Cause and Effect AnalysisKamber Fishbein, Corey Harris, Grace Lubin, Susannah Oleson, Paige Petrashko

Definition of Cause-and-Effect

Cause-and-Effect Analysis is the method of dividing occurrences into their elements to find relationships among them

Effect

Cause

Cause

Cause

Cause

How to Read Cause-and-Effect

In arguing with cause and effect analysis, they try to demonstrate why one explanation of causes is more accurate than another or now a proposed action will produce desirable or undesirable consequences

Related events sometimes overlap, sometimes follow one another immediately, and sometimes connect over gaps in time. They vary in their duration, complexity, and importance. Analyzing causes and effects thus requires not only identifying them but also discerning their relationships accurately and weighing their significance fairly.

Causes and effects usually occur in a sequence known as a casual chain. Identifying a casual chain requires sorting out events in time as either immediate or remote and identifying their relative importance in the sequence as major or minor.

Immediate causes or effects occur nearest an event. Remote causes or effects occur further away in time. Major causes are directly and primarily responsible for the outcome. Minor causes merely contribute to the outcome.

Analyzing Cause-and-EffectI still live in the vicinity of Kyoto, in a two-room apartment that makes my old monastic cell look almost luxurious by comparison…I have no bicycle, no car, no television I can understand, no media-and the days seem to stretch into eternities, and I can’t think of a single thing I lack. I’m no Buddhist monk, and I can’t say I’m in love with renunciation in itself, or traveling an hour or more to print out an article I’ve written, or missing out on the NBA Finals. But at some point, I decided that, for me at least, happiness arose out of all I didn’t want or need, not all I did.  And it seemed quite useful to take a clear, hard look at what really led to peace of mind or absorption (the closest I’ve come to understanding happiness).  Not having a car gives me volumes not to think or worry about, and makes walks around the neighborhood a daily adventure. Lacking a cell phone and high-speed Internet, I have time to play ping-pong every evening, to write long letters to old friends, and to go shopping for my sweetheart (or to track down old baubles for two kids who are now out in the world). 

Developing a Cause-and-Effect Essay

Thesis: State your subject, your perspective on it, and your purpose; use an

explanatory or persuasive thesisOrganizing: The intro should describe the situation whose causes of effects you plan to analyze, or summarize the analysis of causes or effects that the essay disputes Body paragraphs with chronological sequence or in order of increasing importance Conclusion that restates the thesis and summarizes pointsDrafting: Strive for clarity: details, strong examples, concrete explanation; use facts

Intro:Subject

and Thesis

Body:Chronologi

cal Sequence

Conclusion:Restate

Thesis and Summary

Revising and Editing Cause-and-Effect Essay

Have you explained the causes or effects clearly and specifically? Explain the sequence and importance of events using facts, examples, and other evidence so

readers accept your analysis

Have you demonstrated that causes are not merely coincidences? Do not assume that one event is caused by another just because of the order; Explain that one

event causes another using ample evidence

Have you considered all possible causes or effects? Do not oversimplify the cause-and-effect relationships; present them with all their complexity

Have you represented the cause-and-effect relationships honestly? Don’t deliberately ignore or exaggerate causes or effects to strengthen your argument. If it doesn’t

support your thesis but still doesn’t invalidate it, mention the cause and explain why you believe it to be unimportant. If a cause will have bad effects as well as good, mention the bad effects and explain how they are outweighed by the good. If your reasoning and evidence are good, the readers will appreciate your fairness.

Have you used transitions to signal the sequence and relative importance of events? Transitions pinpoint causes and effects (as a result) clarify the steps of a sequence (first), link

events in time (in the same month), specify duration (a year later), and indicate importance (even more crucial).

Five Points to Remember When Writing Cause-and-Effect1. Broad subjects should be narrowed to something

whose complexities can be covered adequately2. When developing a thesis, state the subject, your

perspective, and your purpose for writing the essay; can be explanatory of persuasive

3. Arrange the causes or effects in sequence and weigh their relative importance in body paragraphs

4. Use accurate facts or quotations from experts to support the assertions given and prove validity

5. Focus on clarity and conciseness by removing excess details in order to move main ideas to the front

HomeworkRead “The Backdraft of Technology” by Stephanie Alaimo and Mark Koester, then write a practice précis

Practice Précis In “The Backdraft of Technology” (2006), Stephanie

Alaimo and Mark Koester claim that the mechanization of the service industry has “only increased profit margins for large corporations and have reduced the need to hire employees” (7).  Alaimo and Koester describe the technological disaster in the typical “automated grocery store. ‘Please scan your next item,’ a repetitively chilling, mechanical voice orders you” (2).  They describe the role of technology in the service industry in order to prove that “choosing convenience often translates to eliminating actual jobs that provide livelihoods and opportunities to many” and urge shoppers to “think before you simply follow the next technological innovation” (12-14).  Alaimo and Koester address the common consumer who chooses convenient, mechanical service tools and advises them to “say ‘no’ to self-checkout” because their choice can ruin the career of a typical service worker.