Read the following sample cause and effect essays from The College Writer, Chapter 15:
Death From Below: Our Summer of Shark Attacks (pp. 264-267)
Mind Over Mass Media (pp. 268-270)
Then, compose a cause and effect essay (500-word minimum) based on one of the topics below. This assignment is not a comparison-contrast essay. Be sure that you examine cause and effect rather than similarities and differences.
Topic 1: As noted in the introduction of “Death from Below,” Phillips writes about the public’s fascination with, and fear of, sharks. What other subjects inspire both fascination and fear? For your essay, explore the causes and/or effects at work in one such subject.
Topic 2: “Mind Over Mass Media” analyzes changes wrought by technology. Identify a social change or a technological change that has impacted your life; then, analyze the causes or effects of that change.
Choose one topic.
Formatting Requirements:
Your essay should conform to the format of the example below.
Include an introductory paragraph, body paragraphs (minimum of 3 supporting paragraphs), and concluding paragraph. There is no limit to the number of paragraphs in an essay, but it should adhere to the minimum requirements.
Each paragraph should contain an introductory sentence, supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence.
In the four-line heading, identify the assignment as Formal Essay 4 next to the name of the writer.
Use your own creative title.
Center the title directly over the first paragraph.
Do not use dialogue, monologue, or quotations in any essay assignment unless instructed.