Expository Essays
Name:__________________________________________________ Date:____________________ Period:___________
Definitions: For our purposes, an expository essay is an essay which conveys your opinion about a question, or prompt.
Arguably all essays do this, but expository essays do this with a very particular type of evidence and in a very particular
style.
**“But, Ms. Tuttle,” you say, “we have been writing essays all year!” Well…
Similarities and Differences between Literary Analysis and Expository Essays
Literary Analysis Essays
Expository Essays
**“So, Ms. Tuttle,” you say, “why do we have to write expository essays?” Well…
1.
2.
3.
**“Well, Ms. Tuttle,” you say, “what does an expository essay prompt look like?” Well…
OLD SAT Style Prompt:
Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
Families are difficult. They are groups of people forced to interact because they share the same blood. There is no
guarantee that these people will have anything else in common. In fact, differences within families often lead to
painful, life-long conflict.
And yet, George Moore, an Irish novelist, once said: “A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and
returns home to find it.”
Are family relationships necessary for personal happiness and satisfaction? Write an essay in which you answer this
question and EXPLAIN your answer with reasoning and examples from literature, the arts, history, politics, science and
technology, current events, or your experience or observation.
1. What is this prompt asking the writer to do?
2. Does the quote matter?
3. What type of evidence do you think you could use for this type of prompt?
Example Essay:
Families fail. Our families are tasked with the job of raising us, protecting us, loving us, and teaching us how to live. In
theory, families lead to happiness; however, the connection of blood does not guarantee understanding and
acceptance. Family relationships are not necessary for personal happiness and satisfaction because families fail to
provide necessary support and end up causing more harm than good.
Joyce Carol Oates writes of a failed family in her short story “Where are you going? Where have you been?”
Connie, a young teenager, fails to find satisfaction in any of her family relationships. Connie’s mother pushes Connie
away by nagging her and comparing her to her perfect sister, June. June cannot offer emotional support because the
comparison causes Connie to resent her sister. Connie’s father is at best a distant parental figure. Because Connie’s
family relationships fail to provide her with satisfaction, she seeks self-fulfillment through unhealthy relationships with
boys. The failure of her family relationships results directly in Connie’s downfall as perpetrated through the “boy” Arnold
Friend. Her family has caused her more harm than good.
Similarly, in Shakespeare’s famous drama The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, family relationships fail. However,
here, romantic relationships provide happiness where family relationships cannot. Romeo and Juliet are born of feuding
families. Each of these two young people is misunderstood by their families. Romeo’s father cannot fathom the cause of
Romeo’s depression so sends Romeo’s friend Benvolio to his aid. Juliet’s family attempts to force her into an unwanted
marriage with Count Paris which not only fails to make Juliet happy but, in fact, causes her harm. Failing to find
understanding in their respective families, Romeo and Juliet find satisfaction and happiness in each other. The young
lovers go to extreme lengths to protect this happiness. Their family relationships are not necessary for personal
happiness. In fact, their family relationships are the root of their problems. Only in their romantic relationship do they
find joy.
In “Where are you going? Where have you been?” family relationships cause the opposite of self-fulfillment,
despair and depression. In Romeo and Juliet the lack of fulfillment in family relationships pushes the two lovers into a
romantic relationship that does give happiness. Although relationships in general are necessary for self-fulfillment,
family relationships are not.
Find examples of how this essay is different from a literary analysis essay? How is it the same?
**“Alas, Ms. Tuttle,” you say, “what makes strong evidence for an expository essay” Well…
Strong Evidence
Weak Evidence
GENERALLY OVERDONE… MAY WISH TO AVOID USING:
A Little Practice?
Directions: Use the information above to identify what would make strong (S), medium (M), or weak (W) evidence for
an expository essay.
Example:
__S__ “My Son the Fanatic:
1. _____The Odyssey by Homer
11. _____Ghandi
2. _____Demeter and Persephone retold by Edith
12. _____Twilight
Hamilton
13. _____The Giver
3. _____ The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet
14. _____Fault in Our Stars
4. _____ Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
15. _____The Godfather (Movie)
5. _____The Holocaust
16. _____The Sound of Music (the play)
6. _____Beyoncé
17. _____My friend who broke up with her
7. _____That time that I dug a hole in my backyard
to see if I could reach China
boyfriend
18. _____To Kill a Mockingbird
8. _____Abraham Lincoln
19. _____The Perks of Being a Wallflower
9. _____Teachers in general
20. _____ Pablo Picasso
10. _____Martin Luther King Jr.
21. _____ “Barbie Doll”
When you get a prompt always follow these steps…
STEP 1: READ THE PROMPT
Read the following quotation.
Take risks. Ask big questions. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes; if you don’t make mistakes, you’re not reaching far
enough.—David Packard, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard
Taking a risk means acting without knowing whether the outcome will be good. Think carefully about this
statement. Write an essay explaining why it is sometimes necessary to take a chance.
Be sure to —
• clearly state your thesis
• organize and develop your ideas effectively
• choose your words carefully
• edit your writing for grammar, mechanics, and spelling
STEP 2: BRAINSTORMING
What are different kinds of chances that people take? What are different reasons that taking chances can be good?
Think of evidence in which people take chances and what the results of those chances are. Why do those people take
chances? What good comes of those chances? You should brainstorm as many pieces of evidence as you can think of!
STEP 3: EVIDENCE
Decide on your three strongest pieces of evidence and what each one proves. Fill in the chart accordingly.
STEP 4: THESIS
Decide on an argument that answers the prompt. Your thesis should be specific and include support or explain why your
argument is true. Hint: Include a “because” statement that hints at both pieces of evidence you will use. Look at
example from essay above for help.
Let’s Practice!
Prompt:
Read the following quotation.
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. ~Albert Einstein
Some believe that the past is crucial for success in the present while others believe that you must forget the past in
order to move forward. Think carefully about this issue. Write an essay explaining whether memories are helpful in
achieving success in the present.
Brainstorming:
Evidence:
Thesis:
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NOTE: Always follow these four steps in this order. If you do not, you run the risk of forming an argument you cannot
support!
Parts of an Essay!
PART 1: Components of an Introductory Paragraph
1. _____________________: The purpose of a hook is to HOOK the reader’s
attention AND to introduce the subject or topic that is about to be discussed.
You can use the following as a hook :
o A telegraphic sentence (5 words or less)
o An interesting fact
o A famous quotation
o A controversial statement
2. ______________________________: This should be a discussion of the topic/subject in the world at large.
This should be at least two sentences. The goal is to prove your sophistication.
3. _____________________________: This should go at the END of your introductory paragraph. This should
be a specific statement that directly address the prompt and establishes your argument for the rest of
your essay. This should include a “because” that hints at what your evidence will prove.
Class Introductory Paragraph:
Hook:
Background Information:
Thesis Statement:
Part 2: Body Paragraphs
1. _______________________________-This should introduce the title and author of the evidence you will use and
say what part of your thesis will be proven in this body paragraph. Your second assertion should always include a
transition word. List possible transition words here:
2. _______________________________- THIS MAY NOT BE MORE THAN ONE SENTENCE. This is not always necessary
but will allow you to give context for evidence that your grader may not be familiar with. Theoretically, you could
use the summary on your evidence bank from last night.
3. _______________________________- This is the meat of your paragraph where you show the depth of your
understanding of your evidence and where you show how your evidence clearly connects back to your assertion and
your thesis.
Class Body Paragraph:
Assertion:
Summary:
Detail(s) + Commentary:
Table Group Body Paragraph:
Assertion:
Summary:
Detail(s) + Commentary:
Part 3: Conclusion
DO NOT say “in conclusion.”
Do NOT add new information or use transitions that suggest new information.
DO restate your thesis with SPECIFICITY.
DO connect your two pieces of evidence.
DO apply evidence and assertion to the larger world.
Class Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Now that we have done all that…
One nasty note about the STAAR. The STAAR caps your characters—including spaces—at 1750 (this year it may be even
shorter…). So now you have to EDIT DOWN! To give you an idea, these three sentences have 241 characters (with
spaces) in them.