Most history essays are analytical (why something happened), rather than merely descriptive (what happened). If you are struggling to develop an argument in your essays and have been directed to this section, it may simply mean that there is a breakdown or a blockage in the manner in which you are presenting the evidence to support your thesis. It is likely you are stuck in a narrative description or not directly responding to the question.
Although you might use description when presenting evidence (or in the Key Personalities section of the HSC), the key to a history essay is analysis – you discuss ‘why’ something happened, although you might also discuss the ‘how, what, where, when’ aspects to explain the ‘why’. So you must ask yourself – am I successfully answering the question using analysis? Am I being clear on what I am contending?
The process of analysis requires you to:
- a) Break down a topic/concept/group of facts into categories,
- b) Look at the relationship between each category,
- c) Examine how each category contributes to the big picture and thus,
- d) Draw conclusions about their significance.
Descriptive writing is not acceptable because it does not present your own argument and position clearly. In a sense, you are simply describing what other people have said without really presenting any evidence to your reader that you have actually absorbed and interpreted the ideas in the sources and thought about how these might be relevant to your own argument. Unless you make the information relevant, it is merely extraneous. Unless you tell the reader why historian A’s conclusions are relevant to your discussion, the reader will not know. When you use evidence in your essay, you are using it to support your argument; i.e. your position.
When you refer to a source, particularly a secondary source, it is best to begin your sentence by focusing on the ideas in the source that are important to your argument rather than simply summarising the author’s arguments. By using evidence from several sources, you demonstrate that you have considered the relationships between the ideas in their sources as well as the relationship between the sources and the essay question. You must still fit these thoughts into the framework of T.E.E.E.L, but these considerations should be foremost in your mind.
To write analytically in order to develop an argument, consider these questions as you write:
- What is my main argument?
- What is the argument I am attempting to make in this paragraph?
- What is the relationship between the two? Are they different? The same? Is one an extension of the other?
- What evidence do I provide to substantiate my claim in this paragraph?
- What do these pieces of information tell me?
- What is the relationship between these pieces of information?
- How do these pieces of information relate to my main argument?
In other sections, we have considered choosing and evaluating sources as well as note-taking, all of which are important parts of the process of good historical writing. Reading sources critically and making a good set of notes will help you absorb the source material. It will also help you to determine the position you are going to take. You do not need to complete all of your reading before you begin planning and writing your essay. As you cement and refine your ideas, you will most likely find that you need to do some further reading to clarify or expand a point. Only by practice will you find what works for you.
In developing (and defending) each stage of your argument to its conclusion, you will need to do the following:
- Demonstrate your interpretation of the appropriate evidence, by critically evaluating the work of other scholars writing in similar areas;
- Provide evidence, through the use of case studies, examples and explanation.
Do not be afraid to challenge another historian’s interpretation. One of the areas your essay will be assessed on is your critical engagement with the sources. Essays which make intelligent and relevant criticisms of a historian’s interpretation will impress the marker. This does not mean that petty or wild accusations against another historian are appropriate in your essay. Keep a calm, objective outlook and if you need to pick someone apart, make sure you have the backing of some leading historians. Whether you agree or disagree with a historian about a major issue, make your case, back it up with evidence, explain why it is significant and then move on to your next point. Your goal is always to answer the set question.
GUIDE FOR WRITING HISTORY ESSAYS 