“I always did well on essay tests. Just put everything you know on there, maybe you’ll hit it. And then you get the paper back from the teacher and she’s written just one word across the top of the page, “vague.” I thought “vague” was kind of vague. I’d write underneath it “unclear,” and send it back. She’d return it to me, “ambiguous.” I’d send it back to her, “cloudy.” We’re still corresponding to this day … “hazy” … “muddy”…” 

 Jerry Seinfeld  (Sein Language, Bantam Books: 1993)

Organizing an Organizing an Academic EssayAcademic Essay

References

© 2001 by Ruth Luman

Introduction

Conclusion

Body Paragraphs

IntroductionIntroductionWhat is an essay ?

An essay is a piece of writing that usually has five or moreparagraphs. An essay is written about one topic that hasseveral main points. The main points are introduced in anintroductory paragraph and supported in bodyparagraphs. The conclusion is the last paragraph.

Essay

Introduction

_____________

Body Paragraph 1

_____________

Body Paragraph 2

_____________

Body Paragraph 3

_____________

Conclusion

_____________

Parts of an EssayParts of an EssayAn Introduction

An introductory paragraph is the first paragraph in an essay. It contains two parts.

General Statements: Hook/Lead grabs the reader’s attention General info about the topic or the subject If you’re writing about a novel: title and author of

book, and a brief plot summary

A Thesis Statement: one sentence that tells your reader the main points of your topic and states the overall “plan” of your essay.

ExampleExampleAn Introduction

General Statements

Thesis Statement

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is the story of a young girl, Lily Owen, who searches for the truth about her mother’s death which she thinks she might have caused. Along the way she learns a great deal about herself and about her friend Rosaleen because they run away from home and travel to Tiburon, South Carolina where Lily finally uncovers the truth about her mother’s death. Lily faces many conflicts on her quest, some internal and others external, and by the end of the novel, she has changed because of the conflicts and challenges she faced.

ExampleExampleAn Introduction

General Statements

Thesis Statement

Lily faces many conflicts on her quest, some internal and others external, and by the end of the novel, she has changed because of the conflicts and challenges she faced.

If you can’t think of a good intro, write the essay and come back later to add the introduction. When you do this, try to hook the reader’s interest.

Parts of an EssayParts of an EssayBody Paragraphs

The body consists of one or more paragraphs following theintroduction. Each paragraph supports the main idea ofyour essay by breaking it down into smaller ideas or sub-topics. Each body paragraph consists of a topic sentenceand several supporting sentences. A conclusion sentencedraws the paragraph together.

Body Paragraph 1

Body Paragraph 2

Body Paragraph 3Introduction

Body Paragraphs…

Remember, every body paragraph should only cover one main idea each. Follow your road map…discuss each idea in the same order you present them with in the introduction…

Body Paragraph 1Introduction

ExampleExampleBody Paragraph

Topic Sentence

Supporting Sentences

Concluding Sentence

The biggest conflict that Lily faced in her quest for the truth was with her father, T. ray. T. ray was mean to Lily and often used harsh punishments when he was annoyed with her. Sometimes she was punished even if she hadn’t done anything wrong. For example, T. Ray makes Lily kneel bare-knees on grits on a wood floor just because she…(Now use at least one specific example to support your idea)

•A specific example•IMPORTANT!!!—Explain the example—SHOW the reader that example is appropriate by telling how it supports the main idea of the paragraph.•If possible, set up a transition to the next main idea or the next supporting example

Parts of an EssayParts of an EssayConclusion

The conclusion paragraph is the last paragraph in the essay. Itcompletes the essay by summarizing or highlighting the mostimportant ideas. The conclusion can also include an opinion, aprediction, or a solution to a problem.

Body Paragraph 1

Introduction

Conclusion

Body Paragraph 2

Body Paragraph 3

ExampleExampleConclusion

Summary of Main Ideas

Why this is important

“In conclusion, Lily Owen faces her internal and external conflicts with courage. Because of her courage to overcome trouble, she changes and matures. She also learns that sometimes problems and conflicts make us stronger and better if we let them. If she had given up when faced with trouble, she might never have learned this, so we can learn from her story too. The lesson is that we should never give up no matter how difficult life gets because we will change and grow.

Don’t state the obvious!

Overview of an EssayOverview of an Essay

Body Paragraphs

Support the main ideas of the thesis statement

Begin with topic sentences

Always include and explain your examples…show why they are relevant to your main point.

Introduction

General statements and information about the topic

Thesis statement- lists the main ideas in the essay

Conclusion

Look back and ask yourself, why did I say what I said? What is important about my point? Is there an overall theme?

Body Paragraph 1

Body Paragraph 2

Body Paragraph 3