Introduction to the

Essay
 
 Definition of the essay
An essay is a group of paragraphs that develops one central
idea.

(When the topic of a paragraph is too complex or broad to be developed in a

single paragraph, it is necessary to write an essay.)
PARAGRAPH ORGANIZATION
 Introduction

One paragraph ( sometimes two or more) that introduces the

topic and the central idea (the thesis statement) of the essay.
 Developmental paragraphs

They develop various aspects of the topic and the central idea
(such as: causes, effects, reasons, examples, processes,
classifications, points of comparison and contrast.)
They may also narrate or describe.
 Conclusion
(The closing word)

Concludes the thought developed in the essay

 The thesis statement
• Like the paragraph, the essay is controlled by one central idea.
• The sentence containing the central idea is called thesis
statement.
• The thesis statement contains an expression of an attitude,
opinion, or idea about the topic.
• The thesis statement is broader than the topic sentence in a
paragraph and expresses the controlling idea for the entire essay.
• Each developmental paragraph should have a controlling idea
that echoes or relates to the controlling – central idea – in the
thesis statement.
Characteristics of the thesis
statement

1. The thesis statement should be expressed in a complete

sentence or thought (not a question).

My fear of the dark

My fear of the dark has made my life miserable.

Characteristics of the thesis
statement

2. A thesis statement expresses an opinion, attitude, or idea; it

does not simply announce the topic the essay will develop.

I am going to discuss the effects of radiation.

The effects of radiation are often unpredictable.

 Characteristics of the thesis
statement

3. A thesis statement should express an opinion that someone

could disagree with, not a fact.

Cows produce milk.

The milk cows produce is not always fit for human consumption
 Characteristics of the thesis
statement
4. The thesis statement is a statement that needs to be explained
or proved.

There are many advantages and disadvantages to going to

college. (Not an arguable point)

The advantages to going to college far outweigh the

disadvantages.
 Characteristics of the thesis
statement
5. A thesis statement should express only one idea toward one
topic. Having two or more ideas risks lacking unity and
coherence.

Going to college abroad can be fun, and I have found that living
abroad is the best way live.

Going to college abroad can be fun.

THE INTRODUCTION
 Characteristics of the introductory
paragraph(s)

 Should introduce the topic.

 Should indicate generally how the topic will be developed
(causes, effects, reasons, …etc.)
 Should usually contain the thesis statement (Not at the
beginning of the introduction though.)
 Should be inviting and interesting enough to make the reader
want to continue reading.
INTRODUCTION TYPES
 The Turnabout
The author opens with a few sentences summarizing
the point of view that is actually contrary to his or
her thesis (sets it up for attack.) By the end of the
introduction, the writer makes a complete turnabout
and presents his or her thesis – the opposite of what
he or she started out with.
This is useful when the writer’s purpose is to argue a
point or to clear up a commonly held misconception.
 Example 1
“We are moving to the city!” These are the words of many villagers
today. When they are asked to give reasons for their movement, they
simply reply that life in the city is more developed than that in the
village. In the city, there are communication, transportation, education
and medical services. Also there are more chances for jobs. I positively
agree with these people, but have these people thought about their lives
and health? Have they thought about the danger that might happen to
their children? It might not be during their first six months of living,
but in the future when the city becomes more inhabited by different
people of different nationalities and when the streets get crowded with
cars. Although the village is lacking some of the services mentioned
above, it is still the best type of environment for me to live in.
 Example 2

We live in an era where television is the national pastime.

Since the invention of the television set, people have been
spending more of their time watching television than doing
anything else. Many of the television addicts feel that this
particular pastime is not a bad one; indeed, they argue that
people can learn a great deal watching television. I am sure that if
you look long and hard enough, you can probably find some
programs that are educationally motivating. But, for the most
part, I say that watching television is a waste of time.
 The Dramatic Entrance

The author opens with a narrative, description,

humorous, or dramatic example pertinent to the
topic to generate interest in the reader and capture
his or her attention.
 Example 1
(describing a scene that introduces to the subject)

On may 16, 1898, the intrepid Arctic explorer Frederick A. Cook

made the following notation in his journal: “The winter and the darkness
have slowly but steadily settled over us. … It is not difficult to read on
the faces of my companions their thoughts and their moody dispositions.
The curtain of blackness which has fallen over the outer world of icy
desolation has also descended upon the inner world of our souls. Around
the tables … men are sitting about sad and dejected, lost in dreams of
melancholy from which, now and then, one arouses with an empty
attempt at enthusiasm. For brief moments some try to break the spell by
jokes, told perhaps for the fiftieth time. Others grind out a cheerful
philosophy; but all efforts to infuse bright hopes fail.”
We now know that the members of the Cook expedition were
suffering from classic symptoms of winter depression, a condition related
to a recently described psychiatric disorder, known as seasonal affective
disorder, or SAD.
 Example 2
(Establishing the need for a process explanation)

The rain pours down as if running from a faucet, lightning

streaks across the dark restless sky, and thunder pounds the roof
and walls of the house. All of a sudden the wind kicks up. Trees
sway madly back and forth; loose objects are picked up and
thrown all around. The house creaks and moans with every gust
of wind. Windows are broken by pieces of shingle from a
neighbor’s roof or by loose objects picked up by the wind. Power
lines snap like thread. The unprepared house and its occupants
are in grave danger as the awesome hurricane approaches. Had
they prepared for the hurricane, they might not be in such danger.
Indeed, careful preparation before a hurricane is essential to life
and property.
 Other approaches to
“dramatic entrance”

 Starting with a particularly interesting example that illustrates

the thesis or relates to the topic.

 Starting with an effect if the essay is analyzing causes.

 Starting with an cause if the essay is analyzing effects.

 Example
(using interesting examples)

Industrialist Andrew Carnegie’s mother begged him not to marry until

after she died; he waited one year after her death and finally wed at fifty-
two. Dwight Eisenhower interrupted planning of the Allied invasion of
France in May 1944 to send a Mother’s Day greeting to Ida Eisenhower in
Kansas. When Franklin Roosevelt was quarantined with scarlet fever at
boarding school, his distraught mother Sara climbed a ladder each day to
peer through the window of his room to check on his recovery. Actor James
Dean explained his troubled life this way: “My mother died on me when I
was nine years old. What does she expect me to do? Do it all alone?”
The cord that unites mother and son may be the society’s most powerful
bond, yet attitudes toward the relationship are either murky or coated over
with cliché. “We think we are comfortable with it, but culturally what we
get are caricatures,” argues Carole Klein, a longtime observer of the
dynamics of family relationships ….
 The Relevant Quotation

The author opens with a quotation pertinent to the

topic.
 Example
(Harvesting of saffron in Spain)

“The saffron is an arrogant flower,” begins an old Spanish

zarzuela named for this lush, purple blossom. “It is born with the
sunrise and dies at sunset.” For a couple of weeks in October of
every year, in Spain’s La Mancha region, the arrogant crocus is
harvested frenetically, as fast as it flowers.
For saffron is the world’s most precious spice, often rivaling,
ounce for ounce, the cost of gold. A pound of its tiny threads
currently cost well over $2,000. There is such a demand for these
little fibers the Spanish call “red gold” that virtually all that is
grown will be sold.
 The Funnel

The ideas progress from the general to the specific

just as a funnel is wide at the top and narrow at the
bottom.

The author opens with a general and congenial (friendly)

statement about the topic then works toward the more specific
thesis statement at or near the end of the introduction.

Cont. example
 Funnel example

Travelling to a foreign country is always interesting, especially if

it is a country that is completely different from your own. You
can delight in tasting new foods, seeing new sights, and learning
about different customs, some of which may seem very curious.
If you were to visit my country for instance, you would probably
think that my people have some very strange customs, as these
three examples will illustrate.

One way to avoid starting too general or too far back is to have one key
word, or a synonym of it or an idea, in the first sentence reappear in the
thesis statement (travelling, visit).
 Example funnel
America is a throwaway society. From both industrial and
municipal sources, the U.S. generates about 10 billion metric tons
of solid waste per year. Every five years the average American
discards, directly or indirectly, an amount of waste equal in
weight to the Statue of Liberty. Municipal solid waste alone
accounts for 140 million metric tons per year. The municipal
solid waste produced in this country in just one day fills roughly
63,000 trucks, which lined up end to end would stretch 600
kilometers, the distance from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The
repercussions of our waste habits, however, stretch to every city.
Let us demonstrate that by example.
 DEVELOPMENTAL
PARAGRAPHS

(They are the heart of the essay as they explain, illustrate,

discuss, or prove the thesis statement).
 Characteristic of the developmental paragraphs

 Each developmental paragraph discusses one aspect of the

main topic.
 The controlling idea in the developmental paragraph should
echo or relate to the central idea in the thesis statement.
 The developmental paragraphs should have coherence and
unity.
 THE CONCLUSION

(Wraps up the discussion, bringing the

development to a logical end)
 What to/ not to include in a
conclusion?

What to include in a conclusion depends entirely on what was

developed in the essay.
 A conclusion can briefly restate the main points (subtopics)
discussed.
 A conclusion can restate the thesis in different words to avoid
repetition.
 A conclusion should not bring a new topic.
 Example conclusion

There are, of course, many more things to visit while you are
in U.A.E, but Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, the Global Village in
Dubai, and the beautiful beach in Fujaira represent some of the
more significant and beautiful sights to see. When you go to the
U.A.E., visit these sights and you will be guaranteed a fond
memory after you go home.
 Example conclusion

Providing jobs for students, jobs that would help cut the cost
of managing the bookstore and providing on-the-job experience-
which can only enhance the university’s reputation for graduating
knowledgeable students- are excellent reasons for allowing
students to manage the bookstore. In fact, it is amazing that such
a system is not in practice now.