The Five-Paragraph Essay Has a Negative Effect
Traditional Essay Model Causes Problems for College Freshmen
Jun 2, 2009
Most high school curriculums praise the five-paragraph essay as being the most advanced form of writing papers. However, its prescriptive structure causes students to produce unoriginal, impassive writing. The solution, according to college professors, is to teach a more creative approach to essay-writing.
The Structure of the Five-Paragraph Essay
The five-paragraph essay is a formulaic system of academic writing (namely research papers) that high school teachers drill into their students’ heads. Like the title indicates, it is composed of five controlled paragraphs that function specifically to relay information.
According to the structural requirements, the essay must begin with an introductory paragraph that introduces the topic and three subpoints, including a concise thesis statement as the last sentence. The next three paragraphs each restate one of the subpoints and give supporting information. Finally, the fifth paragraph reiterates the thesis statement and the three subpoints.
The Problem With the Five-Paragraph Essay
In short, the problem with this imposed structure is that it allows for no creativity. The rigidness of content arrangement allows no freedom for students to experiment with form or structure. If the old adage “form follows function” applies in this case, then students are also limited in their topic choice because the function of their writing is predetermined by its form. This is why so many students dislike writing - their ownership of the process and of the final product is minimized by the structure of the five-paragraph essay.
But perhaps the larger problem is that incoming college freshman are grossly underprepared for the type of writing they will do during their higher-level education. Collegiate writing – whether creative or strictly academic – is expository and requires independent thinking, flow of style, and complex topics. Thus, a much looser and personalized form must be used. Very few college freshmen have been adequately trained for this style of writing, and a result they must waste valuable time and money taking review courses. Also, if required to take a creative writing course for supplementary credit, many students do not know how to utilize the freedom they are given to write aesthetically.
Alternative Essay-Writing Methods
To reduce the number of incompetent college writers, many professors propose that high school teachers present a variety of different writing styles and techniques, allowing their students to experiment with form as it relates to their topics and writing styles. An expository, exploratory approach is advocated in hopes that such freedom will help students to develop a fresh passion for their writing.
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