Writing an essay

1. Writing an essay Step by step

2. Begin with the information about your name and class. • Student’s Name • Course Code • Teacher’s Name • Date Jennifer Jones ENG 2PI Ms. Gay November 28, 2013

3. Next comes the title • Your title should be centered on the page. • You need a two part title. • Do not underline your title. • Underline or put in italics the name of the book. • Guilty of Felony Murder: Steve Harmon’s Failure to Take a Moral Stand in Walter dean Myer’s Monster

4. Your introduction • Start with a “hook”. A hook is something that relates to the idea you will be discussing. • Introduce your novel, author and your characters • Outline what you will be proving. “Let us not forget, after all, that there is always a moment when a moral choice is made.” (Elie Wiesel) Steve Harmon, the main character in Walter Dean Myer’s Monster, makes a moral decision during the robbery of a drug store which leaves the store owner dead. Although Steve Harmon is found not guilty by a jury after his trial, he is still guilty of not acting against an illegal act. His failure to act directly results in someone’s death. His lack of moral choice to do what is right is seen through his journal entries, his flashbacks to conversations with his “crew” and the reaction of the adults around him.

5. My hook to gain the reader’s attention. • “Let us not forget, after all, that there is always a moment when a moral choice is made.” (Elie Wiesel) Steve Harmon, the main character in Walter Dean Myer’s Monster, makes a moral decision during the robbery of a drug store which leaves the store owner dead. Although Steve Harmon is found not guilty by a jury after his trial, he is still guilty of not acting against an illegal act. His failure to act directly results in someone’s death. His lack of moral choice to do what is right is seen through his journal entries, his flashbacks to conversations with his “crew” and the reaction of the adults around him. My opinion Introduce the author and the book plus a little review of the plot. Topic #1 to be discussed Topic #2 to be discussed Topic #3 to be discussed

6. What the beginning of your essay should look like: Jennifer Jones ENG 2PI Ms. Gay November 28, 2013 Guilty of Felony Murder: Steve Harmon’s Failure to Take a Moral Stand in Walter dean Myer’s Monster “Let us not forget, after all, that there is always a moment when a moral choice is made.” (Elie Wiesel) Steve Harmon, the main character in Walter Dean Myer’s Monster, makes a moral decision during the robbery of a drug store which leaves the store owner dead. Although Steve Harmon is found not guilty by a jury after his trial, he is still guilty of not acting against an illegal act. His failure to act directly results in someone’s death. His lack of moral choice to do what is right is seen through his journal entries, his flashbacks to conversations with his “crew” and the reaction of the adults around him.

7. Writing the “body” of your paper: • When you begin writing, start with your topic sentence. The topic sentence is your #1 topic that will be discussed. As you move through, add the “proof” or quotes to back up what you have stated. This will convince your reader to believe you have the right opinion.

8. Body Paragraph Take each of your quotes and form them into sentences to support your idea. Teacher example Steve Harmon’s lack of moral choice to do what is right is seen through his journal entries. As Steve is going through the trial and recording his thoughts, it becomes clear that he was involved in the crime in some way. In his journal he writes that “we lie to ourselves in here, Perhaps we are here because we lie to ourselves” (203). I believe Steve is lying to himself about how he was involved in the crime. He also asks himself “what was I thinking” which suggests that he regrets his decision to become involved with the “crew” responsible for the crime (220). Furthermore, Steve says that he “wanted to be tough” like Ozvaldo Cruz and King, both of whom were involved in the crime against Mr. Nesbitt. He was involved with the two people charged in the crime and he was at the store the day Mr. Nesbitt was killed. Steve Harmon chose not do anything to stop the robbery and therefore he is as guilty as the others. Topic sentence Proof 1 Proof 2 Proof 3 Review in a different way what you have proven.

9. For each of your body paragraphs follow this pattern: Steve Harmon’s lack of moral choice to do what is right is seen through his journal entries. As Steve is going through the trial and recording his thoughts, it becomes clear that he was involved in the crime in some way. In his journal he writes that “we lie to ourselves in here. Perhaps we are here because we lie to ourselves” (203). I believe Steve is lying to himself about how he was involved in the crime. • Topic sentences • Point • Proof • Explain

10. Writing a conclusion • When you get to the end of an essay, you need to write a conclusion which summarizes what you have been focusing on. • Try rephrasing your opinion to start the wrap-up. • Review your points that you made

11. Steve Harmon made a moral choice when he decided to be involved in the robbery of the drug store. He is guilty of being part of the plan to get money and cigarettes which unfortunately lead to the death of Mr. Nesbitt. He was more than an acquaintance with those involved and he regrets his involvement as seen in his journals. He did nothing to stop the crime. For these reasons, I feel he should be convicted of Felony Murder. From my opening paragraph List of my three proofs Finish with your opinion