ESSAY: MEANING AND STRUCTURE

Short essays are broken up into five paragraphs
• Introduction
• Support Point 1
• Support Point 2
• Support Point 3
• Conclusion
Introduction
The Purpose of the Introduction
• To convey the subject matter of the paper
• To imply the structure that your essay is going to take
• To clearly state your thesis statement
The Content of the Introduction
First, define the question in your own terms. Ask yourself: Are you setting any limits on the scope of your answer?
An example of this is if the question asks for an assessment of something vague, like ‘in modern times,’ to what time frame are you limiting your discussion:
• since the middle of the 20th century
• since the 1990s,
• since the turn of the millennium?
Explain the way in which you intend to tackle the question, the previous research on the issue, and the lines of argument you are going to pursue.

Main Body: Three Support Points
The Purpose of the Main Body

The purpose of the main body of the essay is to provide support for the assertion you made in your thesis statement.
The Content of the Main Body
Be specific and timely. Look at the particular topic – not on one that is roughly similar. Be selective about the material you include and, where appropriate, make every attempt to refer to the most recent critical material on the topic.

Summarize and discuss any previous research on the topic. Make sure you reference all the material you use.
Do not feel that you must agree with all of the critical material you cite. It is perfectly acceptable (and often adds a nice texture) to use a source as a position to argue against in order to support your own view.