Literary Analysis: Introductory Paragraph

TASK: Write the introductory paragraph for your literary analysis essay.   

 

PROCEDURE:  Your introductory paragraph should clearly introduce the topic of Transcendentalism.  You should define Transcendentalism using all the information presented in class.  Make sure to: 

• Write in the 3rd person (don't use the pronoun "I")

• Cite and explain at least 2 pieces of evidence from the Emerson text to help you define Transcendentalism

• Use FORMAL academic language

Your finished introductory paragraph should be 150-250 words long.  

 

You may use any of the websites that we visited, Youtube videos on Transcendentalism, a dictionary, and the Emerson text that you annotated.

Here you will find videos for the Emerson text that we read together in class: 

Emerson Paragraph 1

Emerson Paragraph 2 

Example Introductory Paragraph

This is an example introductory paragraph that I wrote for you to see what your writing should look like.  Pay attention to the language that I use and how I was able to cite and explain evidence that helped me to clearly introduce my topic:

Buddhism is considered to be one of the major religions of the world.  Buddhism began in India with the teachings of a man named Sidhartha Guatama and eventually spread throughout many of the countries in Asia.  During the 1950s a group of poets and writers called the “Beat Generation” began to experiment with some Buddhist ideas in their writing, thereby exposing many American people to this way of thinking.  Some of the most prominent ideas in Buddhism include the concept of karma and the belief in reincarnation.  According to Thanissaro Bhikkhu, a Western monk, “Indian schools believed that karma operated in a simple straight line, with actions from the past influencing the present, and present actions influencing the future.”  Basically, this means that Buddhists believe that the things you do today will affect your future.  Reincarnation on the other hand is defined by M. O'C. Walshe as, “a soul that exists and passes on from life to life, occupying successive bodies.”  As you can see, these Buddhist ideas are vastly different than those of traditional American families.  Despite that fact, Buddhism is one of the fastest growing religions in America and continues to influence many people that have never set a foot in Asia.