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From 1996-2001 I taught in the
Intellectual Heritage Program at Temple University in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. This page is part of my teaching materials for Intellectual
Heritage 51, a course covering literature and ideas from Sappho through
Shakespeare...
ESSAY-WRITING
TECHNIQUES
by Professors Janice
Siegel and Timothy Peters
1. Don't sweat your introduction. Some writers (me
included) like to write it up formally after the paper is written. That does not mean that
you can write the paper without having a guiding idea. You must have a thesis statement
and an approach in mind (which your outline exercises can provide you with) before you
begin writing. However, the actual writing of the introduction can be a daunting task in
the very beginning. Do not try to make the galaxy safe for humanity in either your
introduction or conclusion. Even when generalizing, stay focused on your task.
2. A thesis is an argument, an arguable interpretative or
analytical statement that you develop and support with frequent evidence from the
text(s).
A good thesis is immediately plausible, but never obvious (after all, you want to have a
point that will make the reader wish to read further). In a way, a thesis statement is
really a conclusion – it presents the argument you will have proven by the end of the
paper. It is often helpful to present in your introductory paragraph not only your thesis
but also an explanation of the route you will take to get there – if your reader can
follow a road map of your ideas, he will enjoy the trip more.
3. No paragraph should ever be less than three sentences
long. Your introductory paragraph is especially important. Look at a print-out of your
essay when you think you are done. If a whole page goes by without a paragraph break or if
there are more than two or three paragraphs per page, there is probably a problem with the
way you have organized your thoughts. If the flow of your essay is choppy, then so is the
flow of your ideas. If everything is mashed together in one big chunk, then you have not
organized your thoughts enough for your reader to follow the different phases of your
presentation.
4. FOCUS! FOCUS! FOCUS! Every discussion in your paper
must relate to your thesis topic (which must be clearly indicated before you launch into
the arguments supporting it).
5. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FACTS AND ARGUMENTS:
Facts are inarguable pieces of data gathered from a study
of the text (including information on plot, setting, characterization, speech, etc.). A
good example of a fact is that Antigone dies in the play Antigone. Arguments are
interpretations and are by definition arguable: the fact that Antigone dies may be
indisputable, but why she chooses to break Creon’s law is certainly
arguable: I can just as easily use details from the text to argue that Antigone was
utterly altruistic in her desire to bury her brother as I can to argue that she was
motivated by desire for glory from the gods or a host of other selfish reasons. How well I
use facts from the text to support my view determines the success of my argument and
ultimately…my paper.)
Following these rules will help you to avoid falling into
the "plot summary trap." Remember that when you attempt to validate or denounce
an action of a character (a son murdering his mother, for example), you are offering an
argument, a way to interpret the facts. You argument comes from your head and your heart;
your proof comes from the text. This is what makes your essay unique: you.
6. Never off-handedly make reference to a crucial point of
argument in your conclusion if you have not already presented it thoroughly in the body of
your paper.
7. HOW TO INTRODUCE QUOTATIONS IN YOUR DISCUSSION.
The secret to including quotations is that you should never use a direct quotation for the
sole purpose of providing details of plot. This is plot summary, not analysis. Remember
that you are writing for people (me) who are familiar with the plot. Your job is to use
the words of the poet/playwright to support your reading or interpretation of the plot. A
discussion that begins with "Pericles says…" is generally doomed to be plot
summary and therefore unacceptable in a critical essay. Your essay should be more about
why something happens, for instance, rather than what happens. Following are by far the
most common mistakes made by students when it comes to introducing quotations and
suggestions on how to do it right:
(BAD) According to the author of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus himself says,
"I will open my mouth to speak in parables; I will proclaim what has been hidden from
the foundation of the world."
(GOOD) According to the author of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus himself announces
the metaphorical nature of his teaching: "I will open my mouth to speak in parables;
I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world."
Here's another example:
(BAD) Clytemnestra cries out as she kills Agamemnon, "Act for act, wound
for wound!"
This is plot summary without argument. My response:
"So? Why are you telling me this?"
(GOOD) As she strikes Agamemnon, Clytemnestra demonstrates that her act of
murdering her husband is in fact an act of justice, a punishment for his past crimes:
"Act for act, wound for wound!" (Ag. 1555). (GOOD) This example uses the
citation to help make an argument.
Do not try to merge long quotations of the text into your
own sentences.
8. HOW TO INCORPORATE A BLOCK OF QUOTED LINES INTO YOUR
PAPER: If you are quoting more than two lines, you must "juxtapose" the
quotation ("indent the single-spaced quotation on the page"). Introduce the
block quotation with a full sentence. After the citation, continue your essay in regular
format:
Clytemnestra’s enmity for Agamemnon,
so apparent to the
audience, escapes the notice of the
welcoming Chorus:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(Ag. xxx-xxx)
Clytemnestra's reference to
XXX proves that she knew the answer to
her question before she asked it
and that Agamemnon was doomed
the moment he arrived home...
(The above is just a silly example, but the point is this:
always introduce a longish quotation with a full sentence and then a full colon, never a
comma. Also, always manipulate your reader so that by the time he reads the quotation,
which he has read many times before no doubt, he reads it through your eyes. This is the
key. After you give the quotation, hammer home your point, with a nod to the text. This is
tricky and takes lots of practice to do well. Just avoid letting the quotation speak for
itself, and you will be on the right track.)
9. HOW
TO CHECK YOUR WORK: A good way to find out if you have used quotations correctly in your
paper is to read the paper through without reading any of the block quotations. If sentences you thought were introducing a quotation
don’t include a complete thought, then you didn’t do it right. The entire essay should make
perfect sense without the sentences incorporating textual citations (they are the ultimate
gravy, or icing, depending on the food metaphor you prefer).
top
copyright
2001 Janice
Siegel,
All Rights Reserved
send comments to: Janice Siegel (jfsiege@ilstu.edu)
date this page was edited last:
10/25/2005
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