Rahafaly
Novella: The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad Part 1 – The Essay…
Novella: The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad
Part 1 – The Essay
Write a basic five paragraph essay using the topic that I gave you earlier:
Topic: Whose story is more accurate? Leggatt’s or Archbold’s?
Topic Choice: For this essay choose ONE character ” Leggatt “, and focus your entire essay on that one character. This is NOT a comparison essay but rather a persuasive essay arguing toward one idea/focus.
Format:
You will write a five-paragraph basic structured essay and will include:
an introduction paragraph,
three body paragraphs with TWO PPC sequences (Point, Proof, Comment) per body paragraph,
and a concluding paragraph.
Be sure to review the Essay Structure I went over in the earlier unit before you begin.
I am getting you to write a five-paragraph review essay here. Once I know you are good with this format, I will know you are ready to “blow” the five-paragraph essay out of the water and expand into a university-level essay writing format.
Thesis:
Note that with this topic I have only given you the “who” (Leggatt or Archbold) and the “what” (their story is more accurate) portion of the thesis/focus. You are missing the “so what” factor (what is the point of you telling me one’s story is more accurate?). You have a choice here as well for the remainder of your thesis.
Here are three ways in which you can approach your essay (choose one):
1) Motive = Credibility – Each character (whoever you choose) is going to tell their side of the story for a particular reason. Ask yourself, “what is their motivation behind telling THIS particular side of the story?” “How does telling this particular version of the story make them more credible (to the crew, to the reader, to themselves, etc.”)?
Archbold – he wants to regain his credibility with his crew in that he made the mistake of bringing his wife on board and, therefore, jinxes the luck of the ship and its crew. Perhaps he wants to be perceived as a better Captain and knows he made a mistake and is, therefore, hiding it from the crew and is presenting his story in a way so he will keep the crew’s respect.
Leggatt – his motive for telling his story this way illustrates that he does not want to be judged for his actions by man; he would rather have God judge him on judgement day as to whether or not what he did on the Sephora was right or wrong. He also believes that sacrificing the one for the good of the many supersedes any moral dilemma with his actions on the Sephora.
For either character you choose, your body paragraphs should focus on three separate instances (with two examples for each instance) where the character illustrates his credibility or motive for telling his version of the story and is, therefore, the more accurate story.
2) Merits of Character – what character traits does either character illustrate throughout telling their story? What do their actions and dialogue (remember, we do not get to see into their thoughts as the story is told through the Captain’s perspective) suggest to the reader about their persona or nature? Because the character illustrates these three particular traits, one can then accept his story as the more accurate.
Archbold – He, too, is a Captain and an experienced and respected one at that. With our Captain being inexperienced in leadership, he would have had the opportunity here (had the Captain not met Leggatt and only focused on him) to learn from Archbold’s experience and expertise. We can speculate that if Leggatt were not on board that he would have connected with Archbold much differently had the circumstances been different. Archbold is admirable and well respected by the crew (you can see this through how the crew reacts to him, not just by what they say to him).
Leggatt – While Leggatt does kill a man on the Sephora, he never denies this to our Captain. He does not hide it for fear of how our Captain will react or judge him. He states that it is not murder and had to do it for other reasons, but still, he does admit that he did it. Also, Leggatt is a gentleman, a “Conway man”, is an experienced seaman, and, up until just recently, a first mate. With those responsibilities come certain character traits, and based on these, one can take his side of the story as accurate simply because of who he is and the responsibilities of his position.
For either character you choose, your body paragraphs should focus on three separate character traits (with two examples of each trait) where the character illustrates his true nature and, because of these three traits, is the character whose story is the more accurate.
3) The Captain’s Response to both “versions” – Our Captain responds very differently to each man. What is his response to the character you choose to be the most accurate and why does that response render that his story be the more accurate? Keep in mind that he has both negative and positive responses to both characters. He admires and respects both. He dislikes qualities of both. Both annoy him for various reasons. Both bring out qualities and characteristics of the Captain when either is around him. Both change his perspective on things about his crew, his leadership abilities, his decisions, etc.
For either character you choose, you choose, your body paragraphs should focus on three separate instances in the novella where the Captain interacts with the character you choose. Within each instance/body paragraph, highlight how the Captain reacts to this situation/conversation and illustrate how this reaction demonstrates the validity and accuracy of Leggatt’s or Archbold’s story.
So…what do I do first? Where do I begin?
***What I want you to focus on for the next few class days is completing your outline.***
First – decide which character (Leggatt or Archbold) you want to focus on & decide your three subtopics.
Next – work on finding your quotations.
And then – start writing your essay.
I would suggest you write an outline planning your ideas BEFORE you start writing. Have this outline completed so you can start writing.
Here’s an example of an outline – just fill it in in point format and put this at the top of the page of the document where you will be writing your essay.
Topic choice:
Subtopic 1 – focus 1
PPC 1 – idea + quotation
PPC 2 – idea + quotation
Subtopic 2 – focus 2
PPC 1 – idea + quotation
PPC 2 -idea + quotation
Subtopic 3 – focus 3
PPC 1 – idea + quotation
PPC 2 -idea + quotation
Things to Remember (Common Errors):
Make sure to set up your quotations – don’t leave them all alone in your sentence. Introduce your quotation so that it flows into a sentence. For example, “Leggatt demonstrates the honesty in his character when he says, ‘insert quotation here’ (Conrad 23). The wording in italics is the example of what I mean by introducing or setting up your quotation.
Tense – make sure that you are writing in present tense (even if you are referring to something in the past from the novella). For example, “when the Captain thinks about Leggatt and the killing that occurred on the Sephora” – saying “thinks” is placing your argument in present tense. The only time you would ever use past tense is if it is in a direct quotation from the novella.
Argument – avoid plot summary and stick to arguing your thesis. Remember that the “so what” factor of your thesis IS what you are arguing and trying to illustrate in your essay, not just what happens in the novella. Always back up your points and corresponding evidence back to the thesis. In other words, tie your argument (each point in each body paragraph) back to the thesis’s “so what” factor (i.e., you may have explained THAT the Captain and Leggatt have a connection but you may have failed to state specifically HOW that connects to the accuracy of his story). Bring your argument full circle.
Topic Sentences – make sure your body topic sentences highlight the two points you will be focused on in the body paragraph and how each will illustrate why that character is the more accurate.
Contractions – I CAN’T stress this enough (do you get the joke?). Avoid contractions like the plague in formal writing. And for the love of all things, please capitalize “I” when it stands alone. We are not texting each other.
Names – SPELL THEM CORRECTLY – Joseph Conrad, Archbold (not Archibold, not Archebold, not Archebolt), Leggatt (2 g’s and 2 t’s).
Spacing – you do not need to skip a line in between paragraphs. Simply indenting the next line will indicate that you are onto a new paragraph.
Parenthetical Referencing – reference EVERYTHING that is not your own – whether it is a direct reference or indirect – (Conrad 24). Note there are no commas, no pg. 24, or paragraph references – there is only the last name of the author and then the page number. You are going to get massacred for this next year in university if you do not follow proper MLA formatting. Knowing it now will save you a huge headache later.
Transitions – it is recommended that you have a transition word, phrase or sentence at the beginning of each body paragraph AND in between you two PPC sequences. Some people like to put their paragraph transitions at the end of a paragraph, which is fine, but just read it through so the transition makes sense. A transition, in its basic definition, is a word, phrase, or sentence that indicates to the reader that you are moving on to a new point.
Avoid speculation – you cannot illustrate something that is not there directly in the text. Do not speculate on what a character may do, say, or think if he/she did not do, say, or think those things. If you cannot back up your statements with direct facts from the text, you are simply guessing or speculating. This is why we have to include direct quotations in formal writing. There is always going to be someone who will question why you are saying something. If you include a quotation and then explain your reasoning behind it, then your reader will be more apt to go along with your argument.
Now that you are done with your outline, it is time to write your essay. Here is a video of me explaining where you can review the essay and all the components. I also talk about counter argument and how to incorporate one counter into your essay’s argument.
Counter arguments – what are those?
Counter arguments are any arguments that are against your thesis. You need to refute those counters with your argument. It is similar to having an argument with someone and they say “yeah, but what about…?” You want to address the “yeah but” arguments but then shut them down.
Only one counter in an essay is fine; otherwise, your reader will get confused as to what you are focusing on. Just counter one point somewhere in your essay. You can place the counter anywhere in an essay. There is no specific spot it works best. You decide where a “yeah but” would be and put it there.
If you place it in the comment section of a ppc – give your comment (highlight the significance of the quotation you just gave), then give the counter argument (the yeah but), and then give your argument (tie back to thesis). Always end on your words, not the counter.
Here is an example of a counter argument in a comment. This example is highlighting the film Dead Man Walking compared to “The Cask of the Amontillado” and which one is more disturbing:
[indirect quotation] While having his last supper with Sister Helen, Matthew Poncelet admits to being a victim of peer influence and reveals he cannot stand up to the pressure put upon him by Willie. [highlighting the importance of the previous quotation] What is most disturbing about Poncelet is that he is easily influenced by anyone and therefore cannot decipher right from wrong. [counter] The argument of peer pressure appears weak in that Robert Lee Willie seems more evil due to his power of influence. [your argument – tie back to thesis] However, Poncelet is so overcome by the transfer of evil through his corrupter that he chooses to take part because he enjoys committing the crime. [beginning of next point in comparison] Montresor’s pressure comes not from his peers but his family motto which he strongly lives by.
Here is another example of a counter argument stating that the character Theseus in the myth “Theseus” is a good example of the Carol Pearson warrior archetype:
[point] Theseus, being a strong and confident fighter, is constantly involved in the quest to win. In this ancient Greek myth, often killing the opponent is referred to as winning. [proof] Theseus is one who continues to fight, kill, and win, such as when “the Amazons invaded Greece….[Theseus] managed to defeat them” (Graves 3). [highlighting the importance of the quotation] Defeating the Amazons is one of the many battles Theseus wins, which demonstrates his quest is to use his great fighting abilities to defeat enemies or any source of evil. [counter] Although many could suggest that Theseus’s original quest is to find his father, King Aegeus, thus portraying qualities of the seeker archetype, [your argument – tie back to thesis] the quest to win is still the principle quest because the main conflict in the story remains to be to defeat and conquer the many problems that appear. This quest is present in the majority of the myth and is clearly the more dominant. [next point] In addition…
Link 1 and 2 of the novel :
https://www.ibiblio.org/ebooks/Conrad/Secret_Sharer.pdf
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/220/220-h/220-h.htm
Link 3 of the Assignment 1 – The Essay, Preface, & Works Cited Page.The essay, preface, and Works Cited full invormation:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Cuz5HCUzETuM3TffJ-jreRAKcTis4nRw4eQfAXhcnuk/edit?usp=sharing
here is link 4 of Some Passage Analysis of the novel:The Secret Sharer by Joseph: Conradhttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1tfkx6q7V5bVQxDYdWWH3xH7lJjeaR9FpAHgjfcXyxg8/edit?usp=sharing
