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Continued ...
Questions and Answers About Writing in WI Courses and Writing Across
the Curriculum — Page 7
10 common features of the essay
about history
1. The essay has an argument. We write to persuade readers
to believe something. “Why am I writing this essay?” “What
do I want to tell my readers?” “What do I want them to
believe?” Ask yourselves these questions and answer them every
time you write.
I want people to believe that Robert E. Lee was chiefly responsible
for the Confederate defeat in the battle of Gettysburg.
I want people to believe that the highly praised eleventh edition
of the Encyclopedia Britannica reveals many prejudices against women
and blacks.
I want people to believe that many historians have disagreed with
one another on why Rome fell and that their opinions were related
to broader cultural influences in their own times.
Whatever your thesis – whatever you want your readers to know
– stick to it. If you write about historians’ opinions
about the fall of Rome, don’t digress into describing Roman
temple architecture. Stick to your point.
2. Good essayists get to the point quickly. Don’t postpone
stating your purpose. Let your readers know what you’re doing
as soon as you can. It’s almost always a mistake to try to
pull off a surprise ending in an essay about history. At the beginning
of your paper, your readers should know the subject you are treating
and the general direction you take in treating it.
Titles can help you get to the point. Devise a title that helps
readers understand your purpose. For example, the title, “Evangelical
Thought: John Wesley and Jonathan Edwards,” tells readers that
the write intends to study evangelical thought as it was expressed
by John Wesley and Jonathan Edwards, who led religious revivals
at the same time, Wesley in England and Edwards in America.
Go from a clear title to your purpose in the paper as quickly as
you can. In the opening paragraph, plunge right in. Certainly by
the end of the second paragraph readers should know your subject.
3. A good historical essay is built on evidence. You may
have opinions about how something happened, why it happened, who
was most responsible and who was most affected, when it happened,
where it happened. Unless you present evidence, no one will pay
much attention to your opinions. Your readers are your judge and
jury. You are the lawyer arguing your case.
What is evidence? Evidence is detailed factual information that
may give your readers reason to believe what you tell them. Are
you writing a paper about Woodrow Wilson? Evidence may be
• A book or an article about him written by a historian whose
work is recognized and authoritative,
• A book or an article written by one of Wilson’s contemporaries
who knew him well,
• A book or article written by a colleague at an occasion such
as the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 after World War I.
4. Writers of formal essays in history document their sources
and avoid plagiarism. Readers want to know where your information
comes from.
5. Essays end simply and smoothly. You can end with a quotation
expressing the main point of your essay. You can summarize the significance
of the information you give your readers: What did it mean at the
time? How did it affect events that came later? How does it affect
us still today? You can sometimes come to the end of a series of
events and stop with a concluding episode: “On July 5, 1863,
Lee fell back toward the Potomac. The battle of Gettysburg was over.”
Avoid (1) preaching at the end, (2) making moral judgments on what
you have told your readers, (3) introducing significant new information,
(4) asking rhetorical questions.
6. Most good essays about history are written in a dispassionate
tone. Trust your readers. If characters you describe did terrible
things, your readers can see that. If the characters did noble things,
your readers can see that, too. If you spend your time telling them
your feelings about Hitler or Stalin or some other villain from
the past, you detract from the point you are trying to make, and
your passion may be embarrassing. Let the facts speak for themselves.
7. An essay should include original thoughts of the author;
it should not be a rehash of others’ thoughts. Don’t disappoint
your readers by telling them only what other people have said about
your subject. Try to show them that by reading your work they will
learn something or see something with a special vision. Try to contribute
some interpretation that is your own. Be willing to take risks by
asking questions about the information that others may not have
asked, and by trying to answer those questions sensibly.
8. Authors of essays consider their audiences. Your first
audience will be your teacher and the other students in your class.
Tell them something that you have learned or thought about, giving
enough information for them to understand what you are telling them.
Don’t give needless or irrelevant facts. Don’t spend a
lot of time telling them things they already know. Avoid falling
into the trap of providing so much background for your paper that
you never get to the subject itself.
9. An honest essay takes contrary evidence into account.
You do not weaken your case by recognizing opposing views; you strengthen
your own argument by letting your readers know that you are aware
of other ways of looking at the facts you present. They know then
that you have studied the matter, that you have read more than one
book or article, that you have surveyed the various opinions, and
that you have arrived at your own argument. For example, if you
should argue that Robert E. Lee was chiefly responsible for the
Confederate defeat at Gettysburg, you must consider the argument
by a number of historians that the blame should be laid at the feet
of General James Longstreet, one of Lee’s subordinates.
10. Essayists use standard English and observe the common
conventions of writing. It is a distraction to try to read a paper
written by a writer who does not observe the conventions. Readers
should be following what a writer is saying. They should not be
asking themselves questions like these: “Is that word spelled
correctly?” “Why has he not put a comma here?” “Why
has she used this word?”
In the world beyond school, few things about your writing will be
more harshly judged than careless disregard for the conventions.
“Look at this letter; it has three misspelled words in it.
How can we have confidence in anyone like this?” We would all
like to believe that our ideas are so compelling that no one can
resist them, no matter how sloppy our use of the conventions may
be. The world of readers who do not know us will judge otherwise.
(Adapted from Richard Marius, A Short Guide to Writing about
History. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman, 1989, 10-25.)
How should I “encourage students to use the Simon and
Schuster Handbook for Writers?”
The Simon and Schuster Handbook, a required text in both
Composition 100 and Composition 101, functions as a basic reference
book for questions on grammar, punctuation, and writing style. It
also treats specific types of writing, such as the argument paper,
the research report, and the rhetorical forms used in the humanities,
social sciences, and natural sciences.
If you would like a desk copy of the Handbook, contact the
Prentice-Hall sales representative: Dick Hamlin, (315) 699-6271;
dick_Hamlin@prenhall.com.
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