+ Tuesday, March 4, 2014 Language Arts
+ Cause and Effect Essay Refer to chapter 9 in The Longman Reader (289 – 324)
+ Journal 3/4: Cause/Effect Choose one of the two topics below. Although the number of divorces have leveled off in the last few years, the number of marriages ending in divorce is still greater than it was a generation ago. What do you think are the causes of this phenomenon? Americans never seem to tire of gossip about the rich and famous. What effect has this fascination of celebrities had on US culture?
+ “Cause and Effect” essays analyze WHY something happens and HOW a cause and its effect are related. Some effects are caused by multiple causes. Some causes, in turn, can result in multiple effects. PURPOSE OF A CAUSE AND EFFECT ESSAY
+ Main cause: the most important cause Contributory Causes: less important Immediate Cause: closely precedes the effect. Remote cause: less obvious because it involves something in the past or far away. Causal Chain: an effect can be the cause to another effect, on so on. DIFFERENT CAUSE/EFFECT RELATIONSHIPS
+ Do not assume that just because event A precedes event B, event A caused event B. This illogical assumption is called post hoc reasoning. This error leads you to confuse coincidence with causality. Example: Shopping for a video game system causes obesity. This is faulty because there are many steps between shopping and obesity A VOIDING P OST H OC R EASONING :
+ Cause/Effect Essay Purpose of a cause/effect essay: To connect an action or an event with its results, effects, or consequences. Approaches: Explore the cause in relationship to its effects Look at why the cause has those effects Explore a cause and its various effects Explore an effect and its various causes
+ Cause/Effect Essay Explore the cause in relationship to its effects Thesis: While stress is a part of daily life, stress can cause emotional volatility and physical harm to people. Topics (one per body paragraph): How stress is involved in daily life The emotional volatility cause by stress Physical harm caused by stress
+ Cause/Effect Essay Look at why the cause has those effects Thesis: Engaging in regular exercise causes a person to be healthier. Topics (one per body paragraph): Why exercise assists with healthy weight maintenance. Why exercise reduces stress Why exercise improves mental health.
+ Cause/Effect Essay Explore a cause and its various effects Thesis: A parent’s neglect of a child can have life-long effects that make life challenging in adulthood. Topics (one per body paragraph): Parental neglect can cause abandonment issues, stunting a child’s ability to make healthy attachments. Being neglected can cause developmental issues due to poor nutrition. Neglect can cause relationship issues in future relationships.
+ Cause/Effect Essay Explore an effect and its various causes Thesis: Obesity is caused by consuming more calories than the body can burn; however, the reasons a person consumes too many calories are no limited to hunger Topics (one per body paragraph): Unhealthy eating habits can begin from the modeling or influences as a child A lack of exercise can cause someone to not burn enough calories to maintain a healthy weight. Other health issues can impair a body’s ability to process food and burn calories efficiently.
+ Possible Cause/effect topics Sleep deprivation Parenting styles Different communication styles in relationships Over-exercising Fame of child-stars Skill or ineptitude in sports Drunk driving Protecting the environment Women in the workplace Choice of college/degree Headaches Text-messaging Facebook/Social Media Computers Abolishing the F grade Owning a pet