Accelerate!

I guess reading through the various outlines, model essays, evaluative analyses and insightful conclusions, between intense moments where academic survival hinges on those few lines of paragraph, it made me draw a few interesting parallels to quantities we have revisted before - distance, displacement, velocity, acceleration.

I realize that in writing a good essay, we first need distance. We need to have both the physical stamina to evaluate given question thoroughly and to be able to cover enough breadth of the issue in rigor. For example, if given question asks how something is beneficial, it is always important to consider the different actors that may benefit as opposed to having simplified generalizations. In this sense, good essays distinguish themselves by the significantly greater amount of distance they can cover in terms of number of ways of tackling the question.

Secondly, an essay with great depth but lacking in variety shortchanges itself, thus the need for displacement. As science students may know, the difference between 'distance' and 'displacement' lies in the latter recognition of direction whereas the former is merely a magnitude. The need to vary our arguments in differing angles is important, not only in attracting the attention of readers, but also in providing a more balanced argument. Hence, good essays are able to cover great distances in many different directions.

Next, certainly, at this point, one might be inclined to say that an esssay with displacement is good enough. But we're not satisfied with 'good enough', are we? We are looking for the best. Hence, it is important that we recognize the significance of velocity. True, you might have covered great distances in many directions, but so what? Others can do the same as well, and in an more concise or better way. Having greater velocity in an essay means composing an essay in a more unique or better way. For example, in proving a point, the use of more suitable examples or contrasting case studies may further crystallize your point. Therefore, good essays need to cover great distances, in varying directions, in better ways.

Finally, the factor that differentiates the good from the best must be acceleration. Acceleration, in this case, refers to the ability to distinguish the shades of differences. The only absolute is arbitration. Use the fact that everything is relative to your advantage. Did X prove to be a watershed in the development of Y? Even if the final evaluation is that X is indeed a watershed, recognising that X is more a watershed in certain cases than it is in others will make your argument more nuanced, more specific, and more concise. Therefore, a good essay is one that covers breadth through many platforms in more qualified ways that show a nuanced understanding of the issue.

Distance. Displacement. Velocity. Acceleration.