How to Write an Essay
What is the point of the paper?To see if you can write at length about some topic, in a focused and sustained way. Focused -- not rambling disconnectedly on "everything I know about X", but discussing a specific topic or cluster of interrelated topics in an integrated way. Sustained -- following through some clear line(s) of argument in some depth (e.g. discussing not just objections but objections to the objections).
That still leaves options. You may go 'vertically' and dig more deeply into one particular issue; or you may go 'horizontally' and be concerned to make connections, and show how different parts of the philosophical landscape fit together -- or a bit of both. But whichever way you go, you should aim for a clearly structured story and some meaty arguments.
'But typical one-word questions like "Necessity" or "Scepticism" or "Justice" are not very focused!'
True. But they are intended as invitations to write on some specific topic that falls under the one-word heading. What the the Faculty Handbook says about Extended Essays and Dissertations applies here too. "The candidate in effect sets their own question [in the given area], and is expected to define this question and then write about it, not about its general philosophical environs." To emphasize again, you cannot construct a good extended essay merely by collecting a lot of points about a topic and setting them out one after the other. They need to be organized into an argument in favour of some particular conclusion, which you have specified as your target.
'How much should I aim to write?'
Quite a bit! If your essay is hardly longer than a typical answer to a single question on one of the other papers, then it is almost certainly too short. (Of course, you might be a Gettier, about to make a Major New Point in a couple of pages -- but then again, probably not ...!)
On the other hand, you might well write rather less overall than in other three hour papers, because you need to spend somewhat more time in thinking out and planning your work. Don't just dive in -- plan your answer very carefully. And certainly, you should avoid padding your answer out with material irrelevant to your main theme (that way, you can well end up with lower marks than if you had stopped sooner).
'It's a lottery. How can I be expected to predict questions?
Essays are not just the standard five paragraphs and then done style that was taught to students in grade school. The article “The Sixth Paragraph: A Re-Vision of the Essay” by Paul Lynch, explains quiet well how essays are typically taught and why. It is basically because it is easy to grade and even easier to write. Even when talking about writing or giving an example to a person it’s quite typical to start using the five paragraph format. While writing the standard essay the guidelines are quite specific. BE precise, stick to the topic, and stay impersonal. However, the author states that this made her realize that essays can be confining instead of teaching. So instead the author decided to listen to her students and quit focusing on the
This was also an in-class essay, but here I see that I not only mention what the authors are talking about but also what that means. By learning to ask that next question I have more places to go in my paper. I still need to master this skill but for an in-class essay written in December, I think I have improved significantly since
Many times when I write it is difficult to locate a general theme, or even a clear and precise point. Too often, my papers seem to deviate from the intentional purpose stated in the introduction. The topic and primary idea need to be effectively introduced at the beginning so that the reader knows what to look for and what to expect. Many times, my writing consists of a solid introduction with a good idea, but it wanes as it nears the ending and the conclusion is not effective so as to remain consistent with the proper sequence of the sentence (2-3-1). The reader of my work must distinguish the most important point of the work, understanding the general theme, while remaining captivated by a consistently interesting paper. If a primary point exists, it needs to be expanded, emphasized, or supported. The work needs to remain interesting and captivating throughout. For the reader to infer my opinion on the subject matter, I must show approval or disapproval of it in some way. The results of this personal critique correlate to 101 Dalmatians, 7th Heaven, How to Make an American Quilt written by Whitney Otto, and A River Runs Through It written by Norman Maclean. Each of these works contains a main point, a theme, and this is expanded, emphasized, or supported throughout the plot.
First you need to decide what form your paper is going to take, then decide what the topic will be about. I decided to do a rhetorical analysis of a song, which I knew very well. Then thought what I could do with the lyrics to make it into a paper that people would
This semester in English 105 I had to write three papers. The three papers were rhetorical analysis, argumentative documented argument. Each paper had a different concept. The first paper we did was an argument analysis of “What We hunger For” from the book, “Bad feminist”. The second paper was a rhetorical analysis of an article, “Student Debt”.
The origin of the word myth seems to be a myth in itself. Myths have generally originated from a Greek history that used an oral tradition to explain events that occurred before the written word. Often supernatural beings or fictitious characters were used to explain popular ideas concerning phenomena's of nature or the history of people. The myths that were carried on from generation to generation were often very imaginative in an attempt to spark the interest of young listeners. These would be told at social gatherings. The main purpose of a myth was to relay historical information among groups. Early myths often dealt with the origin of man, customs, religious rights, incidents involving the lives of gods, stories of culture heroes, adaptations of old world myths, or the retelling of biblical stories.
The length of your formal essays (minimum 750 words combined) should be no fewer than the following number of words TOTAL: 250 words for essay #1; 500 words for essay #2 . Your essays should be structured like an essay for an academic class. It will be evaluated both on your content and ideas as well as on writing conventions such as thesis, supporting evidence, organization, style, and mechanics. Submit BOTH essays in ONE attached document.
From listening to previous students speak about how everything depends on the WPJ and the time limit not being enough, I entered the classroom a little worried. I know it was only a practice essay, but I thought the prompt would not be relatable to me which would result in an unfinished essay. However, that was not the case. I stuck to the timeframe of fifteen minute brainstorm, forty minute draft, and five minute edit for an outcome of a complete paper.
I am just beginning my college career and that means many more papers to come. I may not always be so enthusiastic about writing them but as long as I use this strategy to tackle the assignment, it will be fine. Learning to break down a paper into small parts instead of looking at it as one whole, big, daunting assignment has helped me a great deal and allows me to put more focus into each paragraph or topic, resulting in better written papers.
You will not discuss all the points in every essay; but you should use every essay assigned, and you should use points from each that are appropriate for the thesis of your own essay.
For the essay portion of your exam, you have 2 parts application essays in which all students must do #1 and then you have a choice from #2-# 5 for your second essay. Then you have definition essays for part 2 and you pick (out of a hat or container) the topic areas to respond to from # 6-10.
Summarize the Essay: List key points, evidence, and support each. Used to condense the information you have.
Becoming a good student for most is not an easy task. One may be asking if there is a definite way to distinguish a good student and the answer is it 's merely impossible to say a student is considered “good” based on only one factor. Many people define good students as kids who have the best grade in the class. Since most of the time this is true, grades can only be looked at as a single way of how we define the term “good”. We must remember that even poor students can earn high grades occasionally, thus proving why grades are not the best indicator of a student’s quality. The “good student” label will most likely lay on the discipline that their parents laid down for them in school as a child. A good student can balance a positive attitude
Growing up learning and speaking English has been something that was difficult for me at first but then came easy, but that was not the case for my mother. She spent her whole life speaking Spanish, so when she decided to take English learning classes it was challenging. However, she had me to help her throughout her struggle. I helped her complete her homework and assignments. We would also go to the library to check out easy level reading books to have her read to me. I would correct her English when it was wrong and do all I could to boost her confidence. It took me a while to understand and figure out what the best way to teach her was, but it was a fun experience for the both of us. Teaching her English was difficult because things that
Coming from a Spanish speaking household having to learn a new language can always be difficult. While, I was a child learning a second language was difficult. It was difficult for me to put words to use in the correct way. And use terms that make sense with one another term. It was difficult for me because some Spanish words sound the same as English words, and while learning I wanted to translate everything the way I say it in Spanish to English. For example, in Spanish “helo” means ice, but if you say it out loud it sounds like “yellow”. Little things like that will be a big issue to me. I have to put up with many looks from others and hear all sorts of criticism around me. Learning a new language at a young age was a struggle with reading