I'm thinking I should have gotten serious about this essay awhile ago

[Sam]

I'm writing an essay for my honors english class on the Grapes of Wrath. basically, the rules of the essay are to respond to this quote by Frederick Douglass:

?Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are people who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightening; they want the ocean without the awful roar of its waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand; it never did and it never will. Find out what people will submit to, and you have found the exact amount of injustice which will be imposed upon them. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.?

and.. that's all the rules.

So my essay is on how no change can ever occur if those whom are oppressed never go against those who oppress them. It's a true concept, really. I've decided to also work the film Norma Rae into the essay since it fits in very nicely though it's on a completely different subject than the book.

Anyway, this was assigned two weeks ago, must be at least 7 pages. I 'started' three days ago, but I have like.. really bad ADD, so all I have are 2 unfinished paragraphs. It's due tomorrow, so I have about 6 hours to finish.

And for some reason I'm posting about it here. >.>

[Snorkel]

Well, the good news is, the topic is easy. You could flesh out the concept itself for a couple pages -- the oppressed necessarily needing to protest, etc.

But, having been in your situation many times before (the dilemma having multiple page essays due in a few hours), I can say that best way to go about writing is to...

A. Figure out what you want to write about. There should be a section explaining and debating the concept, a section for the movie if you want, and a section about the book itself.

B. Write a thesis statement based on the quote/concept.

C. Find quotes in the book that illustrate the main concept or whatever point you happen to be explaining/proving. Since Grapes of Wrath is read by every high school student, you should be able to find some top 10 quotes lists online, and stuff like that.

D. Continue to flesh out each individual section, keeping your thesis in mind.

E. Write the body paragraphs.

F. Refine with introduction and conclusion sentences in each section/paragraph if necessary, and make sure everythning links back to your thesis.

G. Write a good intro paragraph introducing the concept and an outline of what you'll talk about in the essay, and a conclusion paragraph summing up what you've said and reiterating the thesis.

H. Write your name at the top.  flower;

[Sam]

Well, the good news is, the topic is easy. You could flesh out the concept itself for a couple pages -- the oppressed necessarily needing to protest, etc.

But, having been in your situation many times before (the dilemma having multiple page essays due in a few hours), I can say that best way to go about writing is to...

A. Figure out what you want to write about. There should be a section explaining and debating the concept, a section for the movie if you want, and a section about the book itself.

B. Write a thesis statement based on the quote/concept.

C. Find quotes in the book that illustrate the main concept or whatever point you happen to be explaining/proving. Since Grapes of Wrath is read by every high school student, you should be able to find some top 10 quotes lists online, and stuff like that.

D. Continue to flesh out each individual section, keeping your thesis in mind.

E. Write the body paragraphs.

F. Refine with introduction and conclusion sentences in each section/paragraph if necessary, and make sure everythning links back to your thesis.

G. Write a good intro paragraph introducing the concept and an outline of what you'll talk about in the essay, and a conclusion paragraph summing up what you've said and reiterating the thesis.

H. Write your name at the top.  flower;

Wow, I feel dumb. I just went back and reread all single-spaced 3 pages I have written. It is probabbly the biggest piece of crap I have ever written. It doesn't even HAVE a thesis statement. x_x I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote this thing.. so I'm pretty going to re-work the whole thing and start over.

[Snorkel]

Wow, I feel dumb. I just went back and reread all single-spaced 3 pages I have written. It is probabbly the biggest piece of crap I have ever written. It doesn't even HAVE a thesis statement. x_x I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote this thing.. so I'm pretty going to re-work the whole thing and start over.

If there's one thing my English teachers have been right about, it's that you can't just sit down and write an essay. To write a good essay, you have to have a fairly well developed thesis and outline before you even type the first paragraph.

[Sam]

If there's one thing my English teachers have been right about, it's that you can't just sit down and write an essay. To write a good essay, you have to have a fairly well developed thesis and outline before you even type the first paragraph.

psh. >.>

[Sam]

Oh hey, quick question:
I want the quote to remain in my opening paragraph, and the thesis statement seems to fit in well both before and after it, but I'm not sure where it's actually supposed to be... I'm thinking before, so taht;s the first concept the reader gets i their mind, but can I have a secind opinion?

[Snorkel]

Oh hey, quick question:
I want the quote to remain in my opening paragraph, and the thesis statement seems to fit in well both before and after it, but I'm not sure where it's actually supposed to be... I'm thinking before, so taht;s the first concept the reader gets i their mind, but can I have a secind opinion?

Don't put the quote in their directly.

Well, I guess you can if you want, but I wouldn't. Paraphrase/reword it into your thesis.

[Sam]

Don't put the quote in their directly.

Well, I guess you can if you want, but I wouldn't. Paraphrase/reword it into your thesis.

I can't, it's too long. >.>

this is what my opening paragraph looks like so far:

[spoiler]In order for any revolution to occur, people must be willing to stand up against the people who are causing the problems; when no action is being taken towards what is right, no change can be made. Frederick Douglass once said, ?Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are people who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightening; they want the ocean without the awful roar of its waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand; it never did and it never will. Find out what people will submit to, and you have found the exact amount of injustice which will be imposed upon them. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.? Though Douglass?s thoughts referred to issues other than those addressed in the novel The Grapes of Wrath or film Norma Rae, they hold a greater message that extends to the mood of many people in the nation during the two time periods that the film and novel took place in. While Douglass was speaking about abolishing slavery and the difficulties that must be endured in order to achieve the ultimate goal, this concept can be applied to the difficulties that families like the Joads had faced when being forced to leave their home and find work elsewhere. It can also be applied to the over-worked and under-paid textile workers from Norma Rae?s time. Douglass?s comments on ?tyrants? are also reflected in the bank and land owners of Steinbeck?s novel, as well as the textile factory owners of the 1970?s. [/spoiler]
I can't think of a closing statement and it's not very good.. but it's not like.. a college cours,e I'm only a high school junior, I can't imagine my teacher is very strict on grading anyway.
I think my thesis statement needs to be revised, it's pretty lame.

[ncba93ivyase]

Shit, I have homework too. I also have to get up in 5 hours.

  caterpie;

[The artist formally known]

Well, the good news is, the topic is easy. You could flesh out the concept itself for a couple pages -- the oppressed necessarily needing to protest, etc.

But, having been in your situation many times before (the dilemma having multiple page essays due in a few hours), I can say that best way to go about writing is to...

A. Figure out what you want to write about. There should be a section explaining and debating the concept, a section for the movie if you want, and a section about the book itself.

B. Write a thesis statement based on the quote/concept.

C. Find quotes in the book that illustrate the main concept or whatever point you happen to be explaining/proving. Since Grapes of Wrath is read by every high school student, you should be able to find some top 10 quotes lists online, and stuff like that.

D. Continue to flesh out each individual section, keeping your thesis in mind.

E. Write the body paragraphs.

F. Refine with introduction and conclusion sentences in each section/paragraph if necessary, and make sure everythning links back to your thesis.

G. Write a good intro paragraph introducing the concept and an outline of what you'll talk about in the essay, and a conclusion paragraph summing up what you've said and reiterating the thesis.

H. Write your name at the top.  flower;

You should have been there to help me not fail History, my grade was a B but then I had a essay that I failed so fucking badly. ;_;

[Tomboh]

Shit, I have homework too. I also have to get up in 5 hours.

  caterpie;

why get up at 5am

[The artist formally known]

why get up at 5am

because his school is in the midwest where time zones aren't the same as yours

[Snorkel]

You should have been there to help me not fail History, my grade was a B but then I had a essay that I failed so fucking badly. ;_;

Essays have been the one thing that I've been consistently good at in school, for some reason. 

[Tomboh]

because his school is in the midwest where time zones aren't the same as yours

im in the midwest,

He lives in Penn., right? That's eastern timezone, which is at 12AM now, which would be at 5AM in 5 hours.

[The artist formally known]

im in the midwest,

He lives in Penn., right? That's eastern timezone, which is at 12AM now, which would be at 5AM in 5 hours.

What the hell Lawlz, you need like two hours to put on your make up?

I go to bed at 3am when I have school at 9:30am, thats like 6 hours of sleep, 10 minutes of wake up, get dressed, take shower, go to school in wet clothes time. 20 extra for the trip to Taco Bell before I go to class