You will now choose one of those essay types and write an essay on the topic of your choice. You will need to think carefully about which essay type would be most effective for communicating a perspective, idea, experience or belief.
Rough work: Choose the method of prewriting that works best for you (mind-mapping, lists, writing), and start brainstorming ideas for your essay. At the end of the process, you should:
- identify the type of essay you want to write based on audience, purpose, and topic
- have a tentative thesis statement.
Final Work: Your essay will be in MLA Format, and will be approximately 750 words in length.
Must Include:
- Thesis statement: Do your paragraphs support your thesis statement? Do they stay within the scope you’ve presented? If you’re finding that the answer is no, then you either need to refine your thesis statement, or revise your paragraphs.
- Topic sentences: Each paragraph should contain a topic sentence that signals to the reader the aspect of your thesis you will be addressing.
- Sufficient support: Remember that different types of essays require different types of proofs (or support).While appeal to emotion may be appropriate in a persuasive essay, it is not appropriate for an essay of argument. Regardless of the type of proof you use, you must ensure that it sufficiently supports the point you made in your topic sentence. A good pattern to keep in mind is “state, illustrate, explain.” State your point, illustrate it with your chosen method of proof, and then explain how that illustration supports your point.
- Coherence: Make sure that each paragraph logically follows from the previous one. If that’s not happening, you may need to change the order of your paragraphs.
- Unity: Always check to ensure that your ideas are not veering away from the parameters you set up within your thesis statement. This is especially true in a narrative or descriptive essay where you may feel compelled to include details that you remember but that may not support your thesis.