Parts of a Paragraph This lesson is designed to help students understand the various elements in a well-crafted paragraph, using a “hands-on” approach. You can modify the type of paragraph, the topic, the grade level, and the difficulty of the paragraph quite easily. *This is used with the Point, Proof, Comment style of expository writing, but modifications could be made to suit any vocabulary. Materials needed: 1) Full copy of your Expository or Comparative paragraph (answer sheet) 2) Photocopies of the separate pieces of the paragraph, cut apart. (the number of these packets depends on how many groups you wish to have-groups of 3 or 4 work well). I use a bigger font when creating the packets for the students so that it is easier to read. 3) Copy of the paragraph outline on the board or chart paper (or to challenge them further, do not allow students to use the outline as a guide) Have the students get into groups and give them their mixed up packet of papers. They mustput them in the correct order, starting with the Topic Sentence, all the way down to the Concluding Sentence of the paragraph. Once they have finished, they must raise their handsto have their paragraph checked. I do not check the entire paragraph, but stop where (if) they are wrong and leave it up to them to figure out. The first group to complete the paragraph correctly wins! For this particular paragraph, the parts of the paragraph would be as follows: TOPIC SENTENCE POINT #1-SUBJECT A LEAD-IN TO PROOF #1 (QUOTATION) PROOF #1 COMMENT #1 (EXPLANATION OF PROOF) POINT #2-SUBJECT A LEAD-IN TO PROOF #2 (QUOTATION) PROOF #2 COMMENT #2 (EXPLANATION OF PROOF) TRANSITION SENTENCE BETWEEN SUBJECTS A & B POINT #1-SUBJECT B LEAD-IN TO PROOF #1 PROOF #1 COMMENT #1 POINT #2-SUBJECT B LEAD-IN TO PROOF #2 PROOF #2 COMMENT #2 CONCLUDING SENTENCE Paragraph-- this is for a Comparative Block Method Paragraph for Grade 11-English. (Note: this is one paragraph only and does not fit in with the rest of an essay.) To reveal the cruel tendencies of humankind, in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and William Godwin the Younger’s “The Executioner” the authors focus on the theme of isolation as it applies to two of the major characters in their respective tales. In Shelley’s Frankenstein, the Creature is created in light of Victor’s curiosity and obsession, and the abnormity of this experiment causes Victor to reject and abandon him. Alone and isolated from humanity, the creature struggles to enter civilization. This abnormity results in scorn and fear when the Creature comes into contact with humans: “I had hardly placed my foot within the door before the children shrieked, and one of the women fainted. The whole village was roused; some fled, some attacked me, until...I escaped to the open country” (Shelley 91). Victor’s Creature soon realizes the abnormality of his features and is aware that he is alone to suffer the abuses of a cruel world with no acceptance. He is hated by humankind and must hide from the world. Also, the Creature understands man’s cruelty and yet longs for acceptance and love, especially from his creator; however, he is rejected and detested by all, even the man who made him. As a result of his isolation and rejection, the Creature begins to feel bitterness and resentment toward Victor, and does not understand how Victor could create him and yet treat him with such loathing and disgust: “All men hate the wretched; how then must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things! Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me, thy creature, to whom thou art bound” (Shelley 83). In his obsession with knowledge and power, Victor has created a horrific looking creature, whose appearance causes those who see him to flee in terror and disgust. The Creature’s physical appearance is beyond his own control and he is defenseless against the prejudices of his people and, more importantly, his creator whom he feels should love and be bound to him. Similarly to Shelley, Godwin the Younger shows the isolation felt by Ambrose to illustrate the human affinity to cruelty and prejudice; however, Ambrose’s isolation and rejection does not derive from physical deformity in the way that the Creature’s does. Ambrose feels the isolation from others, even as a child, when he is separated from others, even his father. Upon leaving his isolated home, he seeks guidance, pity, and understanding from others. Ambrose is not prepared for the treatment he receives from those around him, and yet he notes how often he is cast off: “Another, and another, and another cottage was tried,—and still the same result. I was spurned by the most cruel—I was unheeded by the most humane— I was neglected by all” (Godwin, 139). In his travels, Ambrose seeks assistance from others, and discovers that he is indeed very much alone, although he does not understand the reasons for this rejection. He has been separated from civilized society for many years, and has no connections to the people he comes into contact with. Ambrose seeks acceptance and realizes how harsh and unfeeling his ‘fellow people’ can be. In his solitude and confusion, Ambrose questions both humanity and himself, “As I laboured along in solitude, misery, and neglect, I demanded of myself a thousand times, ‘Why am I to have love for man, when mankind has none for me?’ ” (Godwin 141) Ambrose questions the harshness of humanity, and suffers the segregation and treatment at the hands of strangers, thus feeling more isolated. This rejection increases his bitterness and resentment toward others. Through the isolation of both the Creature and Ambrose, and the confusion and torment they feel as a result, both Shelley and Godwin portray the cruelties and callousness of humanity.