Gandhi: Essay Assignment

Matt Brooker

Buena Vista High School

Buena Vista, Colorado

This lesson by Matt Brooker introduces sophomore students to the fundamentals of essay writing.

Introduction:

We will be watching the movie Gandhi in class. During the movie you will need to take notes from the movie in order to have information for writing your essay. You are required to write a five paragraph essay about Gandhi, his accomplishments, and what you think of what he did. You may want to include one of the Gandi quotes that appears at the end of the lesson. Below is a topic outline for the essay. Follow this outline but look into the longer, essay outline that includes examples of each step. Using the examples as a guide, write your own essay.

Assessment:

This is a 50 point assignment.

• 10 points for content
• 10 points for grammar and spelling
• 10 points for being well written so that the essay flows and makes sense
• 20 points for following the outline and structuring your essay in the same way

Short Outline for a 5-Paragraph Essay

1. Introduction Paragraph
   1. Thesis Statement
   2. Main Ideas (3 or 4 sentences)
   3. Transition Sentence

2. First Main Idea Paragraph
   1. Introduction Sentence
   2. Body (3 or 4 sentences)
   3. Transition Sentence

3. Second Main Idea Paragraph
   1. Introduction Sentence
   2. Body (3 or 4 sentences)
   3. Transition Sentence

4. Third Main Idea Paragraph
   1. Introduction Sentence
   2. Body (3 or 4 sentences)
   3. Transition Sentence

5. Conclusion Paragraph
   1. Introduction Sentence
   2. Support (3 or 4 sentences)
   3. Final Concluding Sentence

The Parts of a 5-Paragraph Essay with Examples of Each Part

1. Introduction Paragraph
   1. Thesis Statement -- this tells the reader what the entire essay will be about. It should be bold, well thought out, and should hint at the conclusion. The thesis statement should be no longer than 1 or 2 sentences.
      1. Examples -- "There are few men in history that have achieved what Gandhi did when he took on one of history's most powerful empires."

         "Gandhi was a small Indian man that took on the British Empire's policies of injustice, discrimination, and colonial domination without throwing a single punch, firing a single bullet, or in any way using violence as a weapon. The fact that he defeated the British Empire by winning Indian Independence stands as testimony that Gandhi should be given the status of being remembered as a 'great man in history.'"

   2. There should be three sentences that present main ideas that will be contained in the paper.
      1. Example 1 -- "Gandhi began his work against the injustices of the British Empire when he was a young man in South Africa."

      2. Example 2 -- "After returning to India, Gandhi had convinced himself that he must get in touch with the masses and persuade them to follow him in nonviolent and non-cooperative protest against British Rule."

      3. Example 3 -- "Through marches, demonstrations, and protests, Gandhi was able to bring the attention of the world to India by displaying the atrocities of the British empire and not retaliating with violence."

      4. Example 4 -- "Although Indian Independence was Gandhi's main goal, he struggled with the idea that Hindus and Muslims did not want to live together after India had gained independence."

   3. Transition Sentence -- this prepares the reader for the next paragraph, which should refer to the first main idea.
      1. Example -- "The road is Indian Independence was a long one for Gandhi, and in order to fully understand his struggle, it is necessary to start at the beginning.

2. First Main Idea Paragraph -- this will be about the first main idea that was presented in the introduction paragraph.
   1. Introduction Sentence -- this sentence should reintroduce your first main idea.
      1. Example -- "In 1893 Gandhi began working aginst the unjust discrimination that he, and other Indians working in South Africa, experienced."

   2. Body Sentences -- there should be 3 or 4 sentences that extend the main idea.
      1. Example 1 -- "Gandhi was thrown off a train, traveling across South Africa, because he had refused to yield his first class seat and move to the third class where all of the colored people were forced to ride."

      2. Example 2 -- "Shortly after the train incident, Gandhi organized his first protest in which he burned passes that Indians were required to carry at all times in South Africa."

      3. Example 3 -- "Although his first protest was not well attended, Gandhi had received enough newspaper coverage that his second protest drew a large crowd."

      4. Example 4 -- "At this second protest, which addressed new laws that singled out Indians as second class citizens that had few rights, Gandhi replied to violent threats, coming from the crowd, by stating, 'We will not strike a blow but we will receive them . . .They may torture my body, break my bones, or even kill me. Then they will have my dead body, not my obedience.'"

   3. Transition Sentence -- this should prepare the reader for the next paragraph with should be about Gandhi's work after he returned to India.
      1. Example -- "Gandhi was able to lead a highly effective march in South Africa, and his success caused him to return to India where he could work for an even greater cause, Indian Independence."

3. Second Main Idea Paragraph -- this paragraph should be structured exactly like the previous paragraph, but the topic will be the second main idea that was presented in the introduction paragraph.
   1. Introduction Sentence -- this sentence will reintroduce your second main idea.
      1. Example -- "Soon after making his return to India, Gandhi began traveling all over the country in order to get to know the people."

   2. Body Sentences -- there should be 3 or 4 sentences that extend the main idea.
      1. Example 1 -- "There were a number of politicians, both Hindu and Muslim, that were in favor of asking for home rule."

      2. Example 2 -- "Gandhi responded to these politicians by saying that the common people make the difference, and only through uniting them will independence by granted."

      3. Example 3 -- "The belief in maintaining contact with the common people ran so deep in Gandhi that he himself lived as a poor man, making his own clothes, and doing all of the things that the common man had to do."

      4. Example 4 -- "Poor sharecroppers saw Gandhi as the man that best represented them, and they turned to him for leadership. Through nonviolent campaigns, Gandhi organized the poor and was able to win a rebate on rent, freedom for the sharecroppers to choose their own crops, and a commission, part Indian, to hear the grievances of the poor."

   3. Transition Sentence -- this sentence should prepare the reader for the next paragraph which will be about your third main idea.
      1. Example -- "Although other people had won similar victories Gandhi was unique in that methods his methods of protest against a tyrannical government focused on nonviolence and noncooperation."

4. Third Main Idea Paragraph -- this paragraph should be structured exactly like the previous paragraph, but the topic will be your third main idea that was presented in the introduction paragraph.
   1. Introduction Sentence -- this sentence will reintroduce your third idea.
      1. Example -- "Grandhi used marches, demonstrations, and public protest in a nonviolent and noncooperative manner as tools for fighting for Indian Independence."

   2. Body Sentences -- there should be 3 or 4 sentences that extend the main idea.
      1. Example 1 -- "The central theme of Gandhi's method of protest was to always behave in a nonviolent and noncooperative manner."

      2. Example 2 -- "Perhaps Gandhi best described his methods in a meeting with British politicians when he said,"In the end you will walk out (British will leave India) because 100,000 Englishmen simply cannot control 350 million Indians if those Indians refuse to cooperative, and that is what we intend to achieve. Peaceful, nonviolent, noncooperation until you yourself see the wisdom of leaving.'"

      3. Example 3 -- "Not everyone believed that nonviolence could bring independence to India, and there were groups that would lash out with violent attacks against the British."

      4. Example 4 -- "Gandhi reacted to these violent outbursts in a unique manner. Whenever violence took over, Gandhi would fast until the fighting stopped. On these occasions, the people would rather stop fighting violently than see Gandhi starve himself to death because of their violence."

   3. Transition Sentence -- this sentence should prepare the reader for the concluding paragraph which should address the fourth main idea.
      1. Transition Sentence -- "It was a long battle of nonviolent protest against the British that finally brought independence to India, but freedom brought problems of its own."

5. Conclusion Paragraph -- this paragraph will contain the conclusion of the essay. After you have restated your thesis, you need to place your own opinion of Gandhi's accomplishments in the essay. Only in a concluding paragraph should you put your own opinion.
   1. Introduction Sentence -- This sentence should restate your thesis in order to prepare the reader for the conclusion. You may want to start the sentence with the words "In conclusion . . ."
      1. Example -- "In conclusion, Gandhi should be considered one of history's 'great' men.

   2. Support Sentences -- there should be 3 or 4 sentences that add support for your introduction sentence. Once you have placed your opinion in the essay, you need to show that there is support for it.
      1. Example 1 -- "He set out to accomplish a goal that seemed almost unattainable."

      2. Example 2 -- "By taking on the British Empire with a nonviolent campaign and achieving Indian Independence, Gandhi created a place for himself in history."

      3. Example 3 -- "Although Gandhi had achieved so much, he remained humble, and was very disappointed with the way that Indian Hindus and Muslims were fighting each other after they gained Independence."

      4. Example 4 -- "Gandhi died at a time when he wanted to achieve an end to the hostility that the Hindus and Muslims had toward one another."

   3. Final Concluding Sentence -- this sentence should bring closure to your entire essay. It should be well thought out and should leave the reader with a complete understanding of what is important about Gandhi.

      1. Example -- "Perhaps the real tragedy of Gandhi's life was that he accomplished what few in history could, but died without knowing his real impact or accepting that he was indeed a 'great' man."

Gandhi Quotes

"We will not strike a blow, but we will receive them"

"They may torture my body, break my bones, or even kill me. They will have my body, not my obedience."

"In the end you will walk out (British will leave India) because 100,000 Englishmen simply cannot control 350 million Indians if those Indians refuse to cooperate, and that is what we intend to achieve. Peaceful, nonviolent, noncooperation until you yourself see the wisdom of leaving, Your Excellencey."

"No Indian must be treated as the English treat us. We must remove untouchability from our hearts and lives."

"An eye for an eye only leaves the whole world blind."

"I remember that all through history the way of truth and life have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it, always."

"They are not in control, we are. That is the strength of civil resistance."

Gandhi's wife, said this of Gandhi's beliefs in an introduction to one of Gandhi's speeches. "There have been two kinds of slavery in India, one for the women, and one for the untouchables."

If you have other ideas for teaching essay writing in world history or a world history lesson for the website, please contact Heidi Roupp roupp@csn.net.

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