English Essay - Lecture 10

19/7/2021

If you do not find any point from GPEST, you can include points from other heads.
Most Important - Education & Environment: You must include points from these two heads in your essay,
because these two elements are so important that you can add points from these heads in almost any
type of essay. Environment is the element which, in the future, will dominate every aspect of life.
Then there come religion and history, you can include these aspects as well.
Nowadays, the element of ethics is widely being discussed by linking it with Environment. Climate Justice
is being discussed today.
Ethics linked with Environment: Examples
Is it ethical that due technologically advanced countries, the underdeveloped countries which do not
cause environmental pollution, suffer from a polluted environment?
If coronavirus was created in a laboratory, if it was a war between the USA and China, then why did the
world have to suffer from it?
 Crunch / Overview Paragraph
We crunch the topic in crunch paragraph. We divide the topic in pieces to understand what the topic is
really about. We only discuss the topic, not the essay. It is the overview of the topic, not of the essay.

Do not use the words “Overview Paragraph” in the outline.

It answers the questions like “What is the significance of the topic? Why the topic is important?”
Crunch paragraph performs the same function in the essay what the sentence number two performs in
an academic paragraph.
Things that we did not write in the introduction paragraph, we can write in the overview paragraph.
It establishes the case as to why we are writing the essay
Example - Heading

It is always written after the introduction paragraph. You rephrase your essay topic here.
Example:
What would happen if UNDP declared Pakistan a water scares country?

- FDI would cease

- Relocation of existing businesses
When energy crisis hit Pakistan, foreign brand shifted their business to Bangladesh.
- Our focus is not on the issue (Our focus is only on the retirement of General Sb,
- Media does not address the issue because no one pays attention to it, no one wants to listen
about it.
- Our top 2 exports – rice and textile. Both are highly water intensive.
- Pakistan is the 5th biggest exporter of sugar (and we aim to become the top sugar exporter) -
sugarcane too is a highly water intensive crop
Recommendation:

- Save water
- Awareness needed
- Discussion needed
- Dams

Every seven second a person dies in the world due to the unavailability of water or polluted water.
It takes only 10 to 15 years for a fertile land to become a desert.
Overview paragraph – example from an argumentative essay

Overview paragraph does not follow the academic paragraph structure.

 The conclusion (150 to 180 words)

o Conclusions are primarily for summing up what you have presented in the body of your essay.
o Conclusion is somewhat a reflection of the introduction.
o Main difference is of length (conclusion is shorter), and tone of writing.
o In conclusion you sum up what you started in the introduction.
o No new information (like solutions/remedies) is presented in the conclusion.
o Use synonyms and paraphrasing so that you do not repeat all your main points word for word.
o Summarize your argument and draw on some of the main points discussed in the body of the
essay, but not in too much detail.
o Tell your reader how your essay has successfully responded to the essay question/topic.
o An important point: Start your conclusion paragraph by indicating that you are winding up your
discussion. For example: In summation/ In a nutshell/ Conclusively one may say that/ In
conclusion, etc.
o Finish your conclusion on a ray of hope.
o Show optimism that the remedies you have suggested in the essay have the potential to
resolve this problem — believe in your remedies.

When you write a paragraph, the concluding sentence repeats the topic sentence, it tells how we have
proved / discussed what was said in the topic sentence. Similarly, conclusion rephrases the introduction
paragraph.
The introduction tells us what is to be discussed in the essay, in conclusion you write what you have
discussed.
Rephrase your introduction paragraph.
Unlike introduction, we do not include all the points of the outline, do not give too much information.
Do not give any remedies / suggestion.
Show silver lining of the cloud - Remain optimistic. Trust the remedies that you have given.

Add :
Quotation
Poetry lines
Verses / hadiths

Give time to the conclusion

 Argumentative Essay
This is the type of essay in which the writer chooses one side of the argument and tries to support his
opinion (thesis) in comparison to the opposite opinion of others (antithesis).
It is important in such an essay to compare and contrast the opinions of both sides and draw a
SYNTHESIS based on the main features of the arguments of both sides, proving thesis to be correct or
true. Synthesis supports or reinforces the thesis.
You present opposite POV as well.
(First, tell what your stance is, and then go to the opposite side, you have to make the other party
heard.)
Synthesis – you defend your thesis, you refute / reject antithesis in synthesis.
In an expository essay, you give 16 to 17 different points. In an argumentative essay, you need just 5
points.
Example:
Method:
Argumentative Outline:
1- Introduction
Thesis Statement:
2- Overview paragraph
3- Thesis
a. .
b. .
c. .
d. .
e. .
4- Antithesis
a. Antithesis of 3a
b. Antithesis of 3b
c. Antithesis of 3c
d. Antithesis of 3d
e. Antithesis of 3e
5- Synthesis
a. Disproving 4a, proving 3a to be true.
b. Disproving 4b, proving 3b to be true.
c. Disproving 4c, proving 3c to be true.
d. Disproving 4d, proving 3d to be true.
e. Disproving 4e, proving 3e to be true.
6- Conclusion

You have to give 5 points, GPEST is good for brainstorming.

In synthesis, we do not find a middle way, we defend our thesis. We find out loopholes of antithesis and
make that argument weak.
We can give way forward in synthesis.
Practice in class:
Thesis: Death Penalty should be abolished
Antithesis: There will be increase in crime rate
Synthesis: Death penalty has not succeeded in lowering the crime rate.
(Mention the words “thesis”, “antithesis” and “synthesis” in the outline.)
Example:
Topic: Expanding Information Technology – a blessing or a curse?
Outline
1- Introduction
Thesis Statement: Spread of IT has created both negative and positive impacts in the
modern world. Despite some significant negative effects, expanding information technology is
more of a blessing due to the vast array of benefits that it has provided to mankind. By utilizing
checks and controls its negative effects can also be minimized.
2- How information technology can be blessing or curse
3- Advantages of Information technology to mankind (Thesis)
a. Communication has been immensely facilitated.
b. Ease of access to all humanity
c. IT has benefited all fields of knowledge.
d. Effect of expanding IT on Education, Health, and Human development
e. Positive and indiscriminate treatment of all mankind alike
4- People have also used Information Technology negatively (Antithesis)
a. Negative activities have also increased manifold due to ease of communication.
b. .
c. .
d. .
e. .
5- Information Technology has provided far mor benefits to mankind to outweigh its
disadvantages (Synthesis)
a. Evil minds are not limited to information technology only.
b. .
c. .
d. .
e. .
6- Conclusion
 Essay

Man’s imagination used to consider mythological gods having powers which were supernatural as long
as technology did not exist in the world. Communicating with unknown beings, being able to know about
worlds beyond one’s sight, and the ability to reach decisions quickly used to be godly virtues. However,
with the advent of information technology, man realized that he had finally got those mythological powers
which he always dreamt of having for mankind’s betterment. Thus, the use of IT has made the modern
world a heaven of godly powers which the ancient man could only dream of. However, spread of IT has
created both negative and positive impacts in the modern world. Despite some significant negative
effects, expanding information technology is more of a blessing due to the vast array of benefits that it
has provided to mankind. By utilizing checks and controls its negative effects can also be minimized. The
blessings of IT are manifest in ease of communication across the globe, ease of access to technology,
and by the seamless integration of IT into various fields of knowledge. Important sectors like education,
health, and human development have benefited greatly from the expansion of IT. Moreover, it is the broad
and indiscriminate access to humanity at large which is a prime feature of information technology.
Although the opponents of IT emphasize the negative effects of technology like remote influencing of
immature minds, lack of privacy, and identity theft, these efforts are mostly like making mountain out of a
molehill. (249 words)

Topic: Expanding Information Technology – a blessing or a curse?

2- How information technology can be blessing or curse

The expansion of information technology has registered both positive as well as negative impacts on the
modern world. On one hand, mankind has used information technology to facilitate the various complex
functions of the current era due to which it is called a blessing. For instance, there are 4.66 billion internet
users in the world today. The total number of internet users around the world grew by 321 million in the
past 12 months – more than 875,000 new users each day (John Clements, Worldwide Digital Population,
Nov. 2020). These high numbers show that information technology is being used by a large segment of
humanity today. On the other hand, it is called a curse as the spread of IT has led to increase in cyber-
crimes all over the world. For example, during the calendar year of 2019, 467,361 complaints of cyber-
crimes were received — an average of nearly 1,300 every day—and more than $3.5 billion in losses to
individual and business victims were recorded (Herjavec Group, 2019 Official Annual Cybercrime Report,
2019). This depicts the curse aspect of expanding information technology.

3a
The expansion of information technology has greatly facilitated communication all over the world. It is
possible for people to communicate with each other across the globe conveniently. The invention of
various soft-wares, apps, and communication platforms has made it easy for people around the globe to
connect with each other without any wastage of time. For example, SMS, email, WhatsApp, Messenger,
Twitter, etc. are just few of the methods used by millions across the globe to send and receive messages
and media to and from each other. In this way, information technology has expanded the scope of global
communication and has made it highly convenient. 105.

4a
However, many believe that expansion of information technology is not a blessing, rather it is a curse.
The ease of communication has also made it possible for evil-minded people to carry out their malefic
designs. The communication platforms are frequently used to spread negative content in the world and
thus influence weak and immature minds. An apt example could be the Blue Whale game which was
propagated through the information technology to millions across the globe. Several young people fell
prey to the evil designs of the makers of the Blue Whale game who ultimately gripped their minds so
much that they even committed suicides due to activities related to playing that game; more than 257
suicide attempts were reported globally (Ben Radford, Blue Whale Game Suicide Conspiracy Surfaces,
2018). Thus, the information technology has provided convenience to the criminal minds to influence
youth without any check and balance.

5a
Seeing the evidence provided by the opponents of information technology regarding ease of
communication leading to increased crimes, one may observe that their argument is not valid. The evil-
minded people are everywhere and can make use of any kind of technology; this does not mean that all
technology is a curse. A valid example may be the use of a kitchen knife which is used in millions of
households globally to prepare food on daily basis. The same tool may also be used by evil-minded
people to harm others. This means that the fault is not in the technology, but the way it is used. Hence,
it shows that information technology has proved to be more of a blessing as its benefits like ease of
communication far out-weigh the curses that have been devised by using it negatively.