Structure of the Finished Review

Structure of the Finished Review

Interesting and Meaningful Title for Essay

First Paragraph

Here is a vivid scene or image or anecdote that illustrates the item you are reviewing. This might include description or dialogue or a short narrative or all of these.
Here is a sentence or two that transitions from the previous image or anecdote or scene to your thesis.
The last sentence of the first paragraph is the thesis sentence, which makes a claim about how well your item meets the requirements for the ideal of a thing in its category. There are basically three choices: your item either meets the requirements perfectly, imperfectly, or not at all. Sample template: My __(item)___ is ___(great, not great, or sort of great) _____ because it ____(does, does not, or partially does)_____ meet all the requirements for my ideal item of this kind.

Second Paragraph

This paragraph finds a graceful and interesting way to introduce the criteria that are essential for an item of this kind. Discuss them in an order that is meaningful: most to least important, least to most important, etc. Let’s call that order A, B, C, D, E.

Third Paragraph

Here is a topic sentence that says how well your item meets criterion A. For example, “This item fully accomplishes A.” Use keywords from your thesis and/or from your wording in paragraph 2 about this criterion.
Illustrate the point in the topic sentence with examples, descriptions, anecdotes, scenes, dialogue, stories of your experience, etc.
If this paragraph has been very long or the criterion is very complex, it may need a closing sentence to summarize what’s been said or put it in context. Shorter paragraphs probably won’t need this.

Fourth Paragraph

(and fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, depending on how many criteria you have and how much you have to say about them)
In this and the next several paragraphs, repeat the third paragraph pattern for your other criteria, B, C, D, and E. These paragraphs are in the same order the criteria are presented in paragraph 2.
Possible exceptions to this order: Some criteria might take a long time to discuss—your many examples might be lengthy; in that case, the discussion of one criterion might take more than one paragraph. Also, if you’re using dialogue, you’ll have to start a new paragraph each time the speaker changes, because that’s how dialogue is formatted.

Counterargument 1

Present the first counterargument and make your answer or accommodations to it. People might disagree with either your criteria for evaluating the item or with your evaluation of the item.
Continue this pattern for as many counterarguments as you have. There are no specific requirements for how many you have to have. Imagine some reasonable readers analyzing your arguments and address the questions or objections you predict they would have.

Counterargument 2

Present the next counterargument and make your answer or accommodations to it.

Counterargument 3

Present the next counterargument and make your answer or accommodations to it.

Revisiting the Thesis

This paragraph re-considers the thesis as it was written at the end of the first paragraph and makes some adjustments to it. After all the discussion that has come before, it might be expanded or qualified in some way. You might want to add more becauses or buts or ifs or ands or maybes for a full expression of your thesis in all its complexity.

Building toward the Close, and Closing

This ending considers the extensions of your idea. The following questions can help you: Why is it important? How does it relate to other things—both in your life and perhaps in others’ lives? What matters about it? What do we learn from having analyzed the topic in this way?
Remember the three things Trimble tells us closer should do: 1) Revisit the thesis (You’ve already done that in the paragraph above, so no need to repeat that here unless you have more to add); 2) provide some new twist or angle or expansion; and 3) add emotional punch, or some sort of mood or feeling. This emotional punch could involve sensory imagery or a re-visiting of the opening scene of the essay, or you may think of another way—look at the “Logos, Ethos, Pathos” sheet for a reminder of the signs of pathos in a piece of writing.