The Structures of an Essay

Introduction

This lesson will delve deeper and discuss the importance of specific portions and the intent of essay writing. These topics include addressing your audience properly and zoning in on the purpose of your essay; it will give you an introductory look at the thesis statement and the purpose of topic sentences.

Audience

The two main focuses of your essay are audience and purpose. Although, both are equally important to the subject and development of your essay, we will address the subject of audience first.

No matter what your essay is about, it is addressing someone and should have one prevailing purpose. This is not to say that your essay cannot cover more than one topic or be concerned with multiple points; however, for an essay to have the maximum impact and a strong persuasive voice, it should keep to one central theme throughout. That theme will largely depend upon who the paper is addressing. If your audience is not clear at the onset, it is vital that you to ask yourself the following questions:

"Who is my reader?"

"Who am I trying to convince, persuade, or inform with this essay and what am I trying to convince, persuade, or inform them of?"

Is it your boss, a client, a professor, a teacher or is it someone else? Once you are clear on who your audience is, you should write down that information and then write a few short points about them and what it is you are trying to convey to them. This will make the process of getting started with your writing much easier. Knowing your audience is the key to convincing them of your argument.

EXAMPLE:

Essay on the similarities between Romeo and Juliet and Julius Caesar

Audience: Professor Lienstrom

• Professor Lienstrom is an expert on Romeo and Juliet.


• She wrote a published article on the subject of Shakespearian tragedy.


• She is a stickler for accurate, well documented research and strong supporting arguments. I want to make it clear that I have recognized and can show that there are several similarities between these two plays.


• I want to point out similarities in the plots, characters, and tragedy aspects of the plays.


• Every point I make must have a solid supporting argument.

• Both Peter and Mary are on the fence about hiring a Call Center Supervisor.


• Creating and filling this position will benefit our customers immediately and the company as a whole in the long run.


• I need convincing arguments showing why this position is needed, citing specific past and present problems that could have been avoided.


• I need to be specific about how much it will cost annually to fill this position.


• I need to point out estimated monetary savings over the long term that will offset the costs.