Why do some essays stand out and earn high marks, whilst others languish in their shadow even they they may be intelligent and competent? Why do some essays simply SHINE? Perhaps it’s a question of GROWTH and FERTILITY. I always think of Dickens’ Pip in Great Expectations and consider how his name ‘Pip’ is suggestive of the potential for growth. Yet his life seems marked by disappointment. he ‘fails’ to realize the potential of his name as his growth as ‘Pip’ is affected negatively by his environment. The ‘soil’ is too psychologically ‘acidic’ for fertlity and he makes mistakes. His evolution is hindered by barren ground…rather like a disappointing essay. Yet… .
Think of the butterfly’s evolution-its stages of growth. 1) The caterpillar 2) The chrysalis. 3) The butterfly. Each stage is necessary for the butterfly’s perfect evolution. Each stage needs to be present if the butterfly is to fulfill its beautiful ‘promise’. you liken this to essay writing: 1) The caterpillar: the governing idea. 2) The chrysalis : the evidence. 3) The butterfly: the explanation, fully developed.