How to Write Better Essays

Step 3 – Test your Concept 39

quantities of salt is likely to lead to high blood pressure, are both sug-

gestive of a course of action. But it would be odd to describe either of

these two statements as an advertisement.

If this is right, then we have reached a point where we can refine

another of the distinctions that was in our original analysis. Each time

we do this we inject more subtle shades of meaning for which we will

earn high marks from an examiner who reads the arguments we’ve

developed so far. You might consider arguing that these are not adver-

tisements in the normal sense, by virtue of their subject matter. They

are concerned with contentious political and social issues, not com-

mercial products and services that businesses or local communities are

trying to sell.

Indeed, those who suspect the intentions of the people making this

type of statement might describe it as propaganda. This might include

tobacco companies, who at one stage might have criticised govern-

ments for warning people about the dangers of smoking cigarettes. If

this is right, we might conclude that advertising and propaganda, in so

far as they share the same intention of trying to get people to choose

and act in a particular way, are of the same family, only distinguish-

able by their different subject matter.

As you can see, as we have worked our way through each of these

stages we have deliberately asked awkward questions to test and refine

the distinctions we made in our original analysis. By doing so we’ve

not only revealed some important subtle shades of meaning, for which

the examiner will award us high marks, but in effect we have rehearsed

some of the more complex arguments we’ll develop when we come to

write the essay.

Assignment 1

Analysing concepts

• Choose an essay question from one of the subjects you are studying.
  As you’ve already done in the practice exercises, underline the
  keywords and write a short statement outlining the meaning and
  implications of the question. This will help you clarify the key concept
  in the question, which you will need to analyse.


• Now analyse the concept deliberately, step by step. First, think up
  three or four typical examplesthat reflect the way the concept is
  Continued

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