Having an opinion is one of the most important aspects of writing at the collegiate and post-graduate levels. In fact, incorporating your opinion into the text of your essays is probably the most important thing you will receive from your education. The key to an opinion, however, is to make it sound like a "fact" instead of an "opinion." What? C'mon, you've got to be kidding, right lady? I bet that's what you're saying in your head right now.
However, composition is about communication. You are composing your thoughts in order to share them with the world. The goal of any good writer should be to express thoughts in order to share an opinion. Although facts are important, since they help you to support your own thoughts, your thoughts are the key to a good essay. Parroting back to a reader what s/he has already told you shows excellent skills. Skills such as listening, incorporating information, and, well, regurgitating. However, these are not the skills of analysis that help you in your future.
Ok, you're asking right now. If you're so smart, lady, how do I give an "opinion" without it being an "opinion", huh? The key is to incorporate your thoughts in a way that makes them seem assertive and powerful. "Yeah, but how do I DO that?" Accomplishing this goal is the more difficult task. However, as with any other type of skill, practice helps you to get this to work for you rather than against you.
So, normally, students write things like, "In my opinion, the author's point proves my thesis because it's right." The fact that you've incorporated the words "in my opinion" makes this an arguable statement. If you say, more forcefully, "The author's point proves my point because it is right" takes you out of the essay yet states the same thought.
Take for example, the following:
I think that social networks have become not just a way for teens to express themselves, but it has become a way for teens to create a sense of identity through the use of written language. As danah boyd writes in her essay, "Why Youth (Heart) Social Network Sites,"Social norms emerge out of situational definitions, as people learn to read cues from the environment and the people present to understand what is appropriate behavior. Learning how to manage impressions is a critical social skill that is honed through experience" (11). For example, when I log on to my page to see what my friends are doing, I understand that friends with status updates that are unhappy means that they are hoping that I will post to their Walls and give them online love and support. In doing this, I think that we are connecting in a way that we were unable to connect in person since I cannot be with my friends at all times. Since I know that I can give support to my friends even when we are not physically together, I know that I can still be a good friend in a way, even though I cannot always talk to my friends.Writing is now a chance for teens to be able to take time to be together even when they cannot always be in the same place. In fact, this gives youth a chance to use writing to help one another and helps them negotiate public life by showing their friends, through written communication, exactly how they feel.
This statement expresses a strong opinion using an individual experience. While the thoughts may be good, people without the same experiences may not agree and thus this argument, even with its strong points, fails. The uses of "I understand" and "since I know" signal that this is an individual opinion that may or may not be valid for all people. This is a definite opinion, but it is a personal opinion based on a personal experience.
OK, this is a good starting point. However, in academic writing, expressing an opinion must be more sophisticated. When an essay topic alludes to an argument, that argument should be based on some kind of opinion. Regardless of whether the topic is something that interests you, you must have some personal thoughts on the topic. So, let's look at some signals within writing that allow you to express your thoughts in a way that is sophisticated while still being able to communicate the heart of your beliefs and feelings on the topic.
1) Stay in the third person. Most of the time, when teachers try to keep "opinions" out of statements, they want students to stay in the third person (they, them, people, or other nouns/pronouns of this genre) instead of the first person (I/me/we/us) or second person (you). Why is this? First of all, the use of first and second person sounds really immature. Fine, that's a style issue. However, more importantly, first person creates a sense of an individual's personal experience. Personal experience is something that is easily arguable. Sure, that shirt looks great on your friend. Sure, your friend did not like that new show on TV. These are those friends' personal experiences. YOUR individual experience may not be the same. That shirt may look horrible on you. That show may have been your favorite ever. By inserting yourself into the essay, you are giving the reader an automatic reason to tune out to your thoughts. For example, in the above example, the author writes, "For example, when I log on to my page to see what my friends are doing, I understand that friends with status updates that are unhappy means that they are hoping that I will post to their Walls and give them online love and support." A better way to write this would be to generalize the statement to incorporate multiple experiences so that there is greater support for the point. In other words, "For example, when teens log onto their pages to see what their friends are doing, they understand that friends with status updates that are unhappy means that these friends are hoping people will post to their Walls and give them online love and support." In generalizing this statement, the sentiment stays the same; however, the generalization strengthens the point. This is because when the experience is based on a general cultural experience, there is an implied majority lending support to the statement. It becomes not just the experience of the individual writing but the experience of many people who have the same technology. Thus, there is a certain "strength" in the implied numbers. Note, however, that the thought is exactly the same.
2) Word choice: Sure, words have definitions, denotations, if you will. A denotation is the dictionary definition of a word. Sometimes, however, words have connotations. Simply using a word with a positive or negative connotation can change the viewpoint being expressed while still keeping the essay in the "not personally arguable" category. For example, in the above example, the author wrote, "Since I know that I can give support to my friends even when we are not physically together, I know that I can still be a good friend in a way, even though I cannot always talk to my friends." Ok, so, how do we work on changing this? After we take out all the first person in the statement, it still would say, "Since teens know that they can give support to their friends even when they are not physically together, they know that they can still be a good friend in a way, even though the friends are not always speaking to one another." Ok, so, this becomes less arguable. However, what's the big deal here? Let's see what words can be tweaked to imply a positive opinion. "Since" is simply an indicator of time or space. So, let's try to find a way to rewrite this in a way that casts less of a statement and more of an opinion. "Wanting to give support to friends can be emotionally difficult when teens are not able to physically be with their friends." By changing this to incorporate the word "difficult", we have already begun to incorporate an opinion. Teens want to be good friends. This is hard when they cannot be together. Anything that is difficult or hard is automatically triggered to be a negative. Let's move on then, "By posting support to their friends online, they are still giving their friends the needed and requested emotional support. This writing gives teens a way to strengthen emotional friendships." OK, this totally changes the implied connotation behind the previous statement and starts to form an opinion by the reader. The phrase "the needed and requested emotional support" implies within its language choice the idea that the original unhappy friend is able to obtain his/her goal. In fact, the final statement "strengthen emotional relationships" is the final nail in this coffin by promoting the idea of the positive impact of wall posts. "Strengthen" is generally a positive connotation. "Emotional relationships" are generally considered important and positive to emotional health. Therefore, the term "strengthen emotional relationships" has a positive connotation and shows a positive spin on the idea of posting on friends' walls in a way the previous statement did not.
3) Find evidence that either supports your point in a positive way or evidence that you can explain as being negative to show why your point is correct. For example, the above paragraph notes, "Social norms emerge out of situational definitions, as people learn to read cues from the environment and the people present to understand what is appropriate behavior. Learning how to manage impressions is a critical social skill that is honed through experience" (boyd 11). The first part of this quote is fairly unbiased. The second part, however, states that these skills are "critical". In order to incorporate an opinion, the author should want to focus on the positive aspect that this word implies. When something is critical, it means it is necessary, important, and generally in its importance, positive. For example, you would never say that it is "critical" to text friends while driving. That would imply that safety is less important than texting. Therefore, a better way to write this part of the paragraph would be, "Social norms emerge out of situational definitions, as people learn to read cues from the environment and the people present to understand what is appropriate behavior. Learning how to manage impressions is a critical social skill that is honed through experience" (11). The importance of these skills add to the important manner through which teens use writing to help learn about social skills and create an identity for themselves." This is a simple sentence. However, once again, this sentence explains why the quote sheds a positive light on the original statement about how social networks help students establish identity. Now, if the writer disagreed with boyd, a better way to introduce the quote would be to write, "Although boyd argues." The use of the words "although" and "argues" imply that there is an upcoming "but." This "but" is the fact that these are disprovable points. In other words, the writer would be setting the quote up to be considered incorrect and then set up as something negative. Therefore, the writer would still be incorporating an opinion within the paper but would still be doing it in a sophisticated way.
So, now let's rewrite the above paragraph based on some of these key elements.
Social networks have become not just a way for teens to express themselves, but it has become a way for teens to create a sense of identity through the use of written language. As danah boyd writes in her essay, "Why Youth (Heart) Social Network Sites,"Social norms emerge out of situational definitions, as people learn to read cues from the environment and the people present to understand what is appropriate behavior. Learning how to manage impressions is a critical social skill that is honed through experience" (11). The importance of these skills add to the important manner through which teens use writing to help learn about social skills and create an identity for themselves. For example, when teens log onto their pages to see what their friends are doing, they understand that friends with status updates that are unhappy means that these friends are hoping people will post to their Walls and give them online love and support. By posting support to their friends online, they are still giving their friends the needed and requested emotional support. This writing gives teens a way to strengthen emotional friendships. Writing is now a chance for teens to be able to take time to be together even when they cannot always be in the same place. In fact, this gives youth a chance to use writing to help one another and helps them negotiate public life by showing their friends, through written communication, exactly how they feel.
Now, if you compare the two paragraphs, the language of both is equally simple. There are no super large words here. The second one, however, sounds much more adult and sophisticated. In addition, this paragraph seems less like a personal experience proving a personal opinion and more like a statement of fact that is difficult to argue against. In fact, the words in the second paragraph imply that social networks are positive, accentuates these positive implications, and gives the reader a sense of the support that the writer has an established opinion on this topic.
Now, the next time someone asks you for an opinion, why don't you tell them. Know what I'm sayin'?
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Let Me Introduce Myself
Phone Rings
Caller ID - RESTRICTED
You: Hello?
Female Voice: She totally blew me off!
You: Who is this?
Female Voice: I just can't believe she didn't show up on time!
You: I think you have the wrong number.
Female Voice: Ohmigosh! I can't believe you don't know who it is!
Ever have this, or a similar situation, happen where you pick up the phone, and the person on the other end of the telephone starts talking to you assuming you know who he/she is? Although most people have caller ID today, sometimes the caller ID shows a number you don't recognize or a restricted number. In these situations, you are left to try to determine who the person on the other end is and about what he/she is talking. In the above scenario, the caller could be a friend or family member. She could be talking about a date with her girlfriend, meeting a friend, or having a relative not show up for dinner or a movie or a doctor's appointment. No confusion would exist for you if the caller had said, "Hi Jane! It's Joan. You won't believe what happened last night when I was supposed to meet Sara for dinner! I'm so angry!" If the caller had introduced herself, you would be oriented as to who is speaking and what the conversation is going to be discussing.
An introduction to an essay works the same way. Let's look at what Joan's introduction says about her telephone call.
1) She addresses her audience - Jane
2) She introduces herself - Joan
3) She tells her audience what the topic is going to be - Sara
4) She tells her audience what her she is going to discuss - The events of dinner the previous night.
5) She tells her audience the importance of her call - To express her anger over these events.
An introduction to a paper serves essentially the same purposes. The introduction to a paper should include most of these elements. The reader should know by the end of an introduction why s/he is reading the essay, what the essay is about, what the essay will discuss, and why the essay is important. For most longer essays, an introduction should be longer than a few sentences to give the reader all of these pieces of information.
First, when writing an introduction, you should explain to the reader what the topic is going to be. The essay could be about the meaning of symblism in The Great Gatsy, how education impacts people's ability to achieve the American Dream, or why stem cell research is important to advancements in medical treatment. If your introduction discusses the impact of a teacher on a student's ability to learn, the reader is going to think the essay is about teachers. However, if your introduction explains why education is important in achieving the American Dream, your reader will know that you are discussing the state of American education as a whole. Orienting your reader in your introduction keeps the reader from having the feeling that s/he is playing a game of pin the tail on the donkey. Remember that game? Someone would blindfold you, spin you around, and then ask you to pin or tape a paper tail on a paper donkey? Usually, kids laughed because the tails rarely ended up on the donkey's behind because they were dizzy and disoirented from being spun around. Being dropped into the middle of an essay without a proper introduction gives the reader the same feeling of disorientation. The purpose of all essays is clarity of thought. If the reader is unclear as to the exact topic of your essay, your thoughts are unclear to that person.
In orienting the reader, the introduction should give a basic discussion as to the importance of the topic in the broader scope of writings on the subject. What does literary theory say about the symbolism in The Great Gatsby? What has happened in the history of education that impacts your thesis? What are the differing opinions surrounding stem cell research and its importance in medical research? Any of these backgrounds will give the reader some sense as to why the essay is important in the greater scope of debate about the topics. Without understanding the importance of your topic, the reader has no idea as to why your essay is worth reading. Moreover, if the reader has no background in or limited knowledge about the topic, as with many research papers, giving this person some insight into the history or importance of your topic helps him/her better understand why you are taking the position you are taking.
Also, the introduction should give the reader a clear sense of your opinion on the subject. Always remember that your reader knows nothing about you except what is on the page in front of him/her. Therefore, to be clear, your introduction should not only contain a clear thesis statement but should also use connotation of the words used throughout to give the reader insight as to where this essay is heading. For example, if your introduction continually says things like, "stem cell research is extremely difficult to discuss" and "stem cell research has many opponents" and "stem cell research is considered immoral", you reader is going to think that you oppose the use of stem cell research. If that reader gets to a thesis that then says, "Stem cell research is important to the future of medicine since it can help cure many diseases," that reader is going to be very confused. While you may want to explain the controversy surrounding stem cell research, your specific point of view should be clear. Statements such as "Although some people think stem cell research is immoral" indicate that some, but not all, people feel this way. The reader, then, can see that you are likely a person who does not agree with "some people." When your reader finally gets to your thesis statement, s/he is well aware of your position and will not be confused as to whether your thesis is that stem cell research is important or whether the statement contains a typo.
Your introduction should also contain some kind of hint as to what your arguments are going to be and what you are going to discuss. Think of your introduction as the place in which you get to state your basic ideas without having to back them up. Supporting arguments should be broad ideas. These broad ideas can often be summarized in one or two sentences with the remainder of your supporting proof being saved for later. If you clearly lay out in the introduction what arguments you plan to use, the reader knows what to look for in the rest of the essay.
Let's look at three different introductions.
1) In today's world, computers and technology are becoming increasingly important. Many jobs require that students understand how to use computers and how to work with them. Video games can help students learn how to type. Computer word processing programs, such as Microsoft Word, contain elements such as spell check and grammar check to help students in their college classes. Taking an English composition class is extremely important in college to help students prepare for life after school.
2) Writing is considered to be the most boring topic by many students. Academic writing is very different from writing in "the real world." Many students who wish to own their own businesses have no interest in learning academic writing because once they complete school they will not need these skills. With more colleges and universities requiring students to take composition classes, students feel they are wasting their time with these courses that have no application to their futures. Taking an English composition class is extremely important in college to help students prepare for life after school.
3) Although many students feel that writing is boring, many of the jobs that college graduates obtain after school require good writing skills. Even though academic and business writing are somewhat different, they both require clear explanation of thoughts. When students learn how to use words, they are able to express themselves in writing to others. As more business is done by email, written expression of ideas becomes more important to keep from having unneccessary conflict in the workplace. In addition, even though many students feel that owning their own business means that they do not need to know how to write, this belief is incorrect. Even when students believe that their businesses will have nothing to do with writing because they are trades, getting contracts and writing proposals use many of the same skills that writing an academic essay uses. These skills include logically expressing one's thoughts, using correct language to express these ideas, and sounding sophisticated through the use of correct grammar. Thus, taking an English composition class is extremely important in college to help students prepare for life after school.
Each of these introductions contains the same thesis. However, the first one does not discuss writing as a college course until the thesis. The entire time the reader is reading the essay, s/he is confused about what the topic is. This introduction fails to orient the reader as to the essay's topic. Until the reader reaches the thesis, s/he thinks that the essay is about technology and its importance in education. The thesis comes as a total surprise to the reader, and s/he is confused as to what the essay is going to discuss. Is the essay going to be about the importance of a writing class? Is the essay going to be about using technology in schools? Confusing the reader does not help him/her understand your point of view. When thoughts are not clearly expressed, the essay is not accomplishing its goal.
The second introduction clearly orients the reader as to the topic. The topic of the second introduction is clearly writing. However, the way that it is written leads the reader to believe that the writer thinks writing is a waste of a class. Writing is made to seem, in the second introduction, as boring, not applicable to the real world, and a waste of time. Thus, while the reader knows that the essay is about writing classes in colleges, s/he is surprised to see that the position is one that writing classes are important. Again, the introduction fails to clearly explain the writer's thoughts.
The third introduction, however, is what you should try to write for an essay. First of all, of the three, it is the longest. Therefore, if you have to write an essay of a specific length, you have already written quite a bit. You are well on your way at this point to any word count. Second, it clearly establishes the topic of the essay as the importance of writing classes in colleges. It shows that even though students may not realize these classes are important, they are. It also clearly shows that the skills being taught in a writing class are what make these courses important to students, regardless of what they think they will do after college. The introduction clearly indicates early on that writing classes are important. The arguments are going to discuss the skills learned in writing classes and potentially how they apply to the increased need for writing in emails in the workplace and the need for writing to obtain business if one owns a business after graduation. Thus, when the reader reaches the thesis statement, s/he is not surprised by it and even understands what the rest of the essay is going to discuss.
The good thing about introductions is that they are the place for you to discuss your opinion without having to support it with evidence. While you may use a quotation that summarizes your thoughts or gets you started with your thoughts, these are not necessary to have in an introduction. Therefore, you can talk all you want in an introduction and then support your arguments in the body of your paper.
Introductions should be interesting not just to the reader but also to the writer. They should be places in which your voice comes out clearly. Your readers want to know what you are thinking. They want to know why a topic or idea is important to you. Having fun with an introduction by incorporating stories or fake situations that show the importance of your topic are often good ways for people who are more creative to become interested in their essay topics. While you may not enjoy writing an essay with all of the citations and supporting quotations involved, try to enjoy writing the introduction. If you enjoy writing the introduction, the reader will enjoy reading it. Give your reader the best side of yourself because in a good introduction, you not only introduce your reader to your topic but to yourself.
Caller ID - RESTRICTED
You: Hello?
Female Voice: She totally blew me off!
You: Who is this?
Female Voice: I just can't believe she didn't show up on time!
You: I think you have the wrong number.
Female Voice: Ohmigosh! I can't believe you don't know who it is!
Ever have this, or a similar situation, happen where you pick up the phone, and the person on the other end of the telephone starts talking to you assuming you know who he/she is? Although most people have caller ID today, sometimes the caller ID shows a number you don't recognize or a restricted number. In these situations, you are left to try to determine who the person on the other end is and about what he/she is talking. In the above scenario, the caller could be a friend or family member. She could be talking about a date with her girlfriend, meeting a friend, or having a relative not show up for dinner or a movie or a doctor's appointment. No confusion would exist for you if the caller had said, "Hi Jane! It's Joan. You won't believe what happened last night when I was supposed to meet Sara for dinner! I'm so angry!" If the caller had introduced herself, you would be oriented as to who is speaking and what the conversation is going to be discussing.
An introduction to an essay works the same way. Let's look at what Joan's introduction says about her telephone call.
1) She addresses her audience - Jane
2) She introduces herself - Joan
3) She tells her audience what the topic is going to be - Sara
4) She tells her audience what her she is going to discuss - The events of dinner the previous night.
5) She tells her audience the importance of her call - To express her anger over these events.
An introduction to a paper serves essentially the same purposes. The introduction to a paper should include most of these elements. The reader should know by the end of an introduction why s/he is reading the essay, what the essay is about, what the essay will discuss, and why the essay is important. For most longer essays, an introduction should be longer than a few sentences to give the reader all of these pieces of information.
First, when writing an introduction, you should explain to the reader what the topic is going to be. The essay could be about the meaning of symblism in The Great Gatsy, how education impacts people's ability to achieve the American Dream, or why stem cell research is important to advancements in medical treatment. If your introduction discusses the impact of a teacher on a student's ability to learn, the reader is going to think the essay is about teachers. However, if your introduction explains why education is important in achieving the American Dream, your reader will know that you are discussing the state of American education as a whole. Orienting your reader in your introduction keeps the reader from having the feeling that s/he is playing a game of pin the tail on the donkey. Remember that game? Someone would blindfold you, spin you around, and then ask you to pin or tape a paper tail on a paper donkey? Usually, kids laughed because the tails rarely ended up on the donkey's behind because they were dizzy and disoirented from being spun around. Being dropped into the middle of an essay without a proper introduction gives the reader the same feeling of disorientation. The purpose of all essays is clarity of thought. If the reader is unclear as to the exact topic of your essay, your thoughts are unclear to that person.
In orienting the reader, the introduction should give a basic discussion as to the importance of the topic in the broader scope of writings on the subject. What does literary theory say about the symbolism in The Great Gatsby? What has happened in the history of education that impacts your thesis? What are the differing opinions surrounding stem cell research and its importance in medical research? Any of these backgrounds will give the reader some sense as to why the essay is important in the greater scope of debate about the topics. Without understanding the importance of your topic, the reader has no idea as to why your essay is worth reading. Moreover, if the reader has no background in or limited knowledge about the topic, as with many research papers, giving this person some insight into the history or importance of your topic helps him/her better understand why you are taking the position you are taking.
Also, the introduction should give the reader a clear sense of your opinion on the subject. Always remember that your reader knows nothing about you except what is on the page in front of him/her. Therefore, to be clear, your introduction should not only contain a clear thesis statement but should also use connotation of the words used throughout to give the reader insight as to where this essay is heading. For example, if your introduction continually says things like, "stem cell research is extremely difficult to discuss" and "stem cell research has many opponents" and "stem cell research is considered immoral", you reader is going to think that you oppose the use of stem cell research. If that reader gets to a thesis that then says, "Stem cell research is important to the future of medicine since it can help cure many diseases," that reader is going to be very confused. While you may want to explain the controversy surrounding stem cell research, your specific point of view should be clear. Statements such as "Although some people think stem cell research is immoral" indicate that some, but not all, people feel this way. The reader, then, can see that you are likely a person who does not agree with "some people." When your reader finally gets to your thesis statement, s/he is well aware of your position and will not be confused as to whether your thesis is that stem cell research is important or whether the statement contains a typo.
Your introduction should also contain some kind of hint as to what your arguments are going to be and what you are going to discuss. Think of your introduction as the place in which you get to state your basic ideas without having to back them up. Supporting arguments should be broad ideas. These broad ideas can often be summarized in one or two sentences with the remainder of your supporting proof being saved for later. If you clearly lay out in the introduction what arguments you plan to use, the reader knows what to look for in the rest of the essay.
Let's look at three different introductions.
1) In today's world, computers and technology are becoming increasingly important. Many jobs require that students understand how to use computers and how to work with them. Video games can help students learn how to type. Computer word processing programs, such as Microsoft Word, contain elements such as spell check and grammar check to help students in their college classes. Taking an English composition class is extremely important in college to help students prepare for life after school.
2) Writing is considered to be the most boring topic by many students. Academic writing is very different from writing in "the real world." Many students who wish to own their own businesses have no interest in learning academic writing because once they complete school they will not need these skills. With more colleges and universities requiring students to take composition classes, students feel they are wasting their time with these courses that have no application to their futures. Taking an English composition class is extremely important in college to help students prepare for life after school.
3) Although many students feel that writing is boring, many of the jobs that college graduates obtain after school require good writing skills. Even though academic and business writing are somewhat different, they both require clear explanation of thoughts. When students learn how to use words, they are able to express themselves in writing to others. As more business is done by email, written expression of ideas becomes more important to keep from having unneccessary conflict in the workplace. In addition, even though many students feel that owning their own business means that they do not need to know how to write, this belief is incorrect. Even when students believe that their businesses will have nothing to do with writing because they are trades, getting contracts and writing proposals use many of the same skills that writing an academic essay uses. These skills include logically expressing one's thoughts, using correct language to express these ideas, and sounding sophisticated through the use of correct grammar. Thus, taking an English composition class is extremely important in college to help students prepare for life after school.
Each of these introductions contains the same thesis. However, the first one does not discuss writing as a college course until the thesis. The entire time the reader is reading the essay, s/he is confused about what the topic is. This introduction fails to orient the reader as to the essay's topic. Until the reader reaches the thesis, s/he thinks that the essay is about technology and its importance in education. The thesis comes as a total surprise to the reader, and s/he is confused as to what the essay is going to discuss. Is the essay going to be about the importance of a writing class? Is the essay going to be about using technology in schools? Confusing the reader does not help him/her understand your point of view. When thoughts are not clearly expressed, the essay is not accomplishing its goal.
The second introduction clearly orients the reader as to the topic. The topic of the second introduction is clearly writing. However, the way that it is written leads the reader to believe that the writer thinks writing is a waste of a class. Writing is made to seem, in the second introduction, as boring, not applicable to the real world, and a waste of time. Thus, while the reader knows that the essay is about writing classes in colleges, s/he is surprised to see that the position is one that writing classes are important. Again, the introduction fails to clearly explain the writer's thoughts.
The third introduction, however, is what you should try to write for an essay. First of all, of the three, it is the longest. Therefore, if you have to write an essay of a specific length, you have already written quite a bit. You are well on your way at this point to any word count. Second, it clearly establishes the topic of the essay as the importance of writing classes in colleges. It shows that even though students may not realize these classes are important, they are. It also clearly shows that the skills being taught in a writing class are what make these courses important to students, regardless of what they think they will do after college. The introduction clearly indicates early on that writing classes are important. The arguments are going to discuss the skills learned in writing classes and potentially how they apply to the increased need for writing in emails in the workplace and the need for writing to obtain business if one owns a business after graduation. Thus, when the reader reaches the thesis statement, s/he is not surprised by it and even understands what the rest of the essay is going to discuss.
The good thing about introductions is that they are the place for you to discuss your opinion without having to support it with evidence. While you may use a quotation that summarizes your thoughts or gets you started with your thoughts, these are not necessary to have in an introduction. Therefore, you can talk all you want in an introduction and then support your arguments in the body of your paper.
Introductions should be interesting not just to the reader but also to the writer. They should be places in which your voice comes out clearly. Your readers want to know what you are thinking. They want to know why a topic or idea is important to you. Having fun with an introduction by incorporating stories or fake situations that show the importance of your topic are often good ways for people who are more creative to become interested in their essay topics. While you may not enjoy writing an essay with all of the citations and supporting quotations involved, try to enjoy writing the introduction. If you enjoy writing the introduction, the reader will enjoy reading it. Give your reader the best side of yourself because in a good introduction, you not only introduce your reader to your topic but to yourself.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Winning the Argument
Everyone wants to be a winner. In life, we often argue with those we love. Writing an argument for a paper is not so different. The elements of a written argument are the same as the elements of an argument with a parent/sibling/significant other. Think of this scenario:
You are the person who cooks dinner in your family. Your parent/sibling/significant other/child/roommate is the one to do the dishes. You spend your time cooking up a mighty fine dinner - maybe a nice roast chicken - you know, something that makes a big mess. You eat dinner. Now, however, comes the problem. Your parent/sibling/significant other/child/roommate is not willing to do the dishes. What do you do?
Of course, you argue with him/her. Now. In this argument, what would your thesis be? Your thesis would be that the other person has to do the dishes. You would need to persuade this person that he/she should do the dishes at this point since it is obvious by the dirty pots that they are not going to wash themselves. How do you go about doing this?
Chances are that what you will do is state an argument. "Because I cooked dinner, you should wash the dishes." This is an argument supporting the fact that the other person should wash the dishes. The part of the argument that you need to prove is going to be that you cooked dinner and that it didn't magically end up on the dinner table. To prove your point, however, you would need some supporting facts. What supporting facts help your cause? Well, the simple fact that there was a roast chicken on the table, as well as mashed potatoes and green beans is a convincing fact that there was a dinner. Also, the fact that the person who should wash the dishes watched the news while you prepared all this food is a supporting fact that you cooked dinner since it means that he/she did not cook the food. In addition, you should close this argument, in order to be persuasive and all, with the point that it has always been agreed that the dishes would be washed by the person who did not make the food. Since you made the food and the other person did not, it is the other person's responsibility to wash the dishes.
Writing an argument for an essay is the same principle. Every essay should have arguments that prove the thesis. These arguments require facts. Any good supporting argument will have the following structure:
1) A Topic Sentence (this will be a special post all on its own)
2) A discussion of how this argument relates to your thesis.
3) Facts to support your topic sentence.
4) A conclusion proving how and why this argument argument has proved this thesis.
All of these elements must be incorporated in an essay argument in the same way that you would incorporate them into an argument with someone about dishes.
For example,imagine your essay is about the Red Sox being the best team in baseball. One argument supporting this might be that the talent on the team is better than those on other teams. Let's see how the four elements of the argument work with this example:
1) Topic Sentence: The Red Sox are the best team in baseball because the players are extremely talented.
2) Talent is important to the success of a baseball team because how well each player does adds up throughout the season. Even if the team has people who can hit well, without a solid pitching staff that team will not be successful. Thus, all the players have to be talented.
3) Examples of facts would include ERAs, batting averages, as well as quotations from various sportwriters (ESPN, Sports Illustrated) discussing the way the players perform in the games. You might even want to use quotations that discuss the fact that Red Sox players are more talented than, say, Mets players.
4) You would want to, at this point, explain that a good batting average means the person hits a lot of balls and that in doing this it brings in runs. Bringing in runs allows the team to score more points. Scoring the most points wins the baseball game. Winning the baseball game makes them a good team.
The last part of the argument, the explanation, is the important part. Always try to tie your arguments back to your thesis. Even though it may seem obvious that winning games makes a team good, you need to explain all of the how's and why's to your reader. Not explaining why you are correct in an essay is the same as doing nothing but complaining about dirty dishes. It proves nothing and only frustrates the other person!
In the same way, when writing an academic essay, you use quotations for your proof. An author is often an expert on a topic. That expert has a lot more knowledge about a topic than you do. When writing an essay for a class, you should always incorporate at least one other person's point to prove that yours is correct. For example, if you are writing an essay on why Will Ferrell is one of today's funniest comedians, look for reviews of his movies that discuss this. People who review movies for a living have seen a lot more movies than you have. They get paid to do nothing BUT watch movies! Obviously, someone who spends his/her whole life watching movies is going to be someone that people will believe when he/she compares Will Ferrell's talent to that of other actors. Quote what the movie reviewers say about Will Ferrell's performance. Look at several different reviews for several different movies. Discussing only one movie is like saying that one winning baseball game, even if the rest of the season is nothing but losses, makes that team the best team in the sport. You need to show that Will Ferrell has been funny and well liked in everything he has done, or at least in most of it.
The more facts and quotations you have to support your point, the more people will listen to you. The more people listen to you, the better a case you are making. Think of a burglary trial - even a fictional one such as those on Law & Order or CSI. In order to prove that the person stole something, the prosecution has to have a lot of evidence to support its point. The prosecution can't just say, "the defendant really liked the candlestick so he obviously stole it." That isn't a very convincing argument. Lots of people like things that others own. They don't just steal them; they buy their own. However, if the prosecution has evidence such as fingerprints that put the defendant at the scene of the crime, the case becomes more compelling. Even further, if the prosecution has fingerprints, finds the exact object in the defendant's home with the owner's fingerprints on it, pictures of the person entering the home from a video alarm system, and witnesses as well as a reason that defendant would want the specific object and not want to buy his own (what if it's a one-of-a-kind candlestick?), the case is likely to be won. If there is any doubt at all, the prosecutor will lose the case.
Think of your essays as though a jury is listening to you argue a point. You want them to believe you are right. You want them to find no doubts in your case. You want your arguments to be clear and convincing. You want to have the winning argument!
You are the person who cooks dinner in your family. Your parent/sibling/significant other/child/roommate is the one to do the dishes. You spend your time cooking up a mighty fine dinner - maybe a nice roast chicken - you know, something that makes a big mess. You eat dinner. Now, however, comes the problem. Your parent/sibling/significant other/child/roommate is not willing to do the dishes. What do you do?
Of course, you argue with him/her. Now. In this argument, what would your thesis be? Your thesis would be that the other person has to do the dishes. You would need to persuade this person that he/she should do the dishes at this point since it is obvious by the dirty pots that they are not going to wash themselves. How do you go about doing this?
Chances are that what you will do is state an argument. "Because I cooked dinner, you should wash the dishes." This is an argument supporting the fact that the other person should wash the dishes. The part of the argument that you need to prove is going to be that you cooked dinner and that it didn't magically end up on the dinner table. To prove your point, however, you would need some supporting facts. What supporting facts help your cause? Well, the simple fact that there was a roast chicken on the table, as well as mashed potatoes and green beans is a convincing fact that there was a dinner. Also, the fact that the person who should wash the dishes watched the news while you prepared all this food is a supporting fact that you cooked dinner since it means that he/she did not cook the food. In addition, you should close this argument, in order to be persuasive and all, with the point that it has always been agreed that the dishes would be washed by the person who did not make the food. Since you made the food and the other person did not, it is the other person's responsibility to wash the dishes.
Writing an argument for an essay is the same principle. Every essay should have arguments that prove the thesis. These arguments require facts. Any good supporting argument will have the following structure:
1) A Topic Sentence (this will be a special post all on its own)
2) A discussion of how this argument relates to your thesis.
3) Facts to support your topic sentence.
4) A conclusion proving how and why this argument argument has proved this thesis.
All of these elements must be incorporated in an essay argument in the same way that you would incorporate them into an argument with someone about dishes.
For example,imagine your essay is about the Red Sox being the best team in baseball. One argument supporting this might be that the talent on the team is better than those on other teams. Let's see how the four elements of the argument work with this example:
1) Topic Sentence: The Red Sox are the best team in baseball because the players are extremely talented.
2) Talent is important to the success of a baseball team because how well each player does adds up throughout the season. Even if the team has people who can hit well, without a solid pitching staff that team will not be successful. Thus, all the players have to be talented.
3) Examples of facts would include ERAs, batting averages, as well as quotations from various sportwriters (ESPN, Sports Illustrated) discussing the way the players perform in the games. You might even want to use quotations that discuss the fact that Red Sox players are more talented than, say, Mets players.
4) You would want to, at this point, explain that a good batting average means the person hits a lot of balls and that in doing this it brings in runs. Bringing in runs allows the team to score more points. Scoring the most points wins the baseball game. Winning the baseball game makes them a good team.
The last part of the argument, the explanation, is the important part. Always try to tie your arguments back to your thesis. Even though it may seem obvious that winning games makes a team good, you need to explain all of the how's and why's to your reader. Not explaining why you are correct in an essay is the same as doing nothing but complaining about dirty dishes. It proves nothing and only frustrates the other person!
In the same way, when writing an academic essay, you use quotations for your proof. An author is often an expert on a topic. That expert has a lot more knowledge about a topic than you do. When writing an essay for a class, you should always incorporate at least one other person's point to prove that yours is correct. For example, if you are writing an essay on why Will Ferrell is one of today's funniest comedians, look for reviews of his movies that discuss this. People who review movies for a living have seen a lot more movies than you have. They get paid to do nothing BUT watch movies! Obviously, someone who spends his/her whole life watching movies is going to be someone that people will believe when he/she compares Will Ferrell's talent to that of other actors. Quote what the movie reviewers say about Will Ferrell's performance. Look at several different reviews for several different movies. Discussing only one movie is like saying that one winning baseball game, even if the rest of the season is nothing but losses, makes that team the best team in the sport. You need to show that Will Ferrell has been funny and well liked in everything he has done, or at least in most of it.
The more facts and quotations you have to support your point, the more people will listen to you. The more people listen to you, the better a case you are making. Think of a burglary trial - even a fictional one such as those on Law & Order or CSI. In order to prove that the person stole something, the prosecution has to have a lot of evidence to support its point. The prosecution can't just say, "the defendant really liked the candlestick so he obviously stole it." That isn't a very convincing argument. Lots of people like things that others own. They don't just steal them; they buy their own. However, if the prosecution has evidence such as fingerprints that put the defendant at the scene of the crime, the case becomes more compelling. Even further, if the prosecution has fingerprints, finds the exact object in the defendant's home with the owner's fingerprints on it, pictures of the person entering the home from a video alarm system, and witnesses as well as a reason that defendant would want the specific object and not want to buy his own (what if it's a one-of-a-kind candlestick?), the case is likely to be won. If there is any doubt at all, the prosecutor will lose the case.
Think of your essays as though a jury is listening to you argue a point. You want them to believe you are right. You want them to find no doubts in your case. You want your arguments to be clear and convincing. You want to have the winning argument!
Stating The Obvious - Your Thesis
A "thesis statement" is nothing more than a sentence that describes your overall belief on a particular topic. A thesis statement should not be a statement of fact but of opinion. An opinion is an idea or position that can be debated.
For example, people who live in Connecticut, during baseball season, are divided down a line. A distinct line. A Red Sox-Yankees line. A Red Sox fan, although he may think his statement is fact, would express the opinion that "The Red Sox are the best team in baseball." This is obviously a debatable opinion since a Yankees fan would argue that the Red Sox are not the best team. In fact, a Yankees fan would argue not only that the Yankees are the best team in baseball, but that the Red Sox are the worst.
Most of us have opinions. Your thesis statement is simply your opinion put into words. Even a simple, "Green Day is the best band ever" is an example of a thesis statement. Forming the appropriate thesis statement to your essay is a bit more problematic.
A thesis statement for an essay depends partly on the length of the essay to be required. Although many Red Sox and Yankees fans could discuss for days the merits of each team, an essay of this sort would be limited in how long it could be.
For shorter papers, a more direct thesis is appropriate. For a short paper regarding a movie, a simply thesis statement would be enough. For example, "The movie Crash contained several themes that affect today's society." This would allow you to choose several themes in the movie Crash and then discuss them, showing how these themes are present in today's society.
However, for a longer paper, a more detailed thesis would allow you to go into greater depth. For example, "The movie Crash depicts not only the racism present in today's society but shows how individuals' lives are shaped by this prejudice without their realizing it." This thesis indicates several different elements to each argument. First, you have to discuss how racism is present in our society. Then you have to show that Crash has examples of this racism. Then you have to show how an individual character's life is influenced by racism and also show how the character is unaware of this racism.
Both of these theses about the same movie contain an opinion. However, the second thesis requires more argument and proof to prove its point than the first one. Thus, it is more fitting for a longer essay, in which you need to write more.
Another example of a thesis that would be better for a shorter paper is "Christina Aguilera is a better solo artist than Britney Spears." In an essay such as this, you would be comparing and contrasting two solo artists based on a limited number of albums. In addition, you are limiting your arguments to the singing of the two artists which would ignore anything such as movies and/or personal life controversies as being useful to your argument. However, if you were to argue, "Christina Aguilera's professional career and her relationship with the media make her a role model for female teens," your argument would be one that not only discusses Aguilera's musical history, but incorporates interviews with her and interactions with the media. In addition, since you are arguing her position as a role model for female teenagers, you must also explain why her actions make her someone whom young women should aspire to be like. The second thesis is far more complex in that it deals with abstract ideas such as what makes a good role model and why people would want to think of Christina Aguilera as a good role model. Meanwhile, the first thesis is limited in that it discusses specifically two female singers and only their professional careers.
When faced with an assignment, think carefully about how long the assignment is, how much you have to say on any given idea and how much support you have. If you are unsure of your opinion, try writing a few arguments. Once you have done that, go back and connect them to the essay topic somehow. It may be that your opinion is not what you thought it was! Also, sometimes looking at how the arguments interact will help you clarify your point of view into a coherent, single statement of your opinion.
For example, people who live in Connecticut, during baseball season, are divided down a line. A distinct line. A Red Sox-Yankees line. A Red Sox fan, although he may think his statement is fact, would express the opinion that "The Red Sox are the best team in baseball." This is obviously a debatable opinion since a Yankees fan would argue that the Red Sox are not the best team. In fact, a Yankees fan would argue not only that the Yankees are the best team in baseball, but that the Red Sox are the worst.
Most of us have opinions. Your thesis statement is simply your opinion put into words. Even a simple, "Green Day is the best band ever" is an example of a thesis statement. Forming the appropriate thesis statement to your essay is a bit more problematic.
A thesis statement for an essay depends partly on the length of the essay to be required. Although many Red Sox and Yankees fans could discuss for days the merits of each team, an essay of this sort would be limited in how long it could be.
For shorter papers, a more direct thesis is appropriate. For a short paper regarding a movie, a simply thesis statement would be enough. For example, "The movie Crash contained several themes that affect today's society." This would allow you to choose several themes in the movie Crash and then discuss them, showing how these themes are present in today's society.
However, for a longer paper, a more detailed thesis would allow you to go into greater depth. For example, "The movie Crash depicts not only the racism present in today's society but shows how individuals' lives are shaped by this prejudice without their realizing it." This thesis indicates several different elements to each argument. First, you have to discuss how racism is present in our society. Then you have to show that Crash has examples of this racism. Then you have to show how an individual character's life is influenced by racism and also show how the character is unaware of this racism.
Both of these theses about the same movie contain an opinion. However, the second thesis requires more argument and proof to prove its point than the first one. Thus, it is more fitting for a longer essay, in which you need to write more.
Another example of a thesis that would be better for a shorter paper is "Christina Aguilera is a better solo artist than Britney Spears." In an essay such as this, you would be comparing and contrasting two solo artists based on a limited number of albums. In addition, you are limiting your arguments to the singing of the two artists which would ignore anything such as movies and/or personal life controversies as being useful to your argument. However, if you were to argue, "Christina Aguilera's professional career and her relationship with the media make her a role model for female teens," your argument would be one that not only discusses Aguilera's musical history, but incorporates interviews with her and interactions with the media. In addition, since you are arguing her position as a role model for female teenagers, you must also explain why her actions make her someone whom young women should aspire to be like. The second thesis is far more complex in that it deals with abstract ideas such as what makes a good role model and why people would want to think of Christina Aguilera as a good role model. Meanwhile, the first thesis is limited in that it discusses specifically two female singers and only their professional careers.
When faced with an assignment, think carefully about how long the assignment is, how much you have to say on any given idea and how much support you have. If you are unsure of your opinion, try writing a few arguments. Once you have done that, go back and connect them to the essay topic somehow. It may be that your opinion is not what you thought it was! Also, sometimes looking at how the arguments interact will help you clarify your point of view into a coherent, single statement of your opinion.
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