Writing Essays: The Basics

1. Writing Essays: The Basics Topics: 1. The Attention Grabber 2. Introduction including argument 3. The first sentence of every body paragraph 4. the purpose of body paragraphs including evidence 5. Conclusions 6. Tone 7. Audience 8. Basic rules of tense and point of view

2. What An Essay Looks Like Introduction: Attention-grabber Lead-up to argument Argument Body Paragraph 1: Transitional / topic sentence that relates back to one aspect of the argument Evidence Body Paragraph 2: Transitional / topic sentence that relates back to a second aspect of the argument Evidence Body Paragraph 3: Conclusion: Does not introduce new information Offers some insight or fresh way of thinking about the topic covered Relates back to argument without re-stating it directly

3. 1. The Attention Grabber The first sentence you write in an essay, regardless of whether it is a research essay, an compare / contrast essay, or a literary analysis – any type of essay – begins by writing something that is both relevant to your essay’s topic and will grab the reader’s attention.

4. 1. The Attention Grabber – What It Is NOT The Twilight Zone is known for involving irony and lesson learning in their episodes. The novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding and the episode of the Twilight Zone I Shot an Arrow into the Air share many similar qualities in their storylines. The first example states a point that is unrelated to any potential argument the writer may make. The second example tells nothing to the reader about either item.

5. 1. The Attention Grabber – What It Is Being stranded in an unfamiliar environment, without the comforts of home, can cause fear and anxiety. The episode of the Twilight Zone and the novel by William Golding both reflect a struggle for order in an otherwise desperate situation. The first example makes a general statement that can easily lead towards a central argument. The second example makes an intriguing and accurate statement about both items that also may easily lead to a central argument.

6. 2. The Introduction The introduction of an essay consists of three (3) parts: The Attention-Grabbing Opener (which can consist of 1-2 sentences) Writing that connects the Opener to the Argument The Argument

7. 2. The Argument The Argument Your argument is the point you plan to prove in your essay using evidence from the text(s) or material you have chosen to work with. It appears as the last sentence or two of your introduction. Writing that the themes or characters are similar is not an argument. It presents nothing to argue.

8. 2. The Argument: What It Is NOT Both tell different stories of the same idea and highlight the nature of mankind. Watching the similarities and direct allusions was very entertaining and insightful.

9. 2. The Argument – What It IS The stories show what kind of struggle the mind goes through when we feel as though we may not live another day. Eventually we see the collapse of any civilized behavior and the emergence of primitive instinct. Although protagonists struggle to maintain civility and dignity within their respective communities they ultimately are no match for the antagonists who oppose them. Note: “We” should never be used.

10. 3. First Sentence of Every Body Paragraph Each paragraph begins with a sentence that has three (3) jobs. The sentence needs to both relate back to one important aspect of the argument that you have determined during the brainstorming period. Each new first sentence has to relate to a different aspect of the argument. It acts as the topic sentence for the paragraph by being the most general of the sentences in the paragraph and by relating to everything that is written in that paragraph. It must transition from the last sentence of the previous paragraph.

11. 3. First Sentence of Every Body Paragraph – What It Is NOT A sentence that has nothing in common with the last sentence that came before it. In other words, it has to connect the idea in the last sentence you wrote about to the new idea you are introducing in the paragraph. First, Second, Third, In conclusion, As previously mentioned, etc. A sentence that does not relate to every single other sentence in the paragraph. You cannot have a topic sentence that is about the antagonists and end the paragraph writing about environments.

12. 4. The Purpose of Body Paragraphs Including Evidence In every essay you will ever write, you have two main objectives: to create a compelling argument, and to prove that argument using evidence from the text. Every body paragraph presents some new aspect of the argument that requires evidence. That evidence needs to be specific and accurate. Ex: Jack did not murder Piggy.

13. 4. Evidence – What It Is NOT Jack would not care for the others and he had no problem withholding food and inflicting pain on anyone that went against him. The boys in The Lord of the Flies became savages and started killing some of the boys thinking they were pigs. In the first sentence, the problem is one of vagueness. Jack withheld food and inflicted pain at several specific moments in the story, and each of those moments is quite different. In the second sentence is also vague. You should not using “began” or “started” when writing about story details. The information in the sentence is also only partially true. Only two boys were killed, Simon and Piggy. Piggy was not mistaken for a pig; he was killed because he, and his ideas, were hated.

14. 4. Evidence – What It IS In both places there are little resources, incredible heat, and the characters find themselves feeling desperate and hopeless because of the isolation. Their [the boys] savagery resulted in the loss of both Simon and Piggy, the most impartial and just boys of the group. Although both these sentences are more specific than the other examples, they should still be followed or combined with even more specific details. Both, for example, could appear as topic sentences in a paragraph. Still, they use accurate informational details from the story. Essentially, they are not ideal as examples of evidence but they are in the right direction.

15. 5. Conclusions Conclusions are meant to bring the essay to a satisfactory close. No new information is introduced, ever. A wise insight or point is made that expands the understanding and enjoyment of the material covered for the reader. This point relates to the overall argument made (and proven) by the writer.

16. 6. Tone Tone is formal, but not stuffy. Tone should not sound as though you are speaking with your friends. Words like “very”, “like”, “incredibly”, “amazing” etc. are not used in formal academic writing.

17. 7. Audience Your audience is familiar with both the story and the television episode. Therefore you do not write sentences or paragraphs that provide plot summary. This does not mean that details in the plot are not mentioned, but that they are used to make a particular point in every instance. They are not written about for the sake of “filling the reader in” on the plot. That is unnecessary. This rule applies to every essay. Your audience (the teacher) knows the story, and even when they don’t, plot summary unnecessary. Only plot details used as evidence are needed.

18. 8. Basic Rules of Tense and Point of View In academic writing, first and second person (I, me, we [we is the plural form of I] and you) are never, ever used. In academic writing, present tense is used. Do not switch to past tense, or back and forth between present and past.