Essay writing is both an art and a science. It is an art in that the writer must come up with a good idea, put thought behind it, choose provocative words and entertain while informing the reader. Good essays take a fair amount of creativity and style, and many of them even successfully tweak the science part of it without doing any harm. However, there is a basic science to writing a successful essay that flows, and all good essayists, from E.B. White to Joan Didion, had the science down before they were able to creatively manipulate it.
Good essays are comprised of sentences that are arranged in a certain logical manner. For writing to flow best, it contains some kind of arguement, whether implied or stated outrightly. An arguement by definition is logical, so for beginning essay writers, it is crucial to practice writing logical arguements.
By “argument” we mean the point one is trying to express: it could be something like, “I support a certain political view,” or on the other hand, it could be something like, “snowy days make me feel sentimental”. Both are arguements which contain an implicit logic, and to express this logic, an essay should flow in a certain proscribed way.
First, introduce your subject. An introduction should be provocative, containing a sentence or two about the subject. For beginning essayists, it’s best to learn to draw before you learn to paint; therefore, the introduction might be a single paragraph that segues into the thesis. In an introductory paragraph, one might describe the relevance of the essay being written, why you are writing it, and why you value to subject at hand. Or, if you are writing about snowy days, it might simply be a description of a snowy day.
Secondly, write a thesis paragraph for the entire essay. The thesis is the point you are trying to get across. After describing a snowy day in your introduction, your thesis sentence or paragraph might be something like: “Days like this make me feel sentimental.” The rest of the essay will substantiate this thesis.
Thirdly, structure each of your paragraphs around a subpoint. Your subpoints serve your thesis. So in our imaginary essay, a subpoint might be: “Snowy days remind me of playing in the snow as a child.” Structure a paragraph around that sentence; every sentence in the paragraph should have something to do with that sentence. You might describe building a snowman with your dad, finding a carrot for the nose, watching it melt with sorrow as summer approached. Scratch out any sentence in that paragraph that doesn’t apply to remembering how you played in the snow as a child. Your next paragraph might be centered around the sentence: “Snowy days make me think of Christmas.” All the sentences in the subsequent paragraph will substantiate this idea, and so on.
So, once you write an intoruction, a thesis, and paragraphs centered around subpoints which support the thesis, your outline will look like this:
1st paragraph–Introduction: Description of a snowy day
2nd paragraph–Thesis: Snowy days make me feel sentimental
3rd paragraph–Subpoint 1: Snowy days remind me of playing in the snow as a child.
4th paragraph–Subpoint 2: Snowy days remind me of Christmas…
etc.
Once you have written three or more supporting paragraphs, it is time to write a conclusion. This may be where you drive your point home, telling us precisely why playing in the snow, Christmas, etc., all make you feel sentimental.
Upon writing the conclusion, you have produced a successful essay that is guaranteed to flow. It will flow because it is logical; it isn’t necessary to be a great writer or to come up with impressive words.
November 4th, 2007 at 15:48
Sample Basic Essay as a Model
The essay below demonstrates the principles of writing a basic essay. The different parts of the essay have been labeled. The thesis statement is in bold and red, the topic sentences are in italics, and each main point is underlined. When you write your own essay, of course, you will not need to mark these parts of the essay unless your teacher has asked you to do so. They are marked here just so that you can more easily identify them.
“A dog is man’s best friend.” That common saying may contain some truth, but dogs are not the only animal friend whose companionship people enjoy. For many people, a cat is their best friend. Despite what dog lovers may believe, cats make excellent housepets.
In the first place, people enjoy the companionship of cats. Many cats are affectionate. They will snuggle up and ask to be petted, or scratched under the chin. Who can resist a purring cat? If they’re not feeling affectionate, cats are generally quite playful. They love to chase balls and feathers, or just about anything dangling from a string. They especially enjoy playing when their owners are participating in the game. Contrary to popular opinion, cats can be trained. Using rewards and punishments, just like with a dog, a cat can be trained to avoid unwanted behavior or perform tricks. Cats will even fetch!
In the second place, cats are civilized members of the household. Unlike dogs, cats do not bark or make other loud noises. Most cats don’t even meow very often. They generally lead a quiet existence. Cats also don’t often have “accidents.” Mother cats train their kittens to use the litter box, and most cats will use it without fail from that time on. Even stray cats usually understand the concept when shown the box and will use it regularly. Cats do have claws, and owners must make provision for this. A tall scratching post in a favorite cat area of the house will often keep the cat c0ntent to leave the furniture alone. As a last resort, of course, cats can be declawed.
Lastly, one of the most attractive features of cats as housepets is their ease of care. Cats do not have to be walked. They get plenty of exercise in the house as they play, and they do their business in the litter box. Cleaning a litter box is a quick, painless procedure. Cats also take care of their own grooming. Bathing a cat is almost never necessary because under ordinary circumstances cats clean themselves. Cats are more particular about personal cleanliness than people are. In addition, cats can be left home alone for a few hours without fear. Unlike some pets, most cats will not destroy the furnishings when left alone. They are c0ntent to go about their usual activities until their owners return.
Cats are low maintenance, civilized companions. People who have small living quarters or less time for pet care should appreciate these characteristics of cats. However, many people who have plenty of space and time still opt to have a cat because they love the cat personality. In many ways, cats are the ideal housepet.