Cause and Effect Essay

Planning 1) Make chart of causes and effects 2) 3 options: Identify the specific relationships on that chart 2) 3 options: Discuss causes Discuss effects Discuss both (keep scope limited)

Thesis statement Essay must present and support a particular thesis Ex: p. 328 (1st para.) Thesis statement should: Identify the relationships among the specific causes or effects you discuss Indicate the significance of the causes or effects  ARGUMENT

Thesis - example Ex 1: Facebook revolutionized the way that people date. Not a thesis Just an observation Very general (not specific)

Ex 2: Facebook altered the way that people ask others to go on a date, and in effect made a task that was scarier in the past much easier and less socially awkward. Thesis Specific States the significance of an effect

Thesis statement Thesis tells reader 3 things: 1) issues you plan to consider 2) position you will take on those issues 3) whether your emphasis is on causes, effects, or both

Thesis Statement May also explicitly or implicitly indicate the main cause or effect you will focus on May include the order you will present your points

Arranging Causes and effects: Options 1) Chronological order Be careful of post hoc reasoning! 2) Introduce main cause first, then contributory (or do the opposite—save the best for last) 3) focus on positive consequences, briefly summarize negative (vice versa)

Arranging Causes and effects: Options 4) Dismiss any events that were not causes Explain what the real causes were (helps to avoid post hoc reasoning) 5) Begin with most obvious causes or effects Move to the more subtle causes or effects

Transitions – distinguish causes from effects The first cause, The second cause, One result, Another result,

Transitions – show causal relationships Main cause = Most important Contributory causes = Least important/Another cause I.e. Hartford Roof Collapse Main cause: Roof Design Contributory cause: Weight of Snow

Transitions – show causal relationships Immediate cause = Closely precedes the effect; most obvious Remote cause = Less obvious; possibly in the past or far away i.e. Hartford Roof Collapse: Immediate cause: Weight of Snow (straw that broke the camel’s back) Remote causes: Roof design, improper maintenance, etc.

Structure Let’s take a look at the student’s example in your Patterns textbook: Pg 333: The Irish Famine How is it organized?

Structure The Irish Famine Introduction: (Thesis statement) 1st Cause: Failure of Crop 2nd Cause: Landlord-tenant system 3rd Cause: Failures of government policy 4th Cause: British prejudice Results of the famine Conclusion, more nuanced

Structure In this essay, all causes are seen as important and interrelated. Evelyn starts with immediate cause of the famine: failure of potato crop. Ends with most remote cause: British Prejudice

Structure This was an answer to an exam question. Hence, it could be improved: More interesting opening (eyewitness account of famine’s effects. Quote from AModest Proposal by Jonathan Swift)

Structure 2. Her conclusion could have been developed further, pointing towards the nation’s eventual recovery. Or commenting further on the enrichment of other nations alluded to at the end of the conclusion.

Structure 3. Body paragraphs could have included supporting statistics/quotes from historians/or a brief history of Ireland before the Famine.

By the end of the block By the end of the block, please complete the following and print: Choose a topic and an approach (causes, effects, or both). Find at least two secondary sources to support your argument. Prepare a preliminary Works Cited page which lists the two sources. You may use easybib.com.

Assignment Due Tuesday, 1/14 500words (~2 typed pages); place word count at end of essay Bibliography (1-2 sources; use easybib.com; MLA format) see Purdue Online Writing Lab Typed, double-spaced Turnitin.com 100 pts