Essay Writing

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Essay Writing

• Courtesy of Warren Hierl

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• Writing is thinking on paper. It doesnt matter
  how well you say nothing, it is still nothing.
  There is ONLY one best choice and arrangement of
  words to express a given idea
• You are writing to impress an AP reader who will
  have approximately 2 minutes with your essay. You
  must convince the reader that you are an
  intelligent life-form.

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• Read the question carefully and focus your
  discussion on directly answering that question.
  Emphasize the following
• Analyze or assess the DEGREE to which a statement
  is true
• Analyze or assess the IMPACT of an event or
  concept on some aspect of American society
• Analyze or assess the RELATIVE IMPORTANCE of
  various factors on an event or concept.
• Analyze or assess the EXTENT to which a
  historical stereotype is true for a given period
  or concept
• Analyze or assess the REASONS that cause a
  particular movt to develop
• COMPARING and CONTRASTING differing attitudes
  toward a general concept or policy or different
  factors over time.

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• Analyze means examine HOW and WHY
• Use the core structure (let me go over this with
  you)

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• Hit em with a brick Begin with a
  well-developed thesis statement that does more
  than repeat the question. It should
• ANSWER THE QUESTION
• TAKE A POSITION
• ESTABLISH ORGANIZATIONAL CATERGORIES

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• I. Well developed thesis statement that directly
  answers the question, takes a position
  (interpretation), and establishes organizational
  categories. Your thesis statement should NOT be
  longer than two sentences.
• A. Most important topic sentence which
  introduces the category to be discussed, directly
  answers the question, and takes a position on
  this particular category.
• 1. Most important specific factual information
  (SFI) which demonstrates both knowledge of the
  material and an understanding of how this
  information supports the thesis (interpretive
  commentary).
• 2.Next most important same as above.
  Interpretive commentary.
• 3. Next most important same as above.
  Interpretive commentary.
• 4. Next most important same as above.
  Interpretive commentary. 5. Clincher
  sentence which ties the paragraph directly back
  to the thesis.
• B. Next most important topic sentence which
  introduces the category to be discussed,
• directly answers the question, and takes a
  position on this particular category.
• 1. Most important specific factual information
  (SFI) which demonstrates both knowledge of the
  material and an understanding of how this
  information supports your thesis (interpretive
  commentary).
• 2. Next most important same as above.
  Interpretive commentary.
• 3. Next most important same as above.
  Interpretive commentary.
• 4. Next most important same as above.
  Interpretive commentary.
• 5. Clincher sentence which ties the
  paragraph directly back to the thesis.
• C. Next most important topic sentence which
  introduces the category to be discussed, directly
  answers the question, and takes a position on
  this particular category.
• 1. Most important specific factual information
  (SFI) which demonstrates both knowledge of the
  material and an understanding of how this
  information supports your thesis (interpretive
  commentary).

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• Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence which
  defends your thesis and directly answers the
  question and support it with as much specific
  factual information as you can. Do not merely
  list or describe information but use it to prove
  your thesis. Explain how and why the specific
  information supports your point of view
  (interpretative commentary) Avoid vomit essays
  in which you merely throw-up information in a
  random matter without relating it back to your
  thesis.

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• Kill the damn dog
• Keep your essay focused on answering the
  question.
• The reader knows how this will turn out so just
  kill the dog
• Example
• "See Spot run. Spot runs past Dick. The grass
  is wet. See Spot run past Jane. Dick has a
  stick. The sun is shining. Hear Baby cry. Spot
  runs into the road. Spot gets hit by a car."
• "While running across the yard to avoid being
  hit by a stick that Dick was swinging, Spot was
  blinded by the morning sun reflecting off the
  dewy grass, ran into the road, and was hit by a
  car.

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• End each paragraph with a clincher sentence that
  ties the entire paragraph directly back to the
  thesis statement.

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• Always focus on the complexity of history.
  Demonstrate that you understand the concept of
  multi-causation/ multi-effect. Bring as much
  depth and breadth into the essay as possible.

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/Unclesamwantyou.

• Essays must always be written in dark blue or
  dark black ink. Penmanship, spelling, and
  grammar make a difference because they
  subconsciously affect the ability of the reader
  to extract information from your essay and they
  interfere with the logical flow of the essay.
  Use only past tense and DO NOT attempt to make
  your essay relevant to today's world. Use only
  third person. Avoid starting sentences with
  pronouns.

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• The question every reader asks themselves at the
  end of an essay is, "How sophisticated a
  knowledge of history has this student
  demonstrated in this essay?" The demonstrated
  level of sophistication will ultimately determine
  the grade.
• REMEMBER THE CORE STRUCTURE