- Arguing that we DON’T need to downsize is a different type of essay
- Cause/effect often contains argumentation, but that element is not emphasized
- The focus is on WHY it happened, not what SHOULD happen
- Causes tell us what leads up to subject
- what causes children to misbehave
- what makes someone a serial killer
- Effects tell us what comes from/after subject
- What happened to Grand Island AFTER the tornadoes
- What happens to a coral reef in an oil spill
- Why winning the Super Bowl ruined the Baltimore Ravens
- The effects of divorce on teenage children
- Cause/effect can deal with both sides – causes and effects,
- But usually focuses just on cause OR effect
- Focus on just a single cause or single effect typically becomes persuasive
- Usually deals with multiple causes or effects
- Most events that occur have multiple causes and multiple effects
- Writer’s job is to choose and emphasize certain ones
- Explain their importance or connections to readers
- Can focus on multiple causes/effects that occur at the same time (or close to each other)
- Or can focus on the chain of events that occur one after another
Multiple Causes/Effects
- College attendance is up because
- Higher numbers of youth
- More need for life-long learning
- New technology in workplace
- Lower wages for standard jobs
- Etc.
- Shows that no one solution or result is dominant
- Each one needs to be explained in connection to others
Select Few Causes - Effects
- College attendance is up because
- America’s move to service industries
- Different definition of success in society
- Focuses on specific causes or effects
- Explanations are detailed & specific
- why are these the important ones?
- The more the writer knows, the more specific or specialized they can be
Chain Cause - Effect
- Begin with one cause – one effect
- Slowing economy causes lower tax receipts
- That effect causes a new effect
- Lower tax receipts cause University budget cuts
- and so on,
- University budget cuts cause hiring freeze
- and so on,
- Hiring freeze causes cancellation of classes
- Until we reach your final result
- Class cancellations cause you to not graduate
- Some essays need chain argument, others need multiple causes/effects presented
- So brainstorm BOTH approaches
- Think of multiple causes, multiple effects
- Think out cause/effect chain several generations.
Cause/Effect Exercise
- What are the immediate causes of your subject?
- What are the immediate effects?
- What are the causes of the first causes?
- What are the effects of the first effects?
- What are the causes of the 2nd causes?
- What are the effects of the 2nd effects?
- The chain can keep going on and on
- Determine which ones are most important to this essay’s purpose/focus
- WHY do these causes/effects exist?
- Why are you using these causes/effects and not the others?
- It’s not enough that they exist -- you MUST explain their importance
MUST MUST MUST MUST MUST
- What is your Purpose to writing THIS essay?
- Each cause/effect MUST be explained in terms of the purpose
- You must use at least one outside source to support one of your claims
- Cite source by stating “according to…”
- What organization works best?
- Most important to least?
- Chronological?
- Least important to most important?
- Causes, then effects?
- Effects, then causes?
- Causes quickly, then effects in detail?
- Etc.
ENGL 101