the work
about which you are writing. Do include relevant story context. Do not
include too much plot summary in either the introduction or in the rest
of the essay. Do include brief references to the part(s) of the story that
will support your thesis.
4. Use transitions to keep the introduction clear and organized.
5. Transition to your main argument.

14. You must provide a strong thesis: A Clear Position
Thesis: Identify and argue that the marginalization that you see
this character experiencing is real, and name the outcome(s) of
that marginalization.
As you draft your own thesis, pay attention to the language you
use. It should be clear and unambiguous, emphatic but
appropriately qualified. Although you will probably refine your
thesis as you draft and revise your essay, trying now to
articulate it will help give your planning and drafting direction
and impetus.

15. WRITE A TENTATIVE THESIS NOW. THIS
MAY CHANGE AS YOU READ AND THINK.
THIS IS JUST A STARTING PLACE
• Write a few sentences that could serve as a thesis—that is, a statement that tells your
readers simply and directly what you want them to think about the issue and why. You
might also forecast your reasons, mentioning them in the order in which you will take
them up in your argument.
• Here is the one from the sample essay in case you need to take another look at it.
Notice that it answers all parts of the prompt. How is she marginalized? What is the
cause of the marginalization? What are the outcomes of the marginalization? How is
can it be extended to society?
• [B]y the end of The Chamber of Secrets, a reader who pays close attention
to how [Myrtle] is shamed, isolated, and rejected cannot help but see her
as a symbol of the damage and trauma that patriarchy inflicts and the
position of helplessness that it produces.

16. THE BODY PARAGRAPHS:
REASONS AND SUPPORT
Why do you think so?
Can I have an example?
Take another look at the sample essay

17. WHAT ARE THE REASONS FOR MYRTLE’S MARGINALIZATION,
ACCORDING TO THE SAMPLE ESSAY?
• What are the
reasons?
• She is shamed
• She isolated
• She is rejected
Are there topic sentences for each of these reasons?
Are there examples that support each of these reasons?
Moaning Myrtle’s name in itself is an example of how emotional expression is shamed
and used to discredit people in patriarchal culture.
The name calling
Myrtle’s bathroom itself is a site of patriarchal marginalization.
She lives in a toilet in the dirtiest bathroom at Hogwarts.
The total social rejection of Myrtle, in conjunction with the discounting of her reactions
to it as hysterical and overly emotional, leaves her few options for challenging her
marginalization.
[W]hen Harry returns after defeating Tom Riddle, his explanation for how he
found the Chamber of Secrets conspicuously elides any mention of Moaning
Myrtle’s testimony

18. A Well-Supported Position: Reasons and Support
In arguing for a position, writers may provide various kinds of supporting evidence, including
facts, statistics, examples, anecdotes, and quotes from authorities.
 Examples and anecdotes illustrate what may be true in certain situations; effective writers do not
usually offer them as hard-and-fast evidence of the universal truth of their positions. Using them
can, however, make an argument less abstract and enable readers to identify with those affected by
the issue. Evidence from the novel provides the basis for your analysis in this essay. You may
still need other evidence to back up your insights and assertions.
 Facts are statements that can be proven to be true. However, a statement that is not true or only
partially true may be asserted as fact. Therefore, readers may need to be reassured that an asserted
fact is reliable and comes from a trustworthy source.
 Statistics are sometimes mistaken for facts, but they are only interpretations or correlations of
numerical data. Their reliability depends on how and by whom the information was collected and
interpreted.
 Quotes from authorities can carry weight if readers see them as knowledgeable and trustworthy.

19. DEVELOPING YOUR ARGUMENT: IN-CLASS
WRITING
Explain how the character is marginalized and provide examples of the marginalization using quotes from
the book. You will need reasons for each of the ways you see your character as marginalized.
Note: Examples support reasons; they are not the same!
• List Possible Reasons for your character’s marginalization
• Once your thesis is clear, take a moment to list the reasons for your position. (Example: in the
sample essay, the writer says Myrtle is shamed, isolated, and rejected).
• Try to come up with as many reasons as you can. Later, you may add reasons or modify the ones
you have listed.
• Make a Note of Evidence.
• Consider evidence from the novel Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Which evidence
supports your reasons? (in the sample essay, to show how she is shamed, the writer points out
that Calling her “‘Moaning Myrtle’ rather than just “Myrtle” turns her character name into a part of a
homonym that simultaneously ridicules and marginalizes her.”
Your Tentative Position. Look at your
thesis, that is, your current position on
the issue. As you develop your argument
and counterargument, you may refine it

20. Introduction Paragraph: Presenting the subject
Introduce the novel and author; Name and describe the character; describe his or her role in the novel.
Thesis: Describe the marginalization that you see this character experiencing and the outcome of that
marginalization.
Body Paragraphs
• Body paragraph 1: Use, cite, and discuss quotes to support your identification of the character’s marginalization,
the outcomes/results of marginalization, and ways in which the character responds to the marginalization.
• Body paragraph 2: Analyze ways in which the character responds to the marginalization that you see as
productive or unproductive and why.
• Body paragraph 3: Extend your insights to contemporary society; how does this character’s marginalization
compare to others you see who are also marginalized?
Counterargument: Tomorrow in class
Conclusion: Tomorrow in class
ESSAY STRUCTURE

21. What do you need to do today?
1. Choose your character.
2. Decide how that character is marginalized.
3. Think about how that character responds to that marginalization
and whether you think that is productive.
4. Find three quotes from the book that you can use.
5. Find one quote from another source to use.
6. Write your thesis statement.
7. Decide what you will say in each of your body paragraphs. Make
an outline of each body paragraph: what is the Point (your topic
sentence with a reason) and your illustration (an example,
quotation, or other support) in each?
10. Start making your actual outline to use in class.

22. TIPS FOR WORKING AT HOME:
1. Don’t neglect to consider these two aspects of the prompt:
• Discuss ways in which the character responds to the marginalization that you see as productive or
unproductive and why.
• Extend your insights to contemporary society; how does this character’s marginalization compare
to others you see who are also marginalized?
• Suggestion: Take a moment to consider the two articles we discussed earlier. Does any of that
information seem particularly relevant to your argument? Does a point in one of the essays serve to
support an outcome or behavior of your marginalized character?
2.Collect Evidence. Make notes of the evidence — such as authorities, facts, anecdotes, and statistics —
you might be able to use to support your reasons. You may already have some evidence you could use.
If you need to do research, make notes of sources you could consult
3.Choose the Most Plausible Reasons. Write several sentences explaining why you think each reason
would be likely to convince your particular readers to take your argument seriously. Then identify your
most plausible reasons. If you decide that none of your reasons seems very plausible, you might need to
reconsider your position, do some more research, or choose another issue.

23. HOMEWORK
• Read HP POA Chapter 2
• Collect evidence from Chamber of Secrets and
marginalization essays. Choose the most plausible
support for your argument. Draft the reasons and support
section of your essay (20)
• HW Discussion #14: Post your thesis and an outline for
at least two body paragraphs. Make sure to include topic
sentences and evidence (with page numbers).
• In-class essay #3 is during class 16
• Get/Buy A large Blue Book for essay #3