Cleric: And the Lord spake, saying, “First shalt thou take out the Holy Thesis. Then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number of paragraphs thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Essay of Five Paragraphs towards thy foe, who, being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.
Brother Maynard: Amen.
All: Amen.
King Arthur: Right. One… two… five.
Galahad: Three, sir.
King Arthur: Three.
adapted from Chapman, G., Cleese, J., and Idle, E. et al. (1975). Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Retrieved July 18, 2008, from Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071853/quotes
Why has the five paragraph essay fallen out of favor? Is it because the Post-modern leanings of current educational philosophy instinctively abhor anything resembling Modern structure? Or is it that the Five-Paragraph essay restricts creative thinking? is not rhetorically effictive? Do the blue pinstripes of college-ruled, lined, notebook paper make it look fat? Ponder that, if you please.
