Writing an Essay

The Academic Essay The academic essay is composed of 3 parts: an introduction, the body, and a conclusion.

Provide logical evidence rather than opinion. Text Reader ESSAY Writer TEXT The most important part of the academic essay is finding and using credible evidence to support your thesis. Provide logical evidence rather than opinion. You will find this in your novel.

A word of caution about evidence… Text Reader ESSAY Writer TEXT Sources like Wikipedia, Webster’s Dictionary, or the World Book encyclopedia are not considered academic sources. They are too general and have issues with timeliness, target audience, and credibility. They are a great place to start research or find great links to other, credible sources.

Taking an academic tone in the essay. Text Reader ESSAY Writer WRITER Taking an academic tone in the essay. Edit your essay for conventions, such as grammar, mechanics, and style. Accurately cite evidence.

Avoid emotional or ambiguous arguments Your FEELINGS can change. Text Reader ESSAY Writer READER Avoid emotional or ambiguous arguments Your FEELINGS can change. Your position on the topic should be the same, regardless of the mood you are in. In addition, YOU are the expert. Do not use words like, “kind of” and “sort of”.

Text Reader ESSAY Writer READER Remember the tone is very different for creative writing and academic writing.

The Introduction The introduction should include: An attention getter – something that grabs the reader’s interest and is relevant to the essay’s topic and tone. Try to avoid a question. Important background information the reader must have concerning the issue. This helps establish the context for the discussion and why it is a debatable one. Transition from the general to the specific (thesis). A thesis statement.

The Introduction: The Thesis Statement At the end of your introduction, the reader should find your thesis. The thesis has 3 major parts: the subject (what you are writing about), the attitude (what you are saying about the subject), and the sequence (the order of the topics): The narrator in Lucien Stryk’s poem, “Cherries,” reflects the greedy and selfish attitude of corporate leadership in North America. Tracey Devon, the protagonist of Out of Sight, Out of Mind, by Marilyn Kaye, is lonely, melancholy, and shy.

Thesis Statements A sample thesis (or three): In the beginning of Anderson’s novel, “Speak,” Melinda is portrayed as a depressed and miserable person, but throughout the novel she becomes increasingly optimistic and resilient, which indicates that the author believes that people have the ability to change. The title of Marcus Zusak’s novel, “The Book Thief,” has a strong relationship to the content of the novel itself because the title highlights the growth that Liesel experiences every time she steals a book. The characters, setting, and theme of Ray Bradbury’s novel, “Farenheit 451,” communicate his negative reaction to the mass consumption of the television in the 1950s.

The Body The body is where writers present their evidence to support their thesis. For an academic essay, the writer must present at least two points of support. You will develop each point in a body paragraph. The first sentence of each body paragraph should clearly support some part of the thesis. We call these topic sentences. The last sentence of each body paragraph sums up the paragraph and links back to the thesis. We call these concluding sentences.

Developing the Body Paragraphs: When Should you use Definitions? Define terms: You only need to define terms if you are using a specific term that is either unknown to your audience or is open to multiple definitions. For example, if you are writing about the novel “Unwind” you may need to explain what a clapper is to the audience if you are making reference to it in your essay.

Developing the Body Paragraph: ACE Assertion/Introduction: Give the reader information about what is happening in the quote or show how you have come to the position you hold on this issue. Insert your quote: Use your own words followed by a comma. In chapter four Bill says, “… Explanation: Show the reader your reasoning – how you have come to the position you hold on this issue.

Developing the Body Paragraphs: Evidence Evidence/Examples/Quotes: You will provide two or more citations from the novel to prove your point. This helps your reader “see” what you are talking about. Provide a concrete example of the more abstract concept.

Developing the Body Paragraphs Transitions/Concluding Sentence: This is the last step in a body paragraph. Transitions help wrap up the paragraph’s point and move the reader to the next stage of the essay.

Another Acronym… S - STATE what will be in this paragraph E - EXPLAIN / EVIDENCE- paraphrase and use quotes to prove your point A - ANALYSIS- explain the significance of your points L - LINK – to the thesis and provide a transition by summarizing the paragraph

The Conclusion This paragraph ends the essay. The first element in a conclusion is traditionally a restatement of the thesis. You never copy the thesis exactly as it appears in the introduction, but you do want to remind your reader of the overall point of your essay. Your conclusion is a place to show the significance of your thesis – why your interpretation is important or unique. Do not introduce new evidence here!