Essay Writing Tips

Below you will find:

• Advice for organizing the CONTENT of your essay;

• General tips for undertaking the writing PROCESS; and 

• A few SAMPLE ESSAYS.

CONTENT

CONTEXT

At the outset of the paper, describe the context of the issue you will be exploring. An essay on Shakespeare’s Sonnet #15, for instance, may begin by describing the interpretive context of the “Procreation Sonnets” as a whole – i.e., the issues or questions surrounding the concepts of “nature,” “Time,” “youth,” or “beauty.”

THESIS

Within this context, clearly state your thesis. The thesis is the central question that will be answered or the central point that will be proved through the essay as a whole. A good thesis is sufficiently narrow, such that it allows for an in depth exploration, analysis and case to be made. If the thesis is too broad, on the other hand, the essay is doomed to be a superficial repetition of accepted “truisms.”

“Shakespeare’s Sonnets are all about love” is an example of a thesis that has several problems:

• The SUBJECT is too broad: the concept of “love” would need to be defined and narrowed. Perhaps a slightly better thesis would involve Shakespeare’s representation of love as a certain type of deception – here an aspect of love is being explored, not the sum total of the human experience itself

• The SCOPE is too broad: the thesis claims it will explore the concept of love in all of Shakespeare’s Sonnets. This would be the task of several books and a lifetime of writing and research.  A thesis with a narrower scope would be one which explores Shakespeare’s representation of love as deception in ONE sonnet

• The case to be made is too OBVIOUS: the thesis should uncover or explicate something in the work which would not be observable at first glance. The thesis you thereby demonstrate constitutes an original contribution to the way the text can be understood – or historical moment, if one is writing a History paper; or nature of the mind, if one is writing a Psychology paper etc.

ARGUMENTS 

The bulk of your paper should be a series of arguments which clearly support the thesis as stated at the beginning. It is important to make the connections between these arguments and the connections between the arguments and the thesis clear to the reader. Here, connecting phrases will help you: however, on the other hand, in addition, also, etc.

The logic of your arguments should be dictated by your thesis, not by the order of the lines or passages in the text you are analysing. If the thesis has to do with love as a certain type of deception in Shakespeare’s Sonnet:

• One should structure their arguments according to certain images or themes presented in the Sonnet which support the thesis – argument A (the first paragraph) may deal with the words in the sonnet which have to do with duplicity; argument B (the second paragraph) may deal with the images of betrayal in the Sonnet etc.

• One should not structure their arguments according to the progression of the Sonnet itself. In this case, the essay would be a mere PARAPHRASE of the Sonnet, not an analysis of it such that a clear thesis is explored and defended

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Every paragraph should present an argument or an aspect of an argument. The first sentence, ideally, will present the “mini-thesis” of that paragraph.

EVIDENCE

Arguments, for the most part, should be supported with reference to appropriate evidence.

• If argument A deals with the repetition of words dealing with “duplicity”, I would need to cite those instances

• This would be textual evidence

• Another form of evidence would be that which can be garnered through secondary sources

Textual evidence can be cited parenthetically:

• When citing a PLAY, (1 Henry IV, 1.2.15-38) = Henry the Fourth, Part One, Act one, Scene two, Lines fifteen to thirty-eight

• When citing a SONNET in a sequence, (Amoretti, 67.11-12) = Amoretti, Sonnet #67, Lines 11 to 12

• When citing a longer, narrative poem, (Paradise Lost, 9.244-256) = Paradise Lost, Book 9, Lines 244 – 256

• When citing a work of prose, (The Sun Also Rises, 123-25) = the relevant pages -- note: a longer work of prose should be indicated with italics (as above), while a short story should be indicated with quotation marks (for e.g., "Life Story")

• When citing Plato and Aristotle, it is customary to refer to the Stephanus and Bekker paginations used in most editions of their works, (The Republic 457a)

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Other sources can also be cited parenthetically:

• (Bloom 1998, 244) = the reference in my alphabetical listing of “Works Cited” or “Bibliography” that starts with Bloom; if there is more than one reference to works by the same Bloom in the Works Cited, the 1998 indicates the citation is of that book; and the 244 indicates the page number being cited

CONCLUSION

The conclusion should summarize what the analysis adds to our understanding of the issue being explored. It is closely linked to the thesis, but not a direct repetition of it inasmuch as the context and the thesis itself can now be seen with fresh eyes due to the original analysis offered by the essay.

PROCESS

BEFORE

What you do before you even start composing the paper is very important. This step should take the most time, and during it you should:

• ­ plan your time: research done by X, an outline done by Y, a first draft done by Z, revised and final draft done by the due date

• ­determine which is the area you want to explore – make it the area you are most interested in

• ­ think about that area and read the relevant material

• ­ determine the “case” or “thesis” you would like to make

• ­ brainstorm and create an outline

DURING COMPOSITION

• ­ avoid “writer’s block” by getting down whatever thoughts you can

• ­don’t be afraid to edit and get rid of material that you have already written that, upon reflection, does not seem to work

• ­ give yourself prolonged blocks of time to do the composition – it cannot be done in 15 minute installments here and there

AFTER

• ­ make sure you leave time for this phase

• ­ distance yourself from the paper – take some time to read and think about other things

• ­ come back to the paper with a fresh mind, ready to ruthlessly edit

• ­ For the first read through, make sure the arguments make sense

• ­ For the next read through or two, make sure the paper is well written

• ­ Try reading it out loud

• ­ Have someone else read it

 SAMPLE ESSAYS

See the attachments below for the following sample student essays:

• Olena Decock, "Sidney's Love: A Look at Astrophil and Stella"

• Ashlee Beattie, "Astrophil and Stella, Sonnet 72"

• Colleen Cameron, "Analysis of Milton's Portrayal of Satan in Paradise Lost"

• Jennifer Drummond, "The Role of Learning in the Societies of Utopia and the New Atlantis"

• John Gillmore, "The Role of the Intellectual in Society as Expressed in Utopia and New Atlantis"