Choose any of the Roman emperors, and write a one page biographical sketch explaining what you see as his most notable actions and character traits that impacted Western civilization.
- A biographical sketch is shorter and more specific than a typical biography of a person's character, life, and achievements. It should provide readers with your insights into the person's character and give people what you consider to be significant information about a historical figure.
- Choose one interesting experience that illustrates the main point that you want to make about that person's life. Gather details about that incident. For example, write a timeline of the person's life that will show that you know when and where the person was born; where he lived; what he did throughout the course of his life; and where, when, and how he died. Make a list of the person's pursuits and accomplishments.
- Draw conclusions, and prepare your thesis. Reflect on the life of the historical figure. Your thesis statement will offer your reader the overall insight into this person you have perceived.
Use the following guidelines to help decide on your thesis:
- Ask yourself about how the historical figure was shaped by his time period and environment.
- Ask yourself how the historical figure impacted the lives of the people around him, the public, and future generations.
- Figure out which of the figure's achievements and life experiences you may want to emphasize.
- Figure out which quality of the person you would most like to emphasize, and make sure the facts you present support it.
- Find the perfect anecdote to demonstrate the qualities of the person you would most like to show.
Be sure to consider the following guidelines in your essay:
- The introduction should engage the reader and clearly present the essay's thesis and a summary of the main points that clarify the writer's point of view.
- Organization should clearly present points arranged to illustrate your opening thesis.
- Writing should be clear and concise with no spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors.
- APA formatting guidelines should be used for reference entries and in-text citations.