The authors of your textbook note that "in writing, an illustration is an example, a 'verbal picture' that 'illustrates' the point the writer is making" (Troiano and Scott 327).

Your essay must first have a point to make, a thesis. To learn about thesis statements, go to my links page by clicking on the button below and then look at my glossary.

When you have decided on a thesis, then you should select your examples. Be sure to follow these guidelines from your textbook:

• Select relevant examples. Be sure your examples support the point you want to make and are not merely interesting anecdotes on the topic. Unless your thesis highlights the unusual ("Some truly bizarre customers shop at Sam's Surplus"), your examples should focus on the typical, not the unusual. For example, if you intend to demonstrate that your workplace has too many barriers for the disabled, you would be more persuasive if you described typical obstructions, such as heavy doors, rather than obstacles only rarely encountered

• Describe examples using specific details. Your examples will be more interesting and more convincing if you include specific details. "My Aunt Doris" is more specific, and more interesting, than "a relative of mine." Explaining that "last week three customers in wheel chairs were unable to maneuver their chairs through the aisles because the displays of sale items were crowed in the middle of the store" is more persuasive that saying that "the store is hard for disabled people to move through."

• Make you examples appropriate in length. Although you need to add enough detail to make your examples clear, be sure you do not add irrelevant details that might mislead or bore the readers.

Here are my added directions for this assignment:

Make sure your essay has the three basic parts: introduction, body, conclusion. The introduction should make it clear to the reader what you have done in preparation for the essay and what your purpose is. Your main idea should be stated at the end of your introduction. The introduction should have an interest catcher, something to attract the reader's attention (see pages 172-174).

The body of your paper should present your examples in an organized way. Each new example should be presented in a paragraph with a topic sentence, or if you use one extended example, present your description into several paragraphs by dividing it up into logically unified parts. Whenever the focus shifts, begin a new paragraph. Each of these paragraphs should also have a topic sentence (see pages 164-167) .

But after you present your example(s), you are not finished. You must then comment on or explain to the reader how the example helps to make the point you have stated in your thesis. What is it about your example that shows that your thesis is valid and makes sense?

Finally, your essay should have a conclusion that presents what you learned as you related your examples and thought about how they illustrate your thesis. What new realizations or insights have you had? What inferences might you make based on your writing and thinking?

The completed essay must be at least 500 words. There is no limit on length, but all essays should be concise, informative, and correct. Longer essays that multiply errors simply provide more justification for a poor grade. Microsoft Word will tell you how many words there are in a document.