You Say I 'M Notan Expert !'

Sophomore Language Arts Essay I Guide You have selected a topic related to Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, and you are going to write a five paragraph essay demonstrating your expert knowledge about that topic. “Wait,” you say, “I’m NOTan expert!” Ahh, but this is the beauty of research. You have a good mind and you know what you think about your topic. Other people will have thought about this topic, too. Some of them may have spent their lives becoming very knowledgeable about this topic. That does not mean they are right or that their ideas are better than yours. It just means you can use their credentials to build YOUR argument. It isn’t about being right or wrong – it’s about making a good case for what you claim.
_______So start by finding out what some respected people have said. See how it relates to what you think and want to claim in your essay. Write down the pith (most important excerpt – the pith is the heart of a fruit) of what they said and document the source using easybib.com.
You don’t need to retell the whole story (assume they know the basics) – just the basics. Make sure the last line of your paragraph is your claim (thesis statement). State it as simply but completely as possible._______
Example 1: In this classic tragedy, it is Brutus’ unwavering determination to be a good man and do the right thing for the society he loves that keeps him from seeing the way people really are and brings about the destruction of himself, his family and his beloved