essay writing part 1

8/12/2019 Essay Writing Part 1

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Contents

Part A: Theoretical information, pages 3-25

1 Definition of an essay 3

2 Types of essays 3

The purpose of an essay 6

Presentation 6

Referring to sources 9

Plagiarism 18

Yardsticks of assessment 22

!ercises for "nits 1#2 23

Part B: Academic vocabular , argumentation and essa structure, 2!-52

3 $cademic %oca&ulary 26

$rgumentation 26

$%oiding fallacies 3'

!ercises for "nits 3#' 38

The structure of an essay '(

!ercises for "nits )#6 '8

Table 2: the Plan into the "tructure #$-52

%evising observations and e&ercises 53-5!

Part C: Practice, pages #5- ''(

The 3 successive phases prior to the )riting of our essa

1

Phase *a* $pproaching the essay title &y analysing its key +ords, ')#'6

&* -athering information . interpreting the e%idence of the title +ords, '/#)(!ercises for "nits 8#9, )1

Table ': +athering *nterpreting vidence, 52-550ore e!ercises, )6

c* 0ind#mapping, )/# 6(d* Dra+ing the ghost of a plan, 61#6/ 0ore e!ercises for "nit 1(, 68

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%evising observations and e&ercises, pages 1!-0'

conomy of +ords and ideas +riting +ith style, pages 82#88

!ercises for "nits 1)#16, pages 89#9(

-rammar, punctuation and courteous language, pages 91#99

!ercises for "nits 1/#18, page 1((

ritten e!am essays 4ral presentation of an essay, pages 1(1#1()

a* Timing &* Printed handoutsc* 5isual aidsd* Rhetorical strategies !ercises, page 1(6

%evising observations and final e&ercises, pages '(1-''(

+lossar of atin )ords, pages '''-''2

4 " nline 4riting abs6, page ''3

Bibliograph , pages ''#-''!

2

Phase **, pages !$-15f* tarting your research +ork 7Reading your lecture and seminar notes, reading

from &ooks, photocopies, the internet, D#R40sg* Taking notes from the a&o%eh* -athering information . interpreting e%idence &ased on f* . g*i* 0ind mapping

:* Dra+ing the second draft plan

Phase ***, pages !$-15k* ;inishing your research +orkl* Taking more notesm* -athering more information . read:usting the interpretation of e%idencen* Read:usting the pre%ious mind mapping acti%ityo* Dra+ing the third draft plan

!ercises for "nits 11#12, page /)

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Part A: Theoretical information

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7efinition of an essa$n essay is a presentation of your opinion a&out a little &it of a su&:ect, in +hich you use e%idence to supportyour opinion

Thus

it contains opinion 7your o+n and some criticse+is 6

T pes of ssaThere are se%eral names attached to types of academic essay ome specialists, like D Perkins 73 and Roger>e+is 71)#2) use the follo+ing terms

descripti%e essays 7accurately descri&e something a scene, a person*character, an o&:ect, a theory

narrati%e or creati%e essays 7may deal +ith an in%ented story or a story from someone


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the @common featuresA method e!plores a num&er of traits +hich go +ith t+o things 7&ooks, poets, characters, to+ns, etc

a @differences* similaritiesA method compares and contrasts t+o things &y esta&lishing thesuperiority of one of them 7 ample

The @common featuresA method goes &etter +ith informati%e essays, &ut not necessarily only +ith them

The @similarities* differencesA method goes &etter +ith the compare and contrast persuasi%e essay, &ecause thismethod gi%es you the possi&ility to con%ince the reader that one contrasting unit is superior to the other

uppose the issue under discussion in such an essay is atmosphere in the opening pages of Great Expectationsand Bleak House, &oth no%els &y harles Dickens Bere is a possi&le %ersion

'

Titleompare and contrast the atmosphere in the opening pages of Great

Expectations and Bleak House

*ntroduction: the general statement: It may look difficult to state which atmosphere is more intense and more densely symbolic in the openingchapters of the two novels, but it may be argued that the first pages of Cleak Bouse are more elaborate inconveying a powerful atmosphere of universal melancholy, decay and pessimism.

Bod

*< "imilarities . Both books start with the description of a grim cold rainy day.C !hey both deal with death "#ip$s parents and brothers are dead% in Cleak Bouse , &ickens

speaks about the death of the sun'(. In both fragments, the reader$s feeling is one of deep melancholy and apprehension.

**< 7ifferences$ !he feeling of sadness and loss in the fragment from Cleak Bouse is given a cosmic and

biblical dimension, while in -reat !pectations it remains reduced to the perspective of #ip,the little boy.C !he symbolism in the opening pages of Cleak Bouse is more overpowering "the book starts

with a rewriting of the Book of Genesis in the )ld !estament, !he *ord High (hancellor isindirectly compared with God, etc'.

In Cleak Bouse , the author describes a fashionable device of the time, a balloon, in order toimpress his readers by the presence of the latest inventions and by offering him+ her

panoramic- views of loss and confusion.

Conclusion!he atmosphere in the beginning chapters of both novels is uite impressive in its grimness, but the first pages of Cleak Bouse are more enthralling in that they convey a more powerful feeling of universal loss,confusion, pessimism and apprehension.

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Remem&er, though, that most essays in the humanities com&ine informati%e and persuasi%e elements, and thatin most cases the student has to in%estigate*re%ie+ past sur%eys on the topic he*she is +riting a&out

The Purpose of an ssa=n general, +riting a good essay helps students control their discourse &y gi%ing a precise ans+er +ithargumentation to an 7implied ?uestion

=n particular, an essay should pro%e that students are a&le to

read critically and +ith purpose

collect rele%ant information and apply it to a gi%en topic

analyse, argue and interpret a case

connect theory to particular e!amples

&e original organise the material in a clear and logical structure 7Bennessy 21

Presentation

7"ni%ersity of ar+ick 2

a rite your essay on $' si e paper, on one side of each page only

& Eum&er all pages =t does not matter +here you put the page num&ers 7top right, top middle, &ottom rightetc =t is also possi&le to +rite the page num&ers +hen you ha%e completely finished your essay and you kno+ho+ many pages there are in all

c $t the head of the front page, on the right#hand side, +rite your full name 7plus your grade or year of study,nglish $ Ffirst languageG or nglish C Fsecond languageG and your group num&er , and on the left#hand side of

the front page +rite the title and the name of the tutor for +hom the essay is +ritten, plus the name of thecourse or seminar your essay is for

d "se dou&le spacing and lea%e a +ide margin on the left#hand side of each page to allo+ space for thetutor


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state the main aims of your paper

gi%e the conte!t

enumerate the issues your paper deals +ith

name the methods of in%estigation you ha%e used

gi%e your conclusion and its significance

7 alliman 2'1, 2'3#'

: $l+ays keep an e!tra copy of your essay

8ront page of an essa

6

"A9P***

>ecturer Dr Da%idescu Daniela, = CDaniela Cro+n roatian# nglish, group '

eminar of 0edie%al >iterature

Blablablablabla: bla of Bla

Cla&la&la&la&la, &la&la, &la, &la, &la, &la, &la,

&la, &la, &la, &la, &la, &la,to be demonstrated factual statement I &ased on o&ser%ation, e!perience, fact,

measurement 7@=n +inter it is coldAlogical statement I &ased on logic 7@Eo spinsters are marriedA, @Eo child is anadultA

a&iom > a&iomatic statement I a %ery self#e%ident or uni%ersally accepted proposition asserted to &e true +ithout ha%ing to pro%e it 7@ =t is a sadly esta&lishedfact that some students try and manage# to cheat on at e!amsA

normative > evaluative statement I an e%aluation or :udgement in relation to anorm or standard =t is a statement that make recommendations, so it contains+ords like @shouldA, @mustA, @ought toA 7@The pre%ious regime should ha%e &eenopposed earlierA

assumption to assume6 is the act of accepting a statement as &eing true, +ithout proof, and from+hich a conclusion can &e dra+n 7@4n the assumption that she has forgotten to come, = can presume*infer that she is a+fully &usyA

impl implicit6 I to strongly suggests the truth or e!istence of a thing not e!pressly asserted7 oncise 4!ford Dictionary

infer I to deduce or conclude from facts and reasoning 7 oncise 4!ford Dictionary

specious argument I a superficially plausi&le &ut actually +rong argument 1'

sophism I an intelligent argument, deli&erately crafted to &e speciously logical and con%incing, &utne%ertheless in%alid 7The use of sophisms is called sophistr +hich is meant to decei%e argumentatione%en +hen appealing to reason and logic 70erriam# e&ster 4nline Dictionary 1)

o, deducti%e and inducti%e argumentation as +ell as empirical, logical, a!iomatic and e%aluati%e statementsshould guide you in your scholarly essay +riting strategies

B< #< Contents of an argument

Cefore trying to a%oid errors in logic 7fallacies , you should learn more a&out the contents and the making of anargument

=n e%eryday speeches 7pri%ate or pu&lic , in coffee#&reak argumentation and semi#official rhetoric of essay+riting, people do not necessarily and al+ays speak or +rite in syllogisms, reductio or dilemma argumentsThese are rather a philosopher


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Contents of a Philosopher s Argument and aCommoner s Argument

Contents of a philosopher s argument:ontents of an argument +hich depends on formal logic &asically deal +ith

premises 7ma:or and minor in the case of a syllogism statements that reason a conclusion

a conclusion a statement for +hich you are gi%ing reasons =f the interlocutor accepts the premises, then the interlocutor accepts the conclusion 7see !ypes of argument dependingon the form 7>a&ossiere in +++ ni kor org *features*fallacies

ontents of a commoner s argument:

data>grounds 7e%idence, information, facts +hich is the foundation of the argumentand a starting point for reasoning it into a claim 7conclusion

)arrant 7the reasoning process +hich connects data to a claim e!pert testimony,appeal to the interlocutor


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no connection +ith the speaker


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Persuasive argumentation

=n essay +riting and critical de&ates &oth formal logic argumentation 7&ased on uni%ersal, a&stract statementsand real +orld arguments 7&ased on assumptions, &eliefs and %alues likely to &e shared &y the listener*readershould &e used

2)

"peaJer>)riteror ocutor

An argument b means of

P %".A7 alistener>reader or *nterlocutor to sharethe speaJer s>)riter s opinion

builds

*n order to

+ "a 9aKor Premise---9inor Premise---Conclusion

b 7ata---4arrant---%eservation---Claim

PAT= "8inds listener>reader-based reasons that are effectivel connected to aninterlocutor s beliefs, emotions, assumptions and values

T= "Appeals to the credibilit of the speaJer )ith the speaJer>)riter sho)ing

=is>her Jno)ledge in the issue under discussionThat he>she is fair and courteous to alternative vie)sL

understanding and empathising )ith alternative vie)sA connection )ith the interlocutor b

being respectful to his>her opinions, valuesbeing tolerant, modestrespecting the interlocutor s intelligence 7seealso )bservation 8: , p 8' on academicethics of an essay


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A Toulmin s Argument &ample )ith


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$ny e!aggeration of the logical, emotional and ethical component of an argument, any unreasona&le claim orconclusion lead to a fallacy

B< Avoiding 8allacies 2(

$ny error in reasoning an argument +hich is likely to &e decepti%e is a logical fallacy =f the premises of anargument, +hether true or false, fail to &ack up the conclusion or the claim in an argument, then you are dealing+ith a logical fallacy This is different from a factual error , +hich is :ust a +rong piece of information that hasno reasoning, no logical thinking a&out any e%idence

Bere are t+o e!amples for you to compare &et+een a factual error and a fallacious argument8actual error:

@>ondon is the capital of RomaniaA a factual error indeed in this 3D reality, other+ise it could &e?uite true in a sci#fi no%el*mo%ie or +ith a talking toddler

8allac

@Ba%ing :ust arri%ed in Cucharest 7for the first time at a&out lunch time, = sa+ that most streets +erenearly empty The conclusion that = dre+ +as that that all streets are al+ays nearly empty in Cucharestat lunch time +hene%erA

7Bo+ totally and supercalifragelistically +rong for +hoe%er to dra+ such a conclusion +hen arri%ing inCucharest on a &lindly hot midday unday of an insuffera&le $ugust of the present century

;allacies may &e smoke#screens uttered &y your interlocutor to &lur and impress your :udgement, therefore youshould learn ho+ to detect them +ith ease and a%oid them, &ecause they are academically unprofessional, and

&ecause in e%ery day discussions they can make you a silent %ictim of manipulation ome&ody +ho recurrentlymakes deli&erate use of fallacies may ha%e a tendency to &e self#centred and intolerant The most commonfallacies you should identify and a%oid are the follo+ing

'> Arguing against the person also Jno)n as +- Hominem argument N +rgumentum a- hominem 6

=t means attacking the person and not his*her arguments The ad hominem fallacy shifts attention fromsomeone


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ometimes the ad hominem argument simply takes the form of dismissing the other person &y la&elling them as &elong to a group that is likely to &e unpopular +ith the intended listeners * readers @4f course ` would saythat, since he * she is a communist * fascist * chau%inist * feminist * fundamentalist * anti# uropean * etc HA

2> Appeal to inappropriate authorit +rgumentum a- verecun-iam N argument from modest 6

This means supporting an argument &y citing a supposed authority +ho actually has no real competence in thefield under discussion This type of argument is fre?uently used to &ring to an end any argument :ust &yin%oking the name of a +ell#kno+n person !amples

@0other says men are liars,A

@This must &e good shampoo, &ecause ` 7a famous T5 star appears in the ad%ertisement,A

@Y, +ho +on a Eo&el Pri e for Physics, said this +as the most important no%el of the t+entieth century A

7Eote that e%en appealing to the authority of someone +ho is competent in the field should &e done +ithcaution The fact that a famous critic said something is not sufficient reason for you to accept it +ithout?uestion You should e!amine their arguments, and look for further e%idence and other authoritati%e opinions

3> Appeal to ignorance +rgumentum a- ignorantiam N argument from ignorance6

This fallacy is characterised &y the a&sence of contrary e%idence or the argument that a claim is +rong &ecauseit has not &een demonstrated to &e correct You should not accept conclusions that present no argumentationother than @Eo one has e%er HA, @There is no e%idence that HA !amples

@Eo one has come up +ith a feasi&le flood#pre%ention plan for the country, so it seems it cannot &e done A

@Eo alleged sighting of e!tra#terrestrials has e%er &een authenticated, so +e must assume +e are alone inthe "ni%erse A

@ cientists don attitude +rgumentum a- "o"ulum 2 argument from the people6

This asserts that something is the case :ust &ecause it is generally &elie%ed, or considered the proper thing to &elie%e =t includes the appeal to emoti%e sym&ols instead of logical arguments !amples

@0aidens should put some &asil under their pillo+s in order to dream of the man they +ill one day marrye%eryone kno+s it +orksKA

@These young men starting military ser%ice are all %ery proud to &e ser%ing their country A

@` 7a politician al+ays has an icon on the +all &ehind him +hen he appears on tele%ision, so he must &e

sincere A

5> Appeal to emotion +rgumentum a- misericor-iam 2 argument from pit 6

This fallacy is committed +hen premises do not logically lead to a conclusion that is supported &y solidargumentation, &ut, instead, incite and stir the emotions of the interlocutor * audience * reader, leading them toaccept the conclusion on an emotional &asis !amples

@Bo+ can la+s in Critain allo+ hunters to kill those soft#skinned delicate#looking deer e%en if they are?uite a lot of them in the mountains[A

@= kno+ = didn


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This is an argument +hich makes your interlocutor Argument b poetic +ibberish

=t refers to using complicated +ords and lots of $P=tal leTTters so that the general impression comes to &ethat the +riter is an e!pert in the field and therefore he or she is right

!ample

@ ach autonomous indi%idual emerges holographically +ithin egoless ontological consciousness as a non#dimensional geometric point +ithin the transcendental thought#+a%e matri!A 7see +++ don#lindsay#archi%e org*skeptic*arguments html

There many more types of fallacious arguments than the ones mentioned a&o%eJ if you +ish to learn more a&outthem, go to

+++ don#lindsay#archi%e org*skeptic*arguments html

+++ ni kor org*featurers*fallacies*inde! html

+++ fallacyfiles org*adhomine html

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http://www.don-lindsay-archive.org/skeptic/arguments.htmlhttp://www.don-lindsay-archive.org/skeptic/arguments.html


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8allacies*n our essa s and public discourses

to avoid

3(

'> Arguing against the person (+rgumentum a- hominem)

2> Appealing to inappropriate authorit (+rgumentum a- verecun-iam)

3> Appealing to ignorance (+rgumentum a- ignorantiam)

#> Appealing to popular belief> attitude (+rgumentum a- "o"ulum)

5> Appealing to emotion (+rgumentum a- misericor-iam)

!> The "tra) 9an fallac terribl simplif ing the opposing position6

1> The moving definition fallac

0> Argument b Poetic +ibberish

bservation !


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31

&ercises for ./*T" 3-#

Progress Iuestions:

hat are the %er&s used for sho+ing some critic an a&iomatic statement, C> a

logical statement, 7> an evaluative statement

0ost old +omen suffer from osteoporosis=n +inter it is not as it is in summer

hakespeare +as &orn in the 16 th century and li%ed &et+een 1)6' and 1616$ll students should read the +hole compulsory &i&liography for each course

+ive Toulmin s argumentation )ith her argumentation )ith our o)n logic )hich mustnot fall into another fallac 6 To conclude the present anal sis, * )ould liJe to sa thatO

"ignposts and inter-paragraph transitions

Sign"osts an- inter9"aragra"h transitions at the beginning of "aragra"hs-o not have to be always "resent. They are im"ortant0 however0 becausethey re"resent :traffic signs; for the rea-er to follow the writer


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The Content of a Paragraph

>et us suppose that there is an essay called Healthy &iet7 #ain or #leasure >et us assume the generalstatement in the introduction is It very much depends on the individual$s power of self5discipline, priorities and

tastes whether a healthy diet is considered something painful and unpleasant or something tasty and totallynecessary in everyday reality.

Bere is an attempt at a first paragraph in the &ody of this essay

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"A9P*@

bservation $

Title:$ Bealthy Diet Pain or Pleasure[

*ntroductiona* $nnouncing the su&:ect &ased on the key +ords in the title

defining a healthy diet &* -eneral statement It very much depends on the individual$s power of self5

discipline, priorities and tastes whether a healthy diet is considered something painful and unpleasant or something tasty and totally necessaryin everyday reality.

c* -i%ing a methodological statement a&out +hat you are going to dod* =ndicating the main ideas that +ill &e dealt +ith in the &ody

BodThe demonstration 7e%idence argument of your general statement gathered in as manymain ideas and &acking ideas as necessary

etcmain idea 1 main idea 2

Conclusiona* +hat the conse?uences of +hat you ha%e +ritten are

&* ho+ the main ideas in the &ody contri&ute to the demonstration of the general statementthat you made in the introduction, +hich is your ans+er to the implied ?uestion in the title

a./ Sign"osts an-/or inter9"aragra"h transitionsb./ The announcement of a main i-eac./ The statement of some evi-ence.-./ uotation or/an- "ara"hrase )ith source6e./ 3our argumentation base- on evi-ence.


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'(

'< main idea contained in one paragraph

a* ignpost In the first place

&* The announcement of a main idea (onsider the individual endowed with will power, a strong liking forvegetables, white meats and fruits, and the necessary finances to keep a healthy diet.

c* The statement of some evidence 1uch a person may regard healthy food as being of paramountimportance in relationship to career, looks, mental and emotional balance, body health, longevity etc.

d* Zuotation or*and paraphrase 7+ith source article in the 1cottish newspaper !he Herald- last week showed that in the past two years, more and more middle class town people have been avoiding fast foodrestaurants

e* Your argumentation &ased on evidence It seems obvious that a health diet cannot simply be followedby anyone, anywhere and in every season with the same results. It is most likely that a fairly well educated,middle aged, financially stable person in the 6est will start a healthy diet in order to become healthier,more energetic and active.

*et us first take into account education7


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'1

&ercises for ./*T" 5-!

Progress Iuestions

a* hat should an essay contain[ &* hat are the components of the title to &e taken into account[c* hat should you +rite in the introduction[d* hat does the &ody contain[e* hat should you +rite in the conclusion[f* hat is the connection &et+een the in#te!t citations*footnotes*endnotes and +orks cited*&i&liography[g* hat are the parts of any paragraph in the &ody[h* hat is the function of signposts and inter#paragraph transitions[

4riting tasJs during classa* "se the #lan5in5the51tructure strategy that you find on the follo+ing pages and plan the structure of an

essay entitled Television our "rotection from reality= according to the pattern

7iscussionompare your %ersion +ith some of your colleagues< and sum up your conclusions

=ome)orJ Read an article from (otidianul and put do+n its structure Does it stick to the one it has &een taught in this

&ook[ ompare

Tele%ision our protection from reality[

*ntroductiona* $nnouncing the su&:ect &ased on the key +ords in the title television, protection,reality. Eotice that the instructional +ord is not present in the title Presume it isdiscuss or comment

&* -eneral statementc* -i%ing a methodological statement a&out +hat you are going to dod*=ndicating the main ideas that +ill &e dealt +ith in the &ody

Bodthree to four main ideas, plus &acking ideas 7if necessary , so at least three to four

paragraphs, each containing the follo+inga* ignpost and*or inter#paragraph transitions

&* The announcement of a main ideac* The statement of some e%idenced* Zuotation or*and paraphrasee* Your argumentation &ased on e%idence

Conclusion

a* +hat the conse?uences of +hat you ha%e +ritten are &* ho+ the main ideas in the &ody contri&ute to the demonstration of the generalstatement, +hich is your personal ans+er to the 7implied ?uestion in the title


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Ta&le 2 The Plan into the Structure is to &e fre?uently used &y e%ery student +orking +ith this &ook,therefore it is ad%isa&le that a &lank copy should &e kept at home for further multiplication any time it isneeded

The Plan of the follo)ing essa title

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

put into The "tructure of an ssa*/T% 7.CT* /

a/ +nnounce the sub>ect base- on the key wor-s in the title

b/ *ive 3#'& answer to the ?uestion (im"lie-) in the title (the general statement)

c>*ive a metho-ological statement about what you are going to -o

-/ n-icate the main i-eas that will be -ealt with in the bo-y

'2


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B 7;

The demonstration evidence argument6 of our general statement gathered in as man mainideas and bacJing ideas as necessar

'3

main i-ea number 4

a/ a sign"ost and>or inter9"aragra"h transition

b/ the announcement of a main i-ea on the topic connected to the general statement in the introduction

c/ the statement of some evi-ence on the idea alread announced The moving definition fallac

0> Argument b poetic gibberish

bservation 2

'< rite on $' si e paper, one side of each page2 Eum&er all pages3 Put your name, grade, year, language, group 7on right#hand side and tutor


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The "tructure of an ssa

'/

ssay title an implied Iuestion6

*/T% 7.CT* /

a+ nnouncing the sub ect based on the in the title

b+ Giving 3#'& answer to the uestion "implied' in the title "the general statement'

c*Giving a methodological statement about what you are going to do d+ Indicating the main ideas that will be dealt with in the body

B 7;The demonstration 7e%idence argument of your general statement gathered in as many mainideas and &acking ideas as necessary

backin idea backin idea

C /C ."* /a+ what the conse uences of what you have written are

b+ how the main ideas in the body contribute to the demonstration of the general statement that you made in the introduction, which is your answer tothe implied uestion in the title

that is7 how main ideas have demonstrated

your answer to the uestion in the

title

key +ords

main idea 8 main idea K main idea L main idea : main idea 9

4050 60 70 8 etc

bservation 3


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"ignposts and inter-paragraph transitions

Sign"osts an- inter9"aragra"h transitions at the beginning of "aragra"hs-o not have to be always "resent. They are im"ortant0 however0 becausethey re"resent :traffic signs; for the rea-er to follow the writer


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"ni%ersity of CucharestDepartment of nglish>ecturer Dr Daniela Cro+n

Part C: Practice

./*T" 0-$The three successive phases prior to the )riting of our essa

Phase *

a Approaching the essa title b anal sing its Je )ords $ny essay title is an implied ?uestion o &efore you e%en think of starting a plan, you ha%e to find out +hat

precisely you are asked to do The title tells you +hat you ha%e to do through its Je )ords, +hich you muste!amine carefully

You should approach the title &y taking into account the follo+ing

'< *nstructional )ords

2< Content )ords

3< 4hole title

'< *nstructional )ords

specially in the case of argumentati%e 2/ essays, the title contains instructional +ords, usually %er&s, +hich tellyou ho+ to deal +ith the content Bere is a list of most of them +ith an e!planation of +hat they mean

Account Account for asks you to gi%e reasons for +ive an account of asks for a detaileddescription

Anal se 0ake a detailed e!amination or in%estigation into something

Appraise %aluate, find the %alueAssess onsider in a &alanced +ay the points for and against something

Comment tate clearly your opinions on the topic in ?uestion upport your %ie+s +ith e%idence

Compare >ook for the similarities and differences

Contrast mphasise the differences &et+een t+o or more things

Criticise -i%e your considered opinion a&out the %alue of the theories*practices, &ack up yourcriticism +ith e%idence from your research 7reading, o&ser%ation, and so on

7efine -i%e the precise meaning of something ho+ ho+ the distinctions you make arenecessary

2/ an argumentati%e essay is concerned +ith ideas in connection +ith +hich you are re?uired to critically de&ate aparticular issue 7$le!ander 1(3 ee also "E=T 1, p '

'9

Phase * a> Approaching the essa title b anal sing its Je )ordsb> +athering information interpreting the evidence of the title )ordsc> 9ind-mappingd> 7ra)ing the ghost of a plan


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b> +athering information interpreting the evidence of the title)ords for te&t anal sis and )ider topics6

hether you ha%e a fragment 7 T @T A/A ;"*" 6 or the +hole te!t7s under scrutiny 7 4*7 %T P*C" , you should approach it*them in a -etective +ay

*< B gathering evidence for te&t anal sis or )ider topics

**< B interpreting>commenting on the evidence ou have found for te&t anal sis or )ider topics

*< A< +athering evidence for T @T A/A ;"*"

ome of the e%idence +hich you gather may &e la&oratory +ork, that is, +ork for yourself, not for the readeryou may gather more information than needed and only that &it of e%idence +hich sustains your interpretation+ill appear in your essay

=f you ha%e a fragment of a te!t or a +hole short poem that you are asked to analyse on a gi%en topic, youshould first prepare the te!t for scrutiny

Preparation: look up the unkno+n +ords in the dictionary

gi%e num&ers to the lines of your 7fragment of poem or fragment of prose

paraphrase each line or paragraph transpose in your o+n +ords +hat each line or paragraph means

identify the possi&le figures of speech

*nformation:

-athering e%idence means ans+ering a fe+ ?uestions focused on the te!t +hich is &efore you and connected+ith the essay title The ?uestions you ans+er offer you te!t#&ased information a&out =D ET=TY, TB 0 ,T=0 , P$ , B4 TB T `T = 0$D 70$EE R and =ET E =TY

1 =D ET=TY

4= is the narrator[ 4= are the characters*people*companies in%ol%ed[ 4= is the author[ 7This?uestion refers to +hat kind of person the author is, not to his or her name

2 TB 0

4=AT is the te!t a&out[ 4=AT are characters*speaker*people doing, talking a&out, thinking of, commentingon[

3 T=0

4= / +as the te!t +ritten[ 4= / does the action in the fragment take place[

' P$

4= % +as the te!t +ritten[ 4= % does the action in the fragment take place[

) B4 TB T `T = 0$D 70$EE R :

a*+ /% and "T; : = 4 did the author +rite the fragment I in %erse[ in prose[ in a comedy[ in atragedy[, in a melodrama[

)1


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&*% AT* /"=*P: = 4 does the author*speaker relate himself to the te!t*characters 7the point of %ie+does he*she kno+ e%erything[ =s he*she disguised in a character[ =s he*she hiding &ehind the shoulder of acharacter[ =s he*she almost in%isi&le[

c*ATT*T.7 : = 4 do characters*people relate to one another is the speaker*character*person placinghimself*herself in a position of inferiority* superiority*e?uality to the other character7s *people in the fragment[

d*T / : = 4 +ould you descri&e the tone the author*speaker uses ironic, humorous, cynical, dramatic,

tragic, melodramatic, neutralH[

6 =ET E =TY:

= 4 */T /" is the author


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;or e!ample, suppose the essay title of a +ider topic is The symbolic -ifference between !amelot an- Haut-esert in Sir *awain an- the *reen @night

4orJing on the title , you can turn it into a ?uestion to understand it &etter Ahat is the-ifference between the symbolism of !amelot castle an- the symbolism of Haut-esert castle in theme-ieval romance "oem Sir *awain an- the *reen @night=

The key +ords are a* instructional -raw a com"arison0 &* content +ords -ifference0 symbolism0 !amelot0 Haut-esert

+athering evidence supposes ans+ering the ?uestions you kno+, referring to the content +ordsin the essay title

1 hat is a sym&ol[

2 hat does amelot sym&olise[

3 hat does Bautdesert sym&olise[' ho are the inha&itants of amelot[

) ho are the inha&itants of Bautdesert[

6 hat is the relationship &et+een them[

/ ho controls the game in amelot[

8 ho controls the game in Bautdesert[

9 hat is the time of the year +hen +e are introduced to amelot and then to Bautdesert[

1( here is amelot supposed to &e[

11 here is Bautdesert[12 Bo+ do people relate to one another in amelot 7the relationship &et+een the king and the nights of theRound Ta&le, the relationship &et+een these characters and the -reen night

13 Bo+ do characters relate to one another in Bautdesert[ 7the relationship &et+een ir -a+ain and theinha&itants of the castle[

1' Bo+ +ould you descri&e the atmosphere in amelot, in Bautdesert[

**commenting on the evidence found )ith reference to )ider topics

You ha%e to process or interpret the information gathered a&o%e &y ans+ering )h :;or pre%ious ?uestions 1,2,3 hy does the te!t use castles as sym&ols [, hy the name of Bautdesert[

;or 2,3 hy are the t+o spaces 7 amelot and Bautdesert in opposition[

;or ',),6 hy are the inha&itants of the t+o castles meant to &e &lood#related[

;or /,8 hy did the -reen night and company start the game of cutting off heads and the hunting game[

;or 9 hy are the hristmas and Ee+ Year cele&rations important[

;or 11 hy is Bautdesert in a forest[

;or 12 hy are the %isitors to the t+o castles 7The -reen night entering amelot and ir -a+ain spendinghristmas in Bautdeset not at the same le%el of kno+ledge and po+er as the inha&itants of the

castles[;or 1' hy is atmosphere important in amelot and in Bautdesert[

)3

"A9P**


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To &e a&le to ans+er such ?uestions, you ha%e to control the te!t or topic %ery +ell and you may also need to dosome research )orJ<

4nce you ha%e gathered the e%idence and ha%e commented on it, you must organise it in a coherent structure,that is, in a plan Cuilding a plan presupposes mind-mapping the information you ha%e gathered and itsinterpretation, that is, &uilding a %isual scheme This +ill &e seen ne!t in "E=T 6

$ M. "T* /" for essays &ased on te&t anal sis focus on the key+ords in the title essay and on the actual te!t &efore your eyes

C M. "T* /" for essays &ased on )ider topics focus on the key+ords in the essay title and on the entire &ook or topic under scrutiny

. +.0B. *athering evi-ence

. +.0 B. nter"reting evi-ence

)'

)hoidentity

)hattheme

)hentime

)herespace

ho)manner

ho) muchintensity

identit+hy thatcharacter*narrator[

theme+hy thate%ent*matter

time+hy that

period

space+hy that

place

manner+hy thatgenrerelationshipattitudetone

intensit+hy that%oiceatmosphere

bservation 1

bservation 0

4=;


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Attention ! Achtung! Yo!The follo)ing # pages maJe up Table ', )hich )ill be freIuentl used b ever student together )ithTable 2


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)6

4h ?


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%vi-ence#< "PAC : 4= % ?

4= % +as the te!t+ritten[

4= % does the action inthe fragment take place[

5< 9A// %: = 4 T= T @T *" 9A7 ?

a*+ /% and "T; : %erse[ comedy[ tragedy[ etc

&*% AT* /"=*P: = 4 does the author*speaker relatehimself to the te!t*characters[

c*ATT*T.7 : = 4 do characters*people relate to one another

d*T / : = 4 is the author


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**< A


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%vi-ence#< 4=; T=AT "PAC ?

4h does*do the author*character*people in the te!t

choose that place for action[

5< 4=; T=AT 9A// % ?

a*+ /% and "T; : )h does the author choose thatgenre, making use of that particular style[

&*% AT* /"=*P: )h does the author use that %ery point of%ie+[

c*ATT*T.7 : )h do characters*people relate the +ay they doto one another[

d*T / : )h does the author*speaker e!press himself +ith thattone[ 7 ironic, humorous, cynical, dramatic, tragicH

!< 4=; T=AT*/T /"*T;>

AT9 "P= % ?

4h does the author


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6(

9ore e&ercises for ./*T" 0-$

1 Read the fragment from harles Dickens< Great Expectations.

2 $nalyse the te!t &y I. . Gathering Evidence and then &y II. Interpreting Evidence 7see Table '

3 0ake the plan of an essay in response to the follo+ing task

6ith reference to Great Expectations, comment on (harles &ickens$s ironic attitude towards the3ictorian middle class understanding of 1hakespeare$s tragedy Hamlet.

Eote the description of the actors on the stage and the spectators< reaction

"se Table 2: !he #lan into the 1tructure

The late king of the country not only appeared to ha%e &een trou&led +ith a cough at the time of hisdecease, &ut to ha%e taken it +ith him to the tom&, and to ha%e &rought it &ack The royal phantom alsocarries a ghostly manuscript round its truncheon, to +hich it had the appearance of occasionallyreferring, and that, too, +ith an air of an!iety and a tendency to lose the place of reference +hich +eresuggesti%e of a state of mortality =t +as this, = concei%e, +hich led to the hade

essay writing part 1

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