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Writing a Cause or Writing a Cause or Effect Essay Effect Essay Mrs. Wishart Senior Adjunct Instructor Burlington County College

Writing a Cause or Effect Essay

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Writing a Cause or Effect Essay. Mrs. Wishart Senior Adjunct Instructor Burlington County College. “Every action has an opposite and equal reaction” (Einstein). What is Cause & Effect? . - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: Writing a Cause or Effect Essay

Writing a Cause or Effect Writing a Cause or Effect EssayEssay

Mrs. WishartSenior Adjunct InstructorBurlington County College

Page 2: Writing a Cause or Effect Essay

What is Cause & Effect? What is Cause & Effect? When writing about a cause, the writer

looks at events that occurred and how they led up to something occurring: ◦What were the causes that led up to the

9/11 attack? When writing about an effect, the

writer looks at events that occurred after an event to analyze what has occurred as a result: ◦How has American society been effected by

the 9/11 attack?

Page 3: Writing a Cause or Effect Essay

Beyond EventsBeyond EventsA Cause or Effect Essay often

examines more than events: ◦The essay may give reasons or

explanations for: Events Conditions Behaviors

Page 4: Writing a Cause or Effect Essay

Remember the TimelineRemember the TimelineWhen writing this essay, writers

who decide to write from the perspective of a cause need to focus on what happened before a specific event. Writers who decide to write from the perspective of an effect need to focus on what happened after a specific event. EVENTCauses Effects

Page 5: Writing a Cause or Effect Essay

Neeld’s Heuristic Questions for Neeld’s Heuristic Questions for Cause/Effect: Cause/Effect:

These questions will help guide the writer on how to look at the specific topic deeply: ◦ What causes office workers to devalue their work? ◦ What causes people to be judgmental towards

manual laborers? ◦ What are the effects of people working solely to

increase their incomes? ◦ What are the effects of people being prejudiced

against those who work with their hands? ◦ What is the purpose of making work into play? ◦ Why does disdain for certain types of work happen? ◦ What is the consequence of a recession on manual

labor? ◦ What comes before retirement? ◦ What comes after making a decision to do something

that may be harmful? Adapted from: Lindeman, Erika. A Rhetoric for Writing Teachers. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford U P, 1987. 82-3.

Print.

Page 6: Writing a Cause or Effect Essay

Playing the “Why” GamePlaying the “Why” Game When writing a Cause/Effect Essay, the writer is often

answering why something occurred. After asking why the first time, the writer should continue

to ask why in order to drill deeper into the subject: ◦ Mark Twain said, “Work and play are words used to describe

the same thing under differing conditions.” WHY?◦ Mark Twain noticed that some people enjoy their work, while

others find it drudgery. WHY? ◦ More than likely, in their family lives, some people were

taught to take work seriously and other people were taught to enjoy what they do. WHY?

◦ Some parents were unfulfilled in their work, so this caused them to believe that work should be viewed as a necessary evil. WHY?

◦ More than likely, these parents took jobs that were available or were limited by their social class. WHY?

◦ The writer continues to play this game until he/she can go no further. The game reveals how certain events may be related and reveals deeper thought instead of surface thought.

Page 7: Writing a Cause or Effect Essay

Organizing Thoughts with a Organizing Thoughts with a Modified Venn DiagramModified Venn Diagram

Causes Topic EffectsRecord what happened BEFORE the topic. The writer should make certain the list contains at least 6 items so the best 3 can be chosen for the essay.

Record the THESIS STATEMENT here.

The writer needs to keep his/her eye on

the topic, so recording the thesis statement will help assure the lists are

on point.

Record what happened AFTER the topic. The writer should make certain the list contains at least 6 items so the best 3 can be chosen for the essay.

•Once the lists above are recorded, review each list carefully. •Which list has the most potential to intrigue the audience? •Which list interests the writer most? •Choose the list, and then writer either a Cause OR an Effect Essay. •A 5 paragraph essay will not give the writer enough room to write about both causes AND effects.

Page 8: Writing a Cause or Effect Essay

Characteristics to Include in Characteristics to Include in the Essaythe EssayPresent the event or issue.

◦The audience needs to understand the problem or issue. Without this explanation, the analysis will fall apart.

Use strong, assertive language that does not reflect negativity or bias. ◦“Ain’t it awful” essays are boring.

Use factual evidence and direct quotes from The Little, Brown Reader articles. ◦Treat the writing scientifically – make a

hypothesis and then prove it through direct information from the sources.

Page 9: Writing a Cause or Effect Essay

Avoiding Bias and Avoiding Bias and NegativityNegativityBiased or negative statements steal the

authority of the writer. Which of the following feels more convincing and has more authority? ◦The American public has long been blind to

the horrible effects of steroids on sports and players. Fan ignorance is one of the contributing factors to this continued situation.

◦ In order for fans to fully support enforced bans on steroids in sports, the public needs to be better informed about the side effects and long-term damage these drugs may cause.

Page 10: Writing a Cause or Effect Essay

33rdrd Person REQUIRED Person REQUIREDFor this essay, ALL paragraphs,

including the introduction and conclusion, must be in 3rd person. ◦3rd person adds a sense of authority

and makes the writing more forceful. I believe that steroid use in sports needs

to be banned through policies and laws that truly discourage their use.

By passing policies and laws that truly discourage their use, it is possible to completely ban steroids in all sports.

Page 11: Writing a Cause or Effect Essay

Types of Causal Types of Causal RelationshipsRelationshipsMaterial cause: a material determines

its behaviors – a rock falls because of its heaviness.

Formal cause: an item’s form determines its nature – a human differs from the statue of a human.

Efficient cause: the event that begins the first notable change – a human lifts a rock.

Final cause: the ultimate end – often difficult or impossible to predict, especially if all events have not completely played out.

Wikipedia.

Page 12: Writing a Cause or Effect Essay

Other Types of Causal Other Types of Causal RelationshipsRelationshipsNecessary Cause: If x is a necessary

cause of y, then the presence of y implies the presence of x. The presence of x does not imply that y will occur.

Sufficient Cause: If x is a sufficient cause of y, then the presence of x implies the presence of y. However, z may also cause y. The presence of y does not imply the presence of x.

Contributory Cause: If the presumed cause precedes the effect, and altering the cause alters the effect, it is contributory.

Wikipedia.

Page 13: Writing a Cause or Effect Essay

Double CheckDouble CheckThe writer should not state

something that is obvious. The writer should make sure to

demonstrate the significance between the causes or the effects in the paper.

Surface thought is boring; deep thought is informative and interesting.

Page 14: Writing a Cause or Effect Essay

Sources: Sources: Maldonado, Christina. “Writing Cause

and Effect Essays. “ Roxbury, MA: Roxbury Community College Writing Center, Fall 2008. Web. 20 March 2013.

Lindeman, Erika. A Rhetoric for Writing Teachers. 2nd ed. NY: Oxford UP, 1987. 82-3. Print.

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causality#Necessary_and_sufficient_causes