media and other analysis

1. Opinion Writing
•Opinion is a written composition where you express a
specific idea and then support it with facts,
statements, analysis and explanations. The basic
format for an opinion (essay and article) is known as
the five paragraph writing – but an opinion may have as
many paragraphs as needed.
•However, the essay itself consists of three sections: an
introduction, a body and a conclusion.

2. Basics of writing an opinion:
Select a Topic:
• When selecting a topic , you'll want to make sure your topic
supports the type of paper you're expected to write.
• If you're expected to produce a paper that is a general
overview, then a general topic will suffice.
•However, if you're expected to write a specific analysis, then
your topic should be fairly specific.

3. Types of Opinion Writing
• There are three basic types of opinion writings:
• Analytical: An analytical opinion breaks down an idea or issue into its key
components. It evaluates the issue or idea by presenting analysis of the
breakdown and/or components to the reader.
• Expository: Also known as explanatory writings, expositories provide
explanations of something.
• Argumentative : These type of opinions, also known as persuasive writing,
make a specific claim about a topic and then provide evidence and
arguments to support the claim. The claim set forth in argumentative
(persuasive) writing may be an opinion, an evaluation, an interpretation,
cause-effect statement or a policy proposal. The purpose of
argumentative writing is to convince or persuade the reader that a claim is
valid.

4. Outline
The following are useful steps for developing an outline to organize ideas for your
opinion:
• Take a page of paper and write your topic at the top.
• Now, down the left side of the page, under the topic, write Roman numerals I, II,
and III, sequentially.
• Next to each Roman numeral, write the main points, or ideas, about your opinion
topic. If this is persuasive one, write your arguments. If this an opinion to inform,
write the major categories into which information will be divided. If the purpose of
your opinion is to explain a process, write down each step of the process.
• Next, under each Roman numeral, write A, B, and C down the left hand side of the
page.
• Finally, next to each letter, under each Roman numeral, write the information
and/or facts that support the main point or idea.

5. Developing a Thesis Statement
• Once you have an idea for the basic structure of your opinion and
what information you're going to present, it's time to develop your
thesis statement. A thesis statement states or outlines what you
intend to prove in your opinion. A good thesis statement should be
clear, concise, specific, and takes a position.
• A thesis statement (1) tells the reader what the opinion is about and
(2) what points you'll be making. If you've already selected an opinion
topic, and developed an outline, you now can decide what points you
want to communicate through your essay.
• An example of an argumentative (persuasive) thesis statement:
Instead of sending tax money overseas to buoy struggling
governments and economies, U.S. residents should be offered tax
incentives for donating to companies that provide micro loans
directly to the citizens of third world countries.

6. Introduction, Body & Conclusion
Once you're done developing a thesis statement that supports the type of
opinion your writing and the purpose of the opinion, you're ready to get
started on your introduction.
• Introduction: The introduction is the first paragraph of the
opinion. It introduces the reader to the idea that your opinion
will address. It is also intended to capture the reader's attention
and interest. The first sentence of the introduction paragraph
should be as captivating and interesting as possible. The
sentences that follow should clarify your opening statement.
Conclude the introduction paragraph with your thesis statement.

7. Body : The body of opinion is where you explain, describe or
argue the topic you've chosen. Each of the main ideas you
included in your outline will become of the body paragraphs. If
you wrote down four main ideas in your outline, then you'll
have four body paragraphs.
•Each paragraph will address one main idea that supports the
thesis statement. The first paragraph of the body should put
forth your strongest argument to support your thesis. Start
the paragraph out by stating the supporting idea. Then follow
up with additional sentences that contain supporting
information, facts, evidence or examples – as shown in your
outline. The concluding sentence should sum up what you've
discussed in the paragraph.

8. Conclusion: The final paragraph of the opinion provides the
conclusion. This paragraph should restate your thesis
statement using slightly different wording than employed in
your introduction. The paragraph should summarize the
arguments presented in the body of the opinion. The last
sentence in the conclusion paragraph should communicate
that your opinion has come to an end. Your concluding
paragraph should communicate to the reader that you're
confident that you've proven the idea as set forth in your
thesis statement.