Hobbes
When constructing your essay, think of your reader as someone who needs your help; you are your thinker’s
representative. Your essay will serve as a tutorial:
Be sure your essay is fully formed, i.e., introductory remarks, summaries, and analyses. When formulating your
position, be sure to make your argument clear.
Organize your thoughts so they are expressed on paper as a coherent whole. Given the constraints of the
exam format, you’ll probably write a minimum of four, and a maximum of six paragraphs. These should ‘hang
together’ in a way that’s easy to follow; there is a clear progression of ideas.
Write intelligibly: sentences must be grammatical and cohesive.
Choose your words carefully. Remember, you’re constructing ideas for your reader.
Orient your essay around a single point you want to make, using your thinker(s) concepts and argument(s) as
evidence.
Describe important concepts and lines of reasoning, e.g., ‘He says this, he argues that.’
Explain important concepts and lines of reasoning, e.g., ‘This is what he means by this and that.’
In addition, do not use material from any outside (i.e., secondary) sources, and do not use quotes from the
primary source material longer than several words; I want to read what you have to say about the text. When
you do quote the text, however, be sure to enlist the appropriate punctuation.
As a reminder, be sure to construct grammatical sentences that:
introduce and describe important terms or concepts;
summarize the central (or relevant) argument;
explain the important terms or concepts;
explain the central (or relevant) argument
