Easy steps to writingTHE ESSAY

Writing an essay means:

Creating ideas from information Creating arguments from ideas Creating academic discourse to

present your arguments

A well written essay should:

Display objectivity Contain hard evidence Bring something new Be excitingly creative

What is an essay?

What’s the subject? What’s the question? What’s the topic? What kind of argument am I using?

An essay does three things:

It addresses a topic: What’s my position?

It answers a question: The essay question even if it doesn’t ask a question.

It usually takes the form of an argument

An academic argument is made up of three elements:

A claim that you are arguing for A reason to support that claim Reasoning and evidence to link the

reason to the claim

There are three types of argument

Truth (scientific) Deliberative (polemical) Evaluative (humanities)

Think of an essay…

as a thought experiment

An essay takes a reader on a journey from introduction to conclusion

Finding your topic: Where do you stand?

An essay’s topic expresses your view on the subject.

To ask your topic ask: Where’s my perspective on this task? What’s my position?

What question are you answering?

Sometimes, the question doesn’t look like a question at all.

Many questions are in the form of instructions

These instructions are contained in directive words, for example outline, compare and contrast, or discuss.

What do you mean “argument”?

Argument = disagreement Arguments of this kind revolve

around feelings or moral issues Argue = making a case (a lawyer

arguing her case in court; or a politician arguing for reduced taxes)

There are three elements of an academic argument.

A claim that you are arguing for. A reason to support that claim. Reasoning and evidence to link the

reason to the claim.

In its simples form, an argument is:CLAIM because REASON

Academic arguments A thesis statement (= the argument’s

claim)

A well constructed essay contains: REASONING – presents ideas in a logical

structure EVIDENCE, information suggesting or

demonstrating that the ideas are credible or true.

There are 3 types of academic arguments An argument claiming that STHG IS

TRUE

Arguments using truth claims are most common in the sciences.

Papers involving claims of this kind are not usually called “essay”; it is advisable to call them “reports” or simply “papers”

An argument claiming that STHG SHOULD HAPPEN (Polemical arguments)

These are based on DELIBERATIVE CLAIMS (seeking to persuade its audience to pursue a course of action)

Such arguments are not base on experimental evidence alone; they will also involve appeals to values, beliefs and morals.

An argument making an EVALUATIVE CLAIM Evaluative claims, like truth claims,

propose that sthg is true. They cannot be decided by

experiment or measurement. They demand that we evaluate

evidence, that we judge and discriminate it according to other bodies of knowledge, values or priorities.

Evaluative claims create debate.

EVALUATIVE arguments are most common in:

the humanities literary criticism history art history but also, in psychology, economics,

geography.

BALANCED ARGUMENTS

How can an argument be both balanced and persuasive?

How can it look at both sides of an issue, and then pursue one point of view, rigorously towards a conclusion?

Warning! There are two traps: 1. WRITING A POLEMIC, suggesting that

anyone who thinks differently is an idiot; 2. SITTING ON THE FENCE and

producing an essay that says nothing convincing at all:

e.g. On the one hand, World War II was a terrible disaster, on the other hand, much good came out of it.

An ACADEMIC ARGUMENT

both BALANCED and STRONGSUGGESTION: Consider VIEWPOINTS OTHER

THAN YOUR OWN Acknowledge their PLAUSIBILITY Show HOW, in your opinion, they

are INADEQUATE OR FLAWED.

ESSAY WRITING IN 3 STAGES

PLAN DRAFT EDIT

1. Work out what you want to say and in what order! – That’s PLANNING!

2. Write it ! – That’s DRAFTING! 3. Check that what you’ve written

is as easy to read as possible. – That’s EDITING!

DRAFTING

EDITING

PLANNING

PLANNING

Analyze the question Answer the question Construct an outline

DRAFTING

Keep the plan

of your outline

Add illustrations, citations and

quotations

Add an introduction

Add a conclusion

EDITING

PARAGRAPHS SENTENCES WORDS

Directive words: ARGUMENT (i)

Account for = give reasons for

Argue = make a claim and support it

Asses = summarize your opinion and measure it against something

Balance = asses two or more viewpoints and evaluate them against different criteria (perhaps with weightings given to each criterion), to decide which viewpoint is most convincing.

Critique = identify an argument or position and refute it; create a counterargument

Demonstrate = give proof or evidence to show that a proposition is true

Estimate = argue by calculating or determining the likelihood of something

Evaluate = appraise the worth of something in the light of its truth or usefulness; asses an argument and determine its validity (similar to “critique”)

Directive words: ARGUMENT (ii)

Justify = create an argument to support a position or claim and answer any objections or counterarguments

Prove = argue that a claim is true or certain; provide a strong evidence (and examples)

Respond = counter a position or argument

Review = evaluate and give your judgment

Support = find reasons for a claim