In-Class Essay: Their Eyes Were Watching God Prompt: Their Eyes Were Watching God is concerned with issues of speech and how speech is both a mechanism of control and a vehicle of liberation. Discuss the role of silence and speech in the book and how that role changes throughout the novel. * Note – Janie’s speech and silence will be the main focus of the essay although references to other character will be made.
Format: 5 paragraphs – Introduction, 3 body paragraphs, conclusion * Topic Sentence Argument statement/Claim * Textual narration * Data (blended quotation) * Warrant (at least 3 sentences) – Note: The warrant portion is the most significant part of this essay. Make sure you fully explain how the data supports the argument. * Concluding sentence What will the thesis statement be? Examples: * Throughout Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie experiences moments of speech and silence that assist in the growth of her character. Zora Neale Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God illustrates the development of Janie’s character through a series of marriages that affect her ability to speak. Topic Sentence Examples: Janie’s marriage to Logan Killicks illustrates a harmful pattern of silence. Argument Example: Janie lacks a voice during her short marriage which hinders her ability to love her husband.
Textual Narration: Give just enough information for your reader to know what part of the story s being discussed. Data: Provide a quotation that supports your argument. Remember to blend this quotation with your own words and to maintain the third person (do not use I, we, me, my, you, your) even in the quotation. Make sure your quotation proves the argument you are making. Warrant: Provide at least a three sentence explanation of how the date proves the argument statement. Do not write “This proves” or “This means.
” Concluding Sentence: What did you set out to prove?
