Don't let it bug you. Writing essays can be enjoyable, and goes a long way to helping you to understand. You need to be fairly systematic to be a scientist, and a bit systematic even in ordinary life, and planning essays can help you.
A. Value of Essays
Organises thoughts
Personal expression—own point of view
Diagnostic—discover strengths and weaknesses
Important practice for exams
Don’t treat as a chore—chance to show your ability.
B. Understanding the Task
Note the precise requirements:
general or specific?
broad or detailed?
objective survey or personal judgments?
particular sources of data?
purely descriptive or explanations?
discussion of implications?
applications? etc.
C. Collecting Material
Purpose essential:
promotes effective reading
saves time.
Ask questions at the outset
Ask more questions while researching
Start as soon as the essay is given:
you will be alert for relevant ideas
your unconscious mind will work on the problem.
Keep a notebook for ideas
Sources of information:
tutor’s references
references in books, journals, encyclopaedias, etc
library—staff will help
informal sources—lectures, tutorials, newspapers, conversations, etc.
Record the sources:
title, author, publisher, place, date
credit sources used (author, date).
D. Planning the Essay
Select the relevant material:
reject trivial,~obscure, tentative material
select enough to support the argument.
Write an outline:
use creative patterns
helps logical sequence (continuity) and fluency
saves time wasting, crossing out and re-writing unnecessarily.
Introduction:
comment on subject and treatment
survey background information.
Main body:
argue through 2 or 3 main ideas
support with examples and evidence.
Conclusion:
summarise the argument
what are the firm or tentative conclusions from the evidence
review the wider implications, signifance for the future, further work, etc.
E. Write First Draft
Write conclusions first:
gives a sense of purpose
gives a clear ending—not a “fadeoout”.
Style:
simple and direct
short sentences
be concise.
Iayout:
should help the reader
reflect the structure of the argument
each main idea—a new paragraph
illustrations save words
distinguish your ideas from others
name sources
for quotations—“quotation marks”
use headings and sub~headings
end with a brief bibliography.
F. Rewrite
Reasons:
more objective
fresh approach
chance to notice weaknesses
chance for criticism.
Criticise:
ask friends/colleagues to comment
check:
does it fulfil title?
are the main aspects covered?
is the depth of treatment right?
is it logical?
is it well supported with evidence?
are there any obscure or pompous phrases?
Eliminate all weaknesses.
Presentation:
Essay marking is subjective
must create a good impression
write legibly—illegible writing can cause the loss of a whole grade
examiners/tutors have a lot to mark—make it easier for them.
The religious paradise of youth was a first attempt to free myself from the chains of “the merely personal”, from an existence dominated by wishes, hopes, and primitive feelings. Out yonder there was this huge world, which exists independently of us human beings and which stands before us like a great, eternal riddle, at least partially accessible to our inspection and thinking. The contemplation of this world beckoned as a liberation, and I soon noticed that many a man whom I had learned to esteem and to admire had found inner freedom and security in its pursuit. The mental grasp of this extra-personal world within the frame of our capabilities presented itself to my mind, half consciously, half unconsciously, as a supreme goal. Similarly motivated men of the present and of the past, as well as the insights they had achieved, were the friends who could not be lost. The road to this paradise was not as comfortable and alluring as the road to the religious paradise, but it has shown itself reliable, and I have never regretted having chosen it.
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