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Essay Writing 101

Essay Writing 101. A proper essay has several parts: An introductory paragraph A thesis statement This encapsulates the entire idea of the WHOLE essay Ex. “Siddhartha Guatama made the correct decision when he chose spiritual greatness over political greatness.”

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Essay Writing 101

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  1. Essay Writing 101 • A proper essay has several parts: • An introductory paragraph • A thesis statement • This encapsulates the entire idea of the WHOLE essay • Ex. “Siddhartha Guatama made the correct decision when he chose spiritual greatness over political greatness.” • An essay without a thesis is like a person without a head. What’s the point?!

  2. Essay Writing 101 • Proper language • No contractions (i.e. “can’t”) • No slang (i.e. “the bomb”) • No casual language (i.e. “junk”, “stuff”) • No abbreviations (i.e. “Sid” for Siddhartha Guatama) • The word “like” should only be used for similes. For example: ‘The gray day was misty and thick like a mug of soup.’ NOT ‘Siddhartha was like the best ruler.’

  3. Essay Writing 101 • Correct grammar • No fragments • The word “there” indicates a location. The word “their” indicates a possession by a group of people. • The word “you’re” means “you are.” The word “your” means you have something. • The word “it’s” means “it is.” The word “its” means it owns something.

  4. Essay Writing 101 • Redundancy is a cardinal sin! DO NOT repeat the same statement over and over again just to meet your sentence quota. • Concrete examples are necessary for essay writing. • Not concrete: “I would choose to be a political leader because I would have more power.” • Concrete: “Political leaders have more power than spiritual leaders. For example, Xerxes controlled Persians political lives as well as their spirituality. Xerxes could keep Jews from being killed through royal decree.”

  5. Essay Writing 101 • Avoid vague language. • Vague: “Siddhartha was a good spiritual leader.” • Specific: “Siddhartha was a good spiritual leader because he dedicated himself to achieving enlightenment through the practice of fasting and meditation.”

  6. Essay Writing 101 • Avoid value judgments. • Value judgment: “Hinduism is dumb.” • Proper statement expressing the same sentiment: “Traditionally, Hinduism has been a religion that did not tend to favor higher education. This fact made the caste system powerful and effective as a social regulator even until today.”

  7. Essay Writing 101 • Spelling is important. Don’t make silly mistakes such as misspelling words that are in front of you. For example, don’t misspell Siddhartha when the word is in the prompt. • READ, READ, READ! • Read the prompt carefully so that you write the correct essay. Three to five sentences means just that. Anything else is not complete. • Read over your essay before you turn it in to catch your mistakes!

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