Sophomores: Sample Essay

Published on: Author: Ms. Allesandrine Leave a comment

Sophomores, here is a sample of how an essay may look.  Examine this to gain inspiration for your own work.

Fear of judgment or punishment may inspire a person to conceal the truth from others.  However, most truths will eventually be revealed, no matter how deeply they are buried.  In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Mayella Ewell, the nineteen-year-old daughter of an abusive, alcoholic father, is so driven by fear that she falsely accuses the man she tries to seduce of rape in order to avoid exposing the terrible truth about her father.  Despite the fact that Mayella tries desperately to conceal the truth about her own actions and injuries, the ugly truth ultimately become entirely clear to her fellow citizens in Maycomb, and Mayella’s place in the social hierarchy is lowered as a result. 

     Mayella Ewell is the oldest child of Bob Ewell and her deceased mother, and she lives an isolated, squalid life beside the town dump.  Because she has long since stopped attending school, she spends her days…    In her desperate attempt to make a connection with someone outside her family, it is no surprise that Mayella seeks the attention of Tom Robinson, appositive.  She develops her plan over the course of several months, saving seven nickels in order to…  (finish this body paragraph, being sure that each sentence links closely to the topic sentence and the thesis statement)

Once Mayella is on the witness stand, facing not only the intimidating stares of her father, but also the potential judgment of her town, Mayella tells a series of lies.  She is too fragile to handle the aftermath of the town’s knowledge that she tried to seduce black man.  ………

THESIS STATEMENT = arguable, interesting, worthwhile
Topic Sentences = each body paragraph begins with a topic sentence that supports the thesis statement

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