| Beginning: (Generate interest, orient the audience) [1-2 paragraphs] |
Reach out to your audience Start with a specific detail and open your reader's mind to an interesting idea. You could discuss a striking statement from an article or mix in an anecdote that sets the stage for your paper. Your audience needs something real to feel involved. Writing general or opinionated ideas will hide that you are a thinking person. At its most effective, "Reach out to your audience" will be the first paragraph of your paper. Prepare your audience In your second paragraph, start setting up your paper by narrowing the focus down to your actual topic. Imagine your reader asking, "Okay, interesting beginning, but what is THIS paper going to be about?" Give background information that your audience needs to know up front. Give the impression that you have a serious purpose, and always convince the audience feel that you are leading them to an important choice. This part of the paper should naturally follow the concrete detail you discussed for "reaching out." Preview your argument In the same paragraph as "Prepare your audience," give a short version of your paper's stages of thought. These stages should not be IN your thesis, like a list of different ideas, but should mentioned BEFORE your thesis. Each stage makes a point to persuade the reader that your thesis statement is true or reasonable. In the middle section of the paper you will elaborate on each stage--they should work TOGETHER in SEQUENCE to develop ONE argument: your thesis. Laying out your stages here will keep your thesis statement from sounding like it comes out of nowhere. State your thesis, the MAIN argument of your paper Immediately following your preview, make a statement that you think is both true and persuasive. It should direct the audience toward a choice or a way of thinking that you imagine they do not already agree with. So your thesis cannot be a statement of fact or an obvious truth. A great thesis will be a single idea--it brings the topic to focus and tells the reader your position. To get a thesis that works with your stages, you will have to go through some trial and error. |
| Middle: (Present stages, at least 1 paragraph per stage) [3-4 paragraphs] |
| For EACH middle paragraph: Transition and topic sentence The topic sentence starts the paragraph and represents one (or part of one) of your stages. If you need a transitional hook, ask yourself, "what is the relationship of THIS stage to the PREVIOUS one?" The answer is your transition. Of course, if your transitions are solid and true, you often won't need to write a hook. Details to support topic sentence Illustrate using concrete examples from real life, quotations from texts and experts (if appropriate to your subject), personal stories, logical deduction, etc. Closing statement to explain your support Giving evidence is not enough. Every paragraph should have a closing sentence or two to show that the topic sentence has actually been proven. No claim is self-evident, so proof must be demonstrated AFTER evidence is given. How is this stage tied to your thesis? Sometimes, one of your middle paragraphs can acknowledge a different point of view that questions your thesis. First, you state the other point of view and explain how it is reasonable. Then disagree, offering NEW evidence in response to this opposing point. But mentioning a counter-point at the beginning of your essay is counter-productive. |
| Ending: (Answer the crucial question "so what?") [1-2 paragraphs] |
Explain importance of proving your thesis Clarify why the point of your essay is important. In other words, discuss the significance of your thesis. Why is it relevant? Why does it matter? The WORTH of your thesis is not self-evident. New information to help apply the thesis Save some recent developments or information to add body to your conclusion. Keep the attention of your reader. Using general conclusion cliches to finish your essay will leave your audience with an empty feeling. Instead, apply the relevance of your thesis by extending your attention. Satisfy reader with a closing statement Discuss the benefits of taking your position; give a warning or call for action; suggest a solution or another problem. Or you can raise issues that leave your audience thinking and wondering. |
