ERWC Writing GuideTop 10 Survival Tips for Writing Essays adapted from Fannon’s Class

1. Make/Prove points-The biggest problem with most students is that they forget that writing essays is all about making points, and then proving those points with concrete details. For Example:

a. In Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, King uses ethos to make his argument more credible.

b. This is the point that you want to prove. The next sentence will probably be a quote in order to support your claim that King’s argument is made more credible through use of ethos... Then you would comment or make a connection to the unifying element of the paper. Then you will move on to your next point… See the Fannon writing format for more specific details about this process.

2. Don’t Summarize!!!-Another major problem with students is that they tend to summarize the material too much. This takes away from the whole making/proving points format. Some indicators that you may be summarizing:

a. If you find yourself typing things like: As the play continues, goes on, progresses… At this point in the play… So then… Meanwhile… Next He/She/They…

b. You are not contributing anything to a discussion of the material. 3. ‘A, B, C’ ideas don’t mean anything if you have ‘F’ mechanics- Many students have some pretty intelligent things to say, the problem with many is that they lack the mechanics to put together a cohesive discussion of the material. What you end up with is an exercise in rambling.

a. See Mr. Fannon’s writing format to eliminate this type of wasted energy.b. Relate/Cohesion- When a teacher gives you an essay prompt that is specific, they are asking you

to be very specific in your discussion of the material. This means that every thought that you put on to paper needs to relate to the main idea/unifying element of the paper. This will give your essay cohesion.

4. Leave Out the ‘I’- In a ‘typical’ paper at the high school and college level, there is no room for the pronoun ‘I’ anywhere in your paper. Stay away from terms like:

a. I believe… I think that… In my opinion… etc. This is redundant and uncalled for. It is your paper. Unless you are plagiarizing, it is assumed that the ideas stated in your paper are your own.

b. Instead of saying “In my opinion Martin Luther King’s argument is more credible in Letter from Birmingham Jail because he uses ethos.” Just make a statement like, “Martin Luther King’s argument is more credible in Letter from Birmingham Jail because he uses ethos.” This will put you back on the making/proving points track.

5. Don’t Make Silly Mistakes- Show a teacher that you actually proofread a paper. Some common mistakes that really bother a teacher are:

a. Failing to capitalize the names of characters, plays, stories, poems, etc…b. Failing to punctuate properly where names of literary works are concerned, i.e. Movies, Plays,

Novels are italicized. “Poem Titles, Short Stories,” appear in “quotes.” c. This shows a teacher that you really don’t care about your grade.

6. Know the Material- I realize that this is a very novel idea, but you must know the material. Show the teacher that you put some thought and effort into researching and reading the material. What ends up happening is that you sound really stupid and you will get a bad grade if you don’t. 7. Textual Evidence/Concrete Details-No matter what you call it, you must have it. I will not even read a paper for more than about a page if a student fails to include concrete details in his or her discussion. There are only two acceptable types of concrete details accepted in my class:

a. “Quotes”- The author, or some other smart person’s words. This is the best and most recommended method of support.

b. Specific examples- Picking a specific example from the text to share in support of your assumptions. Not really recommended especially since in most cases you can pull a quote from the portion of the text that shares the example you were going to use any ways.

c. This is number 3 on the 3 most important things that your paper needs list. 8. Topic Sentences- #2 on the short list. Each paragraph must have a topic sentence. This is the glue, or cohesive, that holds your paragraph together. Every topic sentence will address the main point/unifying element of the paper. Everything in your paragraph will support or relate to the point that your topic sentence is trying to make.

a. See example paragraph #19. Thesis Statement- #1 on the short list. This is, without a doubt, the most important part of your paper. It has to be perfect or nothing else matters. Your thesis can go one of two ways:

a. Closed (A, B, C)- “In Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, his use of ethos, logos, and pathos make his argument for equality for African-Americans one of the most compelling arguments for civil rights ever written.”

b. This tells me that you will have 3 body paragraphs, what order they will be in, and how each paragraph will deal with how King’s argument is impacted by his use of ethos, logos, and pathos. You want to try to stay away from doing this in your essays at this point.

i. Open- “In Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, King uses three rhetorical devices that make his argument for civil rights very compelling.”

ii. This tells me that you will discuss specific cases from the play but does not give a specific order. Find out what type of thesis a teacher prefers.

OUTLINEIntroduction-

1) Attention Getter (ATT) - This is one of the most important elements in your introduction, just behind the thesis. The attention getter is just that; it is supposed to grab my attention. This can be done any number of ways depending on what type of paper you are writing. Here are a couple of ways:

a. Quote- Either choose a quote from the work, or works, that you are discussing in your paper that might address the topic. Even more impressive is to choose a quote from some other noteworthy figure that addresses the topic you might be writing about. For example, if you were writing a paper about the role of religion in the life of an individual, you might choose something from The Bible, or a famous theologian.

b. Startling statement- This really depends on the type of paper. It is usually a number like, 5 billion people smoke in this city. It is supposed to jump out at you. If you were back to writing that paper about the role of religion in someone’s life maybe you might write something like… “9 million babies were slaughtered in abortion clinics last year in America!”

c. Scenario Opening- This is what I like to call it. This is the “Imagine you’re walking down the street and some strange man pulls you into an ally and rapes you. Two months later you find out that you are pregnant. Should you have the right to have an abortion?” Then your paper would be about how you support a woman’s right to choose.

*There are even more ways to do this. The point is to grab the reader’s attention and keep it.*

2) Background Information (BKG) - This is the part of the introduction where you introduce the topic of your paper. You should start broad and discuss the topic of the essay in general for a few sentences. If your paper is and argument covering whether or not true love exists in a story, then in the beginning of your background you should discuss love in general. Then you need to give the reader some contextual information. You should introduce the “time and place.” For example, talk specifically about the author and story. Start to connect the topic of the essay to a discussion of this specific work. Finally, you should introduce the specific topic of the paper. For example, you might say “many people argue that true love does not exist in William Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night, others say it surely exists…

3) Thesis Statement (THESIS) - This is the most important part of your paper. It should be a statement of fact that you intend to prove in your paper. If you are writing a paper in

which you are going to argue for a woman’s right to choose, your thesis might look like this… “While pro-life advocates have some good arguments, ultimately a woman should have the right to choose.” As a reader I know your position and what your paper will be about. This is not a good thesis for the same topic… “So who has the best argument, people who believe in pro-life, or people who believe in pro-choice?” As I stated before, there are two types: closed, and open. You want to use an open thesis whenever possible. It gives you more freedom and allows your discussion to develop more naturally.

a. It should be the last sentence of your introduction.b. It consists of two parts:

1. Unifying Element 2. Subtopics

c. It will not be in metaphorical or question form.d. It should be one sentence- not a fragment, or two sentences.

Body Paragraphs- A body paragraph can consist of anywhere from 4-10 parts depending on how you want to approach the topic. Jane Schaeffer says that the typical body paragraph consists of chunks. Her chunk and my chunk differ. I borrow some of her ideas but if you want to know more about her method, pay the money and attend one of her seminars. My basic body paragraph will look something like this:

1) Topic Sentence You could add another chunk2) Concrete Detail Point3) Connection/Commentary Concrete Detail4) Point Connection/Commentary5) Concrete Detail In between #’s 6-7 which would give you

6) Connection/Commentary 10 parts. Or you could eliminate a chunk 7) Transition Sentence which would give you only 4 parts.

Here is a brief explanation of each part.

1) Topic Sentence (TS) - This is the “thesis statement” of each body paragraph. If your thesis for your paper is…

“In Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, his use of rhetorical strategies makes his argument for equality for African-Americans one of the most compelling arguments for civil rights ever written.”

Your topic sentence for your first body paragraph may look something like this…

“Throughout King’s argument, he makes many sound points that are supported evidence. This use of logos lends clarity and relevance to his argument making it stronger.”

This topic sentence includes the unifying element (whether or not King makes a good argument’), and a sub-topic (Logos). Even if your thesis statement is very clear like the one above, it is not sufficient to write something like… “So first there is logos.”

2) Textual Evidence (TE) - There are two types of concrete details; however, you should almost always use one type exclusively.

a. Quoteb. Specific Example

You can use a specific example, but why would you use this when you could pick a quote from the part of the work where you were going to pull your example from. For example: Rather than say “King relates his birthright to the birthright of whites” just pull a quote from the letter that illustrates the same point…

“Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, that is what has happened to the American Negro. Something within has reminded him of his birthright of freedom…”

It is always more effective to use the writer’s words as opposed to your own; thus, a quote is always more effective than a specific example. You must have concrete details to support the points that you are trying to make. They should be chosen very carefully and relate precisely to the point that you want to prove. As always, it should relate to the unifying element of your paper, and the topic sentence.

3) Connection/Commentary/Analysis (A)- This is the part of the paragraph where you get to not only put in your ‘two cents’, but you also get to connect your quote to the subject that you are writing about. Let’s use the topic sentence above to illustrate our point…

TS- “Throughout King’s argument, he makes many sound points that are supported evidence. This use of logos lends clarity and relevance to his argument making it stronger.”

TE-“Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, that is what has happened to the American Negro. Something within has reminded him of his birthright of freedom…”Com- “In this part of his letter, Dr. King is alluding to the past. He is reminding the clergymen of the fact that we are all born free in this country. We are all entitled to the same freedom regardless of our skin color. This is a good example of logos in King’s argument. Everyone reading this letter can identify with the birthright that we all share. The logic behind this point makes his argument more relevant because anyone reading this should feel the same if their freedoms were taken from them. Without this example of logos, the only people who would identify with King’s argument are the African-American’s who share in King’s oppression.”

In order for you to have good commentary, you should do three things:1) First, you need to spend a sentence or two explaining your quote.2) Second, you need to spend a sentence or two connecting the quote that you chose to

support your topic sentence to the unifying element of the paper. Be sure to do this or you will just be summarizing.

3) Finally, you should spend a sentence or two bringing it all together and adding your own two cents to the discussion. This is your opinion. Please don’t use ‘I’ when you do this. Look at the last sentence or two of the example above. This is the writer’s opinion. The writer states that only blacks would identify with King’s point of view without his use of logos here.

4) Point (PT) - Ok, this is where you will state another point that was a part of your topic sentence… For example, using the same topic sentence above, the next sentence following the above commentary might look like this

“…Without this example of logos the only people who would identify with King’s argument are the African-American’s who share in king’s oppression. Another example of logos in King’s essay that adds great clarity to his message can be seen in the last paragraph of his letter.”

-Then you would find another quote to support this statement and that would be #5.-Then you would have another connection/commentary and that would be # 6.

7) Transition (TRANS) - A transition sentence is a sentence that lets the reader know that you are moving on from one discussion to the next. It signifies the end of your body paragraph. A transition for the same body paragraph that we have been dealing with might look like this…

a. “Logos is not the only rhetorical strategy king uses to make his argument more effective, his use of pathos is legendary.”

b. You just let me know that you are finished talking about logos and now you are moving on to pathos. Notice how this follows the progression that you showed in your thesis statement and it gives cohesion to your paper.

The chunk system allows for a lot of freedom while giving you a very organized format to hold everything together. Moving on to something that most students have the biggest problem with: CONCLUSIONS!Conclusions- There are 4 things that you should do in a good conclusion:

1) Revisit Your Thesis (RVT)a. You do not need to copy and paste your thesis here, but you want to revisit it. b. For the essay prompt that we have been writing the beginning of your conclusion

might sound like this…i. So in the end, King uses many tools to create an effective argument.

c. You remind the reader of the thesis from the beginning of the essay without repeating it word for word.

2) Summarize your main points (SUM) a. This should be a general summary of your points. You do not have to list all of

your main points, just give the reader the “gist” of your points.

3) Relate to the Bigger Picture (REL) - Basically you want to make a last ditch attempt to connect what you have been writing about for the last 3 or 4 pages to the reader. The idea is that if they have not identified with what you have been writing about so far, they will now. You might also want to summarize your main points.

If you were writing the King essay your writer may not relate to the civil rights movement here in America but you might want to relate his letter to the issue of civil rights in general. This will allow the reader to see the forest as well as the trees. The

forest is the discussion of civil rights in general. The tree is the American civil rights movement during the early to mid-1900’s. For example…

King’s use of pathos in his argument may overshadow the other rhetorical strategies, but that does not mean that he forgets to employ them. His focus on pathos is appropriate because civil rights are an emotional issue. Civil rights is not just an American issue it is a universal issue. King is taking his cues from civil rights movements all over the world through history…

I took my very specific discussion of civil rights in America and related it to the rest of the world. I may even bring in some specific comparisons from history.

4) Strong Closing Statement (CS) - This is really important because it is supposed to leave me thinking. As a reader it is supposed to cement what you have been writing about. It is what you want to be lingering in my mind when I put your paper down. Using the same conclusion above your strong closing statement might look like this…

■ King knew his audience would be hostile. He was living in a hostile world. He knew this was a fight worth fighting, even if it cost him his life.

Sounds pretty cheesy right? It should sound kind of cheesy. It should be really obvious and dramatic. This is what will linger with the reader.

So, in a nutshell…

Introduction1) Attention Getter (ATT)2) Background Information on the Topic (BKG)3) Thesis Statement (THESIS)

Body Paragraphs1) Topic Sentence (TS)2) Textual Evidence (TE)3) Analysis (A)4) Point (PT)5) Textual Evidence (TE)6) Analysis (A)7) Transition (TRANS)

Conclusion1) Revisit Your Thesis2) Summarize Your Main Points 3) Relate to the Bigger Picture4) Strong Closing Statement

Good Introduction

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”–Thomas Jefferson “Declaration of Independence.” When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence he was protesting against a tyrannical government that was imposing itself on the people who settled this country. The document calls for every citizen in the United States to have the opportunity to enjoy his or her version of happiness. However, our history shows that our fore-fathers were hypocrites who perpetuated centuries of oppression on minorities and women in this country. Over time, many civil rights activists stepped forward to fight for the equality that the Declaration promised. One of the most significant civil rights activists that America has known is Martin Luther King Jr. King was a southern minister who spoke out against the injustices being perpetuated by the written, and unwritten, laws in this country that segregated minorities out of the American Dream. King was imprisoned after a march in Alabama and while he was there, several white clergymen criticized his tactics. King penned “A Letter from Birmingham Jail” in response to this criticism. King employs rhetorical strategies in order to formulate a more effective argument. His appeal to logic, ethics, and emotion help to make his points resonate with readers of all races. “In Martin Luther King’s “A Letter from Birmingham Jail,” his use of rhetorical strategies makes his argument for equality for African-Americans one of the most compelling arguments for civil rights ever written.”

Bad Introduction

Lots of people in history have been victims of prejudice. In history there have been lots of people who have stepped up to fight against prejudice. One of the people who fought against prejudice in America is Martin Luther King Jr. He was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience. King has become a national icon in the history of modern American liberalism. A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, serving as its first president. King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. There, he established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history. He also established his reputation as a radical, and became an object of the FBI's COINTELPRO for the rest of his life. He wrote a letter while he was in prison to fight for civil rights.

Good Body Paragraph

Throughout King’s argument, he makes many sound points that are supported by evidence. This use of logos lends clarity and relevance to his argument making it stronger. King’s logic is seen when he states “Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, that is what has happened to the American Negro. Something within has reminded him of his birthright of freedom…” In this part of his letter, Dr. King is alluding to the past. He is reminding the clergymen of the fact that we are all born free in this country. We are all entitled to the same freedom regardless of our skin color. This is a good example of logos in King’s argument. Everyone reading this letter can identify with the birthright that we all share. The logic behind this point makes his argument more relevant because anyone reading this should feel the same if their freedoms were taken from them. Without this example of logos, the only people who would identify with King’s argument are the African-American’s who share in King’s oppression. Another example of logos in King’s essay that adds great clarity to his message can be seen in the last paragraph of his letter when he says “One day the South

will know that when these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters, they were in reality standing up for what is best in the American dream and for the most sacred values in our Judaeo Christian heritage…” King is writing this letter to clergymen who were critical of his actions and the people who subscribed to king’s beliefs. Rather than take a confrontational stance against the clergymen, he appeals to what each of them has devoted his life to, God. He appeals to the belief that we are all “God’s children.” This logical appeal to his critics is another example of his use of logos. He is trying to remove color from the equation and reduce his discussion to a human rights level. He alludes to the “American dream” that all men are equal in the eyes of God and all men are entitled to the same inalienable rights. This use of logos gives his argument a clarity that removes emotion and skin color making his argument that much stronger. Logos is not the only rhetorical strategy king uses to make his argument more effective, his use of pathos is legendary.

Bad Body Paragraph

First of all King uses logos in his essay. “Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, that is what has happened to the American Negro. Something within has reminded him of his birthright of freedom…” We can see logos here because King is talking about how it is wrong to oppress people. He is talking about how everyone should be free. Another time we see logos is when “One day the South will know that when these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters, they were in reality standing up for what is best in the American dream and for the most sacred values in our Judaeo Christian heritage…” Here he is using logos because he says we are all Christians and all should be free. This is a good use of logos. King makes a really good argument.

Good Conclusion

“A Letter from Birmingham Jail” is one of the most effective arguments in the history of American civil rights. Martin Luther King Jr. uses many tools to create an effective argument. King employs ethos, pathos and logos in his paper to make a compelling argument against racial injustice in America. King’s use of pathos in his argument may sometimes overshadow the other rhetorical strategies, but that does not mean that he forgets to employ them. His focus on pathos is appropriate because civil rights are an emotional issue. Civil rights is not just an American issue it is a universal issue. King is taking his cues from civil rights movements all over the world through history. One can look to history and see people like William Wallace leading the Scottish people in the fight against English oppression during the 12th Century. Ghandi led a civil rights movement in India, or Martin Luther standing up for civil rights in religion. Great leaders have fought for civil rights in the world for centuries. King was a man of God, and as a man of God knew that we all have a God-given right to happiness. King knew his audience would be hostile. He was living in a hostile word. He knew this was a fight worth fighting, even if it cost him his life.

Bad Conclusion

In conclusion, the letter that King writes is a really good argument. He is fighting for civil rights because he knows it is wrong for some people to be happy and for others not to be happy. King was a great man and there were other great men who fought to have civil rights too. In the end he was killed because he stood up for what he believed in. That is just wrong!