Chapter 6 Writing the Essay
The Essay Defined in Relation to the Developmental Paragraph
The
main parts of the developmental paragraph are the topic sentence
(subject and treatment), support (evidence and reasoning), and, often, a
concluding sentence. Now let us use that framework to define the essay:
The essay is a group of paragraphs, each withthe
function of supporting a controlling idea called the thesis.These are
the main parts of the essay:
Introduction: presents the thesis, which states the controlling idea--much like the topic sentence for a paragraph but on a larger scale.
Development: introduces evidence and reasoning-- the support.
Transition: point out division of the essay (seldom used in the short essay).
Conclusion: provides an appropriate ending--often a restatement of a reflection on the thesis.
.
Essay
may also assume different patterns. It may be primarily one form of
discourse: narrarion, description, exposition, or argumentation. It may
also be a combination, varying from paragraph to paragraph and even
within paragraphs. Regardless of its pattern, the essay will be unified
around a central idea, or thesis. The thesis is the assertion or
controlling purpose. All with the paragraph, the main point-here, the
thesis-will almost certainly be stated, usually in the first paragraph,
and again-more often then not-at the end of the essay. The essay on
Elvis illustrates this pattern.
The
only difference in concept between the topic sentence and the thesis is
one of scope: The topic sentence unifies and controls the content of
the paragraph, and the thesis does the same for the essay. Because the
essay is longer and more complex than the typical paragraph, the thesis
may suggest a broader scope and may more explicitly indicate the parts.
Special Paragraphs Within the Essay
.
Introducations
.
A
good introductory paragraph does many things. It attracts the reader's
interest, states or points toward the thesis, and moves the reader
smoothly into the body paragraphs, the developmental paragraphs. Here
are some introductory methods:
- A direct statement of the thesis
- Background
- Definition of term
- Quotation
- A shocking statement
- Question
- A combination of two or more methods on this list
Conclusions
your
concluding paragraph should give the reader the feeling that you have
said all you want to say about your subject. Like introductory
paragraphs, concluding paragraphs are of various types. Here are some
effective ways of concluding a paper:
- Conclude with a final paragraph or sentence that is a logical part of the body of the paper; that is, one that functions as part of the support.
- Conclude with a restatement of the thesis in slightly different words, perhaps pointing our its significance or making applications.
- Conclude with a review of the main points of the discussion--a kind of summary. This is appropriate only if the complexity of the essay makes a summary neccssary.
- Conclude with an anecdote related to the thesis.
- Conclude with a quotation related to the thesis.
There are also many ineffective ways of concluding an essay. Do not conclude with the following:
- A summary when a summar is unnecessary
- A complaint about the assignment or an apology about the quality of the work
- An afterthought--that is, something you forgot to discuss in the body of the essay
- A tagged conclusion- that is, a sentence beginning with such phrases as In conclusion, To conclude, I would like to conclude this discussion, or Last but not least
- A conclusion that raises additional problems that should have been settled during the discussion
The
conclusion is an integral part of the essay and is often a reflection
of the introduction. If you have trouble with the conclusion, reread
your introduction. Then work for a roundness or completeness in the
whole paper.
Source:Brandon,
Lee. Brandon, Kelly. Paragraphs and Essays with Integrated Readings,eleventh Edition. Boston, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2011
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