the essay from the french ‘essai’ - attempt english ‘assay’ – ‘try’ or ‘to weigh’
TRANSCRIPT
THE ESSAY
• From the French ‘essai’ - attempt• English ‘assay’ – ‘try’ or ‘to
weigh’
An effective essay has…
• RELEVANCEThe essay answers the question(s) that prompted it.
• ORGANIZATION
The essay has a distinct and recognizable beginning, middle, and end. The ideas are presented in a
specifically chosen order and flow smoothly together.
• FOCUS Does the essay have one clearly articulated focus? The thesis statement should clearly state the focus of
the essay. Every paragraph in the essay should explain and
develop the thesis statement.
Typical Essay Outline:Introductory Paragraph:
grab attention
state thesis (often, not always)
Body Paragraphs:build points
develop ideas
support main claimsConcluding Paragraph:
restate thesis
leave reader with something to think about
WHERE DO I START ?!?
Define the purpose of your essay:To inform?
To persuade? To evaluate?
Begin to gather information:1) What do I know from personal experience?
2) What do the ‘experts’ say? RESEARCH SKILLS!
3) What information do I have from the text that I am studying that connects to this topic?
BRAINSTORM:
There is no wrong answer at this point !
RESEARCH:
Identify Main Topic: ____________________
Come up with a Question/ Information Problem?
Brainstorm Key Words (to help you search)
Take Point Form Notes (to avoid plagiarism)
RECORD YOUR SOURCES FOR EVERYTHING!
Assess your resources…
…check and double check for bias!
Go ‘text-hunting’ AND/OR use the notes that you already have
Make sure to answer:
BE SPECIFIC IN YOUR EXAMPLES
Now you are almost ready to write….
…but there are still a few things to keep in mind…
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
• What do they know?
• What are their values and beliefs?
• What motivates them?
HOW WILL YOU APPEAL TO THEM?
LOGOS – no NOT the product kind
• Logos refers to the soundness of the argument
• Facts, statistics, examples, and authoritative statements
• Supporting evidence must be:
unified, specific, sufficient, and accurate
PATHOS
• Sensitivity, the emotional appeal of the language
• Appeals to audience needs, values, attitudes
• Encourages them to commit to a viewpoint or a course of action
PATHOS continued…
• Word choice is important for the connotation (emotional appeal of the word)
Advertising and propaganda often appeal to emotion and hope to exclude logic as in the following example:
Experience the power. Bold, yet subtle. Clean. Masculine. The scent for the man who’s in charge.
ETHOS
• The establishment of credibility and integrity of the writer
• Convince readers that you know what you are talking about
• Logical argument that takes opposing viewpoints into account
Plan, Plan, Plan!
-logical order?
-transitions?
-does it all connect back to the thesis?
Essay Outline
First Impressions…• Your introduction is your only chance to make a
first impression• Open with a general/catchy statement that will
interest your audience – convince them to spend some time with you
• Create a road map of your argument/essay • Ensure that you have a specific thesis – you need to
make your position clear
HINT: This paragraph should be rewritten at least once after you finish the first draft of your essay
BODY PARAGRAPH OPTION #1:
BLOCK METHOD:discuss everything relevant about one topic before moving on to the next topic
EX) Comparing two newspapers:Paragraph A: Toronto Sun Paragraph B: National Post
B: National Post
International news International news
National news National news
Local news Local news
OPTION #2) Point by point method:
alternating from one aspect of the first subject to the same aspect of the next subject
EXAMPLE:Paragraph 1) Everything about local
a) Sun’s local newsb) Post’s local news
Paragraph 2) Everything about nationala) Sun’s nationalb) Post’s national (etc. for
p3)
HOW TO WRITE AN EFFECTIVE CONCLUSION
DO:
Implicitly restate your thesis
Emphasize the importance of your topic by placing it in a larger context
Offer suggestions for the future based on what you have argued
DO NOT:
Introduce new material OR leave the reader feeling that something is missing
EDIT
EDIT, EDIT, EDIT!1. Decide what your thesis is. Is there a way that you can
state your main idea more clearly? 2. Make sure that you have included specific proof and
clear explanations3. Next, look at how you have organized the paper. Do you
make strong connections between the points that you are making in your essay?
4. If you haven't drawn a clear correlation between your points, you may need to rearrange them, revise your materials, or substitute better evidence to support your thesis.
5. Check all your quotations to make sure each supports your thesis and that you have properly used signal phrases, indentations (necessary for longer quotations), and citations in parentheses (MLA style).
THIS IS NOT TRUE!
ALSO NOT TRUE!