So far in this tutorial we've suggested that you summarize for and against your argument in your opening and closing paragraphs. We've suggested that you provide evidence and that you take a stance -- two surely needed components of a well-organized essay. But, that's not enough. Why? Because not only do you need to do all of these things, but you also need to provide specific details. Specific details differ from providing evidence, in that evidence is a thought or an idea that may or may not support your cause; it might be the case that your evidence and arguments are spelled out nicely but that they are not valid.
By specific details we mean real-world examples which support your cause. For example, if you are writing an issue essay where you are arguing that children need to be fostered and encouraged to let their minds explore new ideas, you may cite Albert Einstein and his childhood fascination with daydreaming. Alternatively, if you are writing an essay arguing in favor against the death penalty, you may want to cite indirectly the fact that several people have subsequently been found innocent of the crimes for which they were executed.
How many specific details should you have? For each piece of evidence that you provide in favor of your argument, you should have at least one specific detail that supports that evidence or statement. Of course, this again means that when you are selecting which of the two presented issue topics you should write on, you should choose that topic that you are most familiar and for which you can right away come up with concrete examples.
Test Tip |
Details. Details. Details -- that's what you need to provide in your issue essay. Specific details substantiate your argument and validate your claims, and make your essay much stronger. |