Here's how to write your best essay ever...

Transcription

1 2010 Steve Campsall Here's hw t write yur best essay ever... Whatever the essay yu have been asked t write, the key t making it as effective as it can be is t write it as a wellstructured and well-supprted argument. Yu will find that an argument essay is easier t plan, mre fulfilling t write and fr yur teacher (r the examiner)... a pleasure t mark (and that s n bad thing!!). It s imprtant t get ne thing ut f the way at the utset: an essay questin has n right answer. Yu can breathe easy n that ne. It s just nt like that. This is English and we leave thse kinds f right answers t the mathematicians and scientists. An English essay is nt an answer in that way at all, rather, it s an infrmed pinin; but, like all pinins, it ll require explanatin, argument and supprt. It requires yu t argue yur case. What s the first thing yu d when yu set abut starting an essay? Many peple start by searching thrugh the text n which their essay is based in the hpe f finding suitable qutatins t help answer the essay questin. Well, there s n getting away frm this basic prcess, but there are ways t make it altgether mre efficient, useful and mst imprtantly, mre likely t earn a higher grade. Mre n this later. The Argument Essay The secret f a gd essay? Write it as an argument fr what yu believe! What is there t argue abut? Plenty! Yu ll be arguing t supprt yur pint f view n the essay questin - ne that yu ve bldly stated in the pening lines f the essay! This is what I believe and I m ging t shw yu why I believe it..! This is a view yu ll have develped after careful reflectin and cnsideratin n what the essay questin r title asks r states. The trick is t be able t cndense this view dwn int a brief and succinct statement. This becmes what is called yur thesis statement. Writing an essay as an argument makes it easier t keep the essay fcused, clear and lgical; nt nly that but what yu write is much mre likely t stay in line with the essay questin. This means that yu wn t lse marks thrugh waffling, generalising r re-telling. Essays are abut pinins, nt facts It s wrth repeating that ne f the mst interesting aspects f English essays is that there can never be a straightfrward right answer. This desn t mean yu can t get things wrng thrugh, fr example, misinterpreting the text, but it des mean that the answer t any essay will always be yur pinin r pint f view: essays deal in pinins, nt facts. This is why yur teacher is lking t read in yur essay yur views and why yu have cme t think in this particular way. Hw d yu arrive at an verriding pint f view? This is the hardest part f the essay, fr sure. Nt least, this is because it puts t the test yur knwledge f the text and yur understanding f the essay title r questin. The gd news is that when its dne and dne well, the remainder f the essay becmes s very much mre straightfrward t write. But it s easier than might be imagined. Imagine fr a mment that, instead f being asked t write yur essay, yu were asked t answer the same questin in class. What wuld be expected f yu? A thusand-wrd reply? Of curse nt. What wuld be wanted is fr yu t give a highly cndensed answer - a kind f verall cnclusin r take n the essay questin. Yu might begin this with smething like, Frm my understanding f the text, I think that.... In the written essay, this take n the questin is central t making the essay an argument. Yu write it at the beginning f the essay and this becmes the single cntrlling idea that flws thrughut the remaining paragraphs f the essay. It is the idea that hlds the essay tgether, helping it flw with seeming lgic and naturalness. Mre later. Because the thesis statement is yur cndensed answer t the essay questin, it prvides exactly the kind f strng initial fcus that will allw yu t g n t create a highly fcused and structured essay. This is just the kind f essay t which examiners and teachers give the highest marks.

2 The Argument Essay s Outline Structure FIRST PARAGRAPH This is a clear, cndensed statement f yur verall viewpint n the essay tpic r questin. This statement is then slightly expanded by prviding a succinct summatin (i.e. a kind f list) f what will frm the main pints f yur argument. These early few sentences tgether act t prvide the majr signpsts that shw the general directin f the essay and its argument. T prvide an accunt f the s-called big picture f the text - and thus t set an authritative tne that suggests yu knw the text well - the pening paragraph als needs t have a highly cndensed accunt f the text s stry and circumstance - but ne that is tightly fcused n the needs f the essay title r questin. The pening paragraph smetimes als needs t include brief details f the authr s cntext, but nly if entirely relevant and imprtant t the essay questin. Ntice hw, all f the time, yu are aviding waffle and generalised cmment, instead keeping all yu write tightly fcused n the needs f the essay title r questin. BODY PARAGRAPHS A series f paragraphs fllws with each being develped arund a single imprtant and whlly relevant pint. Far, far t ften essay paragraphs pen in ways that d nt shw that the student is in sme imprtant way clearly and directly develping the essay s answer r argument. This kind f ff-target pening leads t waffle and generalisatin and... lst marks. Try hard t avid this by pening each and every paragraph with a tpic sentence - ne that cntains the main argument f the paragraph. The pint arund which each paragraph is based needs t prvide justificatin fr the thesis statement given in the pening paragraph. The pints must d n mre than develp the argument and each pint must be supprted with evidence, ften in the frm f a qutatin taken frm the text, alng with an explanatin f hw this evidence wrks bth as an effective use f language and as a cntributin t the text. CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH This is a restatement f the pening argument, a listing f the main pints and a cmment n the wider implicatins f the findings. Using Qutatins It will help t think back t the imaginary classrm situatin. What wuld fllw n frm the highly cndensed answer yu gave t yur teacher? Yur teacher might say, Gd, that s a fair view t hld - but why d yu think that? Shw me frm the text itself what made yu think that way. In the written essay, yu ll need t be prviding a whle lt mre evidence mainly in the frm f qutatins each ne itself supprted by a cmmentary derived frm an analysis f the qutatin s literary and linguistic cntent. Hwever, with a central and guiding argument starting ff and flwing thrugh the entire essay, it nw becmes much easier t search the text fr aspects and qutatins that will prvide gd quality evidence t supprt the essay s pints. In general, yu shuld be aiming fr ne brief but apt qutatin per paragraph. Each pint and supprting qutatin needs t be fllwed by an analysis and cmment. Sme teachers call this the PEE (pint > example > explanatin) r PQC (pint > qutatin > cmment) system. This is needed t explain hw and why the aspect f the text r the qutatin wrks within the cntext f the essay questin and the riginally stated argument. Certain key questins need t be answered cncerning each qutatin used: What techniques have been used t make the language f the qutatin effective? This means discussing the writer s methds, e.g. thrugh the creatin f realistic dialgue; the use f an effective metaphr; thrugh vivid descriptin; nmatpeia; alliteratin; effective stage directins, etc. 2

3 Hw des the methd used affect the reader s understanding f the text and its themes (e.g. the effect f this passage is t create a sense f really being there fr the reader... )? Why was this methd used (i.e. what was the writer s purpse)? E.g. At this pint n the stry the authr wants t gain the reader s attentin in rder t begin explring the verall theme f injustice... MARK GRABBING TIP N. 1! Begin all f yur paragraphs in such a way that it is abslutely clear yu are fcused n the essay questin and its requirements, thus building up yur verall argument. This will keep the essay n track and avid the plague f pr essays: wandering, digressin and waffle! What if yur essay title isn t in the frm f a questin? If yu think abut it, all essays titles are a kind f questin. They have t be because they are asking fr yur pinin abut smething. Hwever, if yur essay title desn t easily lend itself t yu seeing it as a type f questin, yur teacher will almst certainly be willing t alter it int ne if yu ask. Fr example, if yu were given the title, Discuss Shakespeare s presentatin f ambitin in Macbeth, yu culd mentally cnsider this as, Hw and why des Shakespeare present the theme f ambitin in Macbeth?. If yu think abut it, yu ll see that bth f these essay titles are all-but identical and will lead t the same final essay. When cnsidered as a questin, yu will ften find it is easier t generate that all-imprtant single main pint f view t it - the main idea upn which yu will then base the remainder f yur essay. Here is an example f a main idea succinctly stated (i.e. thesis statement) that culd be used t create an argument essay frm the abve questin: In my essay, I shall be arguing that Shakespeare presents the theme f ambitin in his play, Macbeth, thrugh the play s tw majr characters, Lrd and Lady Macbeth, and that this theme is brught t a terrible cnclusin as the play prgresses. The remainder f this - r any ther - essay must then be n mre than a linked series f pints with each pint explained, develped and supprted in a paragraph f its wn. These pints must all be directly related t the main idea yu have already explained in the pening paragraph, which itself is yur respnse t the essay title r questin. Remember that each pint - each paragraph - must set ut t explain, develp and supprt sme aspect f yur ver-riding main idea and nthing mre. In this example, the paragraph that fllws the pening paragraph - the first f what is called the bdy paragraphs f yur essay - culd be based n the pint that the theme f ambitin is shwn thrugh what Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are given by Shakespeare t say and d in Act One f the play. The third paragraph f yur essay - its secnd bdy paragraph - might then explre, develp and supprt hw the theme f ambitin is shwn thrugh these tw characters in sme part f Act 2, and s n... Belw yu ll find lts mre detail and ideas fr writing an effective essay but with luck, the abve will have given yu the basic idea. MARK-GRABBING TIP N 2! Aim t integrate wrds r phrases frm the text yu are studying directly int yur wn sentences (still using qutatin marks, f curse). Dn t verd this effective technique, but used sparingly, this use f embedded qutatins can help create a very impressive style, ne that suggests yu have a gd grasp f the text and the essay questin. Here are sme examples f hw t use embedded qutatins. The first is frm the pening f Jhn Steinbeck s nvel, Of Mice and Men : Small and quick Gerge is presented by Steinbeck as a character in cmplete cntrast t his 3

4 friend, the lumbering and shapeless Lennie... Here is a similarly embedded qutatin frm J B Priestley s An Inspectr Calls : As the Inspectr says, We dn t live alne and this is an imprtant message Priestley gives his audience... Finally, see hw this can be dne using Jhn Agard s pem, Half-Caste : Perhaps Agard als wants his reader t cme back tmrrw with a different attitude twards thse they might feel are in any way different frm themselves. MORE TIPS AND MORE DETAIL! Essays take a great deal f effrt and time and s deserve careful preparatin. The mst cmmn failing examiners find is a lack f understanding f the text n which the essay is based. This is t take the rad signpsted Failure. But yu re heading elsewhere... S... get t knw yur text well. Yu wn t succeed if yu dn t! If yu struggle with the text, read it thrugh again with a study guide t hand. Als, talk the text ver with friends r yur teacher. There is mre help with specific texts here. Many essay writers fail t create an initial main viewpint r drift frm this single fcus. This lses marks as it leads t waffle, vagueness and generalisatin. As yu ve read abve, anther cmmn pitfall is t fcus t much n the surface features f the text yu are writing abut. This happens when yu write at length abut the meaning f the text, i.e. by telling what happens in it. In effect, all yu are ding when yu d this is t retell the stry f the text. Instead, yu shuld fcus n answering the essay questin by interpreting the text s layers f meaning. Yu need t be discussing hw and why the authr has created an effective text thrugh careful, interesting and effective chices f style and language as well as structure. Mre marks are lst if yu frget the need t supprt the pints yu make in each paragraph. A gd idea is t try t use at least ne qutatin - r reference t the text - per paragraph. Remember, t, that this is an English essay and this means yu need t reflect hw authrs use language and literary techniques in effective ways in their writing. Aim nly t chse qutatins that cntain imprtant elements in them that will allw yu t discuss in depth aspects f, fr example, their literary style, language r structure. Cnsider discussing, fr example, hw the qutatin acts t build tensin, md, character, a sense f place r hw it helps explre ne f the text s themes. Discuss, t, hw the qutatin wrks bth at the pint it ccurs and as a cntributin t the whle, i.e. the way it helps the writer achieve his r her purpse. This means yu need t discuss aspects f the qutatin such as its effectiveness - which means discussing aspects f language, structure and style. STEP-BY-STEP DEVELOP A STRONG INITIAL FOCUS FOR YOUR ESSAY The wrd essay cmes frm a French wrd meaning attempt : yur essay is yur attempt t argue fr yur pint f view, a view that when succinctly expressed is called a thesis statement. This thesis statement needs t be an idea yu develped based n an interpretatin f whatever aspect f the text is asked in the essay questin. Interpretatin means cnsidering hw a text perates at different levels; it is yur interpretatin f the text that will be at the heart f the essay: an interpretatin that must supprts the verall thesis statement. 2. FIND SOLID SUPPORT FOR YOUR VIEWPOINT Yu will need t search thrugh the text and nte dwn a series f aspects and qutatins that can be used t supprt the verall view yu have develped. 4

5 Use pst-it ntes t help with this r write the aspects/qutatins dwn separately. Chse aspects r qutatins that yu can analyse successfully fr the methds used, effects created and purpse intended. 3. WRITE AN EFFECTIVE OPENING PARAGRAPH Use yur intrductry paragraph t state yur pint f view, i.e. yur thesis statement. The purpse f yur pening paragraph is t make clear yur thesis statement - respnse t the essay questin: that is, t explain the fcus f yur argument - yur main idea r pint f view. Stated clearly at the pening t yur essay, this shws hw yu intend t answer the essay questin and what general directin yur essay will take. Fllwing yur thesis statement, it s a gd idea t add a little mre detail that acts t preview each f the majr pints that yu will cver in the bdy f the essay. This pening paragraph will then act t shw - succinctly - where yu stand regarding the questins and hw yu intend t answer it. Imprtantly, in the pening paragraph f yur essay yu will als need t write an verview f the text, ne that gives a succinct summary f the big picture f the text; imprtantly, t, f curse, this must be fcused n the requirements f the essay questin. Giving a succinct accunt f the big picture f the text in the pening paragraph will shw that yu have engaged with and digested the detail f three key aspects f the essay: the essay questin, the text and its authr - perhaps als, a brief accunt f the authr s cntext. Giving an verview suggests a cnfident apprach and is a hallmark f the best essays. TIP: It is always impressive t incrprate int yur wn sentences, using qutatin marks f curse, a shrt suitable qutatin taken frm the text. Sme teachers call this using embedded qutatins. Keep all references t the bigraphical backgrund f the authr and any aspects f his r her cntext entirely relevant t the essay questin and - brief! Remember that this is nt a histry r a scilgy essay s very few marks are awarded fr this kind f backgrund infrmatin (althugh that des nt mean it might nt be useful). The majrity f marks in an English essay are awarded fr the quality f analysis and interpretatin yu shw - that is, an awareness f the authr s uses f the English language and literary uses f this. If yur essay title des cncern aspects f cntext try hard t discuss cntext by deriving yur cmments frm qutatins rather than by merely discussing aspects f cntext; in ther wrds allw the text t intrduce the cntext. TIP: avid making simplistic and irrelevant value judgments f the text r its authr. Saying that Shakespeare is a wnderful authr r that yu think Of Mice and Men is really gd will gain n marks whatsever - this is n mre than a kind f waffle that fills space with empty wrds that add nthing useful t yur essay. 4. USE THE REMAINING PARAGRAPHS EFFECTIVELY POINT > EXAMPLE > EXPLAIN Fllw the pening paragraph with a number f paragraphs that frm the bdy f the essay. Each f these paragraphs are there purely t expand n and supprt yur riginally stated verall viewpint. Having stated yur main idea in yur pening paragraph, nw yu need explre this, develp it and prvide supprt frm the text fr this. In the essay s bdy paragraphs yur aim is t: fllw the analysis system called P.E.E. r P.Q.C. wrk thrugh the text s structure lgically and, highlighting via the use f qutatins, explain hw these led yu t develp yur pint f view; cmment n hw the language f each f these parts led yu t frm yur interpretatin: why did the authr chse 5

6 this particular type f language t make this pint in this way? Hw des it help a) the audience and b) the writer s purpse r theme? discuss hw this individual part f the text frms a useful structural part f the text by leading the reader twards an verall understanding f the themes, messages r purpses f the text; CRUCIALLY... each paragraph needs t develp a separate and individual pint - ne that will help t shw hw different parts and aspects f the text helped yu develp yur interpretatin and viewpint (this is the POINT part f P.E.E.); A useful tip is t pen each paragraph with a tpic sentence. This is a sentence that clearly makes a pint that is develping yur argument - yur answer t the essay questin - and, because it is, therefre, clearly fcused n the essay questin, it will keep yur writing n track; Always aim t prvide supprt fr each f the pints yu make by referring directly t the text (this is the EXAMPLE part f P.E.E.). Yu nrmally d this by quting briefly frm a relevant part f the text but yu might chse t describe an event. It s very imprtant NOT t write a lng descriptin f WHAT happens. If yu d yu are merely retelling the stry - this lses many marks. In a play yu als lse marks if yu d nt discuss aspects f the staging and stage actin. Yu will need t fllw each qutatin with an explanatin f and a discussin n aspects f the language the authr used in the qutatin; this means discussing, fr example, hw aspects f the qutatins literary, petic r dramatic language wrks, including mentining the methd the writer used, the effect the language creates and the reasns this might have been dne (this is the EXPLAIN part f P.E.E). Yu shuld als aim t shw hw the qutatin helped yu develp yur verall interpretatin f the text (this is als the EXPLAIN part f P.E.E). 5. CREATE A LOGICAL STRUCTURE Always wrk in a clear way thrugh the text, frm beginning t end. Avid starting yur essay by discussing a pint that ccurs half way thrugh yur text: ALWAYS begin at the beginning! Many students begin discussing a text half way thrugh r even near the end then g back t an earlier pint. This ignres the wrk the writer puts in t develp an effective structure t their text - and lses marks! 6. CONCLUDE EFFECTIVELY The cnclusin t an essay is imprtant but causes prblems fr sme students. It shuld leave yur reader with a pleasant and lgical sense f clsure - a wrapping up f the main ideas behind the essay. Refer back t yur pening argument - but t try t avid any simple repetitin f its wrding. Fllw n with a succinct bringing tgether f yur main pints (again, aviding simple repetitin f the same wrds): list r summarise the main pints frm the preceding paragraphs (use the tpic sentences frm each paragraph t give yu these). End by identifying any wider implicatins that yu feel arise frm what yu have fund and explred. The cnclusin shuld cnsist f just a few sentences but these will need t be made t sund cnvincing and authritative. It s crucial t keep the cnclusin brief and t the pint and, abve all else, t intrduce n new material at all. WRITE ANALYTICALLY, NOT DESCRIPTIVELY Here is an example f hw many students g wrng; dn t wrry, yu wn t - but this is a very cmmn mistake: In William Shakespeare s play, Rme and Juliet, these are the first tw lines f the Prlgue as spken by The 6

7 Chrus : Tw husehlds, bth alike in dignity, In fair Verna, where we lay ur scene... What fllws is a typical retelling : an verview r translatin that gains n marks: Here, Shakespeare is saying that the play is set in Verna where there are tw dignified families. Cmpare the abve descriptin with this analytical and insightful interpretatin: The pening lines f the Prlgue are imprtant because they paint a picture fr the audience f what culd and shuld be - fairness and dignity. These wrds set up a pwerful cntrast t what is: the vilence, hatred and bldshed shwn in the cming scene. It will be against this vilent backdrp that the pure lve f Rme and Juliet will have t struggle. Which apprach and style wuld gain the higher mark? KEY THINGS TO LOOK FOR AND WRITE ABOUT IN ALL TEXTS FOUR KEY ASPECTS THAT WILL HELP FORM THE BASIS OF AN ESSAY: AN ANALYSIS OF FORM, CONTENT, STRUCTURE AND STYLE FORM This is smething many students ignre and yet it can create the basis fr sme highly subtle and useful pints - and subtlety is always highly rewarded with high marks! When yu cnsider the frm f a text, yu will be analysing hw aspects ther than the meaning f its language help it in imprtant ways. Yu yurself make use f the frm f language, fr instance, when yu chse t say a wrd r phrase ludly r sftly, r when yu r text a friend and write in all capital letters (a use f frm that signals yu are shuting ). Als, when yu create shrt r lng sentences r paragraphs yu are affecting the lk - the frm - f yur writing and, in subtle ways, this will affect the way the writing is received and understd. A nvelist makes use f frm by writing in sentences and paragraphs f varying lengths (yu can imagine the effect a very shrt sentence, r a ne-line paragraph, fr example). The use f dialgue (spken wrds shwn inside speech marks) is als an effective use f frm, as is the use f underlining, bld r italics - r, in nn-fictin texts, the inclusin f bullet pints r sectins. Pets are acutely aware f and very creative with the use f frm. A pet makes use f frm, fr example, by cnsciusly splitting up sentences int the lines f petry. This allws the pet t exaggerate a particular wrd by placing it at the end f a line, r by rhyming it with a similar sunding wrd. A nn-fictin writer makes use f frm by using layut and appearance and by adding illustratins and phtgraphs, and s n. All writers use frm by using patterns f sund, such as by using alliteratin, rhyme, rhythm, nmatpeia, assnance and s n. A playwright, f curse, uses frm very differently. When yur essay cncerns a play, therefre, yu ll definitely be lsing marks if yu ignre aspects f frm. In a play, much f the meaning is created nt frm language but frm what yu see happening n the stage - the staging and stage actin. This includes nt just what the actrs d but what they wear, where they stand and s n - all ptentially imprtant frmal aspects f the play that shuld find their way nt yur essay. 7

8 Frm is always wrthy f cmment if it adds, even if subtly, t the meaning - the cntent - f a text. CONTENT Wrds nt nly have frm, they als cntain meaning - this is called their cntent. Frm and cntent are like tw sides f a cin. There are several ways that writers are able t make use f the cntent f language that are creative, interesting t readers and effective in engaging their attentin: Literal Meaning Every wrd and phrase has a literal meaning. This is its basic dictinary meaning - a basic meaning that is als called its dentatin. E.g. In this stry, the authr s detailed descriptin f darkness dentes the cming n f a strm. Figurative Meaning This is away f playing with the meaning f wrds that can certainly help make writing mre vivid, emtinal and interesting. Wrds and phrases can be used utside f their literal cntext and be given a different kind f meaning called a cnntatin. Using cnntatin r figurative language, a writer can easily create mre than ne layer f meaning - especially emtinal meaning (dn t frget wrds create bth meaning and feeling). The mst cmmn way this is dne is t use a wrd nt fr its literal meaning but fr its metaphrical meaning. Anther way is t use a wrd that acts as a symbl fr a different meaning altgether. E.g. As well as suggesting the cming f a strm, the darkness als acts t suggest a metaphrical darkness is taking ver the character s mind. In this way the darkness seems t be symblising a kind f evil. Using a pun - a play n wrds - is anther way that meaning can be played with in an interesting way. Punning wrks because sme wrds, in a certain cntext, can have an ambiguus meaning - tw pssible meanings - ne f which might be humrus. Irny Irny is anther imprtant way thrugh which language can create mre than ne layer f meaning. Unlike sarcasm which is a frm f irny that is intended usually t hurt smene s feelings and is rather crude and easy, irny is mre subtle, sphisticated and witty; altgether a mre intelligent use f language. But irny can als be difficult t recgnise - yet it is prbably true t say that irny is ne f the mst cmmn means by which a sphisticated writer creates layers f meaning in a text. Irny can engage readers clsely with a text because, rather like slving a puzzle, there is enjyment and satisfactin in unpicking the levels f meaning created by the irny. Creating an irnic tne f vice in writing is much harder than in speech because the riginal sund f vice and facial expressin r bdy language f the speaker are absent. T create an irnic tne (r any tne, fr that matter), wrds have t be chsen with great care. It is a key reading skill t be able t detect this as it tells yu what attitude the writer is taking twards their subject matter. STRUCTURE The cntent f a text is never available immediately (except in a single wrd, maybe: STOP!). Meaning needs t be built up thrughut a text in ways that are ften imprtant t the verall effect n the listener r reader. This is the structure f the text. Structure is the way a writer cnsciusly shapes a piece f writing in an attempt t make it as effective as pssible fr their audience and their purpse. It is imprtant t cmment n the structure f a text, e.g. The way the authr slwly builds up the tensin thrughut this chapter helps create a feeling f real excitement and mystery. STYLE Style is the way a writer r speaker cnsciusly chses language and language features t suit a particular audience t achieve a specific purpse. When yu aim t cnvince yur mum that Friday s party cannt be missed, yu will cnsciusly adapt yur style t ne that is mre emtinal and persuasive! 8

9 Sme famus writers have a particular style f their wn that is quickly recgnisable. Jhn Steinbeck, Charles Dickens and William Wrdswrth are three such writers - here, a writer s individual style is smetimes referred t as the writer s vice. Yur primary jb when analysing and discussing a text is t cmment n its style - n what are called the stylistic r language chices its writer has made, especially thse that seem t yu t have been chsen t create a particular effect t achieve a certain purpse. S... if yu are cmmenting n the frm and cntent f a writer s language, yu are cmmenting n the writer s style. COMPARING TWO OR MORE TEXTS Even thugh it s a central part f the mark scheme, and always made clear in the essay questin r title, each year many students still manage t write their cmparisn exam answer r cursewrk essay and frget t cmpare and cntrast the texts... Aside frm nt knwing the texts sufficiently well, failing t cmpare and cntrast is the number ne reasn marks are lst in this kind f essay. When writing abut mre than ne text, yur pening paragraph shuld be used t give the briefest details f each text (i.e. yur writing needs t be succinct!). This will mean being even mre careful and sparing when yu write an verview f each text, in which yu give the big picture. It s vital t keep everything relevant and tightly fcused n the requirements f the essay questin and yur argument. There are tw methds yu can cnsider using when cmparing texts: 1) Write abut the first text fully befre mving n t the secnd - still using the techniques utlined abve; but when yu g n t write abut the secnd text, yu must cmpare and cntrast it with the first. 2) Alternatively, and this makes the mst sense when thinking abut the argument essay, yu write abut bth texts as yu prceed. This allws yu still, as shwn abve, t create a central argument, ne in which examples t supprt the pints are taken frm ne r bth texts as relevant t the pint. This secnd methd is the mre cmplex and sphisticated f the tw. Yu will still need t pen each paragraph with a pint that helps answer the essay questin, i.e. a pint that supprts yur verall view stated in the pening paragraph. 9