ESSAY

Unit VII

The Expository Essay, Part 2: Writing the Essay

Lesson 1: Writing a Thesis Statement

Introduction

As we discussed in Unit VI, Lesson 1, an expository essay explains more about a topic. Quite literally, you are working to “expose” something to the reader. In an exposition essay, you are not looking to argue a point in order to persuade a reader to your point of view. Instead, you are looking to expose the reader to something with which he or she may not be familiar.

Formulating a Thesis Based on the Essay Form

As you begin to structure your essay, you want to think about how you will approach the topic of your choice. Recall for a moment the types of expository essays that were mentioned in Unit VI, Lesson 1:

· Cause/Effect: This explains the relationship between a cause and its effects or an effect coming from several causes.

· Example: When individuals become disabled, they often feel a sense of detachment and isolation from the life they had when they were fully able.

· Discussion: In this example thesis statement, you can see that there is a stated cause (becoming disabled) and a stated effect (the individual feels a sense of detachment and isolation).

· Problem/Solution: This establishes a problem and then includes three possible solutions or three aspects of the same possible solution. (You will choose three solutions or aspects for the expository essay, should you choose the problem/solution organization.)

· Example: When an individual becomes disabled, he or she can fight against feelings of detachment and isolation by seeking to share his or her story, seeking out connection with others who are disabled, and establishing a new sense of normal for his or her circumstances.

· Discussion: Note that this thesis is very similar to the cause/effect thesis, but in this thesis statement, there is a suggestion of a problem (feelings of detachment and isolation) and three solutions. Additionally, the writer could have chosen to describe three aspects of one solution instead.

· Sequential: This relies on conveying information about the topic by ordering items as they appear spatially or chronologically.

· Example: Often when an individual becomes disabled, he or she will experience grief, including the stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

· Discussion: The essay that comes from this thesis might not describe all of these five stages, but it certainly establishes a kind of timeline that signals to the reader that this essay will explore the process of grief as it relates to disability.

If you approach your research process using this method, then you will find yourself attempting to construct a paper that follows the general conventions of one of these forms. In many ways, these forms offer organization. Now let’s examine some ways to construct a thesis statement because, as we have established, your thesis should be at the forefront of everything that you do—from researching to drafting.

Formulating a Thesis Based on Research

A thesis statement should be crafted based upon the evidence. In other words, thesis statements are often crafted after research and reading have been done, not the other way around. If you are not sure what you want your thesis to be, then often you can find a great deal of inspiration based on your readings because it is only after having a firm understanding of a topic that we are able to state something about it with confidence.

At the same time, you may formulate a working thesis, a thesis that is your best assertion before and during the research process. Such a thesis statement can act as a guide as you approach the research process and can drive your outlining and planning. However, because it is a working thesis, you can feel free to revise it any time you begin to see the areas where it may need to be revised, reworked, or amended—even completely redrafted.

Brainstorming: Writing toward a Thesis Statement

In Unit II, Lesson 3, we discussed the prewriting method of brainstorming. Let’s review some of the process for brainstorming:

· Do not discriminate against any idea as you are brainstorming. Write down all ideas, and you can scratch out ideas that do not work for your project later. However, during the brainstorming process, you do not want to self-edit any ideas.

· Notes do not need to be in complete sentences: You can write in phrases, and you can write down key terms.

· You may want to start columns to help you begin categorizing ideas, but the main focus of brainstorming is not organization. You always have the outline to help you organize ideas when you are finished.

· Do not feel as though you need to brainstorm all in one session. Write down your ideas when they come to you: after taking a shower, after the drive to work, or while waiting for the kids. Sometimes inspiration can strike us at the strangest times!

· Another thing to consider is that we live in a great time when we have the benefit of technology that is often with us at all times. Do not feel as though you need to brainstorm on paper. Use a smartphone’s note function to take notes in a list. Text message or email yourself ideas when they strike you. You can even use the voice recorder on your phone or a free app to record your thoughts. Sometimes the best thoughts come to you faster than you can write them down.

· You do not have to work in isolation. You can always ask a friend or loved one to help you record thoughts as you have a conversation about your ideas. Some of the greatest breakthroughs happen in conversation with others.

If there is one lesson that we might learn from the approach of brainstorming, it is that ideas are difficult to work through! As much as we would like the process of writing to be easy and straightforward, it is often winding, as we learn about and understand a topic more and more with research and writing. In this class, we have contemplated the ways in which a thesis statement is like a conclusion in that it is the “big idea” of the paper that is placed at the beginning of the essay. While a thesis statement should never feel like the final word on a topic, it should give guidance to you as the writer and to the reader. Therefore, sometimes the best way to come to a thesis statement is to write to it, meaning that you begin to write your paper—freewriting and drafting—only to find that you are able to come to a thesis statement during that process. Commonly, we will fully understand our essay when we are writing our conclusion, and that is when we will begin to rewrite a thesis statement so that it more accurately fits with the essay as it is written.

Review

1. The form of the thesis statement for an expository essay should mirror the type of expository essay that is being written, whether it is cause/effect, problem/solution, or sequential.

2. With a working thesis, you can draft a thesis statement that can freely change as your ideas change.

3. Adopting the methods of brainstorming as you write can alleviate some of the pressure, as you can write to your thesis statement through freewriting and drafting.