ENGLISH 100,
Andrea Beaudin Instructor
Organization Workshop (the outline of how to outline)
Thesis: As effective writing requires
solid organization, the processes of brainstorming, classifying, developing a
thesis, and then outlining often result in a sharply focused and well-written
essay.
I.
Brainstorming
A.
Determine what your general topic is (e.g. success)
B.
Spend
a few moments reviewing the goals of the assignment (you may want to write this
process down—it will be helpful for later review)
1. What should the essay do?
(Explain/Respond or Persuade)
2. What
readings/discussions/experiences influence your grasp of the concept?
C.
Write down your responses to topic (Freewrite/Cluster)
II.
Classifying
A.
Review your responses
B.
Look
for “common threads” among responses—think in terms of concepts, rather than
specifics.
--Keep in mind that some points may overlap (e.g. “Education” ties together “guys speak more than girls in
class,” “liberal arts vs. the sciences,” “sororities and fraternities and how
they’re treated on campus,” but several of these points are also relevant to
the concept of gender).
C.
List the concepts—these are your
classifications. The specific examples (see above) support whatever claims you
are making concerning your topic.
III. Developing your thesis
A.
Determine the type of essay that you will
be writing:
1.
Explanatory/Response
a.
Conceptual
Definition (“Bridge”)
b.
X is
Y (“Family Story”)
c.
Two
Voices (“Success”)
2.
Persuasive
a.
They
Say (“Freedom”)
b.
Other
Comparison/Contrast forms
B.
Use
the form to help you determine how you will structure your thesis—use your
classifications to help you to determine the concepts around which you will
center your argument
--Examples (based on “Success”)
·
Conceptual Definition: Success is the tangible or intangible achievement of
goals set by society,
the individual,
or a combination
of the two.
·
X is Y: Success is achievement.
(Note that this form relies heavily upon the information within the introductory
paragraph)
·
Two Voices:
Though many would define success as a cultural myth that is demonstrated by material wealth, high social status, and prestigious employment,
others believe that success is an individual evaluation of worth expressed in terms of contentment, fulfillment, and most
importantly, self-respect.
·
They Say: Although many accept and strive for the material wealth, high social status, and prestigious employment
that constructs the
cultural myth of
success, in truth,
success is only meaningful when it is recognized as an individual evaluation of worth,
one that is expressed in terms of contentment, fulfillment, and most importantly, self-respect.
IV. Outlining
A.
Referring to thesis, list each “block” of
thought (see above)
B.
Underneath
each block, list the sub-categories—what originally had been your
classifications! (see above)
C.
Now, for each of your sub-categories,
refer back to your brain-storming. Take a look at the points that brought you
to your concepts—these will be the points that will support your claims. List these points under the sub-cats. You will
need to spend some time fine-tuning, and you may change the order in which you
will list items, but essentially, the hard part is done! You have a plan! You
will revise your outline—but revising outline is infinitely easier than over-hauling a “finished”
essay that is poorly organized!