Lemurized

WRITING THE
UNDERGRADUATE ESSAY
3RD EDITION (2014)

UNDISCLOSED INDUSTRIES

ABOUT ME
Good day. I am a New Zealand post graduate student. I have studied Politics, Law, Security Studies, English,
Speech and Drama, and History. To the greatest extent, I received A to A+ grades. I didnt really consider why
until recently. When I did, I gave form to those thoughts in the article below.
This guide does not pretend to conform to the establishments pretensions of good research methodology.
The sole purpose is to produce an effect getting an A+ essay.

ESSAY WRITING
PHASE 1: ELICITING THE BASIC FRAMEWORK FROM THE QUESTION
The essays basic structure should suggest itself from the question. Stripped of its interrogative format, a
question becomes an ordering concept. It prescribes (a) a process for (b) demonstrating insight into a
defined and arranged topic.
Analyse Al Qaedas strategy and organization
You must devote the most concentrated attention to the word describing the process for addressing the
subject matter. Analyse means to separate (a material or abstract entity) into constituent parts or elements;
determine the elements or essential features of. That is entirely different from evaluate, discuss, or
compare and contrast. Notice, too, the topic is ordered not only by analyse, but also arranged by the
bifurcated syntax (phrasing) of the subject (a) Al Qaedas strategy, and (b) *Al Qaedas+ organization. It

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follows one would devote half the essay to the first point, then half to the second (with perhaps an additional
paragraph on how the two interrelate).

PHASE 2: THE REQUSITES OF ACADEMIC DISCUSSION (WHAT YOU NEED TO ACHIEVE)

The universal requisites of academic discussion contribute to any given ordering concept. Essays test what you
know (facts, definitions) and argument. The argument aspect divides into the established arguments of
academic authorities on the topic at hand, and your own derivative contribution when you develop reasons
why one academics view(s) is preferable. Deal with the facts before arguing. So the structure of a persuasive
essay should convey the following: These are the issues, these are the approaches, and, if you are going to do
something, this is the best approach and this is why it is the best approach. But be warned: you must prove
what you contend. Do not make logical leaps. And always be sympathetic to the recognized approaches
before criticizing. In this fashion, you will avoid constructing straw men. The latter half of the italicized
sentence denotes the point in your writing in which you will elevate your grade from the average to the
exceptional. When you not only reproduce concepts in your own words; but also modify, define, deconstruct,
compare, contrast, and weigh their respective merits; you exhibit transcendence of the topic.
Incisiveness is the general word pertaining to how you achieve transcendence. It means penetrating, clear,
and sharp, as in operation or expression. Incisiveness is THE fundamental trait of A+ essays; for without a
sharp clarity in you cannot show your mastery and transcendence of an abstract, conceptual topic.
What is a concept? A concept is the abstract, somewhat vague functional essence behind concrete things. It
is a general idea derived or inferred from specific instances or occurrences.
For example, you always eat food. But do you ever actually eat food as such? You do not. You eat chicken,
steak, potatoes, carrots, etc. You always eat some specific type of food, and not food in general. Food is a
concept. A specific food is the practical idea derived from the concept. Science concepts are easy to identify.
What is the concept here? (a) The ball bounces when I throw it (b) Every action has an equal and opposite
reaction.
You must get to the heart of a subject, and find the core idea (the concept). Find out how this idea functions.
That equals understanding. A good way of deepening your conceptual capacity is learn abstract words (any
words not related to the five senses): Occlude, concatenate, referent, mutable, disjunction, aggregate, etc.
The limits of my language mean the limits of my world. - Wittgenstein
Example: Importantly, a system equals units + interaction + structure. [Basic concept] Since states are the
units comprising the international system; states and the international system are a mutualism, different
expressions and elements of the international system inextricably bound together. [This demonstrates
understanding of the function of the concept] The contemporary international system has accorded high
priority to the problems originating from weak states because of the close links between weak states and the
international system to which all states are attached and constitute. Weak states pollute the interactions of
the world security system. In such a complex system, corruption of the blood stream of interactions means
the entire system and its state units are exposed in various degrees to the problems of weak/failed states. [This
explains how the concept works in reality and affects it]
Draft writing is a grand waste of time. They are normally not marked. Encouraging quick, ill-considered
writing, they morph into unwieldy behemoth Frankensteins, gratingly patched together from endless cut n
insert revisions. Now the fool simply writes with no strategy to confront the question, reaping unto himself an
unmitigated disaster. The novice intuitively understands he must deploy a strategy to capture the A+, yet lacks

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the intellectual mirror of that feeling. Mastery occurs when the feeling and its counterpoint in the mind fuse.
A circumspect Writing Process (which we will consider shortly) surely slows down proceedings, but the master
knows success is predicated in retrograde progress (relative to the approach of the fool and the novice).
Having dealt with the constants, we now turn to a cardinal variable. Pay close attention to your lecturers
directions. More importantly, you must pierce his/her psychology. Write to taste. What are his pet likes and
dislikes - a favourite hobby horse? Is he a bleeding heart or an iron eagle? Are his orations delivered in a crisp,
linear style; or does he meander round a topic, expanding its tics and subtleties? Is he capable of awarding
marks where he may disagree with your viewpoint, but still respect the academic calibre of your work? Does
he privilege demonstration of subject matter (facts and established viewpoints) to the exclusion of a
considered student opinion?

PHASE 3: THE WRITING PROCCESS AND THE INFORMATION HIGHWAY (HOW YOU
ACHIEVE IT)
To maintain logical flow of content while minimizing research time, you must wrap your mind around the
concept of the information highway. More organic, more dynamic, the information highway introduces
structural flexibility without collapsing it.
We will apply the term coverage (of topic) to all relevant information. Coverage comprises breadth and
length.
Length of Coverage: Length of Coverage constitutes the main points (arguments and facts) you need to make.
We could call these general sectors or bases of analysis.

When you read a variety of sources, the main points will suggest themselves via repetition. Common
themes will emerge.
Think generally, not specifically.
Divide your main points into your word/page count, either by weight or by integer.

Examine the most recent developments in the democratization of Chile. Is this country moving closer to
democracy? Explain, using hard and very recent evidence.
Your survey of relevant information for this question may suggest the following main points:

Existential Threats to Chilean Democracy (Church and Military)

The Extent of Democracy in the Chilean Constitution
The Extent of Representative Capacity in the Electoral System and State Institutions
The Extent of Citizen Participation in Chilean Democracy.

If you deemed each point above equally relevant to the question for a 2, 500 word essay, you would allocate
500 words to each point (leaving the remainder for the introduction and conclusion).
Resist the temptation to think of these main points as an outline, or even as a precursor to an outline.
Outlines are drafts in disguise, clandestine agents of inelasticity! Writing is a system; effective systems are
located midpoint between the two extremes of chaos and rigidity. Main points organize the subject matter
without inhibiting spontaneity, creativity, and inspiration. Outlines and drafts may produce neat prose, but
given priority in your mind, they will crush the mental fluidity of the present writing moment. Why? Because
an order determined in the past depends upon eliminating fresh ideas to preserve its integrity. Our minds
become attached to these authoritarian structures. They provide a safe haven from a veritable storm of data.

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Domiciled in our subconscious routines, the practice is all the more treacherous and insidious. You must learn
to dive into the informational sea; become temporarily one with it. In the broader scheme of things, your
writing will never lose its way at sea as you will return to your referential, rather than prescriptive, main
points.
You may justifiably point out the basic framework/requisites of academic discussion is an historical abstract
structure, moderating the present. It indeed can be. However, its telicity (purpose) is to allow you to
systematically contemplate what the essay must ultimately achieve, not determine the essays every
progression. Since it is a basic, rather than exhaustive framework, applying it will usually not disturb the
chaos/rigidity equilibrium. On occasion, though, it may. You must watch for cases of the instrument becoming
the possessor. The influence of past structures is fine, so long as they are always subordinated to the present.
Breadth of Coverage: Breadth of coverage when you expand on the main points with as much relevant
information as can be concisely included within the determined word limit for each point.

Think of this as filling in the blanks. Information coalesces around the main points.
Think specifically, not generally.
You do not have to decide the specific content of the breadth of coverage for each main point until
you come to write it (This is most important it prevents you from forming authoritarian mental
structures).
Content include, inter alia, examples, decisions, facts, case studies, quotes, comparisons and
contrasts, and/or detailed analysis to demonstrate or prove your point.

Praxis: Reflexive Incrementalism: Praxis describes the practical application or exercise of a theory. It is the
conduit that leads from a theory, to the result of that theory. So far we have established a theory (fluidity of
thought bounded by flexible rules), and we know the desired result (an A+ essay). But when you are sitting
with your fingers poised over the keyboard, how do you give a concrete semblance to the abstract principles
discussed? The answer is the relevant praxis - reflexive incrementalism. Reflexive means directed back on
itself; responsive, spontaneous. Incrementalism refers to the practice of gradualism change wrought
through small additions. Using Reflexive Incrementalism involves researching a topic, then fashioning the
result of that research into a linguistic form by means of the linguistic form extant.
Understand this definition by directing your attention at its expanded notation below.
1.
2.
3.
4.

5.

Google the instructive terms in essays questions (describe, analyze, etc) and follow them exactly. The
type of term should inform the nature of your reflexive incrementalism.
Find a logical place to start and write a paragraph (or even just a couple of sentences).
Take into account what you have already written, and use that as a filter or paradigm to process how
new information will progress your essay (This equals the reflexive element).
This new information is added, incorporated or infused into your essay so far (usually, but not
necessarily, at the point where you are up to), and you revise as necessary (including the number of
words youve used) (incrementalism).
The result, in turn, is used to assess the next batch of incoming information, and so the process goes
on.

Understand: mental fluidity is your loadstar. Choose to perceive information; whether it is being gathered,
filtered, or infused, as an incoming river forming the stable lake that is your essay. Never think of yourself as
breaking off even small chunks of data and patching them together, otherwise you will inadvertently build the
linguistic Frankenstein. This strategy relies upon seamless flow.

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For the tenure of writing, you will have a dynamically (dynamic: characterized by continuous change, activity,
or progress) evolving thesis statement. So you will always have a direction because of your dynamic thesis
statement, and that (a) direction will invariably be (the) right direction because it will be constantly being
recalibrated by the rationalization of new information.
In essence, you will illuminate unknown information, form, and possibilities with known equivalents. You will
find, as your essay progresses, the known elements will accumulate to a critical level. You will know you have
attained critical level when the known knowns turn unknown unknowns (things you dont know you dont
1
know) into known unknowns [things you know you dont know+ . You will then be able to predict (know) the
main points or sectors of the remainder of your essay (remember forget about the specifics or breadth until
you come to write it these are or will become known unknowns).
This saves copious expenditure of time and energy. You dont have to find information to prove your
preconceived thesis anymore. You can commence your essay without having to know its exact progression. In
the best murder-mystery tradition, you wont know how it ends till youve written it. Your coverage and use of
sources will automatically be excellent. You will revise as you go. Your essay will appear balanced and
reasoned regardless of parochial sources. Nor will you be constantly fighting to remain under the word limit.

Writing Filler (Waffle)

At some point another, either from pressing time margins, or a scarcity or paucity of sources, you will need to fortify the word
count of your essay with waffle. Most students simply begin including irrelevant information, or merely examine the
superficialities of the topic. Lecturers can find such padding with ease. But when cleverly masked, it can masquerade as solid
academic writing, though it will not emit the transcendence apparent in properly researched essays.
Waffle can be made delicious to a professors palette by nuancing the breadth of coverage to an intense degree. Claim things are
more complex than they appear. Take issue with every detail of an argument, or any possible omission an author may have
made. Contend the value accorded to a certain fact or axiom is more or less than a certain academic accords. Claim, in so many
words, the shades of grey contour the issue; explicating requires rejecting black and white thinking (of which you inevitably
accuse your sources) and embarking upon long explanations of differentiation (albeit concisely worded). So, in short, convey less
information about the topic of a paragraph, but more about a particular aspect of that topic. Irrelevancies become a nuanced
examination. Superficialities transmute into assumptions to be ruthlessly challenged. Greenbelt claims the Renaissance began
th
in the 13 century, yet according toit is apparent

PHASE 4: WRITING THE INTRODUCTION AND CONCLUSION

The introduction to your essay is exempt from the fluidity imperative. In contrast, it benefits from the most
rigid formulation possible. The reason: introductions exist to facilitate the transmission of the thesis
statement. Your thesis, recall, will have evolved dynamically, rather than have been rigidly formulated before
you started writing the body of your essay. Thus, your introduction is not original (apart from some
scintillating turns of phrase aesthetic interpolations) for it derives from the essay. The essay does not derive
from it. The introduction is merely a blueprint of the body of your essay.

The very first sentence says something sexy yet non-contentious, commanding attention without
provoking ire. In other words, write a general, accepted statement of fact. The Angevin Empire

You may askhow do we know we have turned all unknown unknowns into known unknowns? Leave that
question for the Philosophy Department (they need such material to justify their existence). You will know
intuitively, and that will be sufficient.

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refers to the lands amassed and maintained by the Angevin Plantagenet dynasty during the twelfth
and early thirteenth centuries.
The second and sometimes third sentences link the first sentence with the thesis sentence(s).
Next comes the thesis statement.
o The thesis states briefly on what point the essay will inform and/or persuade the reader. It
is the proposition to be proved or expanded upon.
o You ALWAYS write your thesis after you have written your body. Because you have used the
Information Highway paradigm you will have a logical, structured, body. At the end, if you
summarize its main argument in a sentence (or two), you will have a thesis.
The introduction (if necessary) is ended by an overview of the arguments and information to be
covered.

In the wake of September 11, Al Qaeda attained infamy as the instigator of a new, global, extremist,
Islamic, lupine terrorism. [scintillating, general, accepted fact] Al Qaeda appears, prima facie, an agent
determined to invoke maximum military and collateral damage in the West to heighten its public image of
power. Yet what is the deeper strategy, and by what organizational means is Al Qaedas strategy
delivered? [linking sentences] This essay will enlarge on the themes that Al Qaeda strategies aim at
involving the West and secular Arab regimes in a total war through expanding global capacity; while
organizationally maintaining a centralized command, yet executing decisions from a decentralized global
nebula of terrorist units. [thesis statement]
Paragraphs

Dont be afraid to write concise, mini introductions for subsections of the essay. The paragraph
introduction represents the one and only point of that paragraph; likewise for the main intro in terms
of the entire essay.
Dont forget linking sentences between paragraphs if necessary. Make sure your essay flows logically
from point to point.

Conclusion

Either a:
o Summary - in which case you restate your essays main points and/or summarize how you
proved your thesis; or an
o Aspect Conclusion in which you show your reader how the issue discussed is bathed in a
new light. This can be very general. Makes for a quick conclusion.
o A combination

STYLE

There are different types of sentences. Use them.

o Simple (The cat sat on the mat)
o Compound (The cat sat on the mat, but the dog sat on the chair)
o Complex (While the dog sat on the chair, the cat sat on the mat)
o Short sentences. (The cat sat).
Style variants
o The dash its very cool.
o Start with a Who, What, Where, Why, What start. When Napoleon invaded Russia...
o Adverbs, verbals, and prepositions.

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o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

The semicolon ; This cuts down use of and.

Alliteration and assonance. Use sparingly. Some solutions were not so easily solicited ...
Colons. Good for the following: lists, and expounding on the final word in detail before the
colon.
Use commas and semi colons to convey similar units of information.
Only use big words where they convey the sense more precisely.
Write in the active verb form.
Have something to say and say it as clearly as possible. That is the only secret of style.
Writing a little bit every day is more effective than writing your essay in one hit.

SOURCES

Use a broad base.

o Objectivity = many sources.
Go for shorter academic works like articles and periodicals. These take less time to read than books.
Quotes: you must show the relationship of the quote with the essay.
Google books and amazon books previews are your friends. So are these pirate websites:
o https://kickass.to/
o http://freebookspot.es/
o http://ebookee.org/
o http://www.synet.net/
o http://bookos.org/
o http://libgen.org/