10 Tips for Successful
Essay Writing
Kate Scheel
English 104 – summer
2006
1. There are four parts of an essay:
·
introductory
paragraph
·
body
·
concluding
paragraph
·
Works
Cited page
2. The introductory paragraph should state the argument
(sometimes also called the ‘thesis’) – the argument
tells the reader what the essay will claim and prove. This is your and the
reader’s map or plan for the essay. Think of this like a spring break road trip
– you have limited time so you need a destination and a very good map.
Your map is THE most important part of this trip. Since
everything in the essay must relate back to the introductory paragraph, some
people write the introductory paragraph first because they use the map to
formulate the rest of the essay. Some people write it last because they figure
out what they think as they write. Whichever way you chose to
compose the introductory paragraph, IT HAS TO MATCH THE BODY OF THE ESSAY.
The map you give the reader in that first paragraph has to be an accurate
description of where you are going with your argument. It's the reader's first
impression of your essay - if your essay detours from the argument, the reader
will be very confused and try to "guess" your destination and this
usually means that your ideas get lost in the confusion. It could also lead to
road rage.
3. Note that there is a difference between a topic and an
argument. For example, ‘satire in Jonathan Swift’s essay, “A Modest Proposal”’
is a topic. However, the statement that ‘Jonathan Swift uses satire to ridicule
English attitudes to poverty in
4. Your argument should tell the reader why they should care.
Why is this destination worthy of your and the reader's time and effort? For
example, an argument such as ' Jonathan Swift uses satire to ridicule English
attitudes to Irish poverty’ is good. An argument that also tells the reader why
this is significant is even better. Ask yourself, why do we need to know this?
Is Swift’s use of satire more effective than if he were to comment directly on
the situation? How does Swift’s mockery and ridicule of English landlords work
to persuade them to change their behaviour? How does Swift’s use of satire
change the way readers might think about the problem of Irish poverty? There
are lots of directions you can go here - there is no one desired destination -
just a requirement for evidence of some deeper thought and consideration of
your motives and choices. If you’re only going as far as Spuzzum,
the reader may lose interest with a destination of such a limited scope.
5. The body of the essay provides the evidence that supports
your argument. The evidence is organized into paragraphs so that there is one
paragraph for each main idea. Each paragraph begins with a topic sentence that
announces to the reader the topic or subject of the paragraph. Each sentence in
the paragraph should relate to the topic sentence.
Each paragraph will follow logically from the preceding one as
you work your way to your destination. If it is necessary to double-back,
explain to your reader why this was required.
6. Each of your claims should be substantiated with evidence
from the text that you are discussing – if you’ve stopped in
7. The evidence will take the form of quotations from the text.
Note that these quotations have to be introduced to the reader. The standard
way to do this is to:
·
make a
claim
·
tell
the reader you are going to give them some evidence
·
tell
the reader the significance of the evidence
For example, if I want to prove that Swift claims that the
English treat their livestock better than they treat their Irish tenant
farmers, I might write:
Swift applies the language of agriculture to the problem of
Irish poverty to show that the English treat livestock better than they treat
their tenant farmers {claim}. This is apparent
when he proposes that {cues the reader that evidence is to follow} the Irish population be considered like a herd of animals
in which a farmer works to provide an adequate supply of meat for sale while
maintaining a constant supply of breeding stock:
I do therefore humbly offer it to public consideration that of the hundred and twenty thousand children, already computed, twenty thousand may be reserved for breed, whereof only one fourth part to be males, which is more than we allow to sheep, black cattle, or swine; and my reason is that these children are seldom the fruits of marriage, a circumstance not much regarded by savages, therefore one male will be sufficient to serve four females. (2176) {evidence}
In describing the Irish as
“savages” and proposing that they be treated like animals, Swift draws
attention to the ways in which the English de-humanize the Irish. His satiric
solution mocks the English landowners’ neglect of the Irish and the ways in
which the English ignore the social conditions that have created the situation.
In likening the Irish to a herd of that can provide a profit, Swift also points
out the advantages to the landowner in treating the Irish tenant farmers as
resource to be protected rather than as objects to be exploited. {significance of
the evidence}
As you can see from the above example, the writer has made a
clear claim, backed it up with evidence from the text, and then shown the
significance of the evidence. It is not enough to write that ‘the English treat
the Irish like animals;’ you must show the reader the steps of your thinking.
You really have to take the reader by the hand and point out all the
significant elements of the evidence so that they can follow your reasoning.
While you can assume that the reader has read the essay, you can't assume that the
reader can follow your thoughts. Providing quotations without an accompanying
discussion is like giving someone your photo album from the trip without any
accompanying interpretation - the photos will just seem like disparate images
without any coherence. The best way to test for coherence is to give your essay
to someone who hasn't read the book to read and see if they can follow your
thinking. In general, it's not recommended to give your essay to your loved
ones for this purpose since they may resist the impulse to tell you the truth.
8. The conclusion just restates the argument you set out in the
introduction.
9. The Works Cited page lists your
sources in alphabetical order and includes the text from which you are quoting
your evidence. See the sample below or the English Department Style Guide for
help with the formatting. You MUST use the MLA (Modern Languages Association)
style of formatting or face the style police.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sample Work Cited page
Work Cited
Swift, Jonathan. “ A Modest
Proposal.” The Norton
Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M.H. Abrams. 5th ed. vol. 1
1986. 2174-2180.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10. Remember:
·
the most original and creative ideas are lost
if they aren't formulated with a clear argument and intelligent use of
evidence.
·
in case of engine failure or loss of your map,
I am available for consultation, either during office hours or via email.
Sample Introductory Paragraph
In his essay, “A Modest Proposal,” Jonathan Swift uses
satire to ridicule English attitudes to Irish poverty. Swift’s premise is that
the absentee English landowners treat their livestock better than they treat
their Irish tenant farmers. He develops his argument by describing the Irish as
animals, and with mock seriousness, proposes a method of developing a
sustainable ‘herd’ of children for sale as meat. Even landlords who cannot
bring themselves to view the Irish with humanity and compassion cannot fail to
be persuaded by the economics of better treatment of the Irish, seeing the
tenant farmers as a resource to be protected rather than as objects to be
exploited. Swift’s endorsement of cannibalism by the English has the effect of
forcing the English to consider the ways in which they have contributed to the
existing situation, rather than blaming the Irish for the existing social conditions.
I would expect that this essay would have paragraphs devoted to
proving the following points:
·
Swift
describes Irish as animals
·
Swift
proposes a method of developing a sustainable herd
·
Swift
shows how the methods of agriculture applied to the Irish could turn a profit
for the English
Essay etiquette:
·
refer
to author or character by their full name the first time that they are
mentioned
·
use present tense when discussing the text (ie. ‘Swift proposes rather than ‘Swift proposed’)
·
double
space the essay, including the quotations
·
page
numbers in the upper right corner of the page
·
hierarchy
of information for Works Cited page:
author’s name
title of a part of the book (ie.
an essay or poem)
title of the book
name of the editor, translator
edition used
number of the volume used
name of the series
place of publication
publisher
date of publication
page numbers if you are using a part of a book