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PEAS Paragraph Transcript
SLIDE 01
Hello, everyone, and welcome back to ENC 1102. I’m Dr. Michael Baker, and today
we will be talking about the PEAS paragraph.
SLIDE 02
By the end of this lecture, you should be able to identify and define the four parts of
a PEAS paragraph. You should also be able to write one of your own.
Now, PEAS is an acronym, which means that each letter stands for something. So,
the first thing we will do is talk about what each letter means.
SLIDE 03
The P stands for “point.” In most cases, the first sentence of a body paragraph will be
what is commonly called a “topic sentence.” On the most basic level, a topic sentence
announces what the paragraph will be about – that is, it expresses the main idea of
the paragraph.
But in academic writing, it is usually better to take the topic sentence to another
level. Instead of simply announcing the main idea of the paragraph, the topic
sentence – or, point – should make a claim. Now, remember that a thesis is a
debatable claim. The point of any given paragraph should be a smaller claim that, if
true, supports the bigger thesis.
Now let’s look at some sample topic sentences, or points. Remember that in literary
studies a thesis should make a debatable claim about a text, and that it should be
both original and demonstrably valid. For my example, though, I’m going to use a
very obvious “claim” – after all, I don’t want to accidentally use a thesis one of you
might be thinking about using in your upcoming paper.
SLIDE 04
So, for now, let’s work with this not-so-great “thesis” (which we’ve seen before, in
the “thesis” video):
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story “Young Goodman Brown,” the stranger Brown
meets in the forest is really the Devil.
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Remember that a good “point” (if proven valid) will be a claim that supports this
thesis.
SLIDE 05
“At sundown, Young Goodman Brown leaves his wife, Faith, to go meet a stranger in
the forest.”
Is this a good “point” for a paragraph? Well, does this sentence make a claim? Not
really. It just restates a fact – in the story, the character Young Goodman Brown does
exactly what this sentence says he does: shortly before the sun goes down, he leaves
his home (despite his wife’s protests), and goes out into the forest where he meets a
stranger. We know this meeting is planned, because when the two men first meet,
the stranger says, “You are late, Goodman Brown” (191).
So, this sentence might be a generic “topic sentence” for a paragraph that
summarizes the story, but it doesn’t really make a “point.” Thus, you want to avoid
this type of sentence when writing a literary analysis essay.
SLIDE 06
Now, what about this sentence?
“Although the story never specifically identifies the stranger as the Devil, he clearly
plays the role of tempter.”
Is this a good point for a paragraph? Well, it does make a claim; like our sample
thesis, it is a pretty obvious and unoriginal claim, but it is a claim. And, if this claim
is demonstrated to be true, it will support our sample thesis that the stranger is the
Devil – after all, the Devil is a tempter in the Bible.
Now let’s look at the next letter in our PEAS acronym…
SLIDE 07
The “E” in PEAS stands for “evidence.” In order to prove your point, you have to
offer some good reasons for why that claim is true. There are different kinds of
evidence, but in literary analysis the best evidence often comes from the text itself.
After all, if I want to prove you said something, the best thing I could do is play an
audio recording of your voice saying it, or perhaps show an email or a text that you
sent to me. When possible, go to the source to prove your point about that source.
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So, what would be some evidence from the story that the stranger acts as a tempter?
For that, let’s look at page 192…
SLIDE 08
For example, when Goodman Brown expresses “scruples” about proceeding with the
planned meeting, the stranger casually invites him deeper into the forest: “Let us
walk on, nevertheless… and if I convince thee not thou shalt turn back” (192).
Note that the first sentence calls our attention to a specific moment in the story –
“shortly after the pair enters the forest” – but it only provides enough context to
orient the reader. It does not offer a lot of plot summary.
The second sentence, provides evidence that the stranger acts like a tempter figure
by quoting what he says to Goodman Brown. It also provides a page number citation
for the quotation – but, since it is obvious that the quotation comes from the story,
there is no author’s name or title provided in the citation. Just the page number.
SLIDE 09
Once you have provided a piece of evidence, it is important that you then comment
on that evidence. After all, most things can be interpreted in multiple ways. If I argue
that the stranger in “Young Goodman Brown” is the Devil, and I point to the fact that
he carries a staff that looks like a serpent, I’m assuming that you will connect the
staff to the serpent in the Genesis story about the Garden of Eden. But, what if you
think about the symbol for the medical profession – two snakes wrapped around a
staff? You might find my point to be somewhat weak, because couldn’t it be a good
thing if he is considered a doctor? Maybe he is there to help Goodman Brown in
some way.
Thus, you need to explain how you interpret the evidence, and you need to relate it
specifically to your thesis.
So, recall our piece of evidence that showed the stranger inviting Goodman Brown
to travel a little farther into the woods. Let’s look at how we might analyze it for the
reader…
SLIDE 10
This simple invitation serves to draw Brown deeper into the forest by making him
feel like he can turn back any time he wants. From a biblical perspective, Brown’s
acquiescence here is like giving the Devil a foothold – something Christians are
warned not to do (Eph. 4:26).
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There are multiple things we could say about our evidence, but this example calls
attention to the fact that the stranger is giving Brown a sense of control – but, like
sin in the Bible, there is the danger of starting small and going too far.
SLIDE 11
By the way, it is very important to note that each paragraph will need more than one
E and A. One piece of evidence is rarely enough to “prove” a point, so you need to
offer at least two – and preferably three – pieces of evidence. You will also need to
analyze each piece of evidence. So, rather than a PEAS (P-E-A-S) paragraph, you will
likely end up with a P-E-A-E-A-E-A-S paragraph.
Speaking of the S, let’s go ahead and talk about it…
SLIDE 12
The S stands for “significance.” At the very end of your paragraph, you should add a
sentence that states the importance or the relevance of the point that you have just
demonstrated. Some people refer to this as a “summary” sentence, but it should be
more than that.
Let’s look at a sample S-sentence to end our sample PEAS paragraph…
SLIDE 13
Because all of these tactics serve one purpose – to lead Young Goodman Brown
further into the forest (or, symbolically, further into sin) – the stranger, just like the
Devil in the Bible, acts as a tempter figure.
This sentence summarizes the general concepts discussed in the paragraph,
categorizes them as tactics, and emphasizes the paragraph’s point. We could
probably spend some time and thought on this and write a stronger “significance,”
but this one will do for now.
But let’s add one more E/A to our existing P-E-A-S, and see what a longer paragraph
might look like…
SLIDE 14
Although the story never specifically identifies the stranger as the Devil, he
clearly plays the role of tempter. For example, shortly after the pair enters the
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forest, Goodman Brown expresses “scruples” about proceeding with the planned
meeting. The stranger, however, casually invites him deeper into the forest: “Let us
walk on, nevertheless… and if I convince thee not thou shalt turn back” (192). This
simple invitation serves to draw Brown deeper into the forest by making him feel
like he can turn back any time he wants. From a biblical perspective, Brown’s
acquiescence here is like giving the Devil a foothold – something that Christians are
warned not to do (Eph. 4:26). Then, when Brown expresses concern that his father
would never have approved of such a journey into the forest, the stranger casually
remarks that he knew both Brown’s father and grandfather quite well; indeed, it is
for their sakes that he would “fain be friends” with Young Goodman Brown (192).
Here, the stranger creates a feeling of security for Brown – after all, if his forefathers
had trusted the stranger, then surely Brown can as well. The stranger then goes on
to brag about his many other friends in high places: deacons, selectmen, and even
the governor and members of his council. Here, the stranger effectively uses a form
of peer pressure to convince Brown to continue on his journey: if the most
respected men in the colony are doing it, Brown can, too. The Bible warns against
evil people who “deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting” with their smooth words,
and that is exactly what the stranger does (Rom. 16:18 NASB). Because all of these
tactics serve one purpose – to lead Young Goodman Brown further into the forest
(or, symbolically, further into sin) – the stranger, just like the Devil in the Bible,
should be viewed as a tempter figure.
Pause the video and see if you can label the Point, Evidence, Analysis, and
Significance. When you’re finished, go on to the next slide.
[PAUSE A FEW SECONDS]
SLIDE 15
In this color-coded version, we can see the Point in red, and three different pieces of
evidence in green. After each piece of evidence, you will notice some analysis in
blue. Finally, the Significance is at the end, in purple.
You might spend some time thinking about how this paragraph could be revised –
after all, it’s not perfect. For example, the last blue sentence near the end feels a little
awkward. The idea behind the sentence is good, but perhaps it can be integrated
more smoothly.
But, in general, this paragraph serves a good purpose. First, it demonstrates the
PEAS format. Second, it also shows that a well-developed paragraph is not going to
be a very short one. If you write an essay and your paragraphs are between 3-5
sentences long, you probably have not included enough evidence and analysis to
prove your point.
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SLIDE 16
In today’s lesson we talked about the components of the PEAS paragraph: point,
evidence, analysis, and significance. We stressed the need to have more than one E
and A, and we