1. "Stay Sweet As You Are"
Pages 43-49 in The Norton Field Guide

2. Introduction paragraph
In the intro paragraph the author gives some
background information on the subject. In his
case, the subject is magazine advertisements
from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.

3. Your introduction paragraph
Your introduction paragraph should also give
some background, only in your case it will be
about the chapter from The Things They
Carried that you're writing about.

4. Thesis
The introduction paragraph in the "Stay Sweet
As You Are" essay ends by saying that the
theme he's writing about "can be traced
through verbal and visual content."

5. Your thesis
Your thesis will appear at the end of your
introduction paragraph also. Only you want to
give your overall interpretation of the story
you're writing about.
So you want to let the reader know what you
think the story means.

6. Body paragraphs
The body paragraphs in the "Stay Sweet As
You Are" essay begin with claims about a
specific element of the advertisement the writer
is talking about.
- "Visual content supports the mostly verbal
ad."
- "The Lux ad's visual content, like Resinol's,
supports its verbal message."
- "Like Lux, Listerine relies on science as well
as sex."

7. Your body paragraphs
Your body paragraphs will also begin with
claims. Only your claims will tie your thesis to
one of the specific elements of the chapter
you're writing about.
So if you think your story is about lost love.
You'll talk about how one element of the story
(such as imagery, character, setting, story,
action, etc.) supports your interpretation.

8. Your body paragraphs (continued)
You'll do this for each body paragraph.

9. Examples
The body paragraphs in the "Stay Sweet As
You Are" essay make extensive use of
examples to prove the writer's point.
"The central image is a photo of a perky,
seemingly innocent teenage girl..."
"Listerine is '4 times better than any tooth
paste,' the ad proclaims."

10. Your examples
You also want to use examples. Only you will
have just one source - your chapter from The
Things They Carried.
That's not completely true. You will need to also
use the handout that I gave you from Janet
Burroway's Imaginative Writing in order to have
an additional quote for one of your body
paragraphs.

11. Your examples (continued)
Your examples will illustrate your point you're
making with your claim.
So if you think your story is about lost love and
you're talking about how imagery supports your
interpretation, you might give a quote from the
story where the narrator describes a character
as burning a picture of someone they are in
love with.

12. Your examples (continued)
Then you will want to follow up the quote or
description with an explanation of how the
quote or description supports and illustrates
your claim. It may seem obvious to you, but it's
not always that way to the reader.
So you're making a quote sandwich:
Claim
Quote (or example, description, etc.)
Explanation

13. Conclusion
The conclusion paragraph in the "Stay Sweet
As You Are" essay sums up the writer's overall
interpretation of the ads he wrote about.
"The consumer of Resinol, Lux, and Listerine is
encouraged to objectify herself, to become
more physically attractive not for her own sake
but for someone else's."

14. Your conclusion
You want to sum up your overall interpretation
of the story you wrote about in your conclusion.
There is no need to make any new points in the
conclusion, you just want to help the reader
leave your essay remembering your topic.