Part V. Essay Writing
This chapter focuses on the steps in writing an effective essay: 1. Begin with a point, or thesis.
2. Support the thesis with specific evidence. 3. Organize and connect the specific evidence. 4. Write clear, error-free sentences.
I. Begin with a Point, or Thesis
Your first step in writing is to discover what point you want to make and to write that point out as a single sentence. There are two reasons for doing this. You want to know right from the start if you have a clear and workable thesis. Also, you will be able to use the thesis as a guide while writing your essay. At any stage you can ask yourself, \the thesis as a guide, the danger of drifting away from the point of the essay is greatly reduced. 1. Understanding Thesis Statements
In Chapter 1, you learned that effective essays center around a thesis, or main point, that a writer wishes to express. This central idea is usually presented as a thesis statement in an essay's introductory paragraph.
A good thesis statement does two things. First, it tells readers an essay's topic. Second, it presents the writer's attitude, opinion, idea, or point about that topic. For example, look at the following thesis statement:
Owning a pet has several important benefits.
In this thesis statement, the topic is owning a pet; the writer's main point is that owning a pet has several important benefits.
Exercise
For each thesis statement below, single-underline the topic and double-underline the main point that the writer wishes to express about the topic.
EXAMPLES Our company president should be fired for three main reasons. The Internet has led to new kinds of frustration in everyday life.
1. Our cafeteria would be greatly improved if several changes were made.
2. Celebrities are often poor role models because of the way they dress, talk, and behave.
3. My first night as a security guard turned out to be one of the most frightening experiences of my life.
4. SUVs are inferior to cars because they are harder to control, more expensive, and dangerous to the environment.
5. The twentieth century produced three inventions that dramatically changed the lives of all Americans.
6. Stress in the fast-food workplace has led to serious physical, psychological, and emotional problems for employees.
7. Advertisers target young people in order to market cigarettes, alcohol, and adult movies. 8. Living in the city has certain advantages over living in the suburbs.
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9. Before moving away from home, every person should have mastered certain
key skills.
10. Independent \and pop\stores are superior to larger chain stores for a number of reasons.
2. Writing a Good Thesis I
Now that you know how thesis statements work, you can prepare to begin writing your own. To start, you need a topic that is neither too broad nor too narrow. Suppose, for example, that an instructor asks you to write a paper on marriage. Such a subject is too broad to cover in a five-hundred-word essay. You would have to write a book to support adequately any point you might make about the general subject of marriage. What you need to do, then, is limit your subject. Narrow it down until you have a thesis that you can deal with specifically in about five hundred words. In the box that follows are (1) several general subjects, (2) a limited version of each general subject, and (3) a thesis statement about each limited subject.
General Subject Marriage Family Television
Honeymoon Older sister TV preachers
Limited Subject
Thesis
A honeymoon is perhaps the worst way to begin a marriage.
My older sister helped me overcome my shyness. TV evangelists use sales techniques to promote their messages.
My husband and I have several effective ways of disciplining our children. Players' high salaries are bad for the game, for the fans, and for the values our children are developing.
Children
Disciplining of children
Sports
Players' salaries
Exercise:
Sometimes a subject must go through several stages of limiting before it is narrow enough to write about. Below are four lists reflecting several stages that writers went through in moving from a general subject to a narrow thesis statement. Number the stages in each list from 1 to 5, with 1 marking the broadest stage and 5 marking the thesis. List 1
____ Teachers ____ Education ____ Math teacher
____ My high school math teacher was incompetent. ____ High school math teacher List 2
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——Retail companies
——Supermarkets
——Dealing with customers ——Working in a supermarket
——I've learned how to handle unpleasant supermarket customers. List 3 ____ Bicycles
____ Dangers of bike riding ____ Recreation
____ Recreational vehicles
____ Bike riding in the city is a dangerous activity. List 4
____ Camping
____ First camping trip
____ Summer vacation
____ My first camping trip was a disastrous experience. ____ Vacations
3. Writing a Good Thesis II
When writing thesis statements, people often make mistakes that undermine their chances of producing an effective essay. One mistake is to simply announce the subject rather than state a true thesis. A second mistake is to write a thesis that is too broad, and a third is to write a thesis that is too narrow. A fourth error is to write a thesis containing more than one idea. Here are tips for avoiding such mistakes and writing good thesis statements. (1) Write Statements, Not Announcements The subject of this paper will be my parents.
I want to talk about the crime wave in our country.
The \
In this first group, the sentences are not thesis statements but just announcements of a topic. For instance, \subject of this paper will be my parents\does not make a point about the parents but merely tells, in a rather weak and unimaginative way, the writer's general subject. Remember, a thesis statement must make a point about a limited subject. Effective thesis statements based on the above sentences could be as follows: My parents each struggled with personal demons.
The recent crime wave in our city has several apparent causes.
The \(2) Avoid Statements That Are Too Broad
Disease has shaped human history. Insects are fascinating creatures. Men and women are very different.
In the above examples, each statement is too broad to be supported adequately in a student essay. For instance, \has shaped human history\would require far more than a five-hundred-word essay. In fact, there are many lengthy books written on the exact same topic. Remember, your thesis statement should be focused enough that it can be effectively supported in a five-paragraph essay. Revised thesis statements based on the topics in the above sentences could
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be as follows:
In the mid-1980s, AIDS changed people's attitudes about dating.
Strength, organization, and communication make ants one of nature's most successful insects. Men and women are often treated very differently in the workplace. (3) Avoid Statements That Are Too Narrow
Here are three statements that are too narrow: The speed limit near my home is sixty-five miles per hour. A hurricane hit southern Florida last summer.
A person must be at least thirty-five years old in order to be elected president of the United States. In this third group, there is no room in any of the three statements for support to be given. For instance, \speed limit near my home is sixty-five miles per hour\is too narrow to be expanded into a paper. It is a simple fact that does not require any support. Such a statement is sometimes called a dead-end statement: There is no place to go with it. Remember, a thesis statement must be broad enough to require support in an essay. Successful thesis statements based on the sentences above are as follows:
The speed limit near my home should be lowered to fifty-five miles per hour for several reasons. Federal officials made a number of mistakes in their response to the recent Florida hurricane.
The requirement that a U.S. president must be at least thirty-five years old is unfair and unreasonable.
(4) Make Sure Statements Develop Only One Idea
Here are three statements that contain more than one idea:
One of the most serious problems affecting young people today is bullying, and it is time more kids learned the value of helping others.
Studying with others has several benefits, but it also has drawbacks and can be difficult to schedule.
Teachers have played an important role in my life, but they were not as important as my parents. In this fourth group, each statement contains more than one idea. For instance, \most serious problems affecting young people today is bullying, and it is time more kids learned the value of helping others\clearly has two separate ideas (\of the most serious problems affecting young people today is bullying\is time more kids learned the value of helping others\The reader is asked to focus on two separate points, each of which more logically belongs in an essay of its own. Remember, the point of an essay is to communicate a single main idea to readers. To be as clear as possible, then, try to limit your thesis statement to the single key idea you want your readers to know. Revised thesis statements based on each of the examples above are as follows:
One of the most serious problems affecting young people today is bullying. Studying with others has several benefits.
Teachers have played an important role in my life. Exercise:
Write TN in the space next to the two statements that are too narrow to be developed in an essay. Write TB beside the two statements that are too broad to be covered in an essay. Then, in the spaces provided, revise one of the too-narrow statements and one of the too-broad statements
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to make them each an effective thesis.
1. The way our society treats elderly people is unbelievable. 2. Up to 70 percent of teenage marriages end in divorce. 3. Action must be taken against drugs. 4. I failed my biology course.
II. Support the Thesis with Specific Evidence
The first essential step in writing a successful essay is to formulate a clearly stated thesis. The second basic step is to support the thesis with specific reasons or details.
To ensure that your essay will have adequate support, you may find an informal outline very helpful. Write down a brief version of your thesis idea, and then work out and jot down the three points that will support the thesis.
Here is the scratch outline that was prepared by the author of the earlier essay on moviegoing: Moviegoing is a problem. 1. Inconvenience of going out 2. Tempting snacks
3. Other moviegoers
A scratch outline like this one looks simple, but developing it often requires a great deal of careful thinking. The time spent on developing a logical outline is invaluable, though. Once you have planned the steps that logically support your thesis, you will be in an excellent position to go on to write an effective essay.
Activities in this section will give you practice in the crucial skill of planning an essay clearly.
Exercise:
Following are ten informal outlines. Complete any five of them by adding a third logical supporting point (c) that will parallel the two already provided (a and b). 1. The first day on a new job can be nerve-racking.
a. Meeting new people
b. Finding your way around a new place
c. ______________________________________________________ 2. My stepmother has three qualities I admire. a. Patience
b. Thoughtfulness
c. _______________________________________________________ 3. The neighborhood grocery store is poorly managed. a. The checkout lines are always long. b. The aisles are dirty and understocked.
c. _______________________________________________________ 4. College students should live at home. a.
Stay in touch with family
b. Avoid distractions of dorm or apartment life
c. _______________________________________________________ 5. is the worst job I've ever had. a. Difficult boss
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