Writing an Essay

(Example from “The World on a Turtle’s Back”)

 Essay Prompt

A theme is a central idea that the author wants to communicate to the

audience. There are several universal themes in “The World on a

Turtle’s Back.” Please track the development of 2 (regular) or 3

(honors) of these themes over the course of the story and explain how

the themes come together to express the story’s overall significance.

 Introduction Paragraph
• First Sentence
• Similar to the topic sentence in a paragraph
• Introduces audience to the main purpose/idea of your essay
• Example: “The World on A Turtle’s Back” is an Iroquois creation myth that
contains several universal themes.

• Transition to a brief summary of the story

• Example: Specifically, the myth involves a woman who falls from the Sky
World. . . .
 Introduction Paragraph (Con’d)
• Summary
• 3-4 sentences maximum.
• Ask yourself, “what are the most important occurrences in the story that are
necessary for the reader to follow my essay?”
• Example
• Woman falls through Sky World.
• With the assistance of animals, lands on a turtle and begins to create the world with dirt
from the ocean bottom.
• Woman’s daughter eventually gives birth to twin brothers of opposing natures who help
her create a balanced world.
• Thesis statement is the last sentence in your introductory paragraph.
 Writing a Thesis Statement
• Two Parts
1. Topic – Universal themes in “The World on a Turtle’s Back”
2. Stance – What are you trying to prove or communicate
about your topic? What do the themes here
communicate about the story collectively?
• Examples:
• By tracing the development of several universal themes, the reader comes to
appreciate “The World on a Turtle’s Back” as a multi-faceted myth that speaks
not only to the creation of the world but also to the nature of humankind.
 Writing a Thesis Statement (Con’d)
• Examples (Con’d)
• The themes in the “The World on a Turtle’s Back” all contribute to the
reader’s understanding of the complexities inherent in creating the world.

• What are some of your ideas?

 Example Introduction
(TOPIC SENTENCE) “The World on A Turtle’s Back” is an Iroquois
creation myth that contains several universal themes. (SUMMARY)
Specifically, the myth tells the story of a woman who falls through the
Sky World only to land on the back of a turtle. With the assistance of
several animals, she begins to create the world with dirt from the
ocean bottom. Eventually, her daughter gives birth to twin boys of
opposing natures who help to create the world in a balanced fashion.
(THESIS) By tracing the development of the story’s universal themes,
the reader comes to appreciate “The World on a Turtle’s Back” as a
multi-faceted myth that speaks not only to the creation of the world
but also to nature of humankind.
 Writing an Introduction: Review
All Introductions have 3 parts:

1. Topic Sentence
2. Summary
3. Thesis
 4 Elements of a Good Body Paragraph
1. Transition/Topic Sentence
• The first theme that contributes to the reader’s understanding of “The World
on a Turtle’s Back is that the universe thrives on balance.
2. Discussion/Evidence – 2 quotes required
• Using textual evidence, describe how this theme evolves over the course of
the story.
• Follow your theme chart.
3. Analysis
• Explain how this theme is important to the story as a whole and why it
supports your thesis.
4. Concluding Sentence – restates your main idea
 Example Body Paragraph
(Transition/Topic Sentence) The first theme that contributes to the reader’s
understanding of “The World on a Turtle’s Back” is that the universe thrives on
balance. (Discussion/Evidence) Throughout the story, twin brothers compete to
bring many opposites into the world, “[t]he right-handed twin made berries . . . for
his creatures to live on . . . . The left-handed twin made . . . poisonous plants. . . with
which people kill themselves.” As these competitions continue, it becomes apparent
that the twins’ rivalry “made . . . a balanced and orderly world, and this was good.”
(Analysis) Indeed the world needs the balance created by the twins. Without it,
there might not be enough vegetation to support a large number of plant-eating
animals. Carnivores are needed to control the number of vegetarians. The Iroquois
understood this example as well as many others that show the importance of
balance. Accordingly, they honor both the “right-handed twin through daytime
rituals” and “in the nighttime. . . [they] sing for the left-handed twin.” (Conclusion) In
conclusion, the competition among the twin brothers in the story demonstrates that
balance is essential to creation.
 Body Paragraphs: Review
• Transition/Topic Sentence – Transition from the prior paragraph and
introduce topic of new paragraph
• Discussion/Evidence – discuss the development of the theme you are
focusing on using at least 2 quotes.
• Analysis – explain why the theme is important to the story as a whole
and any it supports your thesis
• Concluding sentence – restates your main idea (parallels your topic
sentence)
 Conclusion
• The last paragraph in an essay

• 1st Sentence - Restate your thesis

• Summarize the theme in each of your body paragraphs; how does it

support your thesis? (1-2 sentences per theme)

• Again, rephrase your thesis. How do these theme come together?