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Buffington 1
Justin BuffingtonEng 1113 2901/26/08
Building an EssayDoug Larson says, “If the English language made any sense, a catastrophe would be an apostrophe withfur” (qtd. in quotationspage.com). And so with simple absurdity it is revealed that perhaps English should not betaken so seriously. That is not to say, however, that the rules that have developed over the last 500 years of themodern English language are to be completely ignored, especially in essay writing. Like a building, an essay shouldhave structural integrity, clear, concise sentences providing the brick and mortar.An opening, introductory paragraph to any essay should provide the reader with an idea, given clearlythrough the few first sentences and defined through a thesis, this being the ground work of the entire essay. The firstsentence should be a hook, an attention getter that grabs and peaks the reader’s interest, followed by how this willactually relate to the essay, en masse. The body of that first paragraph should take that broad idea and narrow it,refining it to a single idea to be expounded upon. Finally, there is the thesis itself, a single sentence, not posing aquestion to the reader, but presenting them with the central theme.Moving on at a steady pace, keeping the reader moving, the body of the essay proves the greater point of the thesis, much like stares or hallways might keep a person moving through the structure of a building. The firstsentence should provide transition between the previous paragraph and the next topic proving the thesis statement’s point. The middle portion of the body paragraphs provide details to the reader, examples from other sources should be cited within the middle of the essay. Names, numbers, examples all supporting a statement or argument are presented in these areas, beginning to flesh out the main theme, giving the essay a solid structure. The final sentencesummarizes the paragraph, closing a door on one room, providing access to the next.The concluding paragraph brings the reader back full-circle, re-presenting the thesis, setting the entire essayup for a final statement allowing the reader to see the writer’s point fully realized. The bulk of this closing paragraph is used to prove the individual points of the previous paragraphs. A sentence for each individual paragraph should suffice in wrapping up the presentation. The final sentence should be an impact statement,something that gives the reader a lasting positive point, not relying on the thesis, that answers the theme presentedthrough the essay.
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