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Part
Three: The Body Paragraphs
continue to Part Four: Writing the
Conclusion
Emiliano Figueroa
2003 BA English, Stanford University
Posted April 27th 2003
I actually don't
have a lot to say about how to write body paragraphs. The main
reason is that IF you've done good pre-writing, and you've been
successful with your intro, then the rest of the essay should fall
together on its own.
HOWEVER: This is not to say that you should relax.
Only by following the intellectual progression (with disciplined
rigor) that you've mapped out in the beginning will the essay
complete itself. Follow the line of thought that you've established
in your pre-writing, but at the same time, be critical of it as you
write. Modify details, and most importantly, anticipate rebuttals.
One of the most important things to be conscious of is
the potential for rebuttal from your reader. For example, if
someone reads your paragraph describing how 'unlike dogs, cats never
get lost,' and thinks, 'that's not true,' or comes up with a
counter-example, then you're in trouble. The reader may either come
up with a counter-example ('when we moved from Michigan and forgot
my dog, he crossed the Donner Pass by himself and found us'), or may
just totally disbelieve you. But if you can come up with a counter
example, or some convincing evidence, you can both strengthen your
argument and stifle opposing arguments.
For example, if you can cite a study that reveals that
cats have a better sense of direction than dogs, you can silence the
disbelievers (at least the intelligent ones), and undermine people's
personal accounts, since objective evidence usually trumps
subjective experience.
But the first pitfall that novice writers stumble into
in body paragraphs is in mishandling quotes and evidence. Let me
offer a simplistic example. A less experienced writer would write a
paragraph like the following:
Cats
have a better sense of direction than dogs. Unlike dogs, they
never get lost. In fact, a 1999 SPCA study revealed that '98%
of cats studied had far better cognitive powers when it came to
direction that did dogs.
Also, . . .'
And then the writer moves on. What's wrong with this
paragraph (other than its intentional simplicity)? At first it
seems like nothing's wrong. It's clear, concise, and convincing.
Or is it? Remember that your reader is going to be highly critical
of your work. For a reader like that, this paragraph is not
convincing, or at least not as convincing as it should be. The
common mistake that writers make in body paragraphs is that they
treat quotes and stats as if these are SELF-EVIDENT! But these bits
of data are NOT SELF-EVIDENT! You always need to discuss a piece of
information after you introduce it. You can't just present it,
abandon it, and move on.
Would Johnny Cochrane be any kind of a lawyer if all he
said was 'here's the bloody glove,' plopped it on Ito's lap, and
then moved on? No! Instead, Johnny Cochrane said 'here's the
bloody glove, it doesn't fit, therefore O.J. is not guilty.' Do you
see the difference? The lawyer analogy is a good one, because in
this case your essay is on trial, and the only way you'll win is by
constructing a good argument. And part of that is introducing
evidence, and then dealing with it. You really have to think like a
lawyer.
Let's rewrite
the above paragraph.
Cats
have a better sense of direction than dogs. Unlike dogs, they
never get lost. In fact, a 1999 SPCA study revealed that '98%
of cats studied had far better cognitive powers when it came to
direction that did dogs.' The study, which was based in
California, dropped off 100 dogs and 100 cats in Alaska. 98
cats returned to California, and no dogs came back. The feat is
an amazing one, and it shows that cats have a highly attuned
sense of spatial reasoning and direction, even over vast
distances. This level of intelligence is found to a greater
degree in cats than in dogs, as the study shows.
This paragraph
is far better, wouldn't you agree? It presents evidence, and it
gives perspective to the evidence (cites the particulars of the
study), and REMINDS the reader of the importance of the evidence.
In a sense you have to manipulate your reader, and remind him/her of
what the evidence means (manipulation in this case means guide, not
lie). The more you can control your reader's train of thought, the
better.
You may have noticed that body paragraphs have their own
little formula that seems to resemble the overall essay formula.
There is a thesis (cats have a better sense of direction), a body of
evidence (the study), and a conclusion that ties into the thesis of
the paragraph. A well constructed paragraph, for the most part, has
these three things. Although a sophisticated writer can play with
these conventions and bend the rules, in general a solid body
paragraph should resemble its own mini-essay.
The most important part of a paragraph is arguably the
conclusion. This is your opportunity to manipulate your reader into
interpreting the evidence as you want him/her to interpret it.
Human nature gives itself well to intellectual apathy in varying
degrees, depending on the person. In short, people respond well to
being told HOW to think. In light of this, you should never miss
this opportunity in your writing to tell your reader HOW to think
about what you've told him. Obviously, this is far easier when it
aligns with your evidence.
The conclusion also gives you the opportunity to
smoothly segue-way into a new paragraph. Transitions between
paragraphs are an often ignored in writing tutorials, but if
employed masterfully can elevate your paper to a new level. Avoid
sophomoric transitions like 'speaking of cleanliness, cats also
bathe themselves.' Transitions will come easier if your paragraphs
are organized well. And this can be done in your pre-writing.
If your three paragraphs deal with cats bathing
themselves, cats burying their own feces, and cats' sense of
direction, there should be some ties between these topics. For
example, two of those topics cover hygiene. If you can group those
one after another, then the transition will come. Your paper will
flow more smoothly. If you arrange related topics adjacent to one
another, more often than not, transitions will manifest themselves.
Another way to organize your paragraphs is in a logical
argumentative order. Maybe you need to prove one point before you
can prove another. For example, let's say you're writing an essay
arguing that Bob killed his wife with a gun. You'd have to first
establish in one paragraph that Bob's wife was indeed killed with a
gun. Only then could you move onto a second paragraph talking about
how Bob had access to a gun, and so forth. It may seem elementary,
but you'd be surprised at how many papers jump from point to point.
At how many papers go from A to D to C to E and then to B. Arrange
paragraphs logically. Deal with A before B, and B before C, etc.
If you can get through these minefields, the rest of the
paper should be a cakewalk. The conclusion, which is the subject of
the next section, is the easiest part of the essay.
continue to Part Four: Writing the Conclusion |