Bless Me, Ultima Final Essay

Choose one of the following topics and write a five-paragraph essay—introduction, three body paragraphs, conclusion. Use at least 3 quotations from the novel to support your ideas. Obviously, you will also use as many specific, concrete examples as possible as “proofs”. Make sure your quotes are relevant (ask what you are trying to prove). Write coherent, well-developed paragraphs that communicate your ideas thoroughly, but without padding.

Your introductory “hook” should be interesting and related to your topic. You may use a quotation if you wish, but be careful: the quote should not have to be explained, or you will immediately lose your audience. Also, regardless of what kind of hook you use, you must transition smoothly into the ideas you want to introduce.

The thesis statement is the last sentence in the introduction and points to the three points you will be exploring in your essay. You should have the seeds of your three topic sentences in the thesis.

The following thesis is in response to the following topic: What causes Tony so much confusion over the three choices he is faced with?

.

Thesis:Tony’s three religious choices, the church, myth and magic, are each introduced to Tony by someone he respects and offers things that Tony values and needs, leading to his feelings of conflict and confusion

Topic sentences:Tony’s first beliefs, those of the church, are taught to him by his mother, and offer Tony forgiveness, tradition and acceptance, but ultimately do not satisfy him .

The nature myth, brought to Tony by Samuel, appeals to Tony’s love of nature, as well as his need to see things for himself, but are also isolating.

Although Ultima’s magic is mysterious, Tony finally sees it as fair and virtuous, because Ultima, herself, is good, although her magic often confuses him.

Notice that the thesis statement (as well as the three paragraphs which proceed from the thesis) go beyond plot summary or mere recall. The ideas in the essay must be the result of thought and analysis. Begin by making preliminary notes about your topic, brainstorming. Then begin to analyze the ideas you have jotted down—make connections, compare or contrast, ask “why?”, draw conclusions (educated guesses). Think outside the box—anything is fine, as long as you can give adequate support from the text. For example, to come up with the thesis for the above topic, I thought about the three choices, what the choices were, how Tony discovered each choice, what attracted him to each, and why, and what problems he had with each—then analyzed and put it all together.

Quotations:

Use only relevant quotations For example

give them context. Example:

At the end of the story, Tony’s father tells him, “A man of learning can

be anything in this world, he can be anything” (250).

You do not have to use an entire sentence as a quote and can incorporate it into

your own sentence. Example:

By the end of the story, Tony realizes that “the owl was Ultima’s

spirit” (256).

  • Notice that the period is after the parenthetical page number. There is no comma at the end of the quote.

You can break a quote up, omitting irrelevant words by using and ellipse in place

of the words you have left out. Example:

Tenorio said, “Ay, bruja... I will see you dead!” (94).

  • If the quote need an exclamation point or question mark, include it before the end of quote. If it would ordinarily end in a period, just leave it out—do NOT replace the period with a comma.

You can also use phrases for support and incorporate them into a sentence.

Example:

Tony describes the scene as “deathly quiet,” as people “whispered to each other as we drove by” (91).

Give your essay an imaginative title.

The title is centered at the top, properly capitalized and punctuated, no quotation marks.

Example:

Little Sally Who

Sophomore Honors

Ms. Fetherolf

Bless Me, Ultima Final Essay

October 10, 2009

[5 single spaces down to Title)

Magical Mystery Tour

[4 single spaces down and begin first paragraph]

Notice that the title carries a bit of interest because it is catchy, not ordinary,

but it still points to the main idea (That is, Tony’s exploration of his three choices, with a hint of the magic which is included). Simply titling the paper “Tony’s Choices” would sum up the main idea, but would not grab attention. The title is a way to capture your readerbefore she or he even gets to the “hook”. You can also extend the idea from the title into the introduction.

Topic Choices

  1. Explore the idea of the quest as it applies to Tony’s experiences in the novel.
  1. Explain the three main ways in which Ultima influences Tony.
  1. Using Ultima’s three blessings, explain the significance of the title.
  1. Discuss in depth the effect of the deaths of Lupito, Narciso and Florence on Tony.
  1. Discuss the role of nature in the novel, besides simply creating a setting.
  1. Discuss the function of Florence in the novel, particularly in terms of the theme of good and evil, and faith.
  1. Tony originally thought of his brothers as “giants.” Who are the real giants in this book?
  1. Andrew, Narciso and Tony’s father, Gabriel, all serve as male mentors for Tony. How does each influence or teach him?
  1. Discuss the elements that give the novel the quality of a myth.
  1. A topic of your choice, with prior approval