Invasion of the Body
Snatchers: ESSAY
How does the film, the invasion of
the body snatchers, reflect the
COLD WAR world & what is your
analysis of the film’s point of view?
i.e., is it anti-communist or critical of the
government’s anti-communist campaign?
Intro paragraph structure
Hook

Context to set stage
for thesis:
Historical
& Film
Thesis Statement: last, ONE sentence
ESSAY INTRODUCTION
Effective hook? -- catchy, dramatic, intriguing…
Context BEFORE thesis -- to set the stage for your thesis
Need BOTH:
- Historical context about Cold War
AND
(e.g., when? causes? key players? why was communism perceived as a
threat? impact?)
- Basics about the film plot (brief!)
(anything necessary so thesis is SELF EVIDENT to an unfamiliar reader)
Thesis: ONE sentence, last in intro., FULL ARGUMENT
i.e., addresses BOTH parts of the essay question
DEVELOPING A STRONG
THESIS STATEMENT
Thesis statement is your
argument – your analytic
answer to a question.
For example:
Why was the Civil War fought?
Why was the Civil War fought?
1st Draft: The North and South fought a civil
war.
2nd Draft: The North and the South fought a
civil war because they had conflicts.
3rd Draft: The North and the South fought a
civil war because of economic and moral
differences.
Why was the Civil War fought?
Final Draft:
The North and South fought a Civil War
because of both economic and moral conflicts
where some Northerners opposed slavery as
evil and others preferred wage labor as more
profitable compared to the South’s defense of
a plantation system based on the necessity
and righteousness of slave labor.
BUILDING YOUR THESIS STATEMENT
Take apart the essay question
i.e., specific historical connections
(e.g., causes/impact of the Cold War)
Ways film
reflects
Cold War
AntiCommunist
Film’s
POV?
or
Was communism a real threat? Why?
Was it a perceived threat? Why?
Or was pov: gov’t actions were cause of
or over reaction to the hysteria of the time?
Critical of
U.S.
gov’t
ALL TOPIC SENTENCES
Connect in some way to thesis’ argument
Like a “mini-thesis” for the paragraph (ANALYTIC > WHY)
Reflect ALL the evidence in that paragraph (and vice versa)
ONE sentence; avoid using semi-colon
EVIDENCE
Sufficient and specific -- includes YEARS
Matches the Topic Sentence
Examples from both the film and a range
of class readings (NOT outside
sources) -- should have quite a
few MLA citations
Demonstrates knowledge of Cold War
U.S. history
PARENTHETICAL CITATIONS
Proper format:
(Author’s last name page).
ex: blah blah blah (Samuels 245).
ex: “yada yada yada” (Boyer 75).
ex “exact quote from film” (Invasion of the
Body Snatchers).
Page #: use the ORIGINAL page #s from readings,
not the circled ones we added.
CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH
Provides summary of your argument
Do NOT simply repeat same wording as intro
Last sentence provides sense of closure
Imagine someone had no time to read your full
essay -- this should be an effective
summary that can “stand alone.”
KEY GUIDELINES
*CHECKLIST: MUST complete and turn in with final essay
**STYLE GUIDE: follow grammar and mechanics rules
**WRITTEN WORK FORMAT: use to set up page
(header, margins, page #s)
12 pt font, Times New Roman, double spaced
Length: 3 full pages TYPED (CANNOT exceed 4)
*see web page for class
** see web page Ref & Resources
Be sure to proofread