Essay Writing (1 Viewer)

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Alrighty…I’m writing an essay, and whilst I’ve got the info in my head and notes and all that, I’m not sure how to put it down on paper. I have to assess the impact of Cimon on the greek world, and I don’t know how to start. Is there anyone out there who could give me a bit of a hand, hints on where to begin perhaps?
 
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xeuyrawp

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When you have any history essay, you have two ways to attack a question:

1. chronologically,
2. thematically.

The good thing about doing the essay chronologically is that the structure is more obvious (you just go forward in time!), and it's a bit easier.

However, the problem with doing it that way is that the essay usually ends up being descriptive rather than analytical.

'Well what do you mean?', you say? Your essay shouldn't be simply summarising the events and re-telling them. Rather, your essay should be analysing the event for things like importance, impact, contrast, etc.

Because of this, I say that essays should be answered thematically. In this case, read as much as you can on Cimon and his impact on the Greek world. While you're reading, note every important thing down. Once you're done your reading, sit down and split up all the ideas.

For example, in your readings, you might see that Cimon influenced the following things (all false!):
1. The building Dragostos,
2. a certain court speech,
3. Greek politics,
4. a funeral oration,
5. military style,
6. roads in Athens,
7. cult centre to Hera,
8. recreation of temple to Hermes.

Ok, so in those 8 things, you've actually only got 5 themes:

1. Buildings,
2. speeches,
3. politics,
4. military,
5. religion.

These themes should be re-ordered, I'd do it this way:

1. Religion,
2. buildings,
3. speeches,
4. politics,
5. military.

I'd order it that way because the flow is better:

Religion (religious buildings) -> buildings. Speeches -> politics -> military.

So yeah, do your essay thematically, as I have done. Try to make big groups of themes - you're definitely going to have to be very black&white (ie, do the temples come under buildings or religion?), but that's the way essays work! If you're very clever, religion and buildings will link together with the idea of religious buildings.

Yeah, hope that helps a bit!
 
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Hi. Thanks so much that was very helpful :)

I am a wee bit confused on how I can be analytical without a proper question to agree/disagree about. Should I be saying whether his impact was postive or negative and arguing that?
Ah well, thanks for your help mate. My tired brain will try to keep writing.
 
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xeuyrawp

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ElendilPeredhil said:
Hi. Thanks so much that was very helpful :)

I am a wee bit confused on how I can be analytical without a proper question to agree/disagree about. Should I be saying whether his impact was postive or negative and arguing that?
Ah well, thanks for your help mate. My tired brain will try to keep writing.
I'll give you an example.

We're in the second body paragraph, talking about buildings.

1. Telling a story/being descriptive would be like this:

'Cimon built the Dragostos 410 BC. He built it using slaves from north Africa, who were brought in big ships to Athens. The material of the building is the finest marble, quarried in Italy. The Cretian columns were his invention. Historians Blerk and Pyra dispute how long it took to be built'.

2. Being analytical would be like this:

'Cimon's Dragostos, an ampitheatre erected in 410 BC, marks the beginning of Cimon's hugely influential building regime. This building's impact on Greek architecture can still be seen today in buildings x, y, z. However, the historians Blerk and Pyra dispute whether Cimon's buildings were original, or whether he himself was influenced by the works of Robertakis, his predecessor. In any case, Cimon's distinctive Cretian columns, certainly his own invention remain the archetypal column'.

So number 1 is basically describing the events/buildings/historians, whereas number 2 is (attempting to) analyse them.

It's difficult, I know.

Would it help if you turned the question into an actual question? --

'Did Cimon impact the Greek world? If so, how?'

Note that in this assess question, it is implied that you should order Cimon's impacts, ie, you should say what his biggest impacts were, and what his smallest impacts were. Whilst you should try to cover a broad range of themes, you should devote more space to the bigger impacts. In that sense, sometimes your themes should be ordered with biggest impacts first! Then you can start off with 'This was undoubtedly his biggest impact' and move to 'he did, however, influence some rather minor things'.
 
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Ah, I get you. thanks. What mark did you get in Ancient History for the HSC?
You seem to have a much better handle on essay writing than I do- English essays yes, Ancient ones, No.
 
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xeuyrawp

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ElendilPeredhil said:
Ah, I get you. thanks. What mark did you get in Ancient History for the HSC?
You seem to have a much better handle on essay writing than I do- English essays yes, Ancient ones, No.
I was happy with my result.

With essay writing, it is just something you pick up after a lot of practice. Do as many practice questions as you can, and get your teacher to mark them.
 

asha101

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any information on the agoge in spartan society??
 

BOSS"06"

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Hey thanx PwarYuex, u really opened my eyes on how to write a good ancient history response. I think a lot of ppl do the 1st way u described "being descriptive rather than analytical" so u cleared up a lot of misconceptions. im gonna try and do an essay question on pompey but i dont know where to begin cause im not really confident with him, any suggestions?
 
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xeuyrawp

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BOSS"06" said:
Hey thanx PwarYuex, u really opened my eyes on how to write a good ancient history response. I think a lot of ppl do the 1st way u described "being descriptive rather than analytical" so u cleared up a lot of misconceptions. im gonna try and do an essay question on pompey but i dont know where to begin cause im not really confident with him, any suggestions?
I have no idea about him, sorry.

The best thing is to, like I said, break down things into themes. Obviously Pompey was a military leader, but also a political one. There's a starting point. :)
 

pimpette

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heyy iam new to this soo...i dunt noe where to go 4 help wid this essay thats killin me :bomb:[slowly] :p ....anyway i got all the info for it but dunt rlly know where to start..i have to evaluate the role and contribution of livia, Julia and Agrippina on roman society during their respective time periods...if any1 can help me just set it out that will be awsome ... :)
 

menelaus

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i take it that u r doing the julio claudian time period? also, from memory, i think that these three women appear on the syllabus in terms of their role in the succession.

evaluate the role and contribution of livia, Julia and Agrippina on roman society during their respective time periods.

u have to go the "chronological" way in the sense that u need to evaluate each woman in order. but, u still need to draw some conclusions about how the women were similar or different in their methods, otherwise your essay just becomes descriptive.

so start with livia- and say a general statemnt like she played an active role in the succession. mention that she produced, protected and prevented potential successors. also mentioned preparedness like keeping augustus' death quiet. u have to be careful so that the events u described come across as historical pieces of eveidence, rather than recounting, and the best way to do this is to use historians, which would be mainly be seutonius.
also, provide reasons for livia doing this, ie. her attitude, or desire to play a role.

Evaluate means to determine the value of, and a theme with the julio claudians is contiuity and change, so one of the ways u can evaluate livia' role is to give evidence as to how things changed as a result.

i would do this witht he other two, and then go on to say somehting at the end that could be a statemnt like who played the most significant role, or who wheteher or not the later women were influenced by livia. something to show that u have looked at the evidence and made a judgement.
 

pimpette

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oh nice!...thanx heaps...thats a good start to my assi.
thanks again :wave:
 

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