|
Back to Lesson
Plan Page Back to Home
Page
Body Paragraph Samples
Here you'll find, in PDF format, the first in a series of sample student work to give you direction as you work on your paragraphs and essays.
To view these files, you may (if it's not already installed on your computer) have to download and install the FREE (that's free) reader. Click here to be directed to the Adobe website page which contains the reader (did I mention it was free?).
Elijah Kirby
American Literature I
Another religious aspect of Rowlandson's Narrative is its idea of punishment. >>>SMOOTH OUT TRANSITION. AS WORDED, THIS SEEMS MORE LIKE A PHRASE THAT WOULD BE CONNECTED TO PREVIOUS SENTENCE WITH A COMMA Not necessarily the punishment of one's enemies, but rather a type of self-flagellation in order to become pure.<<<GOOD JOB OF DEFINING THIS There is much in Rowlandson's story that illustrates this point.<<THIS WORKS AS A GOOD TRANSITION She constantly references the Bible when she begins to feel depressed, which gives her assurance that great reward will come after this difficult scourge. “Now that comfortable Scripture presented itself to me, ‘For a small moment have I forsaken thee' (Isaiah 54.7). Thus the Lord carried me along from one time to another, and made good to me this precious promise, and many others” (Rowlandson 252) is indicative of this. Rowlandson believes that God has temporarily abandoned her,<<< -- IN OTHER WORDS, IS PUNISHING HERE -- ???SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS NEEDED B/C WHILE ABANDONMENT CAN BE CONSIDERED A FORM OF PUNISHMENT, IT ISN'T NECESSARILY THE SAME but soon he will come to retrieve her blessed soul. Later on, Rowlandson would embrace her travails. She wrote “affliction I wanted, and affliction I had, full measure (I thought), pressed down and running over” (Rowlandson<<<NOT NEEDED 266).<<<GOOD Rowlandson thought, like many Puritans, that pain and suffering would be a good thing. She had faith that passing this test would bring her closer to eternal salvation and God. This inference can be made by noting Rowlandson's use of the quote from Psalms 119.71 “It is good for me that I have been afflicted” (Rowlandson 266). She is relieved, possibly even happy(now that she has had time to reflect) with her lengthy captivity. She has come to think that this punishment on Earth would help her reach Heaven. <<<FINE ELABORATION OF THIS With this reference, Mary Rowlandson demonstrated a very important aspect of the Puritans<<<N'S way of life:<<<GOOD USE OF COLON Punishment<<<LOWER CASE of the flesh will help the soul ascend to Paradise.
Works Cited
Rowlandson, Mary. A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson_. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Vol. A. Eds. Nina Baym, et al. New York: Norton, 2003. 236-267.
Elizabeth Sellick 9-22-08
Body Paragraph #2 Prof. Bordelon
Another religious aspect of Rowlandson's Narrative is its idea of punishment. Rowlandson believes God has put her on this journey to punish her. There is evidence that shows she feels this way when she states: I then remembered how careless I had been of God's holy time; how many Sabbaths I had lost and misspent, and how evilly I had walked in God's sight; which lay so close unto my spirit, that it was easy for me to see how righteous it was with God to cut off the thread of my life and cast me out of his presence forever (239). Rowlandson is trying to justify why God would put her in this situation and want to punish her. Rowlandson is not angry about being a captive and instead sees the situation she's been put in as God teaching her a valuable lesson. The Puritan idea of providence really shows and Rowlandson never loses faith that God will help her through the tough times even though he is punishing her at the same time. Evidence of this is shown when Rowlandson states, "Yet the Lord still showed mercy to me, and upheld me: and as he wounded me with one hand, he healed me with the other" (239). Throughout the entire Narrative God continues to punish Rowlandson and she starts to realize that she is gaining an appreciation for her life more then she ever had before. Rowlandson reflex's<<<REFLECTS on her journey at the end of her Narrative and says: Affliction I wanted, and affliction I had, full measure (I thought), pressed down and running over. Yet I see, when God calls a person to anything, and through never so many difficulties, yet He is fully able to carry them through and make them see, and say they have been gainers thereby (266). This statement shows Rowlandson believes she has put herself through self-infliction to show religious discipline.<<<YOU CAN MENTION OED HERE Rowlandson chose to not run away and let God lead her through everything and in the end she shows she believes it was all worth it.
Do you think you could have put all your trust in God if you were put in this situation?
Works cited
Rowlandson, Mary. "A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration."<<<UNDERLINE The Norton Anthology American Literature<<<UNDERLINE. Nina Baym. 7th ed. New York: Norton & Company,2001<<<CK DATE. 235-267
Two pages of a chapter of my dissertation -- in various states of revision. I offer this to demonstrate how even experienced writers go through extensive revision in an effort to find out what they're trying to say.
Body Paragraph Tips
Here you'll find the first in series of tips on writing and revising your body paragraph
Tip #2 Look what I found . . . a handy dandy list to help you plan, draft, and revise your body paragraphs. Enjoy.
Research Essay Sample
Last Revised August 2002
David Bordelon