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How to Write an Essay

The essay must be a minimum of two pages

Please do not write front and back

If you type it, then please double space!

Please use a dark pen in blue or black

Font should be no less than 12.

Thy shalt not use Olde English font

The essay should have a title and should have a reference to “The Necklace”

The first paragraph should have a thesis statement:

Madame Loisel, the protagonist from Guy De Maupassant’s short story, “The Necklace”, is a vain, narcissistic woman whose character flaws lead to her downfall.

The thesis statement is a topic sentence but it should also include your position on the topic.

Please do not use the pronouns "I" or "you" or "my".

It should include the title of the short story and the author’s name.

Madame Loisel is a very vain woman. Other readers may maintain that Loisel is not vain; however, the evidence pointing to her vanity is overwhelming.

In the first paragraph quickly devote one sentence to each paragraph topic you will be discussing.

You need an attention grabber!!!! Something that is going to make me, the reader, want to read your paper. (The hook!)

How would you feel if?

What if?

Why?

Has Mathilde really changed at the end of the story? Why or why not?

You should briefly recount the story. Briefly detail the schematic or outline of the story.

DO NOT SUMMARIZE!!!!

You might want to discuss her behavior before she lost the necklace.

You might want to discuss her behavior after she lost the necklace.

You might want to discuss how she reacted when she saw Madame Forestier ten years after the necklace incident. What did she think to herself? What did she say to Madame Forestier?

There should be a concluding sentence at the end of each paragraph:

Body Paragraphs:

The first sentence should be the mini-topic sentence of your paragraph. (So the reader will know what the paragraph is about!!!!)

Develop the mini-topic sentence. (This should be  one to four sentences.)

Details: from the story! Either quotations or concrete details (you paraphrase this). This is the meat in your essay sandwich.

Paraphrase means to put into your own words!!

You must show how your evidence supports your thesis!!!! Comment on what you have quoted or the concrete detail you have supplied!!!! This is the bread.

You write a concluding sentence which is the bow on your little paragraph present or it is the icing on your little paragraph cake.

Use transitional words to link sentences or paragraphs together.

There should be a minimum of three body paragraphs.

Please do not write in your concluding paragraph: “In conclusion…..”

Briefly recap the main points of your essay which you first stated in the first paragraph.