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Essay Writing Tips Word Format

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Page 1: Essay Writing Tips Word Format

Essay writing tips

1) The line of argument

a) What a line of argument IS

What it is essential for you to do in order to be able to write a cogent and coherent argument is to find a “LINE” of argument, that is to say, decide what your “take” is on an overriding theme. To find this “take”, imagine you are making a best fit line on a scatter graph. That is to say,

i) Consider everything that comes to your head on a theme and note down all of your ideas/examples. This could be likened to plotting all the coordinates on a scatter graph.

ii) After this, you need to think, what is the best argument which incorporates and accounts for most of these points? This is your main line of argument. If there are anomalies, you must account for them in the first paragraph of your essay. (Will explain later) If there are points you don’t really think are significant, just leave them out.

iii) Your line of argument in general terms sets out how you are going to argue something. The order of your paragraphs in the main body of text should mirror how you set it out. In some ways, your line of argument is like a programme if you were at a concert. You don’t exactly know what it is that is coming as the performer can play it in any way that you like, but you essentially have some vague idea of what you are going to get. In the same way that your audience would be utterly confused if you played in a different order to your programme, so then will the reader of your essay.

A line of argument will take a while to come up with so be patient. If your brain hurts after you have got one, it’s generally a good one! You are coming up with something a little creative and sophisticated and really thinks you have studied all the examples to hand and come to a nuanced conclusion.

Tips :

i) I often find, the way to come with something nuanced is to say, Whilst it might appear that X is the case, Y is actually true.

ii) I often look at the terms used in the essay title and dictionary check them and think about the implications of them. Sometimes, having looked at my ideas/examples, I decide that the terms used in the essay title are just plain wrong or misleading. For example, you might like to question the use of the word “relación” if you get a question on the relationship between indigenous/non-indigenous.

b) What a line of argument is not

Please note that a “line” is NOT :

i) Saying X or Y theme is simply important/significant/ in a work- this is blindingly obvious otherwise the essay title would not have been set.

ii) Saying on the one hand X on the other hand Y. That is NOT an argument. You take a stance and you argue it through.

DO NOT START WRITING UNTIL YOU HAVE FOUND YOUR LINE OF ARGUMENT. THEY CAN TAKE AGES TO GET BUT ONCE YOU GET ONE, EVERYONE ELSE FITS INTO PLACE. Continues below…

Page 2: Essay Writing Tips Word Format

2) Writing an introduction

All you are going to do here is set out your line of argument.

i) Keep it general

You are NOT going into detail about the film. You try and keep it general otherwise you will repeat yourself in the main body of the essay. Don’t mention specific sequences.

ii) Don’t give me loads of background information

This is UTTERLY IRRELEVANT.

iii) Don’t feel you have to write loads

It’s hard to put a finger on it but in comparison to the rest of your other paragraphs, it should be considerably shorter!

3) Main body of your essay

I usually suggest this consists of 3 paragraphs. These paragraphs should mirror your line of argument as I have said. If you follow my advice with your line of argument and go for, It might appear that X is true, but on deeper analysis Y is true, then it is super easy to structure. Of course, it won’t always be possible to go for this but generally, if they set an essay question, it’s because there is more than one way to answer it.

Para 1) State the argument that you actually want to discount (that is, this is the “Why it might appear that X is true)

Paras 2) Why in fact this is not true. Here, you will try and retake the examples from para 1 and turn them on their head and show why actually, there is a different reading.

Para 3) Will pick up any additional points that aren’t simple rebuttals of para 1). Basically, you are really hammering home your point here with all the amo you have. You want to end on a bang. Please don’t be tempted to argue this the other way round and go for the “I’m going to argue a convincing argument all the way through and then come paragraph 3 I’m going to undo all my hard work and say, on the other hand it could be said that Y”…. NOTHING IS MORE ANNOYING!

4) Conclusion

Conclusions I think are the most difficult bit. You have to tie things all together AND give a final little extra, a little gem of a thought, that just shows off the fact that you have thought of all the possible implications of the question.

It might be

i) What has happened subsequently? Is what you have described still the case today?

ii) Is there something ironic/ paradoxical/surprising about your answer that could be mentioned?

Page 3: Essay Writing Tips Word Format

Worked example

OBVIOUSLY YOU WRITE IN SPANISH BUT TO AVOID CONFUSION WHEN YOU READ THIS, I’VE GONE FOR ENGLISH.

Essay title: Describe the role of women in Tambien la lluvia

Collecting my ideas

The points/ examples that came to my head, in no particular order, were

1) Women getting involved in the protests by means of blockade etc. in the end scenes

2) Women in the meeting with the other companeros when they decide whether they are going to take the main square. Some women against the idea as scared of what will happen to their children.

3) Women attacking the security officers who try to shut down the well. Mention that the water is important for their children.

4) Daniel’s wife curing him with leaves when he comes from protest. She is not involved.

5) Episode where they stand up to Sebastian and refuse to pretend to drown their babies.

6) Whilst Daniel is out fighting, Teresa is the one who looks after Belén. She herself does not get involved in fighting.

7) Belén goes and joins in/ is present at protest.

Line of argument

Okay, so it looks like this stereotyped gender roles have been upturned here if we look at points 1, 2, 3 and 5. But, what about the fact that they keep going on about their children? Also, what about point 4) and 7), why doesn’t Teresa (Daniel’s wife) get involved.

For the moment, point 6) I really don’t know where I want it, but it’s not relevant for my line of argument. Probably useful for my conclusion then!

Here’s what I came up with: Traditional notions of gendered space and indeed gender roles according to which women dominates the private spaces of family and home and men, the public space of politics and the work place may seem undermined in Bollain’s También la lluvia . In this film, women take an usually active role in the politicised Guerra del agua. Similarly, the female extras employed by the film crew refuse to bow down every whim of the director: they protest and force him to back down. That said, it must not be forgotten that even if women do enter into the public sphere of protest and political meeting, they only do so to protect the private space of the home and family, their actions primarily driven by maternal instincts. Nor can it be said that all women move away from traditional gender stereotypes, many prefer the safety of traditional maternal and domestic roles, an attitude exemplified by the main female protagonist.

Page 4: Essay Writing Tips Word Format

Para 1) Focus here will be female involvement in protests showing that they are occupying public sphere and have left behind traditional domestic roles

[these are my points 1 and 3. Will also make something of point 5 here because whilst it’s not about their political involvement, women are still speaking up for their rights and effecting change.]

Good quote: “Una de las vertientes más importantes del movimiento de resistencia fueron las mujeres”1.

Para 2) How actually points 1, 3 and 5 can be said to be motivated by concerns about their children, showing there is nothing revolutionary going on here in terms of gender roles. Here I can bring in point 2) as it reinforces this point

Para 3) Now I can hammer it home with points 4 and 7 and go for an in depth analyse of Teresa, comparing her role with that of Daniel’s. Also, will make a point about lack of female protagonists in this film and tie it in with the fact that there are few females on Sebastian’s film crew!

Conclusion:

Whilst the film shows women taking in a more active role in public sphere, we must note that they do not, as yet, command much authority . All those in positions of authority showed to us in the film, with the Alcalde, the Jefe de la policía and the leader of the Guerra del agua on one side, and the Producer and Director on the other, are assumed by men and it would be unthinkable that they were played by women. The presence of women, then, is becoming more visible, but it is a presence in what is clearly remains a man’s world. However, if women as young as Belén are now joining in the fight, perhaps the next generation of women will achieve more power and respect in the public domain.

Useful quotes for women essay

“ ¿Qué va a ser de nuestros hijos? ¿Ustedes van a cuida a nuestros hijos? Somos mujeres, nosotras, tenemos hijos” 46.54

“Ustedes también son padres.” 23.01

“Vamos a luchar hasta las últimas consecuencias.” 23.07

“El agua es para nuestros hijos” 23.21

“No nos quiten el agua de nuestros hijos” 23.24

“Ni siquiera se pueden imaginar la idea de hacerlo” 45.26

1 ELIZABETH PEREDO BELTRÁN, Las mujeres del valle de Cochabamba, Agua privatización y conflicto. http://www.generoycomercio.org/areas/incidencia/caderno_asc.pdf