ENG3 U Fairbloom Essay Writing Package What is an essay?An essay is a written argument. It is an analytical form of writing that uses logical reasoning to provide evidence in order to convince the reader of your side of the argument.

Think about: Your purpose (why you are writing) and your audience (whom you are writing this for).

The Essay Writing Cycle:1. Select a topic / question to work with2. Formulate a thesis3. Research4. Plan5. Write6. Edit, edit, and edit some more

The Thesis StatementThe thesis statement is a single, assertive sentence that announces the writer’s position on the topic and states what the writer intends to prove. It must be arguable, provable, and worth proving.

Arguable : could someone reasonably argue the opposing viewpoint? Provable : is there reasonable evidence to support your position? Worth proving : does it add something to the reader’s understanding of the

issue?

To formulate a thesis: Your teacher assigns you a topic… You develop a research question about the topic… The answer to your research question is your thesis.

Your thesis should answer the following questions:

WHAT: What claim are you making about the text?

WHY: Why should we care? Why is your claim important?

Your thesis should answer the “SO WHAT” question.

SOURCE OF IDEAS CONNECTING REFLECTING Current Events Social Issues Experiences Movies, Songs,

Novels Relationships

How does this make me feel?

What does this remind me of?

How are these things alike?

How does my experience relate to this?

Why does this matter to me?

Why did I respond to this the way that I did?

Why would this matter to other people?

CONDSIDER PURPOSE & AUDIENCE

STRONG THESIS STATEMENTS: WEAK THESIS STATEMENTS: Take a stand or make a claim

that could be reasonably disputed

Has one main idea expressed clearly and precisely

Clearly indicates the evidence the essay will provide to support it

Ask a question Simply state a fact Just describe your subject or

the essay’s intention Don’t have a “so what”

connection

EXAMPLES OF THESIS STATEMENTS:ORIGINAL THESIS

STATEMENTWHAT’S THE PROBLEM?

STRONGER THESIS STATEMENT

In this essay I will write about carbon emissions.

Smartphones such as the iPhone have revolutionized how we communicate.From cartoons in the morning to adventure shows at night, there is too much violence on television.

Creating an OutlineOutlines help you organize your thoughts and supporting information before you begin writing. It ensures that you have everything you need.

IntroductionThe introduction has three main parts: the opening statement, main arguments and the thesis. It provides a guide for the reader through the course of an essay. If the reader does not understand where the introduction is heading, they will not be able to understand the purpose of the essay.

The opening statement should grab the reader’s attention. It allows you to introduce your topic without mentioning the supporting arguments. It should be interesting and invite the reader to want to know more.

Examples of opening statements: GOOD:

o In the short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Charlotte Perkins Gillman reveals the oppression women experience in a patriarchal society.

o Shakespeare is a playwright who is known for his social commentary. BAD:

o In my essay I will show you that Hamlet is a woman hated. o In today’s society, problems exist everywhere.

In the (poem, novel, short story, play, etc.) (title of the text), (author’s name) (start with a strong verb: demonstrates, investigates, explores, considers, illustrates, depicts, etc.) (then connect to your essay topic).

The following statements should identify the main arguments that you are going to use to prove your thesis. You should introduce the factors without elaborating about your supporting points. They serve to highlight what the body of your essay will be about. Each argument should be given a sentence to explain what they will be addressing. They should not be piled into one long run-on sentence.

Often the final sentence of the introduction is the thesis statement. This will tell the reader what position you are taking and attempting to prove. It is your opinion on the topic. It should get straight to the point: clear and concise.

To make your introduction stronger you may consider using: An anecdote or scenario that relates the topic to your reader; A statistic, fact, or statement that is unusual, bizarre, interesting, or

shocking that is related to your topic; A quotation, song lyric, or short poem related to your topic.

Example Introduction Paragraphs : Identify the different parts of each introduction.

1. Although created approximately fourteen years apart, both One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey and George Orwell’s 1984 are unique novels that function to engage and enlighten their audiences regarding the terrifying outcomes of living in a totalitarian state. Indeed, these works show striking similarities in that each involves a protagonist that seeks to assert his individualism and freedom in light of a strict authoritative rule that is propelled by a thirst for absolute power. Randle Patrick McMurphy is a man who maneuvers his own transfer to a psychiatric institution only to find that he must fight for his individuality and that of his fellow patients against Nurse Ratched, who possesses an unquestioned control over the entire ward, a metaphor for the oppressive society. Winston Smith, on the other hand, is a man who essentially struggles for individuality and freedom in a harsh futuristic nation that demands conformity and absolute devotion to the Party, represented by Big Brother. Most certainly, McMurphy and Winston are characters that fight to thwart the State’s goal of destroying their individual autonomy, but it is in their dealings with the State’s attempt to establish absolute obedience in devious ways, the State’s misuse or misrepresentation of legitimate knowledge and its intolerance to confrontation of its direct control that McMurphy is revealed to be a man of far greater accomplishment in aggressively opposing this authority than Winston, who is more reflective and passive. The fact that endeavoring to achieve individualism ultimately comes at a high cost to both characters speaks to the universal human struggle between societal control and independence.

2. In the poem “Mother to Son,” Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes exposes his readers to the oppression experienced by African Americans during the early 1900s. Although slavery in the United States was abolished before the turn of the 19th Century, black citizens continued to suffer from the effects of racism. In “Mother to Son,” Hughes explores the hardships created by racism through the voice of a mother imparting wisdom to her son. As the speaker explains, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” (Hughes 2), the reader is introduced to the poem’s central metaphor—a staircase filled with painful and dangerous obstacles. Rather than being beaten by these challenges, though, the speaker in Hughes’ poem gracefully triumphs over them. As a result, the overall message of the poem is one of African Americans powerfully striding towards equality, rather than passively accepting the racism of the present.

3. The greatness of a man is often measured in how he responds to the circumstances that life thrusts upon him. Contemporary culture seems obsessed with providing audiences with examples of such people who, despite the adversity of their lives, still rise above. Tolkein conceived Frodo Baggins, Rowling has given Harry Potter, and Nolan has reinvented Batman. But perhaps no one is more capable of showing triumph over struggles than William Shakespeare. In both Hamlet and Macbeth, for example, the title characters find themselves with nearly impossible moral dilemmas and are forced to decide what the correct choice will be. Both Hamlet and Macbeth are similar in that they are somewhat unwillingly thrust into these situations, are both driven by a deep motivation, and are then forced to deal with the consequences of their actions. Yet, despite these similarities, it is only Hamlet who is able to truly demonstrate honor and greatness amidst his trials. Whereas Macbeth is often manipulated and driven by greed—and thus, is forced to deal with a guilty conscience—Hamlet is in control of his actions, is largely driven by the love for his father, and therefore dies with a clear heart and a clean conscience. Their deaths show the ultimate human struggle of trying to live up to the standards thrust upon the greatest of men.

4. Toni Morrison expresses that in Beloved she wished to “subvert the reader’s traditional comfort so that he or she may experience an unorthodox one” (Morrison 388). Following Gothic literary conventions, the character Beloved haunts her family and distorts, contradicts and shocks the community. She exposes the depths of the characters’ vulnerability and unleashes elements of the past that were repressed, ignored or forgotten. Emerging into this world to haunt the community, Beloved helps the reader and the characters remember and textualize difficult stories of the past in order to make meaning of their individual lives. Beloved is the physical embodiment of protagonist Sethe’s murdered daughter; as well, she represents the thousands of slaves murdered during the middle passage. Combining the realism of African American slavery and the Gothic ghost tradition, Beloved accentuates the horrors experienced during the middle passage and the gaps in slave narratives that have been ignored. This essay will look at how Beloved epitomizes this integration as the force that resurrects the

repressed past and drives the characters to accept accountability for their ignored past experiences.

Body ParagraphsThe main arguments are used to prove your thesis. You should discuss them in the order that you introduced them in your introduction. I suggest starting with your weakest argument and leading to the strongest. Each argument should begin with a topic sentence: a statement of your argument. You will include evidence from online sources and the novel to prove your thesis. Make sure to indicate to your reader who said what it is you are using, when it was said and where. The analysis should not be you summarizing or paraphrasing what you researched. Your analysis should be the observations you make of the evidence, which you are using to prove your arguments, which ends up proving your thesis. You must make the appropriate connections between the evidence and the point you are trying to prove.

You want the reader to SEE your point: Statement : Tell me what your argument is; Evidence : Provide a quote or fact from the text or research that

demonstrates your argument; Explanation: Connect the dots between your statement and you evidence.

In your own words, explain how your evidence (quotation) proves your statement.

ConclusionsYour conclusion should restate the thesis and main arguments, and include a closing statement. Revisit the central argument to remind your reader what the point of your essay is. Do not repeat your thesis and main arguments word for word. The main arguments are there to remind the reader of the evidence that you used to prove your thesis. You must revisit each one in the order which you discussed them in your essay. In the closing statement you want to leave the reader with a strong statement that is relevant, but not expected.

To make your conclusion stronger you may consider using: Play the “So What” Game: If you’re stuck and feel like your conclusion

isn’t saying anything new or interesting. Whenever you make a statement from your conclusion, say “So what?” or “Why should anybody care?” Then ponder that question and answer it.

Return to the theme or themes in the introduction: This strategy brings the reader full circle. For example, if you begin by describing a scenario, you can end with the same scenario as proof that your essay is helpful in creating a new understanding.

Synthesize, don’t summarize: Include a brief summary of the paper’s main points, but don’t simply repeat things that were in your paper. Instead, show your reader how the points you made, and the support and examples you used, fit together. Pull it all together.

Include a provocative insight or quotation from the research or reading you did for your paper.

Propose a course of action, a solution to an issue, or questions for further study: This can redirect your reader’s thought process and help

him/her to apply your info and ideas to his/her own life or to see the broader implications.

Point to boarder implications: For example, if your paper examines Residential Schools or another part of Indigenous history, you could point out its impact on human rights in Canada as a whole. A paper about the style of William Shakespeare could point to his influence on other writers or on later playwrights.

Strategies to avoid in your conclusion: Beginning with an unnecessary, overused phrase such as “in conclusion,”

“in summary,” or “in closing”. Although these phrases can work in speeches, they come across as wooden and trite in writing.

Introducing a new idea or subtopic in your conclusion. Making sentimental, emotional appeals that are out of character with the

rest of an analytical paper. Including evidence (quotations, statistics, etc.) that should be in the body of

the paper.

Example Conclusion Paragraphs : Identify the different parts of each conclusion.

1. Conversely, Winston more willingly promotes propaganda rather than actively confronting it. This is exemplified when he is faced with evidence that proves Jones, Aaronson and Rutherford are at a party in New York on the very day they had confessed to being on Eurasian soil. Winston states “there was only one possible conclusion: the confessions were lies” (Orwell 81). This revelation should initiate some action against the State. Yet, Winston merely destroys the evidence by dropping it in the memory hole. Winston later reflects on the mistake of doing so when he tells Julia, “it might have planted a few doubts here and there, supposing that I’d dared to show it to anybody” (Orwell 162). Winston’s words confess that he is too passive in dealing with State propaganda and has frustrated an opportunity of having resistance form against the Party. Thus, it is clear that through society’s devious attempts to impose obedience through constant auditory input, trying to establish trust in a false nurturing figurehead and employing propaganda, it is McMurphy rather than Winston who is observed to energetically resist the suppression of individuality.

2. It is easy to read despair and frustration into the lines of Hughes’ “Mother to Son.” The poem’s depiction of a woman struggling up an endless staircase filled with painful obstacles is a clear parallel to the racism still endured by African American communities in the early 19th Century. However, in digging into the poem’s central metaphor, it becomes clear that Hughes is not just lamenting oppression. Instead, he is creating a song of triumph in the face of hardship intended to inspire future generations. While never an easy climb, Hughes’ speaker will not let her son “set down on the steps” (Hughes 15) and accept things the way they are. Instead, she tells him he must keep climbing, following in her footsteps by constantly striving towards an equality that lies just at the top of the stairs.

3. Sethe and Garner’s stories increase the grotesque, frightening nature of the narrative and the title character. The haunting within and around 124 forces community to share their horrifying memories of enslavement, which have remained unspoken for years. Morrison’s intention when writing Beloved was to target American society, specifically black readers, hoping that the text would influence the reader to confront elements of her or his past that have been ignored and repressed. The stories told in Beloved are the stories of slaves who were denied the power of language; stories that the world has chosen to ignore. Morrison unburies the past in her frightening narrative, which encompasses the supernatural grotesque, and the frightening realism of slavery and the middle passage.

Editing Tricks Print your essay and read through it by yourself looking for spelling,

grammatical and punctuation errors. Fix them and print again. Continue this cycle until you feel the essay has reached its full potential.

Give the essay to someone else; ask him or her to tell you what is wrong with it and what changes can be made. Then make the changes and print it out again.

Read the essay aloud and edit the errors you hear. Make the changes and print it out.

Add something to the writing. Remove something that confuses or repeats. Move a section of the text. Substitute a word, phrase, sentence or example.

Ask yourself… Does it make sense? Is the topic clear? Is the main idea clear? Are there enough reasons / details to support the main idea? Are there examples to support the reasons / details? Are there details not connected to the topic and main idea? Is there a closing sentence or conclusion?

My essay rules should apply to all formal assignments: No contractions (don’t, won’t, can’t, shouldn’t etc.) No pronouns (I, you) Correct grammar, punctuation and citations Specified verb tense No abbreviations Do not use slang Do not overuse exclamation marks No parentheses or brackets. If something is important enough to put in

brackets, then include it in the body of the essay. If it is not important enough to include in your essay, why are you including it in brackets?

Paragraphs should be indented

Transition WordsTransition expressions show relationships between thoughts and give a sense of direction and continuity. Consequently, they assist the reader in moving from detail to detail within a single sentence, from sentence to sentence, and lastly, from paragraph to paragraph. They are a necessary factor in coherence, especially regarding essays. Refer to the table below to assist you with your future writing success.

Addition Comparison Contrast Emphasis Example Exception

In additionMoreoverFurtherFurthermoreFinallyOnce againAlsoBesides ThatAdditionally

SimilarlyLikewiseIn like mannerWhereasExceptBy comparisonCompared toBalanced againstWhereIn the same way

HoweverNeverthelessOn the other handButYetAfter allOn the contraryNotwithstandingIn contrast

CertainlyIn any eventIn factIndeedExtremelyPerenniallyEternallyEmpathetically

For exampleFor instanceIn this caseIn another caseOn this occasionIn this situationEvidence of thisProof of thisThusIn this manner

YetStillHoweverNeverthelessNaturallyDespiteIn spite ofOf courseOnce in a whileSometimeGranted

Opening/General

Place Proof Result Sequence Time

AdmittedlyAssuredlyCertainlyGrantedNobody deniesObviouslyOf courseTo be sureTrulyUndoubtedlyUnquestionablyGenerally speakingIn generalAt this levelIn this situation

NearBeyondOpposite toAdjacent toAt the same placeHereThere

For the same reasonEvidentlyFurthermoreMoreoverBesidesIndeedIn factIn additionBecauseClearly thenIn light of thisIt is easy to see that

AccordinglyThusConsequentlyHenceThereforeWhereforeThereuponTruly thenIn final considerationIn final analysisIndeedIn conclusionFinallyLastly

Preceding thisConcurrentlyFollowingAt this time / pointSubsequentlyAfterwardAfter / Before thisPreviouslySoon / As soon asFinallyBeforeBefore longNext

At onceImmediatelyMeanwhileAt lengthIn the meantimeAt the same timeSimultaneouslyIn the endThenAt lastAt firstIn the first placeLater

Embedding QuotationsEmbedding snippets of quotes is a more effective and sophisticated way to use quotations in your paper. They are often shorter than the original quote, allowing you to use your own words to paraphrase, summarize, or introduce the quote or

idea. In addition, they improve sentence fluency. What is a snippet? It is a portion of the original quote. To embed a quotation, take part of your sentence and fuse it with the quotation you want to use in a way that makes sense grammatically and stylistically.

Example: According to scholars, Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar, biographical information presents Gilman as “a rebellious feminist besides being a medical iconoclast” (1467).

The following excerpts come from the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck:

Original Quote: “I out to have shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn’t ought to have let no stranger shoot my dog.”Snippet of quote: “I ought to have shot that dog myself” (Steinbeck 27).

Embedding a quotation at the beginning of a sentence using a snippet of the quote:“I ought to have shot that dog myself” laments Candy, as he reflects on how he should have performed this task (Steinbeck 27).

Embedding a quotation in the middle of a sentence:Candy confesses to George and Lennie that he “ought to have shot that dog” himself, and further notes that he regrets allowing a stranger to do it (Steinbeck 27).

Embedding a quotation at the end of a sentence (also referred to as using a lead-in phrase):Candy reveals to George his deep regret when he states, “I ought to have shot that dog myself” Steinbeck 27).

Embedding a quotation throughout a sentence (embedding more than one snippet):Candy exclaims that he “ought to have shot that dog [himself]” and regrets letting a “stranger shoot [his] dog” (Steinbeck 27).

USING BRACKETS AND ELLIPSES TO MAKE QUOTES FIT BETTER

Brackets () allow you to do two things: 1. Change the author’s original wording (i.e., conjugating, changing tense, changing upper or lowercase, pronouns to nouns). 2. Add words for fluency and clarity.

Ellipsis (…) allows you to delete a word or words from the middle of the original longer quote. Note: You do not need them at the beginning or end of a quote, even if you eliminate words. This is considered a snippet.

SAMPLE WORKS CITED PAGEHere are some examples of Works Cited entries. Notice the differences depending on the source.

Websites – No Author:

"Blueprint Lays Out Clear Path for Climate Action." Environmental Defense Fund.

Environmental Defense Fund, 8 May 2007. Web. 24 May 2009.

Wesbites – Author:

Dean, Cornelia. "Executive on a Mission: Saving the Planet." New York Times. New

York Times, 22 May 2007. Web. 25 May 2009.

Magazines:

Gowdy, John. "Avoiding Self-organized Extinction: Toward a Co-evolutionary

Economics of Sustainability." International Journal of Sustainable Development

and World Ecology 14.1 (2007): 27-36. Print.

Books:

Leroux, Marcel. Global Warming: Myth Or Reality?: The Erring Ways of

Climatology. New York: Springer, 2005. Print.

Scholarly Journal/Article:

Milken, Michael, Gary Becker, Myron Scholes, and Daniel Kahneman. "On Global

Warming and Financial Imbalances." New Perspectives Quarterly 23.4 (2006):

63. Print.

Film/Television Show

An Inconvenient Truth. Dir. Davis Guggenheim. Perf. Al Gore, Billy West.

Paramount, 2006. DVD.

Leroux, Marcel. Global Warming: Myth Or Reality?: The Erring Ways of

Climatology. New York: Springer, 2005. Print.

VISIT OWL PURDUE FOR FURTHER SUPPORT!

Fairbloom 2016

OutlinePART A: Brainstorming & Organizing

1. Write out, word for word, the question you are going to tackle in this paper:

2. What are the main questions and topics that you need to answer?

3. Brainstorm: Write the topic in the middle and create a web of possible ideas and topics that you believe can help you answer the question.

4. What is your thesis statement? Your thesis statement must be argumentative, specific, and important to the novel. A strong thesis statement takes a stand or makes a claim that could be reasonably disputed. It has one main idea that is expressed clearly and does not leave the reader thinking: “so what?” Your thesis should be your answer to the assigned topic / question.

5. What do you need to include to prove your thesis?

6. What evidence from the novel is going to help prove your point? Write out the references, any quotes you may use and page numbers.

7. You need to include a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 6 scholarly sources in this paper. Conduct research and select appropriate sources. Below include the URL link and the MLA citation for each source. Underneath each source, include the information that you are using from that source.

8. Plan the order of your paper: what information is going to go where. This section should be in note form. You are not limited to a 5 paragraph essay, if you have more than three arguments to prove your side, than use more than three arguments.

PART B: Putting Together the Puzzle Pieces

The Introduction

1. Opening Statement: How will you first bring the reader into your essay? What will you say to introduce what your essay is about? Think of this as making a first impression on the reader.

2. What else will you say to introduce your ideas? Do you need to include any background information or definitions?

3. Main arguments: Each argument should have its own sentence.

4. Thesis Statement: What is main idea of your essay? What are you trying to prove?

Body Paragraphs

Answer the below questions for each of your topics. Remember that each argument does not have to be restricted to one paragraph. It may be broken down into sub-topics, thus requiring you to use more than one paragraph. You need the reader to SEE your point: Statement, Evidence, and Explanation. Explain what your argument is, provide evidence from the text and/or other resources, and connect the dots between your argument and evidence. How does your evidence prove your argument?

5. Topic Sentence: What will this paragraph be about?

6. Evidence: What specific facts or ideas are you bringing into play here? Be sure to include full quotes, page numbers, and citations.

7. Concluding Sentence: How will you connect this paragraph back to your thesis? Write a sentence which explains how the evidence above proves your thesis statement.

Concluding Paragraph

8. “So What?” Statement: If everything you said is true, so what? What is the point of this all? How can you sum it all up? Restate thesis in light of what you have proven.

9. Supporting Sentences: Recap the points of your essay and add the appropriate sentences that further your statement.

10. Closing Sentence: This is the final sentence of your essay, ending your discussion of the topic.

PART C: The Final Touches

1. Put all the information together in an organized outline. A template has been provided on the next page of this document.

2. Check that you have included the appropriate in-text citations within your outline.

3. Create a Work Cited page to be attached at the end of your outline. Make sure to follow proper MLA format.

4. Edit your work! Did you remember to capitalize names and titles? Did you underline or italicize the name of the novel? Did you check over your spelling and word choices? Is there a punctuation mark at the end of each sentence? Did you re-read everything to be sure it made sense? Did you answer all of the questions in this package?

5. Title page. In the center of the title page I would like you to include the following:Create a Title for Your TopicProvided Title of the Assignment from the TeacherCourse CodeYour Name Teacher’s NameDate of Submission

6. Is your work in Times New Roman and size 12 font? Make sure to include page numbers in the bottom right corner.

Fairbloom 2016

Sample Headings for Essay Outlines

INTRODUCTION:Opening Statement

Additional Information

Main Arguments

Thesis Statement

BODY Topic #1: Topic Sentence:

Evidence: (Provide your evidence from the text and/or other resources, and connect the dots between your argument and evidence.)

Concluding Sentence: (How does the evidence prove your argument?)

I have included four body paragraph templates. You are welcome to use more or less. I do not recommend having less than three.

BODY Topic #2: Topic Sentence:

Evidence: (Provide your evidence from the text and/or other resources, and connect the dots between your argument and evidence.)

Concluding Sentence: (How does the evidence prove your argument?)

BODY Topic #3:

Topic Sentence:

Evidence: (Provide your evidence from the text and/or other resources, and connect the dots between your argument and evidence.)

Concluding Sentence: (How does the evidence prove your argument?)

BODY Topic #4:

Topic Sentence:

Evidence: (Provide your evidence from the text and/or other resources, and connect the dots between your argument and evidence.)

Concluding Sentence: (How does the evidence prove your argument?)

CONCLUSION: “So What?” / Opening Statement:

Supporting Sentences:

Closing Sentence: (Final sentence of your essay)

Works Cited