Beyond the Five Paragraph Essay
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Transcript of Beyond the Five Paragraph Essay
Brian Wasko
BEYOND FIVE PARAGRAPHSHOW TO WRITE AN ESSAY SOMEONE MIGHT WANT TO READ
WRITING WARM UP
•Write the following:• Describe: List three adjectives that come to mind when you
think of the word essay.• Simile: Complete the following sentence:
Writing an essay is like __________________• Define: What is your definition of essay? No googling!• Rules: List three rules you have learned about essay writing.
MY ANSWERS
•Describe: thought-provoking, inspiring, exploratory• Simile: Writing an essay is like spelunking. •Definition: A personal exploration of an idea in print.• Rules: There are no rules.
ESSAYS CAN BE AWESOME
• They can be awesome to read and awesome to write.• People have been writing amazing essays for
hundreds of years. • And people have read them…just because they
wanted to!• A proud literary heritage
MICHEL DE MONTAIGNE, 1533-1592
• The father of the essay• At the age of 38, Montaigne retired
from public service to a library in his castle tower to devote himself to meditation and writing. • He published his Essais in two
volumes in 1580 and a third volume in 1588.
A FEW GREAT ESSAYISTS
• Michel de Montaigne• John Donne• Joseph Addison• Richard Steele• Jonathan Swift • Ralph Waldo Emerson• Henry David Thoreau• Mark Twain• George Orwell• G.K. Chesterton
• Dorothy Sayers• C.S. Lewis• Joan Didion• James Baldwin• David Foster Wallace• Annie Dillard
• David Sedaris • Nora Ephron • Bloggers!
SO WHO RUINED THE ESSAY?
SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS STANDARDIZATION FOR GRADING RESULT: THE DREADED 5-PARAGRAPH ESSAY! (TELL MR. WASKO TO HAND OUT THE SAMPLES NOW)
WHAT IS AN ESSAY?
IN SCHOOLS• Persuasive or Argumentative in
Purpose• Clearly Stated Thesis• Rigid Structure• Organization over Content
IN THE REAL WORLD• From the French ESSAYER “to try,
to attempt.”
• An Exploration of an Idea
• Sometimes Just Raises Questions
• (Do Lobster Now)
WaskoLit.com/lobster
IN DEFENSE OF THE 5-PARAGRAPH ESSAY
• A good place to start• Parallels to other arts:
• Painters start with simple subjects• Carpenters build boxes and square tables• Crawl before we can walk
• Training wheels
The 5-Paragraph Model
• Begin with broad, interesting opening.
• Bring reader quickly to the thesis.
• Introduction ends with thesis.• Each body paragraph
addresses a single supporting point.
• Arrange points so that best is last.
• Illustrate with concrete examples.
• Transition between paragraphs.
• Conclusion restates the thesis.
• Conclusion ends broadly and memorably.
“Grabber”
Thesis
Point 1
Point 2
Point 3
Restated Thesis
Tidy close
Par 1
Par 2
Par 3
Conclusion
Intro
IntroRising Action
Climax
Start
Finish
Other Organization Strategies
THE NARRATIVE ESSAY
• Most common in print today• Based on personal experience/anecdotal• Meditations on life lessons• Thesis comes late• Often more emotional than rational• Less clearly argumentative
12 TIPS FOR WRITING A READABLE ESSAY
1. REMEMBER THAT ESSAYS, LIKE ANY KIND OF WRITING, ARE MEANT TO BE READ.
2. KEEP YOUR AUDIENCE IN MIND.
3. PICK A TOPIC THAT MATTERS TO YOU. (CARE ABOUT STUFF) TAYLOR MALI
4. WRITE WITH INSIGHT.
5. MAKE YOUR THESIS ARGUABLE.
6. EXPERIMENT WITH FORM.
12 TIPS FOR WRITING A READABLE ESSAY
7. EXPLORE IDEAS AS YOU WRITE
8. BE CONCRETE: DON’T TELL WHEN YOU CAN SHOW
9. FIND A VOICE AND STICK TO IT
10.WRITE WELL
11.DON’T BE CONTROVERSIAL JUST TO BE CONTROVERSIAL
12.DON’T BE AFRAID TO BREAK THE RULES
13.Read Essays
(WaskoLit.com/
glory)
THANK YOU!
WriteAtHome.com
WaskoLit.com
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