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Your essay will have two body paragraphs, so be sure you have TWO
key ideas/relevant facts to discuss and support in your essay.
Example: In America, criminals often get lesser punishments than they
deserve because the society is more focused on individual rights than
collective safety of its citizens.
Write your thesis statement here:
Gather FOUR pieces of information (supporting evidence) from “The
Bet” that can support your main topic/your thesis statement.
Read through “The Bet” highlighting any information that could
be relevant to the main topic you have chosen to write about.
The evidence you list can be a detail from the story, a direct
quote, or a paraphrased quote.
You will be required to cite your quotes in MLA format in your
essay, so practice this now. Remember, all you need for an in-
text citation is the author’s last name and page number in
parenthesis: “Quote goes in quotation marks” (Chekhov 1).
Supporting Evidence 1: (5)
Supporting Evidence 2:
Supporting Evidence 3:
“Poor creature thought the banker, “he is asleep and most likely dreaming of the million!s.
And I have only to take his half-dead man, throw him on the bed, stifle him a little with the
pillow, and the most conscientious expert would find no sign of a violent death. But let us first
read what he has written here… “(31)
Supporting Evidence 4: (38)
Essay Outline
Below is an outline of what your final essay will look like. You will complete
this as we learn about each part of the essay in class.
Be sure to group your evidence according to their commonalities (which pieces
make sense together?). These commonalities should fall under the topics
presented in your thesis statement.
Each body paragraph should tackle only ONE key idea (your thesis should have
TWO key ideas).
Support each key idea with relevant facts and evidence. Avoid repeating
facts/evidence in different paragraphs, as it will make your essay look as though
it was not carefully planned.
Use the acronym PEEL to ensure your body paragraphs have everything they
need.
Point: make your point (topic sentence directly related to key idea in
thesis)
Evidence: support your point with evidence and examples