Model Odyssey

This page is for students who would like to have a more elegant opening paragraph. (For a complete model odyssey see odysseymodel.htm.

The perfect odyssey opening paragraph has the following parts:

1. Thesis. (first sentence.)
2. Sketch of reasoning.
3. Burden of proof.

Here is a nonsensical first paragraph paper in which all the parts are present. (Your paper will be longer and will make much better sense.)

Odyssey Stage 1
Philosophy 3 1/2
Critical Thinking and Kneecap Wrestling
Mondays, 11:30pm
Pres T. Digitation

No More Cat Juggling

Cat juggling should be illegal. We shouldn't make anything illegal unless we have darn good reason to do so. If none of the arguments against cat juggling turn out to be any good, then it definitely should not be illegal. However, we do have one good, unchallenged reason to ban cat juggling, and that reason is the sheer ickiness of cat hurl. It should be illegal because the negative effects of cat hurl overwhelm the enjoyment children get from watching cat juggling, and the fact that being dizzy does not hurt cats is not relevant to the ickiness of cat hurl.

Your first paragraph doesn't have to look exactly like this, but I want you to make sure you give your thesis and discuss burden of proof and your reasoning at the beginning of your paper.

Copyright © 2005 by Martin C. Young

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