1. Aisha Brownlee, Avery Carmichael, Dejha Brown,
Yetunde Amolegbe

2. Writing Causal Analysis with a Reader’s Eye
 Causal analysis essays must have a logical, believable
development
 Otherwise they will not connect with their audience and
will fail to accomplish their purpose.
 This should be considered when engaging your desired
audience with your writing
 Think of audience throughout the writing process

3. Issues to Keep in Mind
 The intended purpose of a causal analysis essay is to
explain a situation to the reader
 Including both causes and effects may be difficult
 What is the best way to present each cause or effect
 Consider the nature and importance of each cause or
effect
 Weigh the causes and effects
 Determine major causes/effect to focus on

4. Issues to Keep in Mind (cont.)
 Do not mistake correlation for causation
 Understand the relationship between simultaneous
event
 Do not forget that all causes may have unintended
consequences

5. Choosing Internal Strategies
 Internal strategies refers to the focus of the essay:
usually either on causes or effects
 Good causal analysis essays avoid a narrow, formulaic
approach to their subject matter
 You will most likely apply more than one internal
strategy to develop your essay thoroughly

6. Choosing a Topic
 Keep in mind the scope of the assignment
 Narrow down broad topics to make them manageable
 Fully understand the topic, allowing for better analysis
 Research may be necessary

7. Prewriting
 Use an informal, idea-gathering strategy such as
brainstorming, clustering, or free-writing to develop
possible causes and effects
 Revise results to include only Major causes and/or
effects

8. Organizing
 Essay should reflect its pattern
 i.e. Multiple causes, one effect
 Or one cause with multiple effects
 Using an outline will help indentify minor causes or
effects

9. Drafting
 Introduction should supply both context and essay
 Avoid being formulaic in analysis
 Avoid summarizing in the conclusion
 Instead give the significance of the topic
 Evaluate the causes or effects and propose a solution

10. Revising
 Questions
 Is the purpose clear? Was enough background provided?
 Is there a clear thesis, as well as clear topic sentences?
 Is the conclusion effective?
 Elements
 False causes or effects
 Correlation mistaken for causation
 Structure

11. Examining a Causal Analysis Essay
 “Black Men and Public Space”
 By Brent Staples
 Page 167

12. A Closer Look at Causal Analysis
 Questions to Consider
 Is there an effective introduction?
 Is there a clear and effective thesis?
 What are the causes discussed?
 What are the effects discussed?
 Which one does the writer focus on?
 Is there a good conclusion?
 Does the author propose a solution?

13. Introduction
 “My first victim was a woman” 167
 The author goes on to paint a vivid picture of a past
experience
 His topic becomes clear in the introduction

14. Thesis
 “It was in the echo of that terrified woman’s footfalls
that I first began to know the unwieldy inheritance I’d
come into-the ability to alter public space in ugly ways”
(167)
 The author’s position on his chosen topic becomes clear
in his thesis statement

15. Causes
 “I understand of course, that the danger they perceive
is not a hallucination” (168).
 Vulnerability
 Crime rate
 Preconceived notions
 All out of his control

16. Effects
 The author briefly discusses he has become used to in
his time in Chicago and New York
 Passengers locking the car doors
 Regardless of the passenger’s gender or race
 Pedestrians crossing to the other side of the street

17. Focus
 The author chose to focus on the causes of these
reactions
 Possible patterns:
 Multiple causes, one effect
 Why an event happen
 Discusses different causes that warrant similar
responses at the end of paragraph two

18. Conclusion
 The author proposes a solution
 “I now take precautions to make myself less
threatening” (168)
 Also learned how not to become angry
 Does not offer a solution to end the problem

19. How Does Causal Analysis Work?
 The writer examines the causes and effects of a
particular situation
 3 different types

20. Three Types of Causal Analysis
 Hypothetical
 Effects of past event
 Why past events happened
 Writer must decide whether to focus on causes or
effects depending on the chosen topic

21. Hypothetical
 Writer is asked to predict the effects of something
happening
 Businesses use this type before making decisions
 i.e. What would happen if we raise prices 5%?
Also called feasibility study

22. Effects of Past Events
 Focuses on factual events that can be both studied and
understood
 September 11th
 Tighter airport security
 Negative feelings towards those of Middle Eastern decent

23. Why Events Happened
 Focuses on the causes that contributed to an event
taking place
 Why is it so hard to find parking on campus?
 Limited space
 High demand
 Unorganized administration

24. Four Basic Patterns
 Multiple causes leading to one effect
 Here the writer how the outcome of a particular
situation is the combinations of multiple causes
 One major cause with multiple effects
 This type of essay focuses on a single event that has a
wide array of consequences

25. Four Basic Patters (cont.)
 Hypothetical effects
 Writer tries to rationally predict the effects of a
proposed change
 Explore both possible positive and negative effects
 Causal chains
 Here the writer explains the chain of events that led to
an outcomes
 Causes are caused by the preceding event

26. Exercise
 “A Bad Move Gentleman”
 Page 304

27. A Bad Move Gentleman
Our college has a new policy, it’s a horrible policy: any student
that misses more than 3 ‘contact hours’ will be dropped from
their class. The effects are going to hurt badly individual
students: they will be punished unfairly. First in a three-day a
week class over 16 weeks has 45 class meetings, therefore, at least
42 classes must be attended orelse the student is dropped. Thats
too much. What if you get sick. What if your car wont start. And
besides everyone gets a day off every once in a while, dont they?
Students with too absenses could find themselves living in fear
because they know their on the edge. Moreover students, we, pay
the tuition that runs this school, who is the school to cancel us
after we’ve paid are money? The whole thing sucks if you ask me.
We putup with alot with this school anyway; bad parking , old
classrooms. What are they thinking? In conclusion, as I have
clearly pointed out, the new rules is too hard on students and
unfair toboot. Think it over gentleman.

28. Revisions- 1st Paragraph
 Our college has a new policy, < Grammatical Error:
Comma Splice. it’s a horrible policy: any student that
misses more than 3 ‘contact hours’ will be dropped
from their class. The effects are going to hurt badly
individual students: they will be punished unfairly. <
Organization of words, Not clear.

29. 2nd Paragraph
 First, < Grammatical Error: Comma needed. in a
three-day a week class over 16 weeks has 45 class
meetings, therefore, at least 42 classes must be
attended orelse < Spelling the student is dropped.
That’s too much.< Spelling What if you get sick. What
if your car wont start. And besides everyone gets a day
off every once in a while, don’t < Grammatical Errors:
Punctuation errors. they?

30. Revisions (cont.)
 Moreover students, we, < Organization of words. pay
the tuition that runs this school, who is the school to
cancel us after we’ve paid are money? The whole thing
sucks if you ask me. We putup with alot < Spelling
with this school anyway; bad parking, old classrooms.
What are they thinking?
 In conclusion, as I have clearly pointed out, the new
rules is too hard on students and unfair toboot <
Spelling. Think it over gentleman. < Sexist language

31. Works Cited
 “Causal Analysis”. Howard Univesity Student
Handbook for Writers. Eds. Elaine P.
Maimon, Janice H. Peritz, Kathleen Blake
Yancey. USA: The McGraw-Hill
Companies 2010. 272-307. Print.
 Staples, Brent. “Black Men and Public Space”.
Revelations. Ed. Teresa M. Redd, Carolyn E.
Shuttlesworth. Boston, MA: Pearson
Learning Solutions, 2010. 167-168. Print.