The overall of the essay

1
The overall of the essay

• Whatever your response to a topic is your opinion
  or interpretation.

2
Interpretation

• An interpretation is never the irrefutable truth
• But some interpretations are better than others
• You should always adopt the attitude that your
  interpretation is, virtually, the truth, the
  final, definitive response to the topic

3
Interpretation

• Your interpretation is reducible to a single
  sentence the thesis which is presented at the
  beginning of the essay (usually as the last
  sentence of the introduction)
• The thesis is, in a sense, the conclusion of
  all your research and thinking, but it comes at
  the beginning, not at the end of the paper

4
Thesis

• The academic essay is not a mystery story which
  comes to the key point at the end
• There is no attempt at suspense in an academic
  essay
• The main point, the thesis, (sometimes called the
  thesis statement) is right there, up front

5
Thesis

• Your thesis is your whole paper reduced to a
  single sentence
• It is the main point of your paper actually it
  is the only point of your paper.
• It is sometimes referred to as your argument

6
Thesis/argument

• So whats your thesis?
• Whats your point?
• Whats your argument?
• All of these are really asking the same thing
  Tell me in one sentence what single point your
  whole paper proves

7
Argument/thesis/opinion

• The idea then in a paper is to turn your opinion
  into my opinion
• By presenting a compelling case in support of
  your thesis, I am persuaded that your thesis
  (interpretation/opinion/argument) is the only one
  an intelligent, reasonable person familiar with
  the material being discussed can hold

8
Thesis/argument

• If you convince me you are successful
• If not, you are not. Simple as that.
• I dont have to prove anything. I dont even have
  to have my own opinion
• I just have to not be convinced by you for you
  to have failed

9
Argument

• So, unlike in everyday speech, in academe an
  argument is really a one-sided presentation of an
  issue designed to persuade the highly
  intelligent, but highly skeptical reader
• In this sense an academic argument is not a
  2-sided, back and forth dialogue

10
Thesis/analysis

• In order to prove any moderately complex thesis,
  you must approach the matter a step at a time
• These steps are the reasons which taken
  together make your thesis compelling
• The division of the argument/thesis into these
  constituent parts is the analysis

11
Analysis

• If you tell me the main point of your argument is
  X, I might ask you
• How so?
• Why?
• What are your reasons?
• The short list response you might give is your
  analysis

12
Analysis/Organization/Evidence

• The rest of each section presents the evidence
  (text details and quotations) which illustrate
  the point being made in that section.
• In a well-structured essay, the reader may grasp
  your entire paper by reading the introduction and
  the first sentence of each of the following
  paragraphs.

13
Analysis/Organization

• Each new part of the analysis requires a new
  section in your paper, a change of paragraph, for
  sure (though one section may easily have several
  paragraphs.)
• Each new part of the analysis begins with a
  statement connecting it to the thesis (usually by
  repetition of key wording)

14
Suppose. . .

• Suppose, when you hand in your next paper, I were
  to ask you to write down just the thesis sentence
  and the first sentence of each paragraph
  thereafter, and base your grade just on that.