Analytical Evaluation-Essay General Outline
Once you've outlined the source using the template (or something like it), you've done the hard part, Now, hopefully, writing the essay will be easy; all you need to do is turn the outline into an essay. I recommend you use the following to organize the essay itself:
1) Summarize/describe the source (essay, ad, program etc)
in a paragraph or so.
What is it, where was it found, and what does it look like? If it is a
visual source (ad, TV show etc) briefly describe what it looks like, the "plot",
characters etc.
2) Develop and clearly state a strong and complete thesis paragraph. Again, this will be a roughly half-page length paragraph. Review these thesis guidelines if necessary: Developing and Refining Analytical Essays
3) Dealing with the Lines of Argument (ethos, pathos, values). You have two choices for how to deal with these in your essay. If you find your source seems to use the same lines of argument throughout, and in your outline you just kept repeating yourself for each reason (they just keep appealing to authority over and over again, in each reason, for example), then just summarize all their appeals to these in a paragraph or two or three right after your thesis paragraph so that you don't have to repeat yourself over and over again in the essay. On the other hand, if they use different strategies (some reasons appeal to emotion, some to authority etc., for example), then just include your analysis of the lines in the relevant paragraphs, below, for each reason. Either way is fine.
4) Summarizing,
Analyzing, Evaluating the Reasons. You can diverge from the following
organization if necessary, but try starting out by organizing the essay into
paragraphs by sets of Reasons:
a) Paragraph Summarizing Explicit Reason: Topic sentence
summarizes the reason, then work thru examples and evidence. Do not evaluate
or criticize here!
b) Paragraph Evaluating that Reason: Topic sentence
identifies the Implicit Reason and then judging its validity by showing whether
the logic is sound or based on specific logical fallacies.
c) Optional Paragraph Summarizing Counter Reasoning or
Evidence.
REPEAT THIS FOR EACH REASON
5) Conclusion. Usually, you should be able to conclude this essay in a straightforward summary paragraph. Basically summarize your findings (evaluation) of the major reasons and summarize why you reached your conclusion. You can add other stuff here, as well, but it's not usually necessary.
Basically, then, most essays will follow this general structure:
I. Summary/description of
source: one paragraph.
II. Complete thesis paragraph.
III. Optional summary of appeals to ethos, pathos, values, in one, two or three
paragraphs.
IV.
ER 1: Summary paragraph.
ER 1: Evaluation paragraph.
ER 2:
Summary paragraph.
ER 2: Evaluation paragraph.
ER n:
Summary paragraph.
ER n: Evaluation paragraph.
V. Conclusion