1. Plan
Making a truly excellent strategy may seem time-consuming, but you’ll really save time writing the essay because you’ll know where your response is going and won’t back yourself into a corner. Write down a few thoughts nonetheless if you’re stuck at first; chances are the rest will come. Making a mental map, with each new “bubble” standing in for one of my key paragraphs, is what I find the most efficient. I then record quotes that will be pertinent to my analysis of the bubble.
For instance, if I had to respond to the inquiry, “How much does Curley’s wife appear to be a victim in Of Mice and Men?” I might start a mind map with something similar to this:
An illustration of a mind map for essay writing
This strategy can be expanded upon by crossing off sections and connecting the various bubbles when you see links between them. Even while you won’t have enough time to create such a thorough plan before a test, it might still be beneficial to simply jot down a quick plan with a few keywords so that you don’t worry and veer off course when writing your essay. There are numerous alternatives to the mind map format if you don’t like it: you might create a table, a flowchart, or just a list of bullet points.
2. Possess an obvious structure
When you are planning, keep this in mind. Your best essay writer must have a logical framework, with all of your points coming together to address the question, just like an argument or speech would. Start with the fundamentals: it is important to select a few key elements that will serve as the focal points of your primary paragraphs. Given the time constraints, three key paragraphs is a fair number for an exam essay.
If you agree with the question in its entirety, format your points as YES (agreement with the question) – AND (another “YES” point) – BUT (disagreement or complication) or YES – BUT – AND if you disagree. This will make sure that you stay on topic and stay close to the main question throughout your whole argument.
The sample question for Of Mice and Men, for instance, could be phrased as follows:
How much does Of Mice and Men portray Curley’s wife as a victim?
Yes, her physical attributes and how others see her matter, but she has power since she is the only woman on the ranch and she takes use of that.
If you wanted to write a longer essay, you could add more paragraphs under the ‘YES/AND’ category, perhaps discussing the ways in which Curley’s wife shares her vulnerabilities and insecurities with the other characters and discusses her dreams; alternatively, you could lengthen your essay by adding another ‘BUT’ paragraph about her cruel and cunning streak.
Of course, this is not always the only appropriate response to this essay question. You are free to choose any position that makes sense as long as you support it with evidence from the text.
3. Support your arguments with insightful quotations.
Why should it be any different when writing an essay? You wouldn’t write a scientific report without providing proof to back up your findings, would you? It’s not necessary to use a quotation to support every single point you make, but it doesn’t hurt to try. Your understanding of the question can be improved by carefully reading your quotations, and examiners will be impressed.
Look for certain literary devices while choosing the greatest quotations to include in your essay. For instance, you could talk about the rhetorical question Curley’s wife uses when she asks, “An’ what am I doin’?” Speaking to a group of bindle stiffs while I’m standing here:
The query “An’ what am I doin’?” is rhetorical. shows how insecure Curley’s wife is; she appears to be considering her own life decisions. She also emphasizes how lonely she is by not anticipating a response to her question.
The following literary devices are some to watch out for:
- A tricolon is a punctuation mark used to emphasize a group of three words or sentences.
- Tautology is the use of many words to convey the same meaning, such as “frightening” and “terrifying.”
- Parallelism, which has the ABAB structure, frequently denotes transition from one concept to another.
- Chiasmus, using the ABBA framework, highlights the statement.
- Several conjunctions in a sentence is known as polysyndeton.
- Lack of conjunctions in a sentence, known as asyndeton, might make it flow more quickly.
- Using the same word in multiple ways to emphasize something, such as “done” and “doing”
- Assonance (similar vowel sounds), plosive alliteration (‘b’, ‘d’ and ‘p’ sounds), and sibilance (‘s’ sounds) are a few examples of distinct types of alliteration.
- Anaphora is the repetition of words, which is frequently employed to emphasize a certain point.
If you are having trouble identifying any of these literary devices in the piece you are analyzing, don’t panic; you can also talk about effects that are more obvious, such metaphor, simile, and onomatopoeia. It doesn’t matter if you can’t recall all the complicated terms; what matters is how you explain how the literary devices affect the story and how they relate to the topic.
4. Display originality and creativity throughout.
With the aforementioned advice, anyone can write an essay, but what actually makes it “great” is your own particular perspective on the subject you’re writing about. In your reading, if you come across anything unique or odd, mention it because chances are the examiner will find it fascinating as well.
You might be surprised to learn how closely creative writing and essay writing are related. By approaching your writing with the mindset of a speech or argument, you can be sure to capture the interest of your audience.
It’s critical to lay out your line of reasoning in the introduction, outlining your key arguments and the overall course your essay will go. Nevertheless, don’t forget to save some material for the conclusion as well. Obviously, you should summarize your important ideas, but if all you do is restate what you said in the opening, the essay loses all of its meaning.
Instead of the tedious plenary at the end of the engaging material, consider your conclusion to be the speech’s climax—the part that everything else has been building up to.
Here is an illustration of the ideal distinction between an introduction and a conclusion, using Of Mice and Men once more:
Introduction:
Curley’s wife is portrayed as an unclear figure in John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men. She could be perceived as a cold, alluring temptress or as an isolated individual who is the victim of societal expectations. Curley’s wife is mostly a victim, even though she does appear to possess some sexual power. Steinbeck’s descriptions of her appearance, other people’s reactions, her nightmares, and her obvious loneliness and insecurity lend credence to this perspective.
Conclusion:
At the end, it is obvious that Curley’s wife is a victim and is portrayed as such throughout the entire book, in the descriptions of her appearance, her dreams, other people’s judgmental attitudes, and her loneliness and fears. Curley’s wife, on the other hand, is not a one-dimensional character like a victim would be. She is portrayed to assert herself through the exploitation of her femininity, despite the fact that she suffers in many ways; this is a minor revolt against the victimization she encounters.
The conclusion adds something fresh that has been established in the major body of the essay while complicating the straightforward summary that is given in the introduction. Both continually return to the question and summarize the main points of the essay.