An essay is made up of smaller parts that function with each other.
Think of an essay as having very similar anatomy to that of your own. Each part plays a role in bringing your piece of writing to life. For instance, a well-written essay exhibits qualities similar to our brain, skeletal system, skin, muscles and heart. Each of these qualities must work together for the essay to function properly.
Thesis
The thesis -- the essay's brain -- can be stated simply in one or a couple sentences, delayed from one sentence to another later in the essay, assembled throughout the essay or never directly stated. No matter how the thesis is written, it must be narrow and focused to be effective. The thesis sets up the arguments you intend to discuss in the essay, and your method of discussing them. Also, the thesis should be high in the order of knowledge. According to the order of knowledge, theses can either provide a basic level of comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis or evaluation.
Outline
Outlining before writing is crucial to laying a foundation to work on. As such, the outline is the skeletal system of the essay. A strong outline holds the essay together and keeps your ideas from separating or falling on themselves. The basic format of an outline uses a series of alternating numbers and letters, such as:
I. Main Point (200 words)
A. Sub-point
B. Sub-point
C. Sub-point
Introduction
The introduction is the skin of the essay, as it is seen before the brain or other elements composing an essay. Ideal introductions begin with a brief description of what the essay is and why it is important for the reader to read on. This puts the essay in context and sets up the core argument of the essay (thesis).
Body
The body of the essay acts as the muscles of the essay, as it is here where the main points of the thesis are defended by the sub-points you outlined. Effective body paragraphs introduce the main point in one or two sentences and provide an example relating to their main point, followed by how the example illustrates the thesis.
Conclusion
The conclusion paragraph provides the reader with closure, and is thus the heart of the essay. Without a conclusion, the essay was an exercise in futility and leaves readers scratching their heads. The conclusion is usually the shortest paragraph of the essay and is brief and straight to the point. Ideal conclusions provide a summary of the essay's content, restate the thesis with different words and offer a solution, call to action or question to the audience.
Tags: main point, order knowledge, skeletal system, Sub-point Sub-point