English 0950

Essay #1

Frequently Asked Questions

1.) Can my "thesis" (the overall message or the central idea of the essay) be in my conclusion rather than in my introduction?

• YES. As I mentioned to many of you in conferences, the thesis is "normally" found in the introduction, and then the essay follows from the thesis. (Some people might say that the thesis "promises" or "forecasts" what the essay will be about, or it sets up an "expectation" of what the essay will be about.) However, sometimes, and this essay might be one of those times, the essay "leads up to" the thesis, and in this case, the thesis is best placed in the conclusion.

2.) Who is our audience for this paper?

• Everyone else in this room, including but not only me.

3.) How long should our final draft be?

• At least three (3) pages long.

4.) Can we print on both sides of the paper?

• I'd prefer you print on one side of the page only. However, printing on both sides is the "default" setting in the open computer lab downstairs, so if you can't figure out how to change it, please ask a computer lab assistant to help you.

5.) When do I start a new paragraph?

• Each time you begin a new idea, start a new paragraph. The general rule of thumb is "one main idea per paragraph."

6.) How long should paragraphs be?

• There is no firm guideline on paragraph length. They should be as long as they need to be to support and illustrate and explain the point you want to make. As I said to some of you in conferences, a paragraph might be "too long" if it has reached a full page or longer.

7.) How should I write my conclusion?

• Click here for some guidelines for writing conclusions. As I told some of you in conferences, conclusions can summarize what your essay was about, but they can also be more interesting. They can speculate about the future, they can get readers to think "beyond" your paper, and they can help readers apply the ideas in the paper to their own lives.

8.) Is it bad to have too much detail?

• Generally, in rough drafts, writers do not have too much detail. And many people think that "too much" detail will bore readers. However, in academic writing, professors are looking for you to prove what you know, for you to be able to support and illustrate and explain the ideas you want to make. Generally, this means having more detail than you might normally be used to providing.

9.) How should a paragraph be written?

• In general, a paragraph should begin by announcing or stating its main idea. Then, details, examples, and explanation should be given about the main idea. Finally, the paragraph should end with some analysis or commentary about the main idea.

10.) Do I need to hand in an outline?

• NO, but I do encourage you to use one, if not before your rough draft, then sometime during the revision process to check your structure.

11.) Can I use first-person "I" in this paper?

• YES, and it makes sense, since the paper is about you and someplace where you worked, and your coworkers, and what you feel about all of it.

12.) Do I capitalize words like Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, Asians, etc.?

• Check RFW in the chapter on capitalization.