LECTURE SEVEN
Cause and Effect
III. Types of Writing
Cause and Effect
Essay Analysis
Writing Practice
Assignment
Cause and Effect
 A cause-effect essay explains why or how some event
happened, and what resulted from the event, that is, the
cause and/or effect of something.
 This essay is a study of the relationship between two or
more events or experiences. The essay could discuss both
causes and effects, or it could simply address one or the
other.
 Two questions should be answered in a causal analysis:
1. What is the cause of something that has happened?
2. What effect will follow if something has happened?
A Cause Essay
 A cause essay usually discusses the reasons
why something happened.
 A cause essay begins with an introduction
which briefly describes the effect, and then the
entire body analyses the causes, each of which
is generally discussed in one paragraph.
Introduction (Effect,
including thesis)
Cause 1
Cause 2
Cause 3, 4, 5…
Conclusion
Effect
An Effect Essay
 An effect essay discusses what happens after a
specific event or circumstance.
 A cause essay begins with an introduction which
briefly describes the cause, and then the entire
body analyses the effects, each of which is
generally discussed in one paragraph.
Introduction (cause,
including thesis)
Effect 1
Effect 2
Effect 3, 4, 5...
Conclusion
Cause
Logical Requirements
 Do not over-simplify causes;
 Beware especially of making a mistake in logic known as the
fallacy of “after this therefore because of this”;
 Distinguish between direct and indirect causes and effects
and between major and minor causes and effects;
 Do not omit links in a chain of causes and effects;
 Be objective and support the analysis with solid, factual
evidence.
Essay analysis: Stresses of being a
celebrity
 Does the opening
attract the reader’s
interest? How?
 Which sentence is the
thesis statement of the
essay?
 A woman signing herself “Wants
the Truth in Westport” wrote to
Ann Landers with a question she
just had to have answered.
“Please find out for sure,” she
begged the columnist, “whether or
not Oprah Winfrey has had a
face-life.” Fortunately for Ms.
Winfrey’s privacy, Ann Landers
refused to answer the question.
But the incident was disturbing.
How awful it would be to be a
celebrity, always in the public eye.
Celebrities lead very stressful lives,
for no matter how glamorous or
powerful they are, they have too
little privacy, too much pressure,
and no safety.
Essay analysis
 For one thing, celebrities don’t have the
 What is the topic
privacy an ordinary person has. The
sentence of the
most personal details of their lives are
paragraph?
splashed all over the front pages of the
 What details are used to
National Enquirer and the Globe so
support the topic
that bored supermarket shoppers can
sentence?
read about “Leonardo DiCaprio’s
Awful Secret” or “The Heartbreak
Behind Winona Ryder’s Smile.” Even a
celebrity’s family is hauled into the
spotlight. A teenage son’s arrest for pot
possessions or a wife’s drinking
problem becomes the subject of glaring
headlines. Photographers hound
celebrities at their homes, in
restaurants, and on the street, hoping
to get a picture of Halle Berry in
curlers or Jim Carrey guzzling a beer.
When celebrities try to do the things
that normal people do, like eat out or
attend a football game, they run the
risk of being interrupted by thoughtless
autograph hounds or mobbed by
aggressive fans.
Essay analysis
 Which sentence functions as
a linking sentence between
paragraphs?
 What are details used to
support the idea?
 After which sentence in this
paragraph are more specific
details needed?
 What transition words or
phrases are included in this
paragraph?
 In addition to the loss of privacy,
celebrities must cope with the
constant pressure of having to
look great and act right. Their
physical appearance is always
under observation. Famous
women, especially, suffer from the
spotlight, drawing remarks like
“She really looks old” or “Boy,
has she put on weight.”
Unflattering pictures of celebrities
are photographers’ prizes to be
sold to the highest bidder; this
increases the pressure on
celebrities to look good at all times.
Famous people are also under
pressure to act calm and collected
under any circumstances. Because
they are constantly observed, they
have no freedom to blow off team
or to do something just a little
crazy.
Essay analysis
 What is the topic sentence  Most important, celebrities must
deal with the stress of being in
of this paragraph?
constant danger. The friendly grabs,
hugs, and kisses of enthusiastic fans
 What details are used to
can quickly turn into uncontrolled
support the idea?
assaults on a celebrity’s hair, clothes,
and car. Most people agree that
 What methods are used in
photographers bear some
this paragraph to support
responsibility for the death of one of
the leading celebrities of the 1990s -the idea?
--Princess Diana. Whether or not
their pursuit cause the crash that
took her life, it’s clear she was
chased as aggressively as any
escaped convict by bloodhounds.
And celebrity can even lead to
deliberately lethal attacks. The
attempt to kill Ronald Reagon and
the murder of John Lennon came
about because two unbalanced
people became obsessed with these
world-famous figures. Famous
people must live with the fact that
they are always fair game ---- and
never out of season.
Essay analysis
 What method does the
author use to conclude
the essay?
 Some people dream of
starring roles, their
name in lights, and their
picture on the cover of
People magazine. But
the cost is far too high. A
famous person gives up
private life, feels
pressured to look and
act certain ways all the
time, and is never
completely safe. An
ordinary, calm life is far
safer and sane than a
life of fame.
Outline

Celebrities lead a stressful life.
1. loss of privacy
a. details on the magazine
b. trouble on families
c. annoying photographs
2. look great and act right
a. physical appearance
b. calm behaviour
3. constant danger
a. uncontrolled assault caused by fans etc
b. vulnerability to lethal attacks
Writing Practice
 You are required to write a comparison/contrast essay
of about 200 words on the topic: Credit Cards or
Paying Cash
 You are required to write a cause-effect essay of about
200 words on the topic: Computer Addiction
Assignment
 Preview: Division & Classification; Definition