Writing a better term paper



THE TITLE

Think of the title as your friend and ally.  It is there to protect you and to guide you.  A good title should do 
both.  For example consider this title:

"A critical examination of the use and effect of religious imagery in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart."

*  It specifically refers to one work

*  It specifically refers to one major topic within the work (religious imagery).

*  It specifically asks you to do two things: critically examine the use and the effect of the imagery.



THE OPENING OF THE ESSAY

A possible opening to the essay might run as follows.  

Religious imagery lies at the heart of Chinua Achebe's work.  It is equally important to the fierce political world 
of No Longer at Ease as it is to the ancient mystical world of the Arrow of God, and it certainly provides Things Fall Apart
with an major source of tension and conflict.  The study of such imagery may help us to unravel some aspects of what is 
a complex piece of writing, and to arrive at conclusions as to the intentions of the work.  For the purposes of this 
essay, a distinction will be made between Christian religious imagery on the one hand and Tribal religious imagery 
on the other.  There is some overlap between the two, but the distinction will prove useful in describing and 
analysing the conflicting religious intentions of Things Fall Apart.

What do I see as the advantages of this kind of opening?  Well ...

*  There is a very clear indication of intention - it looks as though you're very organised (and, indeed, you probably are!)

*  It mentions other relevant works by Achebe which suggests that you have had the interest to look beyond the 
single work you have been required to write about.

*  It refines the term "religious imagery" by distinguishing between Christian and Tribal religious imagery - and 
in this way it makes the title "your own" by stamping your own individual ideas upon it.  

*  It explains why you have refined the term "religious imagery" and suggests why this will be useful to the essay.

*  It doesn't make wild claims about what you will "prove" by the end of the essay.  It merely suggests that the 
area of investigation is interesting and it signals some of the directions you will be taking on your journey (but 
not the conclusion of your journey).



A SAMPLE PARAGRAPH FROM THE ESSAY

Let's imagine that this is a sample paragraph from the essay.

     The Feast Day of the New Yam is intended as a happy celebration but Okonkwo's violence threatens to 
turn it into a day of fear for his wife and their children.  We are told he offered "a sacrifice of new yam and 
palm oil to his ancestors" (28).  This image of "sacrifice" is used later in the work to accommodate a Christian 
view of the world.  If a sacrifice to the tribal gods is not effective then a sacrifice to the Christian god was 
the next logical step (127).  For the indigenous people, there is no incompatibility between images of tribal religion 
and images of Christian religion.  But for the colonial missionary, Mr Brown, the clear separation of religious 
imagery is crucial for, as he insists, "you must either be a Christian or a heathen - you cannot be both" (128).

The strong points of this paragraph, I would suggest, are as follow:

*  Quotation is used as a source of evidence - and quotations are brief and relevant.
*  Precise page references are given for quotations.  Always quote page numbers; or line numbers if it's a poem; 
or act and scene (and, if possible, line) numbers if its a play.
*  The paragraph is to the point: it is talking about a religious image of sacrifice.
*  While distinguishing between Tribal Images and Christian images, the paragraph integrates the argument, 
discussing both images at the same time.  We need to say a little more about this ...
*  As elsewhere in the essay the words "I" and "my" (as in "It is my view ..." or "I think that Achebe...") are avoided.  
It is not usual for papers to use the first person since they are intended to be as objective as possible (and "I" 
and "my" suggest subjectivity).



THE CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH

All good things must come to an end - yes, even something as good as your essay.  Look at this example of an 
essay conclusion.

     In Things Fall Apart religious imagery is both deliberate and extensive.  Religious images are used effectively 
in relation to Christian and Tribal belief, and serve to emphasise the differences between the novel's protagonists.  
For the colonists, religious images signal conquest.  They become an expression of supremacy and of  military, as 
well as religious, "superiority."  For the indigenous community, religious imagery becomes a way of preserving their 
society while at the same time accommodating change.  It enables two sets of religious beliefs to exist where only one 
existed before.  Through its wide use of religious imagery, Things Fall Apart is able to explore and develop in 
some detail the wider issues of colonial conquest and indigenous survival in a manner that is both subtle and persuasive.

What is there of merit here?  Well, a few things I think.

*  As a concluding paragraph, it keeps to the point - i.e. religious imagery.

*  There were two sub-sections in the essay.  The concluding paragraph offers a summary sentence or two on each of 
them.

*  The final paragraph directly addresses the question of use ("deliberate and extensive"; "wide"; "in some detail") 
and effect ("emphasise the differences"; "expression of supremacy"; "explore and develop").

*  It does not attempt to develop any new arguments.  The final paragraph is not the place for that.

*  It provides a final value judgement on the use and effectiveness of religious imagery ("subtle and persuasive").
This is not something you could have claimed in the first paragraph; but now, having presented your argument, you 
are in a position to make this kind of judgement.




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