Interpretive Essay Outline Example

Overview: For Milestone Two, you will be drafting an outline for your interpretive essay using the provided Outline Worksheet. Your outline must include drafts
of an introduction (developed from Milestone One if your text has not changed), three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You will also have the opportunity to
form ideas for transition sentences that will create a logical flow for the reader.
The intention for this milestone is not to construct a perfect essay, but to organize your ideas in a way that you may use as a starting point for developing a
structured essay in the coming modules. This is an opportunity to share your ideas with your instructor for feedback before submitting your final interpretive
essay. Therefore, you should provide as much detail as possible.
Reminder: If you have chosen poetry as a basis for your interpretive essay, you must select two poems with common themes. Contact your instructor early in
Module Five if you require assistance.
Prompt: Fill out the provided Outline Worksheet to create an outline for your interpretive essay, including your ideas for sub-arguments for each of your three
body paragraphs and supporting points for each.
Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:
I. Introduction: In this section of the outline, you will introduce your chosen text, including the author's background and context, and your thesis
statement.
A. Text: Briefly introduce your chosen text(s) and its author(s) to set the stage for your thesis and provide context for your analysis.
B. Message: Summarize the author's overall intended message or draw connections between the author's time period, culture, etc., and the text as
a whole, based on your experiences with texts across genres in this course.
C. Rationale: Explain why you chose this text and/or author to provide context for your reader. What in your life or experiences led you to select
this text for your interpretive essay?
D. Thesis Statement: Craft a thesis statement that clearly states your position and argument. This should provide a clear road map for your reader
for what will be presented in the essay.
II. Body: Develop three supporting arguments, one for each body paragraph, based on evidence from text, for each topic sentence. Be sure to use
appropriate literary terminology in your arguments.
A. Supporting Arguments: Begin each body paragraph with a topic sentence that relates to major themes in the text, and to your thesis statement.
Develop supporting points that are based on your critical reading of the text and that relate back to your topic sentence.
B. Textual Evidence: Incorporate textual evidence that supports each of your sub-arguments. In other words, what themes or fundamental
elements from the text support your topic sentences?
C. Transitions: Draft transitions from idea to idea and paragraph to paragraph so the essay flows logically to allow the reader to follow your
message.
III. Conclusion: In this section you will summarize your overall argument and expand on that interpretation, leaving the reader inspired or reflective.
A. Thesis Restatement: Summarize your overall interpretation of the text, including a restatement of your thesis statement.
B. Context: Explain the larger impact or significance of your argument to literature. In other words, apply your argument to a larger or wider
context.
C. Cultural Significance: How could culture impact interpretations of the text? How could the text impact culture?
D. Identity: Discuss the significance of identity in relation to your argument and the text. In other words, what is the relationship between this
piece of literature and identity?