Honors English Essay Writing (or: How to Write Damn-near Anything)

In high school I was lucky enough to have had the toughest Honors English teacher on the planet, Mrs. Starr Whitney.  She was demanding, critical, thorough, and, above all, excellent.  I didn't appreciate her one bit until I was in college and realized that very few of my peers could write a really sharp research paper.  She empowered me with an advantage over many other students. Not being stressed-out or intimidated about the HOWs of writing papers frees you to focus entirely on the WHATs of your topics, giving you an academic edge. I recently found my Honors English Notebook and felt nostalgic and grateful, so I have decided to share the process of writing a persuasive essay or thesis paper.

What this teacher expected of us was simple and in no way negotiable.  Here were our expectations quoted directly from the notebook:

1. Stick to the topic
2. Show organizational skills
3. Demonstrate insight (Do NOT state the obvious)
4. Good writing (good grammar) is no excuse/substitute for poor thinking (no insight).
5. An A means you took a chance.

Now the insight and chance-taking stuff falls squarely upon you, the writer.  But by sticking to the topic and demonstrating organizational skills in your writing, you will be able to write anything you want.  Or, as the case may be, anything your teachers or professors or bosses MAKE you write.  We've all been there.

But I digress...let's get down to it, shall we?

Oh wait, one last note...an analogy, one of my favorite things.  Let's say you have to get to the 2nd floor of a building.  If you look straight up, the journey is daunting.  If instead, however, you take it one step up at a time, you can climb as high as your legs will take you.  That's how you should view the below instructions: one step at a time. They are your stairs. (Dramatic pause.)  Are we good??  ....Ok, let's carry on!  The direct quotes from The Honors English Notebook are in bold.  My explanations, clarifications, and lovely banter is immediately following each quote, and my specific examples are in italics. 

1) Analyze the topic:  What does it ask for? (What verbs?)  Ask for clarification.
 Ask for clarification whether you think you need it or not because you might need it and not realize it.  When she says "what verbs?" she means you must be conscious of what you are being asked to do.  If you are being asked to "describe", "develop", "compare", "analyze", or "explain"..... and you don't "describe", "develop", "compare", "analyze", or "explain" exactly as directed,  then you will very likely "fail", well-written or not. 

Let's use the example assignment:  "Explain why the popularity of the automobile had a profound impact on our society."

2) Reread all important material before beginning.  Refresh your memory and locate the "skein of thought."  This helps locate substantial passages.
Obviously, Cliff Notes aside, you have to thoroughly read and understand your research or literary material before you begin.  If you don't, then put down the pen until you do.

With your thesis or assigned topic in mind, reread through the material and make notes (I'm a chronic highlighter, sticky-tabber, and list-maker) of the passages that support your position.  Once you're focused and have your thesis in mind, this part is easy and kind of fun.  That is the skein of thought.


 3) Begin with writing the body of your paper.
Yes, you read that correctly.  Do not begin to write your paper or essay "at the beginning" by writing the introduction.  Sounds confusing, but writing your introduction before writing your paper is equivalent to trying to paint the house before it's built. (Another analogy!) Doesn't make sense? You'll see.

How to write the body of your essay:

• Choose 2 -4 main points to be stressed that support your thesis.
• Find quotes from text to support these main points.
• Write one paragraph about each point you're stressing (without quoting the text for now)
• Go back and select 1-2 passages to substantiate.
• Rewrite each paragraph with quotes this time.

Using our example assignment, we may choose the following points to write about:
1) Auto manufacturing facilities created jobs 
2) The use of automobiles made cities cleaner by eliminating horses and manure from the streets
3) The ability to travel independently and easily contributed to the development of suburbs


After you've done the above, you'll need to fine-tune your paper. To do so....


4) Examine each paragraph:

• Does each paragraph have an obvious topic sentence and does the paragraph relate to the topic of the essay?  If not, either fix the paragraph or delete it.
  
• Does it fully develop the point?  In depth? If not, keep writing.
  
• Does each paragraph build on the previous paragraph? Although, you can rearrange them later.  We'll get to that in step 6, below.
  
• Did you use transitional expressions? (however, on the other hand, moreover, therefore)   If you didn't, you absolutely should.  Why?  Because "transition words and phrases are vital to the success of any essay....Transitions bring ideas together. They are leaving one thought and entering a new one. If you think of these words as ending the old and opening the new, it will help you organize your thoughts and your essays." So there.

5) Check your sentences:

• Vary your sentence patterns
• Use occasional simple sentences -- This is to break the monotony and make the sentences flow, making it more interesting and enjoyable for the reader.
  

6) Rearrange paragraphs for effectiveness:

• Present weakest point first
• Present strongest point last --This is significant because a natural inclination might be to charge ahead with  the strongest point and then follow through with the weaker points, but my stairs analogy works here in that you should build up your argument.

7) Rewrite body & go get a Coke (Relax!)  Everyone's favorite part....the break! Now it's time to think about something else.  This allows you to essentially digest what you've written, freeing your mind from a tangle of words that might start to lose meaning after you've been staring at them and rereading them for too long.  After you've had a break, reread your essay and repeat steps 4, 5 and 6 again.  And step 7 too, you know, if you're still thirsty.

Now that you're refreshed, your paper is developed and you made and supported all of your points, you can write the introduction.




Your Introduction is the hors d'oeuvre of your essay, according to Starr.  A successful and engaging introduction does all of the following:

1. Arouses interest in your paper
2. Creates atmosphere
3. Leads into body
4. Alludes to the topic (but doesn't repeat it or state it outright.  You don't want readers to think to themselves "didn't she just say that?" when they begin reading the body of the paper.  You do want them to get hit with your brilliant thesis but not until they are lured into reading the body of the paper.)  Using our topic example, we might begin with something like this: Automobiles are not just popular.  They are so prevalent in our modern world that it may be difficult for anyone alive today to imagine a time when they didn't exist. Whether in a city, suburb, or small town, everyone is affected by their presence in some way, even if only by watching them whiz by as one waits to cross the street.  When Henry Ford revolutionized the production of the automobile in the early 1900's, making their popularity a reality for middle class families, it's possible that even he would not have been able to predict their profound and lasting impact on society.

• Write two introductions after body is finished
• Determine which is more effective
• The use of quotes are okay.

Conclusions: the "dessert" of an essay, according to Starr.  (No wonder I look back fondly on her class.  She related everything to food.)  A strong conclusion encompasses all of the following:

• It ends the essay logically
• Leaves the essay with a sense of worth --  Meaning there was a reason this paper was written, and your reader will feel a sense of satisfaction to have read it.  If the body of your paper is not organized and well supported, you will not be able to accomplish this because your reader will be unconvinced or lost somewhere in the body of your paper.

• Presents a unique interpretation of the topic --This is where you take a chance, meaning you take the assigned topic and go a step further with it.  It's almost like raising the stakes in a poker game: "I see your assigned topic and I challenge you to consider this possibility."  To take a chance using our automobile example: The popularity of the automobile clearly had such a profound impact on our society that it's possible to conclude that it may have had the most profound impact on our society of all 20th century inventions (<-the chance). 

• Present the "gun' of ideas - your best insight -- Here you will explain why you took the chance you did.  

• Returns to /ties into the introduction -- In this case you use "gentle repetition" by using a tone similar yet bolder than the one you used in the introduction.  I say "gentle repetition" because it is the repeat of the idea and not a repeat of any actual sentences.  I say "bolder" because you've already supported your argument with points and quotations so you've earned the right to your position.  By tying into the introduction, your conclusion will:
• Tighten
• Exercise control

Let's discuss a conclusion:  The popularity of the automobile clearly had such a profound impact on our society that it's possible to conclude that it may have had the most profound impact on our society of all 20th century inventions (<-the chance).  Considering that the 20th century invention of computers, cellphones, and the internet also had tremendously profound impacts, that assertion may seem questionable; however, (<-transitional phrase) one cannot easily separate the popularity of the automobile from the method that made them popular, the assembly line (<-insight).  In 1925, Henry Ford said, "Every success is the mother of countless others" (quote source).  Without the assembly line, the popularity of the automobile never would have flourished, and this same method in turn lead to the successful mass production and popularity of other extraordinary socially significant inventions.   

So that's it, dear reader-soon-to-be-writer.  I hope this essay tutorial will help you, and that you'll climb these little stairs all the way to the attic...and write! :)