Writing an Essay

The Academic Essay

The academic essay is composed of 3 parts: an introduction, the body, and a conclusion.

Text

Reader

ESSAY

Writer

TEXT The most important part of the academic essay is finding and using credible evidence to support your thesis.Provide logical evidence

rather than opinion.You will find this in your

novel.

A word of caution about evidence…

TEXT Sources like Wikipedia,

Webster’s Dictionary, or the World Book encyclopedia are not considered academic sources.

They are too general and have issues with timeliness, target audience, and credibility.

They are a great place to start research or find great links to other, credible sources.

Text

Reader

ESSAY

Writer

WRITERTaking an academic tone

in the essay.Edit your essay for

conventions, such as grammar, mechanics, and style.

Accurately cite evidence.

Text

Reader

ESSAY

Writer

READER Avoid emotional or

ambiguous argumentsYour FEELINGS can

change. Your position on the topic

should be the same, regardless of the mood you are in.

In addition, YOU are the expert. Do not use words like, “kind of” and “sort of”.

Text

Reader

ESSAY

Writer

READERRemember the tone is very different for creative writing and academic writing.

Text

Reader

ESSAY

Writer

The Introduction

The introduction should include: An attention getter – something that grabs the

reader’s interest and is relevant to the essay’s topic and tone. Try to avoid a question.

Important background information the reader must have concerning the issue. This helps establish the context for the discussion and why it is a debatable one.

Transition from the general to the specific (thesis). A thesis statement.

The Introduction: The Thesis Statement

At the end of your introduction, the reader should find your thesis.

The thesis has 3 major parts: the subject (what you are writing about), the attitude (what you are saying about the subject), and the sequence (the order of the topics): The narrator in Lucien Stryk’s poem, “Cherries,” reflects

the greedy and selfish attitude of corporate leadership in North America.

Tracey Devon, the protagonist of Out of Sight, Out of Mind, by Marilyn Kaye, is lonely, melancholy, and shy.

Thesis Statements

A sample thesis (or three): In the beginning of Anderson’s novel, “Speak,” Melinda is portrayed

as a depressed and miserable person, but throughout the novel she becomes increasingly optimistic and resilient, which indicates that the author believes that people have the ability to change.

The title of Marcus Zusak’s novel, “The Book Thief,” has a strong relationship to the content of the novel itself because the title highlights the growth that Liesel experiences every time she steals a book.

The characters, setting, and theme of Ray Bradbury’s novel, “Farenheit 451,” communicate his negative reaction to the mass consumption of the television in the 1950s.

The Body

The body is where writers present their evidence to support their thesis.

For an academic essay, the writer must present at least two points of support. You will develop each point in a body paragraph.

The first sentence of each body paragraph should clearly support some part of the thesis. We call these topic sentences.

The last sentence of each body paragraph sums up the paragraph and links back to the thesis. We call these concluding sentences.

Developing the Body Paragraphs: When Should you use Definitions?

Define terms: You only need to define terms if you are using a specific term that is either unknown to your audience or is open to multiple definitions. For example, if you are writing about the novel “Unwind” you

may need to explain what a clapper is to the audience if you are making reference to it in your essay.

Developing the Body Paragraph: ACE

Assertion/Introduction: Give the reader information about what is happening in the quote or show how you have come to the position you hold on this issue.

Insert your quote: Use your own words followed by a comma. In chapter four Bill says, “…

Explanation: Show the reader your reasoning – how you have come to the position you hold on this issue.

Developing the Body Paragraphs: Evidence

Evidence/Examples/Quotes: You will provide two or more citations from the novel

to prove your point. This helps your reader “see” what you are talking

about. Provide a concrete example of the more abstract

concept.

Developing the Body Paragraphs

Transitions/Concluding Sentence: This is the last step in a body

paragraph. Transitions help wrap up the

paragraph’s point and move the reader to the next stage of the essay.

Another Acronym…

S - STATE what will be in this paragraphE - EXPLAIN / EVIDENCE- paraphrase and

use quotes to prove your pointA - ANALYSIS- explain the significance of your

pointsL - LINK – to the thesis and provide a transition

by summarizing the paragraph

The Conclusion

This paragraph ends the essay. The first element in a conclusion is traditionally a

restatement of the thesis. You never copy the thesis exactly as it appears in the introduction, but you do want to remind your reader of the overall point of your essay.

Your conclusion is a place to show the significance of your thesis – why your interpretation is important or unique.

Do not introduce new evidence here!