L.J. Perales

The Ultimate How-To

The introduction is the first impression your reader gets of your writing quality.

You want your readers to know the direction you’re going and follow easily.

A captivating, well-planned introduction will give your reader a sense of confidence for the essay and better receive what you have to say.

• Make Readers Interested• Use SOAPT• Introduce Argument or Topic• Write Your Thesis Statement• Introduce Essay’s Organizational Structure

Begin by incorporating a relevant/essential quotation from primary or secondary texts.

Provide pertinent background information in well-constructed prose.

Present a controversial issue up front, before introducing a topic.

Breakdown• Subject• Occasion• Audience• Purpose• Tone

Avoid using the aforementioned terms directly.

Provide necessary definitions or explanations of argument or topic.

Add relevant background information that is necessary for your reader.

Consider incorporating a quotation from a primary or secondary text which lends to an understanding of your essay.

This is one to two sentences that state the purpose of your essay• States the topic• States the point you are going to make

Your thesis does NOT include personal statements.

Your thesis is direct, concise, and clear.

Briefly introduce the points that will be explored.

Introduce the points in the order in which they will be discussed.

This gives a direction or blueprint for your paper.

The Ultimate How-To

This is the last impression of your writing that a reader is left with.

A good conclusion will address all concepts explored in an essay, giving the reader a sense of completion.

You only have one chance to leave off on a solid note; this is where you hit it home!

Your conclusion will vary given the purpose of your essay. For AP Prompts, you will encounter three types: • The Synthesis Essay• The Argument/Persuasive Essay• The Analytical Essay

Conclusions for personal narratives vary drastically from formal essay writing; for our purposes, we will explore the three essential AP prompts.

Restate topic and its importance. Restate your thesis in varying words. Briefly summarize each of your essay’s

points (no more than a sentence for each).

Consider incorporating a key quotation from one of the primary texts which cements your standpoint.

When necessary, call for action or research possibilities.

Restate topic and its importance. Briefly address opposing viewpoints Restate your thesis in varying words. Remind readers of your essay’s

points. Use language that urges the reader

to agree with your position. When necessary, call for action or

research possibilities.

Comment on the big picture of the essay you are analyzing; bring it back into context.

Briefly summarize the techniques employed by the author that you explored in your paper, but do not give specifics.

Write a conclusive statement that reflects on the piece as you’ve perceived it.

Student Writing Samples

Can a mind learn under bounds? With such strict rules in schools today, children are facing bounds which strip them of their individuality. Therefore, which is more important: conformity or individuality? To succeed, we need freedom; we need to be able to exercise and stretch to our reach. Rules that constrict us into tight spots are killing children’s desires to learn. Uniforms, tight schedules, mandatory classes, and dress codes are all taking away a child’s right to learn freely. Individuality is more important than conformity and this individuality needs to be recognized by school systems.

When bound, how can one move or do anything? They cannot. This is what schools are doing; they are binding children’s minds by not allowing them to think on their own. School systems need to let the children go, set them free. No more dress codes or mandatory classes. Students must be allowed to study what they want as they choose and dress as they prefer. It is time to free the students to think to their full limits.

When the last time that anyone claimed that television was represents real life? When has television, in general, ever been touted as a way to become more familiar with one’s own position in the rat race of life? If this were the true purpose of media, SpongeBob would spend his days fighting insurance lawsuits, Dr. Phil would interview normal, middle-aged couch-potatoes, and Indiana Jones would spend his days cataloguing pottery fragments. Ehrenreich is right to call the world inside the black box “eerie and unnatural”; it was never intended to be anything else.

Television, as well as most things, is best taken in moderation. Too much of it may turn an intelligent individual into a slovenly couch-potato. Despite this, television has certainly done more good than bad, while recognizing that it does have the potential for both. In the end, the effect that television has on society is determined by the viewer. I choose what I expose myself to, what I watch, what I think, what I believe; thus, I, not anyone else, choose whether television is something “eerie and unnatural” or a harmless diversion. Why do we keep on watching? Because it is our choice to make, and our decision whether or not to be influenced by what we see.

In “The Indispensable Opposition”, Walter Lippmann asserts that the freedoms we have fought to give ourselves, those of opinion and speech, exist only because the existence of many views allows your own to evolve. Lippmann takes a disparaging attitude towards those who champion these rights on the basis that all deserve them, and instead points out to the reader how they, along with everyone else, could be lacking if those rights were not freely distributed. Persuasive speech, choice diction, appeals to tradition and logic all contribute to Lippmann’s ability to fully develop his argument.

Through an assertive voice, Lippmann continually supports his premise that liberty comes through toleration. Lippmann’s awareness of argumentative techniques is evidenced by his persuasive language, specific word choice, and his rhetorical appeals. By stating the opposing viewpoint from the very beginning, that freedom is a noble gift rather than a need, Lippmann allows himself to launch a trade against this view that lasts the entirety of his piece.

L.J. Perales