Learning to Read

read“Learning to Read” by Malcolm X (1965)  , making sure A) your introduction paragraph ends with an argumentative thesis statement that you will support throughout the rest of your essay and B) your body paragraphs support that thesis with persuasive evidence/examples.  Expand your diagnostic essay into a 3-page essay.  Here is a breakdown of how your essay should be structured:  In the introduction paragraph, introduce your text with a brief summary. Give historical/cultural background to put it into context. The last sentence of your introduction should be your thesis statement, where you make your central claim. The rest of your essay will expand on your thesis, so make sure your body paragraphs tie back to it. You can use the thesis statement (and topic sentence) model I gave you for your diagnostic if you want.  Your body paragraphs start with your topic sentence, which is a statement zooms in and supports your thesis statement. After your topic sentence, you need to introduce and integrate direct evidence (mainly in the form of quotes from the text) that backs up your topic sentence. After each piece of evidence, analyze the evidence and explain how it connects to your overall point. Make sure each body paragraph smoothly transitions into the next body paragraph. Each body paragraphs is essentially structured the way I’ve described above.  In your conclusion paragraph, address how the themes and topics you have discussed are still relevant to our lives today. In what ways are they still relevant? In what ways have things changed? Where do we go from here on these types of issues? Feel free to give examples to support your points.