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 topicExplains 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

ThesisStatement

 

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.