The Components of an Essay English 1

The 3 Main Components of Essay Writing  Introduction  Body  Conclusion

What Does an Introduction Do?  Introduces and draws the reader into the essay topic  Generates interest for the topic  Explains and illuminates the purpose and approach of the essay  Offers an organizational plan for the rest of the paper

Introduction: An Introduction is an Ice Cream Cone  Tasty Topping = Attention Grabber  Ice Cream = Background information to introduce topic  Cone = Background information: be more specific, lead into the thesis, prepare the reader for the thesis  Chocolate at the Bottom of the Cone (Nutty Buddy) = Thesis Statement

Or…  An Introduction is an Inverted Pyramid Attention Grabber Background Info More Specific Background Info Thesis Statement

Example of an introduction: Attention grabber: For decades Americans could not help but love the red-headed, fun-loving Little Orphan Annie. The image of the little girl moving so quickly from poverty to wealth provided hope for the poor in the 1930s, and her story continues to be a dream of what the future just might hold. Background information: The rags-to-riches phenomenon is the heart of the American Dream. More specific background info: And few other people have embodied this phenomenon as much as Andrew Carnegie did in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Precise thesis statement: His example and industry caused him to become the father of middle-class America.

Body paragraphs  Support the thesis claim  Prove that the thesis is correct through analysis, evidence, and explanation  Include evidence  Through the use of paraphrasing and direct quotations  Contain a topic sentence  Reveals main idea in each paragraph  Relates back to the thesis! *The key to a unified paper*  Contain transitions that move the reader smoothly from one idea to the next

Conclusion  Is metaphorically shaped like a pyramid  Restates but not rehashes thesis  Re-emphasizes main points  Avoids raising new claims  Draws the paper to a close  Caution: Avoid bringing up what would happen if things were the opposite way  Ex. “Without the symbolism, the story would not be as interesting.”

A Conclusion is a Pyramid Restate Thesis Sum Up Main Points, Wrap up ideas Provide Concluding Sentence Use different words, but keep the same ideas in the same order Refer back to the body paragraphs. Reference some of the info. Answers the question: “So what?” “What do we conclude?”

Conclusion Example: Restated thesis: Andrew Carnegie’s examples of thrift and industry, optimism, realistic Social Darwinism, and risk taking, combine to create a successful capitalist. Summing up of main points: His example and life pursuits have been, and continue to be, an ideal for the poor American and the immigrant trying to make the American Dream a reality. Andrew Carnegie ordained the happy marriage between capitalism and humanitarianism. Concluding sentence: In so doing, he made himself the father of the American middle class.