Character evolution essay straighterline

English 101

Essay Assignment 1: Character Evolution

Welcome to the first essay assignment in the course!

Most of the essay assignments in this course are centered around a thesis statement, which you may remember from the lesson is a personal, debatable claim that should appear in a single statement at the end of your introduction paragraph (please underline them). Then, each of your body paragraphs is constructed to serve as support in proving your thesis. Let’s get started!

Topic and Structure:

Character Evolution – Explain how a character from a novel, film, television show, or another medium of your choice evolves—either good or bad—from the beginning to the end of the story.

Your introduction will provide a brief synopsis of the story and then smoothly transition into the last sentence of your introduction—the thesis statement. Next, you will develop at least three body paragraphs, each dedicated to one example (such as a scene) in your chosen medium that serves as support for your thesis claim. Finally, you will compile a conclusion paragraph that synthesizes your findings.

Creating the thesis statement:

Is your argument focused and meaningful in a way that it also offers a clear-cut, but debatable point of view, which a reader might either agree or disagree with? Avoid claims that are too obvious to the readers—offer them a new idea! Remember, a thesis also serves as a map for your essay, providing a promise of subtopics you will discuss in your body paragraphs in the order in which they appear in your essay.

Sample thesis statement: In The Midnight’s Shadow, Charles Bellingham begins as a lonely, self-loathing candle maker, but after he meets Miss Charmaine, begins working for the king, and takes an understudy, he transforms into a confident man who sees the townspeople and the kingdom as a friendly and prosperous community.

Developing the body paragraphs:

The way you present your supporting evidence is just as important as the evidence itself. When you create a body paragraph with the goal of supporting a claim in your thesis, you want to include a balance of research and/or examples with original material. In other words, original material refers to discussions you develop that help explain the connection between your research and/or examples and your thesis claim. You don’t want to assume that your research and/or examples are enough to prove your thesis—you want to inform your reader how and why cited material serves the purpose you intend.

Therefore, begin each body paragraph with a topic sentence that affirms your opinion. A topic sentence for the first body paragraph in a paper with the thesis from above might say, “Miss Charmaine, ever so charming in her ways, bumps into a scowling Mr. Bellingham, only to annoy him further, but as he slowly raises his gaze to evaluate the source of this unpleasantry, he is rather surprised to see a such a lovely creature affectionately maintaining his stare, eliciting an intrigue that serves as the first defining moment in Charles’ positive transformation.” Next, follow up the topic sentence with more about this scene that serves as the defining moment. Then, spend significant time explaining how the events you just discussed prove your thesis. Finally, end the paragraph with a concluding sentence that synthesizes your efforts.

Compiling the conclusion:

Lastly, compile a conclusion paragraph that summarizes your findings in a new manner, using fresh language and perspective. Make sure to work in a restatement of your thesis statement (but not a repetitive version) as well as any other relevant ideas you present in the essay. You want your conclusion to read like new information but without actually presenting new arguments. In sum, synthesize instead of summarize.

Notes

· When you refer to events in your chosen medium, use literary present.

· Review the course sample essay for this assignment via the link on this page, but be sure not to copy the sample ideas.

Format Requirements:

Header: Include a header in the upper left-hand corner of your writing assignment with the following information:

· Your first and last name

· Course Title (Composition I)

· Assignment name (Character Evolution)

· Current Date

Page Layout:

· MLA style documentation (please see the tutorial in the course topic)

· Last name and page number in upper-right corner of each page

· Double-spacing throughout

· Title, centered after heading

· Standard font (Times New Roman or Calibri)

· 1" margins on all sides

· Save the file as .docx or .doc format

Length: This assignment should be at least 500 words. You must meet word minimums for all essays in this course in order to have your submissions graded.

Underline your thesis statement.

English 101

Essay Assignment 2: Descriptive Paragraph

Topic and Structure:

Outdoor Experience Description – Detail a real or imaginary experience walking through an outdoor event or activity, such as a zoo, open-air market, festival, etc.

You only need to develop one paragraph for this assignment, but it should include many sensory details and directional transitions. Start with a topic sentence, which will also serve as the thesis statement, that explains the exhibition you are experiencing as well as mentions how the adventure ignites your senses. In the sentences following, describe your journey. What do you see? Hear? Feel? Smell? Taste? Where are these experiences located (directional transitions)? To the right? Just above? The reader should be able to build the environment around you and take part in the sensory experience you illustrate as he or she reads along, so be as descriptive as necessary, touching upon all five senses within the body paragraph. Finally, complete your paragraph with a concluding sentence that summarizes your outing, and make sure it has a point! In other words, what did you take away from this excursion?

Sample thesis statement: As I walk toward the Brookfield Zoo entrance gate for my first zoo experience, I notice a flurry of lively activity in front of me, so on my way to the gorilla den, I can feel my excitement building, and as I get closer, the sounds and smells strengthen, making the chill of my cold beverage much more apparent; I hope I am ready for this.

Notes

· You can use either past or present tense verbs to describe your experience in this assignment, but avoid unnecessary tense shifts.

· In addition to directional transitions, be sure to use standard transitions between sentences where applicable so that your ideas are fluid from start to finish.

Format Requirements:

Header: Include a header in the upper left-hand corner of your writing assignment with the following information:

· Your first and last name

· Course Title (Composition I)

· Assignment name (Comparison and Contrast)

· Current Date

Page Layout:

· MLA style documentation (please see the tutorial in the course topic)

· Last name and page number in upper-right corner of each page

· Double-spacing throughout

· Title, centered after heading

· Standard font (Times New Roman or Calibri)

· 1" margins on all sides

· Save the file as .docx or .doc format

Length: This assignment should be at least 15 sentences in a single paragraph.

Underline your thesis statement.

English 101

Essay Assignment 3: Annotated Bibliography

Topic and Structure:

Annotated Bibliography – Review four potential sources for your research paper project (you should already have your research essay topic chosen), and select two to explore further, with at least one qualifying as a periodical.

Here are some possible places to search for credible sources:

· Internet Public Library Link.

· Truman State University’s Pickler Memorial Library (this source lists periodical databases only, so you may choose your periodical here): Link.

· Google Scholar (note that this is different from regular Google): Link.

· Microsoft Academic Search: Link.

· Cornell University’s arXiv (open access sources in math, biology, physics, and other fields): Link.

· Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (BASE): Link.

· Your local library

This assignment does not follow the standard introduction, body paragraph, and conclusion format; instead, you will simply create three well-developed paragraphs per source, each with a specific objective, for six paragraphs total. For each of your two chosen resources, you will summarize the material, assess the source’s content, and reflect on its value for your research paper project. Some sources are long and contain main ideas and subtopics, so be sure to focus your assignment on ideas that are relevant to your research paper topic. Learn more about summarizing, assessing, and reflecting here.

This essay also requires a particular format in which you will summarize, assess, and reflect on one source in full before you move to the next one. See the sample here under “Sample MLA Annotation” for format details.

Notes

· Make the title of your annotated bibliography your research paper project’s topic.

· On the line under your title, but left-aligned on the page, include your proposed research essay’s thesis so that graders can provide some preliminary feedback.

Format Requirements:

Header: Include a header in the upper left-hand corner of your writing assignment with the following information:

· Your first and last name

· Course Title (Composition I)

· Assignment name (Comparison and Contrast)

· Current Date

Page Layout:

· MLA style documentation (please see the tutorial in the course topic)

· Last name and page number in upper-right corner of each page

· Double-spacing throughout

· Title, centered after heading

· Standard font (Times New Roman or Calibri)

· 1" margins on all sides

· Save the file as .docx or .doc format

Length: This assignment should have three full paragraphs per two sources for a total of six paragraphs, with at least 500 words minimum overall.

Underline your thesis statement.

English 101

Essay Assignment 4: Compare/Contrast Essay

Topic and Structure:

Compare/Contrast Essay – Choose one topic provided in these instructions to compare and/or contrast.

The table below provides an extensive list of topic options from which you must select, and we recommend that you choose one from below that you are interested in beyond this course. For instance, if you are a Finance or Business major, you might be interested in the Dividends v. Capital Gains topic. If you are a Science major, you might choose Hybrid Seeds v. GMO Seeds. Or perhaps you’re taking StraighterLine’s Survey of World History course, in which case you might opt to research the similarities and differences between the United States and the Roman Empire. You will use at least two credible sources to support your claims, and remember, you must include your sources throughout the body paragraphs of your essay in a mix of cited quotes, paraphrases, and summaries. Both the support and research portions of the rubric will be negatively affected if you do not integrate your researched data.