Problems Prevalent in: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Argument Essay

What is a Thesis Statement? tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion. directly answers the question asked of you. is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that presents your argument to the reader

Examples Weak Thesis: The North and South fought the Civil War for many reasons, some of which were the same and some different. Working Thesis: While both sides fought the Civil War over the issue of slavery, the North fought for moral reasons while the South fought to preserve its own institutions. Final Thesis: While both Northerners and Southerners believed they fought against tyranny and oppression, Northerners focused on the oppression of slaves while Southerners defended their own right to self-government.

Introductions This opening paragraph provides your readers with their initial impressions of your argument, your writing style, and the overall quality of your work.

Comparing & Contrasting Bad Introductions : Good Introductions: Are vague, disorganized, error-filled, off-the-wall, or boring Give off a negative impression Don’t contain a thesis statement Are concise, engaging, and well-written Will start your readers off thinking highly of you, your analytical skills, your writing, and your paper. Serves as a road map for your paper

Evidence/In-Text Citations http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/p04_c08_s1.html One driver, Peter Cohen, says that after he was rear-ended, the guilty party emerged from his vehicle still talking on the phone (127). Most states do not keep adequate records on the number of times cell phones are a factor in accidents; as of December 2000, only ten states were trying to keep such records (Sundeen 2).

Transitions transitions glue our ideas and our essays together. Transitions signal relationships between ideas such as: "Another example coming up—stay alert!" or "Here's an exception to my previous statement" or "Although this idea appears to be true, here's the real story."

Varied Sentence Structure Adding sentence variety to prose can give it life and rhythm. Too many sentences with the same structure and length can grow monotonous for readers. Varying sentence style and structure can also reduce repetition and add emphasis. Long sentences work well for incorporating a lot of information Short sentences can often maximize crucial points.

Conclusion The conclusion allows you to have the final say on the issues you have raised in your paper, to summarize your thoughts, to demonstrate the importance of your ideas, and to propel your reader to a new view of the subject. It is also your opportunity to make a good final impression and to end on a positive note.

Writing an Effective Conclusion Do: Don’t: Synthesize, don't summarize: Include a brief summary of the paper's main points, but don't simply repeat things that were in your paper. Include a provocative insight or quotation from the research or reading you did for your paper. Don’t begin with an unnecessary, overused phrase such as "in conclusion," "in summary," or "in closing." Don’t end with a rephrased thesis statement without any substantive changes.