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The Runaway Pen
Welcome to The Runaway Pen. This site offers help on how to research and write critical essays for high school, college entrance or college courses. It also provides links to tested software (all FREE)and to research sites that pass the "peer reviewed" criteria required by college courses.
Basic essay writing consists of three main parts: The introduction, the body and the conclusion. All three parts should link together in the following way:
The introduction should contain whatever information you are going to tell your audience and include your thesis statement. The thesis statement is the perspective or approach you take to the subject. Aside from the thesis statement, the introduction should include at least three points you will examine.
The body examines those points identified in the introduction. This is accomplished through support or argument. This is accomplished with references. Each of your three points should have three references.
The conclusion is just that. It tells your audience what you have told them by paraphrasing the thesis statement and identifying the points you have made.
There are several types of essays that you might be required to write in high school or college. Perhaps the most difficult is what is called a "critical essay." This type of essay is bias-free. It states facts without opinion or emotion, creates an argument and then argues it from both sides. If you are given an essay assignment and your professor does not address a particular approach, the critical essay will get you the best grade simply because it explores the subject from more than one perspective.
After the 9/11 attack on the United States, one of my assignments was to write an essay on the incident. Although I received an "A" on my essay, it also earned me a great deal of resentment from those who though I was "supporting the enemy" by "seeing it their way." In reality, I did not see it any way other than from the personal perspective of an American, shocked, shaken and terrified, but a critical essay strives for fairness to both sides by examining similarities and differences and therefore does not always reflect the popular opinion.
Because the subject was (and still is) close to the hearts of all Americans, I will not publish it here. I do not want to receive hate mail because of it. However, if you would like to read it (it is an extreme critical examination) you can e-mail me and I will send you a copy. It has been copyrighted and well circulated (outside of my academic circle) so don't try to copy it.
This brings me to comment on some of these pay-for-essay sites you might find on the web: There are a few sites that are dedicated to academic integrity and most college professors subscribe to them. These essay for sale sites are monitored by these plageurism-watching sites. You are risking your entire academic career by indulging in plageurism. The link to the purdue.edu site has a great deal of information on what plageurism is and how to avoid it.
In addition, a decent professor will pick up on your "writing voice and style" through short and long answers on quizzes as well as your participation and answers in class. While in college, I submitted at least one essay per class where my name was missing on the paper, but I always got credit because my style and voice was distinctive. (You would be surprised at how many students in a class will not turn a paper in--I didn't realize this until I worked for a professor, so it wasn't that my paper was the only one without a name!)
I welcome your comments on this webpage, including what else you would like to see on it, so please sign my guestbook or e-mail your comments directly to me.
In the meantime, ponder this:
The writing of history documents power and the accomplishments of the powerful. Literature, on the other hand, is a reflection of the effects of history on society.
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Copyright © 2001 Lorraine Messineo. All Rights Reserved