Body paragraphs are the "meat" of your writing. This is where you place argument and supporting evidence. Whether your writing is for literary analysis or persuasion, body paragraphs need to follow the same basic format with chunks where evidence/examples are given (CD) and then explained/analyzed (CM).

Structure of a Body Paragraph
1. Topic sentence
∙ should be all commentary
∙ should clearly support the thesis
2. Concrete Detail (Does it support the topic?)
3. Commentary (Does it support the topic and thesis?)
4. Commentary (Does it support the topic and thesis?)
5. Concrete Detail (Does it support the topic?)
6. Commentary (Does it support the topic and thesis?)
7. Commentary (Does it support the topic and thesis?)
8. Concrete Detail (Does it support the topic?)**
9. Commentary (Does it support the topic and thesis?)**
10. Commentary (Does it support the topic and thesis?)**
11. Transition Sentence
∙ should be commentary
∙ concludes the ideas of the paragraph
∙ transitions to the next paragraph

**NOTE: The last "chunk" is optional depending on the given assignment. A well-rounded paragraph requires only two chunks.

The following are two sample body paragraphs. The first is taken from a student paper on Conrad Richter's The Light in the Forest. The second takes the first and moves language beyond the redundant phrasing to a higher level of writing. Sentences in both paragraphs are labled at the beginning in brackets.

Sample Body Paragraph One
(taken from a student paper)

[TS] The white settlers of America perceived the Indian people to be uncivilized, ignorant savages. [CD] As Myra Butler attempted to teach True Son English, she commented, “You had to live in darkness and ignorance. You have to make up for lost time and learn the English tongue.” [CM] This shows that Myra Butler felt that True Son had been raised by his Indian family in an unrefined way, never having learned proper etiquette or manners. [CM] This also shows that she believed that the Indian language was not as good as her own. [CD] True Son’s Uncle Wilse also commented on his native upbringing: “The heathen notions they drill into him. Bad is good and good is bad, lying’s an art and stealing is a virtue. Butchering and scalping white women and young ones is a major accomplishment.” [CM] This shows that Uncle Wilse has much contempt for Indians and views them as no good, lying murderers. [CM] This also shows that Uncle Wilse does not look for anything positive about the Indians, he just looks for the negative side of things. [CD] Dr. Childsley was an educated man who expressed similar opinions when he muttered, “The boy has lived too many years among the Indians, subject to their uncivilized fare, hardship and mode of life.” [CM] This shows that Dr. Childsley thinks that the Indian lifestyle is an extreme and difficult experience. [CM] This also shows that Dr. Childsley thinks his own way of life is better and healthier. [TS] Although the whites had skewed views of the Indians, the Indians also failed to understand the whites and their culture.

Sample Body Paragraph Two, moving beyond the constraints of “this shows that” to vary phrasing and adding stronger language in commentaries:

[TS] The white settlers of America perceived the Indian people to be uncivilized, ignorant savages. [CD] As Myra Butler attempted to teach True Son English, she commented, “You had to live in darkness and ignorance. You have to make up for lost time and learn the English tongue.” [CM] This comment reveals Myra Butler’s disdain and feelings that True Son had been raised by his Indian family in an unrefined way, never having learned proper etiquette or manners. [CM] This also shows she believed that the Indian language was not as good as her own. [CD] True Son’s Uncle Wilse also commented on his native upbringing: “The heathen notions they drill into him. Bad is good and good is bad, lying’s an art and stealing is a virtue. Butchering and scalping white women and young ones is a major accomplishment.” [CM] Here Uncle Wilse demonstrates his contempt for Indians and his view that they are no good, lying murderers. [CM] His judgment shows that he does not look for anything positive about the Indians, he just looks for the negative side of things. [CD] Dr. Childsley was an educated man who expressed similar opinions when he muttered, “The boy has lived too many years among the Indians, subject to their uncivilized fare, hardship and mode of life.” [CM] This suggests that Dr. Childsley thinks the Indian lifestyle is an extreme and difficult experience. [CM] This also exposes Dr. Childsley’s lack of understanding in thinking his own way of life is better and healthier. [TS] Although the whites had skewed views of the Indians, the Indians also failed to understand the whites and their culture.