Writing Strong Essays Thesis Logic Argument

Writing Strong Essays: Thesis, Evidence, Argument
Choosing a thesis that works:
 Broad=bad
Didion’s “Goodbye to All That” shows that what we want is hard to get.
Didion’s “Goodbye to All That” demonstrates how place can shape our
desires.
 Reportage is not argument
“Under the Influence” discusses themes of alcohol abuse and paternal

influence.
“Under the Influence” emphasizes the relationship between alcohol abuse
and paternal influence to strengthen Sanders’ own concerns about
fatherhood.
 Stick to what you know (and can plausibly support)
Dillard’s “Seeing” discusses the operation of synaptic pathways in the process

of visual field construction.
Dillard’s rapid movement and shifting perspective in “Seeing” performs the
way we see.
 Grand ideas come from text
“How I Started to Write” narrates multicultural upbringing to change the

world.
In “How I Started to Write,” Fuentes’ discussion of his multicultural
upbringing foreshadows his conclusion that literature can be a tool for
bringing differing cultures together.
Logic and evidence are your friends:
 How do these things relate, and how can you show it?
Thesis: “Street Haunting” uses strong London imagery to create a somber

mood.
Related in “Street Haunting”: mood; movement; London imagery; dwarf
scene
A: London imagery  Mood (B: gloomy images reflect somber mood)
A: Movement  London imagery (B: rapid movement = more somber
images)
A: Mood  Dwarf scene (B: unsympathetic portrayal of dwarf as without
hope beyond the shoe store enhances somber mood)
A: Movement  B: Dwarf scene (how do these relate?)
You have not made your point by assuming the connection between two
things; you must demonstrate the connection using sound reasoning.
Reasoning is: “gloomy” is an image associated with “somber” as a mood,

based on the meanings of these words
Reasoning is not: the dwarf scene makes me uncomfortable, and somber

makes me uncomfortable, so somber = uncomfortable, so the dwarf scene is
somber (False equivalency; argument from affect)
Once you have demonstrated a logical connection between things, you should
then supply evidence for the claims upon which your logic is founded.
Logical claim: Woolf’s portrayal of the dwarf in “Street Haunting” reflects a

lack of hope, because the dwarf’s self-image is immediately deflated upon
leaving the store. This lack of hope for what becomes of both the dwarf and
the narrator when they return to reality from their imaginative journeys
supplements in narration the gloomy imagery of London at night, producing
a somber mood in Woolf’s essay.
Evidence required: 1) textual support for your characterization of Woolf’s

portrayal of the dwarf, and how Woolf shows the dwarf to be deflated upon
leaving the store; 2) textual references for the gloomy London imagery
 What does a logical structure look like?
There is no one-size-fits-all form for a logically structured essay. In fact,

because you will be required throughout college to write very different kinds
of essays of varying lengths, you must learn how to structure an essay
according to its demands.
Roughly, you should have an introduction that leads to a concise thesis. After
or within the thesis, you may find it useful to “map” what you will discuss in
the essay by indicating “Woolf enhances mood through narrative, imagery,
and movement,” after which discussions of narrative, imagery, and
movement will follow in that order (note: you do not need 3 supporting
paragraphs a la 5-paragraph essay; sometimes you will need more,
sometimes fewer).
If paragraphs A, B, C, and D all set out to prove your thesis, it is not enough
for A, B, C, and D to appear as discrete items.
A should logically lead into B

B to C
C to D
Etc.
Here is where transitions are helpful. A closing sentence for paragraph A

might look like this: “Although Woolf uses narrative events to portray a
somber mood (A), her imagery is perhaps her strongest means of mood
development (B).”
Sometimes you need to develop an argument first before moving on, because
further points or arguments in your essay depend upon it.
Thesis: Woolf’s “Street Haunting” uses descriptive narrative events to

complement London imagery in her rendering of a somber mood.
Dependent Argument: Woolf’s portrayal of the dwarf contributes to her

rendering of a somber mood. This somber scene follows a progression of
gloomy London images that affect mood.
Required Development (which must come first): How is the dwarf scene
somber? What evidence can you marshal to demonstrate this?
In other words: You cannot proceed to argue that the dwarf scene
contributes to the essay’s somber mood until you have first demonstrated
what is somber about the dwarf scene.
Effective Argumentation:
 Seeing from all sides
Thesis: Pandas are useful creatures.
Items in support: Pleasure factor; WWF fundraising; the panda economy
Complicating factors: Is pleasure a utility?; Can other animals also raise

funds?; does the panda jobs revenue eclipse panda expenditures?
Items to the contrary: Many don’t like pandas; price tags on animals is
wrong; too few panda jobs
An important part of supporting your argument is not just listing supporting

items, but addressing the complications and contrary claims that would
detract from what you are trying to argue.
 Opinion versus argument
Seneca demonstrates in “On Noise” how the racket associated with living
above a bathhouse can be a significant distraction. Noises all around us are
distractions that disrupt our daily lives.
Seneca demonstrates in “On Noise” how the racket associated with living
above a bathhouse can be a significant distraction. As the close of the essay
shows, these noises even come to distract Seneca himself, who chooses to
move to a more silent locale.
 Yes, but…
You will often encounter evidence that works against what you are trying to
argue. You should assume that your audience (a professor who is familiar
with the material and dedicates significant time and effort toward studying
and teaching it) is going to be familiar with these “inconvenient” pieces of
counterevidence and counterclaims. It is therefore often in your best interest
not to ignore relevant counterevidence, but to use it to your advantage.
Though, as I have demonstrated, Seneca is clearly affected by the physical

noise around him, Morris, Millwood, and Mason et al. concluded last year in
The Journal of Behavioral Psychology that the human brain has grown
accustomed to blocking out white noise.
Though, as I have demonstrated, Seneca is clearly affected by the physical
noise around him (your argument), he does withstand the noise long enough
to write his entire essay on the subject before moving away (acknowledged
counterclaim). However, any indication that the noise has affected him,
regardless of how long he withstands it, still calls into question his stoic
posture as one who is unaffected by noise (your counter-counterclaim,
strengthening your argument).

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Writing Strong Essays: Thesis, Evidence, Argument

Choosing a thesis that works:

 Reportage is not argument

“Under the Influence” discusses themes of alcohol abuse and paternal

 Stick to what you know (and can plausibly support)

Dillard’s “Seeing” discusses the operation of synaptic pathways in the process

 Grand ideas come from text

“How I Started to Write” narrates multicultural upbringing to change the

Logic and evidence are your friends:

Thesis: “Street Haunting” uses strong London imagery to create a somber

Reasoning is: “gloomy” is an image associated with “somber” as a mood,

Reasoning is not: the dwarf scene makes me uncomfortable, and somber

Logical claim: Woolf’s portrayal of the dwarf in “Street Haunting” reflects a

Evidence required: 1) textual support for your characterization of Woolf’s

 What does a logical structure look like?

There is no one-size-fits-all form for a logically structured essay. In fact,

A should logically lead into B

Here is where transitions are helpful. A closing sentence for paragraph A

Thesis: Woolf’s “Street Haunting” uses descriptive narrative events to

Dependent Argument: Woolf’s portrayal of the dwarf contributes to her

Thesis: Pandas are useful creatures.

Items in support: Pleasure factor; WWF fundraising; the panda economy

Complicating factors: Is pleasure a utility?; Can other animals also raise

An important part of supporting your argument is not just listing supporting

Though, as I have demonstrated, Seneca is clearly affected by the physical

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