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Ford uses the character of Earl to represent the alienation of modern humanity and confront the reader with the bleakness of modern existence. Earl's life is presented as devoid of direction, which is illustrated through his description of his relationship as being "beached by the same tides." This suggests Earl has lost control over his existence and is at the mercy of forces beyond his control, much like a beached whale. Later, Earl reflects on seeing a gold mine as something in his past, showing how purpose has become an illusion for him. Through Earl, Ford exposes the reader to the difficult idea that existence is without universal meaning or purpose, reflecting Absurdist philosophies of modern life.

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Stuart Henderson
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114 views

Short Text Paragraph Break Down

Ford uses the character of Earl to represent the alienation of modern humanity and confront the reader with the bleakness of modern existence. Earl's life is presented as devoid of direction, which is illustrated through his description of his relationship as being "beached by the same tides." This suggests Earl has lost control over his existence and is at the mercy of forces beyond his control, much like a beached whale. Later, Earl reflects on seeing a gold mine as something in his past, showing how purpose has become an illusion for him. Through Earl, Ford exposes the reader to the difficult idea that existence is without universal meaning or purpose, reflecting Absurdist philosophies of modern life.

Uploaded by

Stuart Henderson
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Topic Sentence this must introduce the technique the paragraph will focus on, while also connecting

into both the topic and the thesis statement. Avoid being too broad. Evidence #1 look for evidence
that will allow you to dig deeply imagery helps here, or obvious language choices being made that you can unpack.

Unpack: Effect what is the


immediate effect of the example? Stick to the text here, dont go wider.

Unpack: How how is the effect


created? This needs to be language level stuff; break down the quote.

Implication some connection to the thesis but also back to the topic as well.

Evidence #2 look for complimentary evidence and always make sure to try and show a connection to the rst example as you introduce the second example. Unpack: Effect & How you
dont need as much detail the second time, but you should be sure to express the effect and how the effect is created.

Prove your thesis after doing


the work of examining the text, you need to draw conclusions directly out of the examination that tie back into your original thesis. There also needs to be a clear tie back into the topic which means using words from the topic.

Topic Sentence this must


introduce the technique the paragraph will focus on, while also connecting into both the topic and the thesis statement. Avoid being too broad.

In order to examine a dark and difcult modern condition, Ford uses the character of Earl, whose place in the story seems to be to represent the alienation of modern humanity, allowing Ford to confront the reader with the stark bleakness of modern existence. Ford constructs Earls life as devoid of signicant direction, starkly outlined in his Earls description of his relationship with his girlfriend: I dont know what was between Edna and me, just beached by the same tides when you get down to it. The metaphor illustrates Earls fundamental loss of control over his

Evidence #1 look for evidence


that will allow you to dig deeply imagery helps here, or obvious language choices being made that you can unpack.

Unpack: Effect what is the


immediate effect of the example? Stick to the text here, dont go wider.

existence as it suggests that he is at the mercy of tides, perhaps the mercy of the universe. The image of being beached is an image of a loss of control. Just

Unpack: How how is the effect


created? This needs to be language level stuff; break down the quote.

as a beached whale can no longer determine its own fate, Earl seems to be the same. Ford further strips Earl of power with the verb choice. The fact that he doesnt know suggests an uncertain existence, beyond the knowledge and control of Earl. Fords crafting of character here reects elements of modern thinking around existence, which are often difcult to accept, such as Absurdist thought, which sees a lack of universal purpose at the core of modern existence.

Implication some connection to


the thesis but also back to the topic as well.

Evidence #2 look for


complimentary evidence and always make sure to try and show a connection to the rst example as you introduce the second example.

Fords interest in this loss of purpose is reinforced later in the text when Earl starts self-reecting, helping us to understand the truth of his position: I was beginning to think of Rock Springs in a way I knew I would always think of ita place I saw a gold mine. This effectively expresses Earls separation from purpose. The

Unpack: Effect & How you


dont need as much detail the second time, but you should be sure to express the effect and how the effect is created.

goldmine is an symbol of hope and therefore purpose; we all strive to reach our metaphorical goldmines. But Fords phrasing shows that for Earl it is simply illusion, something to be seen - the past tense being important here - an illusion and never a reality. So Earl comes to represent Fords position on the modern human condition an existence without meaning, an existence where purpose is an illusion. And so Ford hardly shies away from the difcult and dark, instead he chooses to expose his reader to perhaps the bleakest of thoughts: that existence is without universal meaning or purpose. Fords use of Earl leaves us confronted by the distinctly difcult and dark thought that perhaps our existences are just as bleak as Earls, leaving us to reel at the complete uncertainty we inevitably suffer as a consequence of the stark bleakness of the modern human condition.

Prove your thesis after doing


the work of examining the text, you need to draw conclusions directly out of the examination that tie back into your original thesis. There also needs to be a clear tie back into the topic which means using words from the topic.

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