MEAL Paragraphs
The claim expressed in a topic sentence at the beginning of a paragraph
Main Idea
Got his arm caught in a cotton gin
Tom Robinson
A rude, insulting gesture in Act I Scene I
Biting your thumb
a comparison of two unlike things using like or as
simile
the people or animals in a story
characters
Quotes from a piece of text used to support the writer's claim
Evidence
Tends to her garden with the utmost care
Miss Maudie
How the brawl in Act I Scene I is ended
The prince threatens the Montagues and Capulets with death if he catches them fighting in the streets again
repeated sounds at the beginning of words
alliteration
the time and location of a story
setting
Average length of a MEAL paragraph
5-8 sentences
Has an active imagination and tells lots of fibs
Dill Harris
Juliet wakes up to find Romeo dead from poison. Since there is no poison left in the bottle, she...
stabs herself with Romeo's dagger
giving human characteristics to non-human things
personification
the series of events in a story
plot
The final sentence that restates the claim and sums up the writer's ideas
Last Thought or Link
Pays Atticus for legal work with produce; has a large family
Mr. Cunningham
Juliet's father goes into a rage and tells her he is going to throw her out if the house because...
she refuses to marry Paris
a reference to a person, place, or event with no context or explanation; the author expects the reader to know who or what they are referring to
allusion
the problem or issue in a story
conflict
The sentences that demonstrate the writer's understanding of the prompt and comprehension of the text; the most important part of MEAL
Analysis
Lives the last days of her life courageously
Mrs. Dubose
Friar Lawrence tells Romeo that "These violent delights have violent ends, And in their triumph die, like fire and powder, Which, as they kiss, consume." This is an example of
foreshadowing
the contrast between expectation and reality; when the outcome is the opposite of what is normally expected
irony
the lesson or message that the author implies in a text
theme