Year 11 · Extended response writing · Lesson 2 of 4
Build the Argument
Thesis and introduction · the Great Fire of Rome, AD 64
Hubert Robert, The Fire of Rome, 1785 (detail). Public domain.
Do Now · from memory · no notes · 4 minutes
Five questions
- 1What does “to what extent” require you to do?Make a judgement of degree — how far — weighing evidence for and against.
- 2Give two different meanings of “responsible”.Any two: started it · made it worse · exploited it · was blamed for it.
- 3Where was Nero when the fire began?At Antium, about 50 km south of Rome.
- 4On whose land did the second outbreak start?Tigellinus — commander of the Praetorian Guard.
- 5What did Nero build on the burnt land?The Golden House (Domus Aurea).
Learning intentions & success criteria
- weigh the reliability of sources to decide how much their evidence can bear
- build a thesis and an introduction that sets up our line of argument
- weigh when, who and why for each ancient writer
- write a thesis with a degree, a reason and a concession
- write an introduction: context → key term → thesis → roadmap
Supported reading · Source A · follow in your Case Study Pack
A disaster followed, whether accidental or treacherously contrived by the emperor, is uncertain … others openly hurled brands, and kept shouting that there was one who gave them authority, either seeking to plunder more freely, or obeying orders.
Tacitus, Annals 15.38 · written c. AD 115–120
Tacitus — no friend of Nero — says it is uncertain. That’s a careful historian hedging.
He offers two explanations for the torches: looting or orders. So the torches don’t prove Nero did it.
Pair reading · worksheet Part A · 8 minutes
Weigh the witnesses
| Writer | How long after? | Blames Nero? | Trust because… | Caution because… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tacitus (A–D) | ~50 yrs | Unsure | Careful; admits doubt; reports Nero’s relief fairly | A boy of 8 in AD 64; hostile to “tyrant” emperors |
| Suetonius (E) | ~57 yrs | Yes | Imperial secretary with archive access | Loves scandal; states as fact what Tacitus calls rumour |
| Cassius Dio (F) | ~150 yrs | Yes | Senator; used earlier writers | Very late; claims to know Nero’s secret wishes; survives only in a summary |
| Subrius Flavus (G) | 1 yr | Yes | Insider in Nero’s own guard | A condemned conspirator; shows belief, not proof |
I do · from position to thesis
A thesis is your answer — with its reasoning showing
The Great Fire began on 19 July AD 64.
This essay will talk about Nero and the fire.
Nero was a terrible emperor.
A judgement of degree on the question, with the main reason — and, for a strong thesis, a concession to the other side.
I do · the thesis ladder · think aloud
Nero was responsible for the Great Fire.
No degree, no reason, no counter-view.
Nero was largely not responsible for the Great Fire because he was at Antium when it started.
Degree + one reason. Still no counter-view.
Although Suetonius and Cassius Dio accuse Nero of arson, the weight of evidence suggests that he did not start the Great Fire; his responsibility lies instead in exploiting its aftermath, which made the accusation believable.
I do · the formula (on your worksheet)
Although , the weight of evidence suggests that Nero was responsible for because .
Hinge question · 1, 2, 3 or 4 fingers
Which of these is a thesis?
- 1The Great Fire began on 19 July AD 64.
- 2This essay will talk about Nero and the fire.
- 3Nero was a terrible emperor.
- 4While Nero exploited the fire’s aftermath, the evidence that he started it is late and hostile.
4 judges, concedes and gives a reason. 1 = fact · 2 = announcement · 3 = opinion with no degree or reason.
I do · the introduction
Four moves
Set the scene in one sentence.
Define or open up “responsible”.
Degree + reason + concession.
Preview the line of argument — never “This essay will…”.
I do · What A Good One Looks Like · worksheet Part C
1The conflagration that swept through Rome in July AD 64, levelling three of the city’s fourteen districts and gutting seven more, has long been laid at the feet of the emperor Nero. 2Yet ‘responsibility’ for a disaster can take more than one form: a ruler may be culpable for igniting it, for failing to contain it, or for exploiting its ruins. 3Although Suetonius and Cassius Dio present Nero as a deliberate arsonist, the weight of the evidence suggests that he did not start the fire; his responsibility lies instead in his opportunistic exploitation of its aftermath, which rendered the accusation of arson credible to contemporaries and to the hostile historical tradition that followed. 4Weighing the fire’s probable accidental origins against the late and partisan testimony of the ancient writers, and against Nero’s conduct once the flames had died, reveals an emperor less guilty of the crime than of its political consequences.
Language spotlight · nominalisation · cold call
Turn the action into a “thing”
| Everyday | Academic |
|---|---|
| The fire spread rapidly. | The rapid spread of the fire… |
| Nero responded generously. | Nero’s generous response… |
| Romans suspected Nero. | Roman suspicion of Nero… |
Why bother? A noun can become the subject of a new sentence — so you can argue about it: “Nero’s generous response, however, failed to silence the rumour.”
We do · joint construction · 8 minutes
Now the opposite case: Nero was largely responsible
“How can we begin this text?”
“What does the reader need to know first?”
“Can we use a key word here?”
“How can we make this sentence more concise?”
second outbreak on Tigellinus’s land · men with torches “obeying orders” · the Golden House · Subrius Flavus · Suetonius & Dio
You do · worksheet Part E · 15 minutes
Write your own introduction
Use the four sentence starters. Your position can be your Lesson 1 working position.
Four moves; one nominalisation; one modal phrase; no “This essay will”.
Position Barrett vs Champlin inside your key-term or thesis move. Roadmap = a line of argument, not a list.
Then tick the self-check box on your worksheet. Press K for the timer.
Exit ticket · sticky note
Put your thesis on the line
Copy your thesis onto a sticky note and place it on the class extent scale on your way out.