ESSAY WRITING

Benjamin WayCreative Writing4-4-14

Overview

Purpose of an Essay Parts of an Essay

Introductory paragraph Body Paragraphs Concluding paragraph

Purpose of an Essay

The purpose of an essay is to communicate a complicated idea in detail.

Lots of ideas are way too big to be explained in a single sentence. An essay is a way of combining all the parts of a big idea in an organized and easy-to-understand way.

Basic Structure of an Essay Introduction

Thesis List of topics

Body paragraphs Topic List of proof or ideas within topic Analysis of those proofs or ideas

Conclusion Thesis Summary of what essay was about

Example Introduction

Thesis: The American political system is corrupt.

List of topics: Voting is rigged, money has too much influence on winners, both parties abuse their power.

Body paragraph Example 1

Voting is rigged: Evidence 1: Elected officials decide who

gets to vote for them Evidence 2: Some votes end up not

being counted Evidence 3: Some areas don’t get as

many polling stations, so people have to go a long way and then wait hours there to vote compared with minutes elsewhere.

Body paragraph Example 2

Topic: Money has too much effect on elections Evidence 1: Whichever party spends

more money can get more people to vote

Evidence 2: The candidate who spends the most in primary elections usually wins the party nomination

Evidence 3: Third party and independent candidates who never have the most money almost never win elections.

Body Paragraph Example 3

Topic: Both parties abuse their power Evidence 1: Elected leaders use their

power to benefit big donors for their campaigns

Evidence 2: Political friends of government officials end up getting pardoned for crimes

Evidence 3: Government officials use their influence to help companies they own, enriching themselves.

Concluding Paragraph

Restated thesis: The American political system suffers from deep corruption in multiple ways.

Summary: Government officials are chosen by the rich and powerful, not by democracy, and they use their influence to benefit the rich and powerful, not the people.

Basic Structure of an Essay Introduction

Thesis List of topics

Body paragraphs Topic List of proof or ideas within topic Analysis of those proofs or ideas

Conclusion Thesis Summary of what essay was about