Paper Deconstruction

• The first paragraph is the introduction paragraph
•  Introduce the idea of the paper
•  Explain the stereotype chosen (black mammy)
•  Present thesis—that The Help proves the stereotype of a black Mammy wrong

• The history of the black Mammy is discussed to provide a knowledge that will be carried out through the entire paper.
• What is a black mammy?
•  How has it been seen in society?
• Add in a bit more background information of other examples of black Mammies

• Main characters are beginning to be discussed, to start introducing the text and how it carries out the thesis statement.
• Introduce the main character
• Give a brief synopsis on the premise of The Help
• Explain the time period and how influential the civil rights movement was

• This paragraph begins to introduce Skeeter, who is a very influential character in the film. 
• Introduce Skeeter, the young girl who is encouraging the change
• She makes a bold move to write a novel about the maid.
•  Add in more examples from the film to prove the argument

• This paragraph’s purpose is to show how the white women compare to the black domestics during the time period. 
• There is a contrast between the mothers and the maids.
• Introduce specific maid characters

• This paragraph is to discuss how the actresses portraying these roles looked, and how the way that the movie displayed the characters fit the description of how a black Mammy looked, but not necessarily how they acted. 
• Explain how the characters respond to Skeeter’s idea of making the book.
• Explain how the characters begin to show traits of steering away from the stereotypical black Mammy.
• Discuss the appearance of the black maid characters.

• This paragraph presents the opposing idea, that the film really perpetuates and encourages the image of a Mammy.
• Discuss how the maids were treated.
• The film gives us another perspective on how maids felt during this time period.

• Explore other’s opinions who disagree with my argument—how I can I support my idea to not exactly prove them wrong, but to show that my argument is stronger?
• Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, the two women who play the main black maid characters, address the critic’s reaction on them playing these two roles and how they feel about their characters.
• They felt that there were some dangerous aspects in the fact that they chose to fulfill such roles in today’s society.
• The film serves as a medium for preserving society.

• My concluding sentence encompasses ideas brought about throughout the paper.
• How the stereotype is recognized in America today.
• The Help is an acclaimed classic.
•  Expand more on the conclusion to add more ties to end the paper

I feel that right now, my paper is sugarcoating all of the ideas that I want to expand on. Sentences here and there provide room for me to write more about, and I want to be sure to not leave any superficial ideas that are not explained to the reader. At the same time, there are a few places in which I think I can ‘ramble’ on less about a certain subject, such as the plot. If there is a way that I am able to condense how long I talk about the characters yet still provide enough detail for a ready who has not seen The Help, then I will have been able to come closer to achieve my goal of the paper.