stupid essay dont no where to start

[nikcola]

ive got a n essay on the family due in on 5th november it has to be 1 and a half to two thousand words and i really dont no how to start it god im crapping myself x

do you mean on the make up of a family generally or on your family?

Is there an actual question ??? Tell us exactly what it says you have to do.

I think we need more details Nikcola.

not bad my essays were always 2000 words plus

we have to quote george murdock(a sociologist) i will write his quote in abit its really long,

He is a functionalist and belives in the nuclear family and we have to disscuss thois thats all it says, we have to talk about the industrieal reveloution and how things have changed (like women staying at home) i dont no nothing about the industrial reveloutin x

sorry about the spelling im trying to eat dinner at same time

1,500 to 2,000 words isn't as scary as it sounds - hand written essays would be 300/350 words per page so it's only about 6 - 7 sides handwritten.

however fiendish the title sounds it's just going to be away of discussing what you have studied on your course to do with the family.

tell us the title!

Start Googling, I guess!

Here's a good article for starters

ok this is my essay instructions are you ready .......................

'family structures and their cultrial norms and values are a direct reflection of the economic need of their communites- the nuclear family is therefore not a biological given'

discuss.

i dont understand it

how confussing is that and its bloody half term so im on my own to do it

well it's asking you to discuss the claim that family structures are dictated by economics and not by biology. Some might claim that a nuclear family is the normal setup for human beings, others would claim that the nuclear family arose because it best served the economic need of the community.

Or something

start off by breaking the title down - what strikes my mind is that you would want to start off by defining the nuclear family (and biological given.

you mentioned the industrial revolution - have you done any reading in your course about women/work/industrial revoluation

you're not entirely on your own - you've got us back seat essay writers on MN to erm help you

i just dont no how to write a bloody essay ive done 1 while ive been at college but that was only a basic one

thank you mts xxxxx and missuswoman ,cdx

im going to read my fat sociology book tonite and make a start tomoow ive got 2 weeks to peform a miricle

You need to start off by writing some notes rather than attempt to write an essay straight off. Presumably you've covered some of this subject matter on your course, theories about family structures and so on?

I agree it is confusing nikcola and i hate it when they delibertaly word it to make you think "oh S**T"

Anyway i think mrswoman is right you have to explain why the nuclear famliy is usually a circumstance of outside things in the community like both parents working, money e.t.c

Sorry that sounds like total tosh. I know what i mean but can't explain it.

Just make sure you have a beginning middle and an end to it.
My old tutor said basically firstly explain what you are going to be writing about, then write about it, and then summarise what you have just said in the end.

Hope this is helping, i feel like i'm talking drivel.

can you get any study skills books out of the library to give you an idea then about writing essays. i'm sure if you've done one tho, you will be fine doing another, and everyone else will be scratching their heads thinking - oh god it's been years and years since I last did an essay.

An essay is just about constructing an argument with a beginning, middle and end. the beginning bit would be defining what you are going to talk about, the middle bit is waffling on and giving more detail of what you are talking about, and the end will be summing up what you have said in the middle.

Start with an introduction. In your introduction you give a brief outline as to what the essay's going to be about. Divide the rest off the essay into paragraphs- one point to be discussed per paragraph. Use quotes to back up what you are saying (remember to have your quotes on separate lines).
The last paragraph needs to be a conclusion where you basically sum up your findings.
Remember to have a bibliography at the end where you write a list of all books/sources etc. HTH

oooh x-posted with nutty (and eerily similar advice)

I always find it helpful to ask myself a load of questions (and write the questions down) relating to the essay topic. You might start off with "What is the definition of a nuclear family?" and "How do the economic needs of a community relate to family structure?" for instance. Then by finding the answers to the questions you'll generate most of the material you'll need for the essay.

On essay writing, regardles of topic, you need to follow a pattern: introduction (where you state what you are doing to write about), followed by a number of paragrpahs each one making a different point and then sum up with a conclusion (this should answer the question in the title - you either agree or disagree!)
Does that help at all?

Someone told me years ago that writing the conclusion first is a good way to start!

Oh you all type much quicker than I do! Sorry - posts crossed.