Thoughts about Writing an English Essay
by Dr. Stephen Bonnycastle, Department of English

The main value in writing an essay is that it allows you to reflect on a problem which you think is important, and come to some conclusion about it. If you want to take your thoughts deeper on the subject of your essay, then you will probably write a good or a very good essay, because you will not be satisfied until you have got the information you need, and put together an argument that is convincing to you. The “wanting” here is important, because it makes you care about what you are doing.

A good English essay is focused on a problem which you feel is important and controversial. While topics provided by a professor may help to focus your thinking, you need to find your own area of interest within a given topic, or to devise a topic of your own, which the professor finds acceptable. The originality of your essay will come from your own particular desire to solve, or at least to clarify, a problem you are struggling with. The life-questions which works of literature deal with are presented in particular situations, with individual characters coping with them. For example, Levin has to decide if and how to propose to Kitty Scherbatsky in Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, not whether marriage-in-the-abstract is a good institution. So, an essay on literature can allow you to deal with a particular problem, which may be very similar to dealing with a particular problem in your own life.

Writing an English essay should not feel like an artificial exercise. The process responds to a need we all feel every day—the need to solve problems; only in writing an essay can we take the time to gather information, hold—or even cherish—the problem in our minds, think with care and subtlety, and articulate our conclusions in writing.

Here are the particular qualities of a good English essay:

1. An interesting thesis. Your essay should be designed to persuade your reader that your thesis is true. The thesis needs to be clearly stated early in the essay, usually as the last sentence in the first paragraph. Try to develop a controversial thesis if you can. You should be able to imagine someone disagreeing with you, and in some cases you may wish to state possible objections to your thesis, and reply to them. Beware of making generalizations which are too broad (about all literature, or all human beings, for instance). Some essay topics provide you with a thesis, but others merely suggest areas for you to work in. In the latter case, you need to work out your own, particular, thesis.
   
2. A structured argument with a beginning, middle, and end. The various parts of the essay should all contribute to the overall aim of the essay. Nothing should be superfluous or out of place. Try to keep your thesis in mind all the time, because that is what should unify your essay.
   

   The beginning should introduce the problem you are working on, provide the thesis statement, and, if possible, arouse the reader’s interest and anticipation. Do not use the beginning to make large generalizations about life or about the author unless they are essential to your argument.

   The middle provides the substance of your argument and the evidence for it. Avoid summarizing the literary work you are dealing with. Rather, cite directly from the text to support the point you are discussing, and relate your quotations to your argument.

   The end sums up your argument and restates your main conclusion(s). This should not be a word-for-word restatement of your thesis. You should be able to make a more complete statement at the end of your essay, because your conclusion rests on the evidence you have given in the middle of your essay. A good ending often has a ringing, persuasive quality, and it stays in the mind of the reader. This is exactly what you want.

3. A careful reading of the text you are dealing with. This is shown by your knowledge of its overall meaning and structure, and sometimes by your ability to quote effectively from it. A quotation should be the best support for your argument which you can find in the text. Short quotations are almost always better than long quotations.
   
4. Original thought and, if possible, authentic feeling. This means thoughts which you have worked out for yourself, not thoughts which no one has ever had or written down before. Originality is most often evident in the arrangements of points in the argument, which makes your own feelings and convictions evident. Sometimes secondary sources (i.e., critical works on the author whom you are discussing) can be helpful, but do not let a critic dominate you or your essay. Excellent essays can be written on most topics in undergraduate English courses without consulting secondary sources. Often critics squash students’ responses and feelings, and these are almost essential to writing good essays. Depending on the assignment, you are allowed to use the pronoun “I” in your essays, and to express your own feelings.
   
5. Lateral thinking. This occurs when you bring ideas from unexpected sources to bear on your subject—i.e., from your own experience, or from your own reading.
   
6. The ability to write good, clear, effective prose.
   
7. A good title. It may be descriptive, or poetic, or it may present a striking image. At least it should give the reader some idea of the text or topic you are writing about.
   
8. Consideration for your reader. Your essay is an act of communication between you and your professor. He or she will be attentive and open to new thoughts, but no reader is happy trying to follow obscure arguments or a series of arbitrary associations. The conventions of essay writing, like many rhetorical guidelines, exist to make communication between people easier. Don’t flout them unless you really need to in order to achieve your aim.

The format of the essay:

Double-space your essay. Use a title page, and put on it your title, your name, your squadron number, the course name, the professor’s name, and the date on which you are handing in the essay. Staple your essay once in the top left-hand corner. Do not use plastic sheets, binders, or folders, and do not fold your essay in half.

Use MLA style for in-text references and when formatting your Works Cited page.