17 Building Strong Essays: From Foundational Components to Sophisticated Construction

While every essay should be unique in its content, certain core components are essential to its structure and effectiveness. You likely encountered these components in middle and high school when learning to write the 5-paragraph essay. Let’s review these foundational elements, explore how they evolve to meet the demands of college-level writing, and use the analogy of Legos to illustrate how these building blocks fit together.

The Blueprint: Core Components of an Essay

If you’ve ever created an essay outline, you’ve already encountered the core components of an essay. A typical outline looks something like this:

• Introduction
• Thesis Statement (last sentence)
• Body
  • Subtopic 1
  • Subtopic 2
  • Subtopic 3
• Conclusion

The Introduction: Setting the Stage

When I teach Comp I in person, one of my favorite lessons is to move all the desks out of the way, lay blankets on the floor for students to sit on, and sit at the front of the room with a story book. Once students arrive, I read the book and then ask questions. Students tend to struggle with answering the questions even though the book was a children’s book and the questions are easy. The reason they struggle is that they were so busy wondering what I was doing that they couldn’t focus on what was being read. I intentionally give no context before starting the story because the point is that this is what it is like to read an essay with no introduction. With no introduction, the reader has no context to know why you are writing, what point you are making, or if there are things you should have in mind while reading. This can be so distracting that any points made are missed.

The introduction serves to orient the reader, setting the stage for the arguments to follow. It should introduce the subject in an engaging way, provide relevant background information, and then culminate in the thesis statement. Avoid clichés like “the goal of this essay is…” or “this paper will discuss…” Instead, craft an introduction that naturally leads into your central claim.

The thesis statement, your ultimate claim, is the guiding force of your essay. While you’ll make sub-claims throughout the body paragraphs, the thesis acts as the overarching argument that ties everything together. For clarity and to ensure your instructor understands your intended focus, the thesis statement should be the final sentence of your introduction.

The Body: Developing Your Argument

In the 5-paragraph essay, each subtopic typically received its own paragraph. However, this rigid structure can become problematic in longer essays. Some students cling to the 5-paragraph model even when writing 10-page papers, resulting in unwieldy, multi-page paragraphs. It’s helpful to reframe this as a “5-section” essay, allowing each section to contain multiple paragraphs as needed. While breaking your topic into approximately three subtopics is still a good strategy, those subtopics might require several paragraphs each to fully develop. The number of paragraphs within each section can also vary depending on the complexity of the subtopic.

A common pitfall is organizing body paragraphs around sources, essentially creating a series of mini-book reports. This approach is not effective for college-level writing. Your subtopics should be aspects of your thesis, not summaries of your sources. When determining your subtopics, consider what a skeptical reader would need to know to be persuaded by your argument.

While the essay shouldn’t be organized by source, each subtopic should use sources to support its claims. Every body paragraph should incorporate evidence from credible sources. Without this evidence, your argument risks appearing as mere personal opinion or unsubstantiated assertion. Just as a lawyer must present evidence to support their case, an academic writer must ground their arguments in research and credible sources.

The Conclusion: Synthesizing and Elevating

The conclusion often presents a challenge for students, partly because it demands the highest level of critical thinking. Throughout the essay, you’ve demonstrated synthesis by integrating information from multiple sources. The conclusion is where you bring these sources together, demonstrating how they collectively support your overall argument. In essence, the introduction presents the general claim, the body breaks it down into its component parts, and the conclusion synthesizes these parts, demonstrating the larger significance of your argument. It’s not just a summary; it’s an opportunity to elevate your argument and leave a lasting impression on the reader.

The Basic Building Blocks: A Foundation for Growth (Lego Analogy)

Imagine you’re building with Legos. When we’re young, we start with the larger, bulkier blocks before moving on to the smaller, more intricate ones. Similarly, your previous writing experiences have likely focused on the essential “large Lego” components of an essay. These foundational elements are:

• Introduction: The first paragraph, introducing the topic and culminating in the thesis statement.
• Thesis Statement: The central claim of your essay, usually the last sentence of the introduction.
• Body Paragraphs (or Sections): The paragraphs (or sections) between the introduction and conclusion, each developing a subtopic related to the thesis.
• Topic Sentences: The first (or near first) sentence of each body paragraph, introducing the main point of that paragraph.
• Evidence: The supporting material used to prove the topic sentence and, ultimately, the thesis.
• Conclusion: The final paragraph, summarizing the main points and offering a final perspective.

Beyond the Basics: Refining Your Construction (Lego Analogy)

While these basic building blocks are essential, they are just the foundation. Just as building with Legos becomes more sophisticated as we learn new techniques, essay writing also involves refining our approach. We must move beyond simply assembling the basic components and consider how they work together to create a cohesive and compelling argument.

The Missing Piece: The “Why” (Lego Analogy)

Think about the basic building blocks listed above. Is anything missing? At first glance, it might seem like all the essentials are there. But there’s an implicit element, an underlying “why” that connects all these parts: the purpose of your essay. Why are you writing about this topic? What do you hope to achieve? What is the larger significance of your argument?

This “why” is not explicitly labeled as a separate block, but it’s the glue that holds everything together. It informs your thesis, shapes your body paragraphs (or sections), and gives direction to your conclusion. It’s the driving force behind your essay, the reason you’re engaging with this topic in the first place.

Step-by-Step Construction: A Guide to the Process

The essay writing process can be broken down into several key steps, each focusing on a specific aspect of construction:

1. Brainstorming and Questioning: Explore the topic, considering different facets and potential questions. This stage is about generating ideas and exploring the landscape of the issue.
2. Developing a Thesis Statement: Based on your brainstorming, create a clear and arguable thesis statement. This will be the central claim your essay will defend.
3. Outlining Evidence: Identify and outline the evidence you will use to support your thesis and your sub-claims. This step involves thinking critically about the information you have and how it can be used most effectively.
4. Crafting the Introduction: Write an engaging introduction that provides context for your argument and leads naturally into your thesis statement.
5. Developing the Body: Write the body paragraphs (or sections), using your outline as a guide. Ensure each paragraph (or section) has a clear topic sentence, incorporates evidence from credible sources, and connects back to your thesis statement.
6. Writing the Conclusion: Craft a conclusion that synthesizes your main points and offers a final perspective on your argument.
7. Critiquing and Refining: Review and revise your work, ensuring that all the components fit together seamlessly and that your argument is clear and persuasive. This process of self-critique is crucial for strengthening your essay and identifying areas for improvement.

The Importance of Purpose: Building with Intention

Understanding the purpose of your essay is essential for effective writing. It provides direction and focus, ensuring that all your efforts contribute to a unified and meaningful whole. Keeping your purpose in mind throughout the writing process will help you make informed decisions about what to include, how to organize your ideas, and how to present your argument most persuasively.

The “Little Legos”: Refining Your Skills

By mastering these “large Lego” building blocks and understanding the underlying purpose of your essay, you’ll be prepared to move on to the “little Legos”—the more nuanced and sophisticated aspects of essay writing. You’ll be able to refine your arguments, craft more compelling prose, and engage with your audience on a deeper level. This foundation will serve you well as you tackle more complex writing assignments in college and beyond.

Reading Questions:

1. Remembering: What are the six core components of an essay as outlined in the chapter?
2. Understanding: Explain the analogy used in the chapter to describe the difference between high school and college-level essay structures.
3. Application: How does the chapter suggest structuring body paragraphs (or sections) in a college-level essay, and why is this method preferred over organizing them around individual sources?
4. Analysis: Why does the chapter emphasize the importance of the “why” or purpose of an essay, even though it’s not explicitly listed as a separate component?
5. Synthesis: How does the chapter suggest demonstrating synthesis in the conclusion of an essay, and how does this relate to the synthesis discussed in the body paragraphs?
6. Evaluation: Based on the information in the chapter, what conclusions can you draw about the importance of understanding and utilizing the core components of an essay in college-level writing?