WHY DOES IT MATTER WHETHER EURIPIDES WROTE TROJAN WOMEN

BEFORE OR AFTER THE CAPTURE OF MELOS?

1. PRODUCE A CLAIM THAT RESPONDS TO THIS QUESTION.

In a sentence or two, articulate the argument that you will attempt to demonstrate in the paragraph.

2. PREPARE THE READER FOR THE FIRST QUOTATION .

This sentence should include one or both of the following: a) a brief set-up in which you highlight for the reader what you want them
to look at in the quotation and what they will need to know about the context in which the quotation occurs to evaluate it; and b) a
suggestion of how the quotation relates to your claim, either by supporting it, or by offering a contrast of some kind.

3. DELIVER THE FIRST QUOTATION.

This should take the form of a grammatical sentence, either on its own, or integrated into a sentence of your own design. Use correct
pronunciation and [brackets] if necessary to gloss pronouns in order to make clear who is being named in the quotation.

4. ANALYZE THE QUOTATION.

Show the reader how the quotation that you chose serves to illustrate the point that you are trying to develop. You should explain what
the important parts of the quotation are, especially as they relate to the development of your claim. There are several ways that you
might show how the quotation helps to secure you point. For example, in your analysis, you might emphasize a key word (explaining
why it is so), or you might show how the quotation demonstrates an important idea related to your claim. In any case, do not
paraphrase the quoted text. Instead, closely read the quoted text by demonstrating explicitly and specifically how the quotation you
mobilized illustrates the validity of the central claim of this paragraph.

5. WRITE A CONNECTIVE SENTENCE.

This is a sentence that helps you move from your analysis of the evidence that you were using to secure the first half of the
paragraph to the context of the evidence that you will be using to secure the argument in the second half of the paragraph. You
should try to explain the relationship that exists between the two quotations you chose to deploy. Think of this sentence as a key to the
connection between the ideas you chose to address in the initial claim. A connection might be: a) a comparison (and); b) a contrast
(but); c) a development (if, furthermore, moreover); d) a complication (or, on the other hand, however); e) a frame (the first quote
gives a theory, the second an example which shows the theory at work, or how the example contradicts the theory).

6. INTRODUCE THE SECOND QUOTATION.

This sentence sets up the next quotation. See #2 above.

7. DELIVER THE SECOND QUOTATION.

This quotation should present an idea, preferably from a different section of text, that you will nevertheless relate to the idea(s)
inherent in the first evidentiary section. See #3 above.

8. ANALYZE THE SECOND QUOTATION.

Demonstrate to the reader how the second quotation helps to confirm your initial claim. See #4 above.

9. SYNTHESIZE THE EVIDENTIARY SECTIONS.

Now put the ideas in the evidentiary sections directly into dialogue with one another showing how the ideas in both help to
substantiate the original claim that you made at the outset of the paragraph. If you are having trouble conceiving of how to make such
a connection, you might consider using the formula “Just as…[evidentiary section #1 demonstrates that X is Y], so too…[evidentiary
section #2 shows that Z is Y also]” if there exists a compelling similarity between the evidence you use in both halves of the
paragraph. Adversative relationships can be identified with words like “while,” “although,” “nevertheless,” and “however,” among
others.

10. WRITE A CONCLUSION THAT HIGHLIGHTS THE CONNECTION AND PREPARES THE READER FOR A PARAGRAPH TRANSITION.

Bring the first quote back into the discussion. This is the second place in the paragraph where you should highlight your connection
between the two quotations. (The first was in #5.) Explain how the two quotes have helped you to develop your claim in this
paragraph. Most of your explanation of how your ideas are developing, and of how the quotations you’ve included help this
development, should occur at this point in a paragraph. Take as much space as you need to make sure that your reader understands
what you’ve done with each part of the paragraph, and how it all helps to develop your overall point.