For your Book Analysis, you will try to convince Dr. Beauchesne that your critical analysis and opinion of your book is correct. In the Critical Analysis section of the Book Analysis, you will use your course readings and external sources to provide examples and terminology, as well as to build your evidence and arguments. See Use Your Sources for guidelines and instructions on incorporating your sources into your Book Analysis.
Argumentative Essay Format
Your Book Analysis should have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion:
1. Introduction: summarizes what you will write and puts it into context
- Start the introduction with background that contextualizes your book; include the author and title
- Outline the main points of your essay, how you will address them, and in what order
2. Body (Critical Analysis): presents the main points of the essay, with each paragraph representing one aspect of your analysis. Each paragraph should include a topic sentence, evidence, analysis, and a transition sentence:
- The topic sentence summarizes the paragraph's main idea
- Use evidence from your sources to support or make the argument for your main idea
- Include a transition sentence at the end of each paragraph to connect what you discussed in that paragraph with the main idea of the next paragraph
4. Body (Personal Opinion): presents the main points of your personal opinions about your book, with each paragraph representing one aspect of your opinions about the book. Each paragraph should include a topic sentence, your reasoning, and a transition sentence:
- The topic sentence summarizes the paragraph's main opinion you're discussing
- Include reasoning for your opinion
- Include a transition sentence at the end of each paragraph to connect what you discussed in that paragraph with the main opinion of the next paragraph
4. Conclusion: summarizes what you wrote and what you learned
- Briefly summarize your main points, arguments, and opinions
- End with a strong, final statement that ties the whole essay together and makes it clear the paper has come to an end
- No new ideas should be introduced in the conclusion, it should only review and analyze the main points from the body of the essay
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