A Brief Introduction to the Essay From Frames of Mind by Robert Diyani and Pat C. Hoy II

Evidence, Idea, and Essay The key terms evidence, idea, and essay suggest how the mind moves as it considers a body of evidence, then turns to the creation of an idea, and finally develops an essay to express and substantiate that idea, or thesis. Frames of Mind by Robert DiYanni and Pat C. Hoy These elements combine to create what we call the Rhetoric patterns, patterns of development, or patterns of inquiry.

Evidence Every essay you read or write must have evidence to support its claim. Evidence comes from the information you gather as you investigate your writing topic. As you begin to understand the research you are gathering, ideas become clear to you. You begin to dialogue with your text. You can find evidence in any written or visual text, and your own experiences.

Ideas An idea provides a theory about evidence. Your idea is your concept of the evidence. In other words, what you take away from the evidence… You must make your ideas clear to your audience through your writing. You help the audience understand the evidence.

Patterns of Inquiry, Patterns of Development or Rhetorical Patterns Patterns of Inquiry or Rhetorical Patterns represent the fundamental ways in which people think. They are the very basis of how you will approach various arguments through writing. Using and recognizing these patterns will lead you to develop a sense of your own ideas.

Analysis Description Narration Illustration Classification Comparison/Contrast Cause and Effect Definition Process Analysis Argument

Essay An essay is the attempt to develop an idea work out its implications, and share it with others. Three Parts- Introduction, Body, and Conclusion. The writer attempts to make an appeal to the audience, support that appeal by developing an interesting idea and provides a closing perspective on that idea. For our purposes we will generally use a five paragraph essay with the exception of research papers and compare/contrast essays.

Your essay must be clear and concise You must have strong evidence to support your ideas You must have a works cited page Your essays should always provide your audience with new ideas about which to think.

Works Cited Diyanni, Robert & Pat C. Hoy. Frames of Mind. Tomas Wadsworth Boston