Is Franz Kafka’s “Before the Law” a religious parable?
Whether you are transitioning from one idea to the next or introducing a totally new argument, you want to show how the thing you’re saying connects and leads to the next thing you’d like to say, or how something links back to a piece you spent time exploring earlier.
Technically, any discussion of the relationship between two characters in a book is an argument, unless the author has directly told you themselves something like "these two characters are a foil of one another". Without the author's direct input, any time you note a relationship between characters, or a symbol in the book, or the tone of the book, etc., you are making an argument. Try to find a not-so-obvious relationship between two characters. This will make creating an argument much easier. Are two characters secretly in love? Are apparent enemies past friends? Is a mother-daughter relationship actually strained? To turn a discussion into an argument, you'll need evidence. For example, if you decide that Robert and Mary are secretly in love, you could cite line 2 on page 42, "He looked into her eyes, and briefly shared a moment there". (This example is completely made up, but you get the idea!) On a sentence level: start your sentences by referring back to the main idea or subject of the sentence before it, and end your sentences with the new information. This way, you create a smooth ramp into your next idea. On a paragraph level: start by either summarizing or referring back to the “so what” of the paragraph before it and use a strong transition word or phrase to connect it to your next argument. An argumentative essay just means you are making a claim about something. It doesn't mean you have to say "I believe..." In fact, you should avoid using first or second person entirely. For this particular prompt, your argument will be the relationship between the two characters. That is your claim and you will need evidence to support. For a good argumentative essay make sure you include a concession point where you provide evidence for a claim someone may use against your argument but then explain how your argument is stronger than that claim. Also remember you are not discussing the book, you are using the book as evidence to explain your argument about the relationship between the characters. Don't start summarizing the book because that is just a book report. The only time you need to use anything from the book is for a direct quote or supporting evidence. Your claims should be your own. For example if you were saying that they are enemies then your thesis should include that they are enemies and the reasons you are making that claim (i.e. they constantly avoid each other, they make each other suffer, etc.). Make sure your claims are general enough that you can elaborate on them. Too specific and you'll have nothing to write about. Also make sure your body paragraphs include the significance of your evidence. Don't just quote the book, explain why that quote supports your claim in that paragraph and the main argument of your paper.
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Are there smooth transitions and/or topic sentences at the beginning of each paragraph? Underlining or circling those transitions will help you to visually map whether you're providing adequate anchors and links for your readers.
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Can I define or explain the relationship a transition is trying to convey between each new idea (e.g. are they similar? do they contrast? are they chronological?). If you’re struggling to answer that question, you probably a) don’t have a transition yet or b) need a stronger, more specific transition.
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Let’s begin with what the conclusion is not: it is not strictly a summary of your main points and thesis. While the conclusion frequently does start with a look back at previously made arguments, the majority of the conclusion should be forward looking. It should focus on the “so what” and aim for a feeling of resolution with an openness to possibilities.
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Introduce your evolved thesis by circling back to reevaluate and establish connections between previously made arguments. Using keywords to guide this “summary” will help you to avoid redundancy while still communicating the important evolution of your ideas throughout the essay.
The prompt usually goes like this:
As a result, they did not need to rely on men or societal acceptance to formulate strong identities. By creating strong female characters grounded in their “domestic” creative art, Nottage and Shange reframe female domesticity as more than just a role women should play—it’s a tool that women can wield to generate fuller, more empowered lives for themselves.
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Notice that the underlined section does link back to and in effect summarizes some of the major points made in the essay (and notice that even without having read the whole essay, you have a clear sense of what was likely discussed). But the section in italics draws conclusions by examining the wider meaning or importance and by discussing its possible social implications and applications.