Writing An Essay

 

 Essays allow students to demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of a topic based on research and reading. The essay is written in paragraphs and has a structure that includes: introduction, body and conclusion

                                               Introduction

      The introduction sets the scene for the whole essay. You should not rewrite the essay question. Instead, the purpose of the introduction is to identify the topic, the position being argued and the main reasons for that position. The introduction will normally move from more general statements related to the question, to a specific statement of the main idea or argument that will be discussed in the body.

E.g. of an introduction Betrayal in the City.

Bad leaders are most of the time egocentric, corrupt and greedy. These leaders always lead to the

Downfall of their Countries. It is not different in Francis Imbuga’s Betrayal in the City where the

Leaders have greatly contributed to Kafira’s downfall.

E.g. of an introduction Caucasian Chalk Circle.

Injustice is prevalent in the society many times; people suffer because of injustice for instance widows are disinherited by their in-laws. However justice is eventually achieved, for example through court rulings in the Caucasian Chalk Circle, there are several instances of injustice, but justice is eventually achieved.

                                                                                Body

     Here you use evidence from readings to explain and support in detail the reasons for your point of view given in the introduction. The body contains a number of paragraphs that link together to develop a strong argument or discussion of the topic. Generally, a paragraph needs to be at least four to six sentences long. A single sentence does not form a paragraph in an essay and bullet points are not acceptable. Each point is developed by one or more paragraphs and supported with specific details. These details can include support from research and reading. All the paragraphs should develop
the main idea of the essay presented in the thesis statement in your introduction.

Structure of paragraph:
1. a topic sentence: states the topic and the controlling idea and is usually the first sentence in the paragraph.
2. Supporting sentences: to develop the point you are making using information, explanation, examples, and with a smooth flow from one sentence to the next.
3. Evidence: your point should be supported by evidence from the literature or by an example from the subject area.

      4. Concluding Sentence: Each paragraph should end with a final statement that brings together the ideas brought up in the paragraph. Sometimes, it can serve as a transition to the next paragraph.

Sample paragraph from essay Justice though elusive is achieved in the Caucasian Chalk Circle.

(1)  The governor had been unjust by not listening to the peoples petitions.  (2) On his way to church there were many beggars and petitioners trying to get his attention but he simply ignored them as a soldier pushed the crowd back lashing at them with thick leather whips. This injustice leads him to be beheaded when there is a revolution and in a way, justice is achieved by his death. (4) He pays for what he has been doing to the people.

     This is a well-developed paragraph of appropriate length. The first sentence is the topic sentence with a central idea (not listening to the people’s petitions) which is developed through the paragraph with examples supported by evidence.

                                                                           Conclusion

     The purpose of the conclusion is to summarise and make final evaluative comments on the ideas presented in the essay. It should not contain new ideas or examples. It is crucial to link the conclusion to the essay question.

The conclusion at the end of your essay serves a number of functions.
• It is the final part of your text and so needs to pull together all the main ideas.
• It should refer back to what you outlined in your introduction and to your thesis.

Sample paragraph from essay (Conclusion) A strong household is founded on strong family values (The River and The source)

In conclusion, looking at the Sigu family, one would say that the foundation of a strong family guided by good ethics depends on the husband and the wife, how close they are to their Children and how they develop acceptable values systems.

Reference

Essay Writing. Retrieved from www.qmu.ac.uk/ELS/docs/Planning%20and%20writing%20essays.pdf

From: Gillett, A 2009. Successful Academic Writing. Harlow, Pearson Education Ltd