Image of the painting The Hands of Dr. Moore (1940), by Diego Rivera, and on display at the San Diego Museum of Art.

As we did with the Unit 2 essay, it can be helpful to examine what others have done in their writing in order to understand its impact on us as readers.

• Please read and analyze the student example essay "Handsome Portrait" located at the bottom of this page.
• Consider the essay structure we have been discussing so far this semester, and answer the following questions about the essay.
• Your submission should be a minimum of 300 words and should answer all the following questions:

Paragraph 1: (Introductory Paragraph)

• What important background information does the writer provide?
• Why is that information necessary?

Paragraph 2: (Body Paragraph 1)

• What specific information does the writer give us before each quote in paragraph 2? How does this make both her research paper and the quote more credible to the reader?

Paragraph 3: (Body Paragraph 2)

• How many sources does the writer include in this paragraph?  Which source made the biggest impact on you as a reader? What did it contribute to your understanding of Rivera and/or his artwork?
  

Paragraphs 4-5: (Body Paragraphs 3 and 4)

• What two reasons does the writer provide for keeping the artwork in the San Diego Museum of Art?

Paragraph 8: (Conclusion)

• In what way does the conclusion remind us why the chosen cultural artifact is important to the community where it resides, the larger community of San Diego, and perhaps to tourists who visit?

What additional comments or observations can you make?

Did you find this student essay easy to read? Informative? Interesting?

What part did you like best about the essay?

Handsome Portrait - Student Example

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