Chapter 2: Evidence
Your Turn! (Part 2)
Activity
1. Reread the essay and list the words and phrases you’ve highlighted—remember that at this stage, it is better to accumulate more information than you will need for your final essay.
- 7–10 interesting words
- 7–10 definitions of new words
- 7–10 lists of synonyms and related terms
- 7–10 contrasts and comparisons
2. Review your lists and select the two most revealing and important pieces of information upon which to build your unique interpretation of the text. Draft an observational paragraph that uses this piece of information as the textual evidence for your interpretation.
3. Draft an essay blueprint using all the evidence that supports your interpretation.
4. Using the work completed in step 1, 2, and 3, write a two-storey opening that moves from your textual evidence to a controversial claim about the author’s purpose.
How did you do? Did you gather enough information and evidence from the text to come up with your own interpretive focus and claim? Your blueprint should clearly delineate how you move from the claim made in your opening, through your more obvious evidence, and into the less obvious evidence. That “less obvious” evidence appears more viable in the face of your mounting evidence.
