Essay Tips From a Harvard Student
Summary, then analysis, then conclusion. It's that simple.
Do not use pathos (appeal to emotion). Don't try to force the reader to feel the way you want them to, let them develop their own emotions naturally.
Do not use ethos (author authority). Don't say look at my credentials, therefore I am right. Your background knowledge holds little weight if your argument is not convincing.
Only use logos (focus on logic and arguments). Get to the point, say what needs to be said, and let your facts and arguments do all of the talking. That is the only talking needed in an effective essay.
The Job of Intro Paragraphs
Introduce the topic at hand. Not just the book, but your particular focus on the text
In the first sentence (or second, if grammatically necessary) introduce the title and author. Don't be like those cringy food bloggers. Get to the point and tell the readers what we are discussing straight away. "In/throughout (book title), (author) (one sentence summary of the material)."
Raise and justify your question (the argument) that you will be answering.
Present your 'so what?'/stakes (reason why we should care or bother to read this anyway) and your thesis statement
Your main insight or idea about a text or topic, and the main proposition that your essay demonstrates. It should be true but arguable, be limited enough in scope to be argued with available evidence, and get to the heart of the text or topic being analyzed (not be peripheral). It should be stated early and it should govern the whole essay.
The one sentence articulation of your overall argument
A response to the 'so what?' of your question where you can now articulate what is important
A sort of promise you make to the reader: a claim you make at the beginning of the essay and you promise to make valid/convincing by the end
It is the last sentence of the intro paragraph, concluding the set-up presented before it
When relaying information from a book/whatever, the order it is told makes a difference
Parataxis: info is relayed in a manner where the order doesn't matter. It can be presented in generally any way without changing meaning. (ex: put on your shirt, your socks, and your pants. does it matter which order you do it? no)
Parataxis info will be connected by using words like also, another, similarly, additionally, etc
Hypotaxis: each point leads to another and can't be changed around without affecting meaning. (ex: following a recipe. you can't put something in the oven if you haven't mixed all the ingredients yet. the order is crucial)
Hypotaxis info will be connected by using words like since, because, however, despite, even though, although, etc
There is a time and a place for both parataxis and hypotaxis, and they must be used accurately. Hypotaxis will allow you to present your argument in a logical way that the reader can follow and parataxis allows you to add in examples from the text that supports your claims as you make them.
Intro paragraph: introduce text, raise and justify question, present thesis statement
Summary paragraph(s): present the books position on your particular focus (stay on track when writing. figure out what your focus is and put your energy only on that), select quotes to use that show the books position, explain why that position exists.
Analysis paragraph(s): examine/question the books position, choose quotes/evidence from the story that prove your chosen argument/focus instead, explain why your position exists in opposition of the book.
Conclusion paragraph: show the larger implications of your analysis, answer questions like, "what does my argument mean for the book? how does it affect the readers understanding of the book?"
If you say the authors name in the sentence before you copy the quote, you don't put the authors name in the parenthesis to cite the name/page. If you don't say their name, you must put it in the parenthesis. ex: To illustrate his jarring appearance, Rowling describes Voldemort as "one ugly mf" (152). ex 2: Voldemort is then described as being "one ugly mf" (Rowling, 152). You should always try to avoid having to put the name in parentheses when it comes to non-fiction work because by introducing the quote with the authors name, you will make things much clearer for your reader and the the writing will flow better.
All quotes must fit with the grammar of your sentence. If you introduce a quote with an announcing verb (says, writes, claims) followed by a comma, you MUST CAPITALIZE the first word of the quote. If you do not use an announcing verb followed by a comma, you must NOT capitalize it.
If you change anything about the quote (for example, to make it fit your sentences grammar or to make a pronouns reference clearer, etc), you indicate this change by using [brackets]. To condense a quote and remove superfluous information in the middle of it (ex: "she said," or other things in the middle of your quote), use "[...]" to skip ahead and get to the point.
To use it to support another point
To challenge it or question it
To use it as a demonstration of something
To present it as an example of an important idea or paraphrasing
When You Use a Quote, Think About:
What does it help you show? Why are you putting a quote here? What are you going to "do" with the quote next? (one of the above bullet points)
If you can't answer these questions, you probably don't need this quote. An essay isn't better when you throw the whole source material in there. It's better when every line matters and furthers your argument effectively.
Whenever You Quote, Do These 3 Things:
Don't just toss in a quote and walk away from it. You need to wine and dine it. Bring it home to meet the family. Prove that it means something to you and adds value to your essay. NEVER get slutty with your quotes.
If you do these 3 things properly, it should take several lines, possibly even a small paragraph to do so. If not, you might want to give a quick summary instead as the quote couldn't lend itself to much information out of you.
What is the context of this quote? In the place where the author wrote this, what are they talking about? Why did they say that? Make sure you are using it in the right context and the reader is getting that too. You can't say Goldilocks thought the summer day was "too hot", when the phrase "too hot" was actually used to describe porridge. Know your quotes well.
Explication of quotes answers the question "what does this quote mean?". Often you'll literally need to tell your reader what the quote means by rewriting it in your own words and giving a full understanding. Lay it all out plainly and leave no stone unturned. Don't compromise your success at making a convincing argument by failing to keep the reader understanding what the heck is going on and what it all means.
How does this quote play into your overall argument? Why are you using this quote? What does it help you show, how does it develop your argument? Tell us!
After the intro, transition sentences are always the first sentence of each paragraph.
They are the sentence where you make clear the story you are telling and the argument you are developing. They are moments where you explicitly tell us how things go together and keep the line of logic flowing.
Ask: what is this paragraphs connection to the previous paragraph? How am I showing this connection? How can I better show this connection?
Are you continuing the point? Use words like also, further, another, additionally.
Are you pivoting against the point? Use words like however, but, yet, although, while.
Are you showing causation or conclusions? Use words like because, since, and so, therefore.
The point of a paragraph is to present a single distinct point or idea. As such, paragraphs need to be cohesive and all of the sentences need to make sense together.
Paragraphs should be organized around their purpose, not just their content. What is the paragraph about? But also: what is the paragraph doing (summary, analysis, etc)? Why is the paragraph doing this? What does it accomplish in the overall arc of the argument ("why am I summarizing here?")
Your job as a writer is to articulate this stuff and in particular, transition sentences are exactly where you articulate this
For Each Paragraph, Write Out the Following:
The content of the paragraph (what it will be about)
The purpose of the paragraph (what role it plays in your developing argument)
This paragraphs connection to the previous paragraph
Now write ONE sentence that summarizes these 3 things. This is your transition sentence!
ex: This paragraph is about the 3 bears' different preferences. The purpose is to show that they are all of the same family, but are not all the same. This connects to the previous paragraph because I used that one to speak of their bond as a family and united front to get rid of goldilocks but now it is time to show how they are still individuals. TRANSITION SENTENCE: Although (<- pivot word) the three bears have shown themselves to be a close-knit and united family, we can see that they still maintain their individuality in the household.
