Central and Support: How are they related?

Writers use a central idea to drive all decisions made about a piece of writing.

 

 

 

We've been thinking through the ways the ideas of "central" and "support" are related.  Students have sketched the idea, and we've ended up with pictures of the earth, the heart and brain, race tracks, basketball courts, and solar systems.  From these sketches, some great quotes have emerged about the relationship between "center" and "support":

 

"All the attention goes to the center."  ~ Lindsay

 

"Everything leads to the center."  ~Jake W.

 

"The center is the main attraction."  ~Samantha

 

"The center is the piece everyone looks at."  ~Alexia

 

"The center controls the other parts."  ~Patrick & Melissa

 

"Without support, the center can't exist."  ~RJ

 

"The center controls the support."  ~Erin

 

 

When this thinking is applied to writing, it's much easier to look at our mentor text to notice how the central idea is supported.  The purpose of a Character Analysis essay is to analyze a character, not to retell the story.  With this purpose in mind, create a central idea for your essay and base all other writing decisions around it.  As writers, this central idea is what makes meaning for your readers!