Paragraph Organization and
Development
THE P.I.E. PARAGRAPH
Read the following paragraph and answer the
questions that follow.
Body Paragraph, Example 1
Some
sexist commercials include those for Giggle Wiggle, Shark Attack, and Frog
Soccer. For instance, in the Giggle Wiggle commercial, four people play the
game—two boys and two girls. During the game, only the boys move the game
pieces, shouting enthusiastically when they've made the right moves, while the
girls, basically motionless, smile vacantly and watch the boys. At the end of
the game, one of the boys wins and gleefully shouts, "I win! I win!" while
clapping his hands. Only then does a girl jump up and speak her one line, "Oh
wow!"
What is the writer's argument (in the paragraph and
in the essay to which this paragraph belongs)?
What is the writer trying to prove (in the
paragraph and in the essay to which this paragraph belongs)?
Is there anything to contextualize this
information? For example, is there a main point holding the information together?
What did the writer learn from this information?
What does the writer think about these findings?
What is the writer's reaction to this data?
How did the writer react to this experience?
|
The P.I.E. Paragraph: |
|||
|
P |
= |
Point |
What is the point of this paragraph? What claim is being made? Often, the point is the TOPIC SENTENCE. |
|
I |
= |
Information |
How is the point supported with specific data,
experiences, or other factual material? The information is the evidence used to
support/develop the point. |
|
E |
= |
Explanation |
What does the provided information mean? The explanation is the writer's analysis,
elaboration, evaluation of the point and information given, connecting the
information with the point (topic sentence) and the thesis. |
POINT
(topic sentence) INFORMATION
(paragraph body) EXPLANATION (relevance portion) |
Many sexist children's television commercials
lead me to believe that girls rarely see images of themselves in active or
winning situations. Often, the
boy wins the game being advertised while the girls, pretty little objects,
serve as his mindless cheerleaders.
In "What are TV Ads Selling to Children" John J. O'Connor claims that in
these ads girls are portrayed as inferior to boys. According to O'Connor,
"They live in a society in which they can never be considered the best." Some
of these commercials include those for Giggle Wiggle, Shark Attack, and Frog
Soccer. For instance, in the Giggle Wiggle commercial, four people play the
game—two boys and two girls. During the game, only the boys move the
game pieces, shouting enthusiastically when they've made the right moves,
while the girls, basically motionless, smile vacantly and watch the boys. At
the end of the game, one of the boys wins and gleefully shouts, "I win! I
win!" while clapping his hands. Only then does a girl jump up and speak her
one line, "Oh wow!" My mouth fell open when I saw this commercial. The
winning kid was not only rude, but annoying. In this commercial, as in others,
the girls were not the central characters but part of the support network for
the winners, the boys. In fact, I never saw a girl win a game in any of the
children's commercials I viewed. These subtle statements in commercials can
make a person think that it is okay to be sexist when in fact it is
absolutely not. |
|
P.I.E. Strategies: Ideas for making a POINT: Decide what you want to say to support your
thesis based on your reaction to the text Try categorizing your ideas and make a comment on
a recurring theme you've found Ideas for INFORMATION/support: Information from the readings or class
discussions (paraphrases or, occasionally, short quotes) Personal experience (stories, anecdotes, examples
from your life) Representations in mass media (newspapers,
magazines, television) Elements from popular culture (song lyrics, movie
lines, TV characters, celebrities) Definitions (from the dictionary, the readings,
or another source) Statistics (polls, percentages, data from
research studies) Ideas for EXPLANATION: Interpret, analyze, explain the information,
opinion or quote you've included Comment on the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of the
quote, fact, data, information, etc. Decipher the meaning or try to better your
understanding of your observation, findings or experience Suggest to your reader how the information
you've included relates to your THESIS. |