It should contain a few important features:
1) your first paragraph should put forward a central argumentative point in the form of a thesis statement;
2) body paragraphs should argue in support of premises that work to reinforce your central argumentative claim;
3) body paragraphs should include quotations from the primary text (the film, novel, or essay you have been asked a question about) that are analyzed to show how they reinforce the argumentative claims you are making.
if you do complete additional research, you must acknowledge whenever words or ideas that you have taken from others appear in your essay. In the case of words directly taken from other sources, these must: a) be presented in quotation marks, b) followed by a complete MLA formatted citation indicating the origin of the words, and c) a work cited list giving all of the required information for an MLA Work Cited entry. In the case of ideas taken from other sources, you must do ALL of the following: a) use signal phases to indicate where ideas originate with others (for instance, “As Smith argues, these costs are too high for a variety of reasons”), b) provide MLA formatted citations that give the required information about where the ideas originate, c) provide a corresponding Work Cited List entry at the end of the essay that gives all of the information required in MLA format for the cited source, and d) ensure that none of the phrasing from the original occurs (for if it did, it should be treated as a quotation).
