“If you can’t explain it simply, then you don’t understand it well enough.” —Albert Einstein
Having a Conversation
Remember, an essay is first and foremost, a conversation among three parties. One party (and perhaps the most important ) is you, the essayist. You have determined you have something important to say, and you’ve taken the time put put your ideas on paper. You are leading the discussion.
The second party (also very important) is your reader. To a large degree, your audience is the reason you write. You want to inform, persuade or even entertain them.
The third party (often not taken into consideration) is any author, scientist, writer or other expert whom you quote or refer to during the course of your essay. When you bring these folks into your writing with your hook, thesis statement, bridge and research detail, it’s as though you’re bringing a partner or even team of experts into the discussion, and their voices become an important part of the discussion as well.
Your role in this conversation is to help explain and facilitate the ideas being discussed.
The interpretation is where this explanation and facilitation happens. It is where you make sense of the research details you have presented in your own words. Interpretation might also be thought of as commentary, insight analysis, opinion, personal reaction, explanation or evaluation.
During the interpretation, facts and evidence are explained to the reader by you in a way that only you can do. Interpretation is critical, because it is what makes the essay yours; it brings your voice into the paper.
What should I say during my interpretation?
It is your responsibility to provide your reader with insight and perspective, and this can be done in many ways. You may choose to summarize or paraphrase a research detail that you’ve presented. Then you might give an opinion or a commentary about what you have summarized. Sometimes you may wish to agree with a research detail that’s been presented or, conversely, you may wish to present an opposing point of view in the form of a rebuttal.
The interpretation is your opportunity to bring your own unique insight into the discussion. It is your opportunity to go deep and to make substantive observations, comparisons or new points altogether. And, as long as your interpretations are relevant to the point you are trying to make in the the body paragraph, you can say almost anything you want.
Do remember, however, that you don’t want to fill up the interpretation writing fields with just anything. You need to have a plan and an intention when you explain things to your reader. You want to be strategic and mindful of how you present your interpretations. The Essay Pop system will give you numerous strategies to do so. We hope that you will study the models we provide closely in order to understand how to incorporate solid interpretation within your body paragraphs.
How many interpretations does each Body paragraph need?
The number of interpretations you use really depends on the purpose and scope of your writing. With an in-class, timed, short response, you might only have time to write one research detail and one interpretations. If you are writing a longer response, you might add an additional research detail and a second or even third interpretation.
This section will provide you with a number of different models where interpretations are used in different ways for different purposes. Incidentally, we recommend that each interpretation range from 3 to 6 sentences in length. They, of course, can be longer, depending on how much the writer has to say.
One cool aspect of the EssayPOP system is that you can arrange your interpretations in any way you please. Using the action icon, you can alternate interpretations to follow multiple research details or you can stack interpretations, on top of one another, if you have a lot of personal insight to share. You can also arrange and rearrange interpretations by dragging by the writing frame handle and dropping them wherever you would like them to go. And if you decide you don’t want an extra interpretation, you can always delete it using the action icon. These functions give the essayist total flexibility in the writing process. For ease of identification, interpretations will always be highlighted in light purple.
The power of sentence starters
Sometimes writers struggle with interpretations because they don’t know how to start them. This is where the sentence starters come in. Oftentimes, just getting some help with starting an interpretation is all the writer needs to get the ideas flowing.
Let’s say that you just quoted a prominent researcher about the toxic effects of rattlesnake venom on the human body. The focus (or thesis) of your short response is to explain why humans are so mortally afraid of rattlers. In this scenario, a simple sentence starter from the menu such as, “This shows”, just might be what the writer needs to get the first interpretation flowing.
Once done with this interpretation the writer might decide to add a second interpretation beginning with the sentence starter, “This also demonstrates”, and then following that phrase with a new series of sentences explaining yet another interesting point of view about our fear of rattlesnakes. The sentence starters are available via the pull-down curtain located at the bottom center of the writing frame. All you have to do is look over the available starters and choose one that you like. When you click on it, it will appear in the writing frame.
Counter-argument and Rebuttal as Interpretation
When you access the action icon selections, one of the options available is counterargument; another is rebuttal. When you present a counter-argument, you are essentially giving time to your opponent or a different point of view. Sometimes these counter-arguments feature an opponent’s opinion and/or commentary and are, therefore, somewhat similar to interpretation.
Rebuttals (which are a essayist’s answer back to an opponent’s counter-argument) may likewise use opinion, logic and insight, as interpretation does, in order to make a point or refute an opponent’s difference of opinion. So, while counter-arguments and rebuttals are not, technically speaking, interpretation, they may very well contain some of the same elements of interpretation.
Interpretation Models
In each of these models, the research detail preceding the interpretation and the closer following the interpretation are also shown.
Model 1
Type of essay: short response / response to literature
The prompt: In Denise Levertov’s poem, “Moon Tiger”, what is the moon tiger really? Use textual evidence to justify your answer.
… Consider the following lines from the poem: “Look. Its white stripes/ In the light that slid/ Through the jalousies”. Levertov is inviting us to pay close attention to a very specific clue: the white stripes coming through the room’s blinds. It is a physical fact that moonlight becomes separated into lines that are projected onto the floor when they pass through louvered blinds (jalousies in this case). The speaker in the poem seems to be a child who observes these lines of moonlight slowly travelling across her room; she imagines that they are the stripes of a tiger “prowling sleekly” across the room. Everything else in the poem, the small head, the large feet, the prowling , the sniffing, is all imagined by the child. The moon “tiger” is, very simply, the creation of a child’s overactive imagination and nothing else. It’s amazing how poet’s often hide that which is obvious in plain sight, but few people seem to notice.
Notes
- Interpretation: This interpretation is a healthy five-sentences long (We recommend that they be anywhere from 3-6 sentences each). The writer defends his interpretation of the lines with reasoned thinking and physical science. The essay writer quotes some other small sections of the poem within the interpretation which is absolutely acceptable.
Model 2
This model is simply an augmentation of Model 1. The essay writer either had a little extra time or just had a little more to say. Or, maybe the teacher just assigned a higher word count. The modification here is the addition of a second interpretation. This simple addition can add depth and length to your response, and is worth trying if your responses tend to be a bit short or your teacher asks you to elaborate.
Type of essay: short response / response to literature
The prompt: In Denise Levertov’s poem, “Moon Tiger”, what is the moon tiger really? Use textual evidence to justify your answer.
… Consider the following lines from the poem: “Look. Its white stripes/ In the light that slid/ Through the jalousies”. Levertov is inviting us to pay close attention to a very specific clue: the white stripes coming through the room’s blinds. It is a physical fact that moonlight becomes separated into lines that are projected onto the floor when they pass through louvered blinds (jalousies in this case). The speaker in the poem seems to be a child who observes these lines of moonlight slowly travelling across her room; she imagines that they are the stripes of a tiger “prowling sleekly” across the room. Everything else in the poem, the small head, the large feet, the prowling , the sniffing, is all imagined by the child. The moon “tiger” is, very simply, the creation of a child’s overactive imagination and nothing else. When you think back to your own childhood, the experience that Levertov describes is not too far from the the way children experience the world. I remember working myself into a frenzy when I was four or five, imagining that every creak our old house made was a prowler creeping down the hall, or that the wind outside was the sound of winged beasts ready to sweep me away if I dared go outside. It’s amazing how poet’s often hide that which is obvious in plain sight, but few people seem to notice. In Levertov’s case, her little mystery does a pretty good job of portraying the incessantly imaginative minds of children.
Notes
- Interpretation: This INT is a healthy five-sentences long (We recommend that they be anywhere from 3-6 sentences each). The writer defends his interpretation of the lines with reasoned thinking and physical science. The essay writer quotes some other small sections of the poem within the interpretation which is absolutely acceptable.
- Interpretation 2: The response is lengthened with the addition a personal connection made by writer. The second interpretation personalizes the response and adds depth and length. The second interpretation transitions smoothly into the body closer.
Model 3
This model is a subtle variation of Model 2. The difference is that the writer decided to write the interpretation directly following the thesis statement, and then bring in the research detail in the form of a quote. The rest is essentially the same. The point is, sometimes a writer may want to get directly into the explanation part of the response. This is easily done by grabbing the writing frame handle and moving the desired frame to another location. No notes are included after this model because the elements are essentially the same as model 2.
Type of essay: short response / response to literature
The prompt: In Denise Levertov’s poem, “Moon Tiger”, what is the moon tiger really? Use textual evidence to justify your answer.
… Levertov is inviting us to pay close attention to a very specific clue: the white stripes coming through the room’s blinds. It is a physical fact that moonlight becomes separated into lines that are projected onto the floor when they pass through louvered blinds (jalousies in this case). When Levertov exclaims, “Look. Its white stripes/ In the light that slid/ Through the jalousies”, she is speaking from the point of view of a child who observes these lines of moonlight slowly travelling across her room; she imagines that they are the stripes of a tiger “prowling sleekly” across the room. Everything else in the poem, the small head, the large feet, the prowling , the sniffing, is all imagined by the child. The moon “tiger” is, very simply, the creation of a child’s overactive imagination and nothing else. When you think back to your own childhood, the experience that Levertov describes is not too far from the the way children experience the world. I remember working myself into a frenzy when I was four or five, imagining that every creak our old house made was a prowler creeping down the hall, or that the wind outside was the sound of winged beasts ready to sweep me away if I dared go outside. It’s amazing how poet’s often hide that which is obvious in plain sight, but few people seem to notice. In Levertov’s case, her little mystery does a pretty good job of portraying the incessantly imaginative minds of children.
Model 4
Like model 1, this response uses just the basic template formula, because it is a in-class, timed assignment.
Type of essay: Expository / Argument
The prompt: We just read the Atlantic Monthly article, “How Two Common Medications Became One $455 Million Specialty Pill” by Marshall Allen. In a 300-500 word short essay, discuss whether you believe the Horizon Pharmaceutical Company is justified in selling the drug Vimovo at the price that they do.
…It seems that Horizon simply takes two very common medications, a pain reliever and a stomach-upset medicine, and combines them into one pill, because pain relievers cause some people stomach discomfort. Not a bad idea I guess, but at what cost? “Of course I did the math”, says the Allen. “You can walk into your local drugstore and buy a month’s supply of Aleve and Nexium for about $40. For Vimovo, the pharmacy billed my insurance company $3,252.” This is a staggering markup in price. And what’s worse is they seem to be getting away with it. Vimovo, according to Allen, has netted the company $455 million since 2014 and shows no signs of slowing down. They seem to be able to get away with this with a series of sales tricks and back-room deals with insurance companies that the doctors and patients prescribing and using the drugs are seldom aware of. And despite the company executives claiming that they only are charging what the market will bear, and that they receive few complaints about their pricing, well, that’s only because they’ve done such a good job of concealing their unethical tactics. I’m with Mr. Asimov, it’s too bad a company like Horizon can’t simply make their profits in an honest way.
Notes
- Interpretation: This interpretation goes into why Horizon’s business practices are unethical and unfair. Another research detail ($455 million since 2014) is embedded into the interpretation which is a common practice and fine. A brief mention of the companies justification is quickly rebutted here. Feel free to throw a quick counter argument and rebuttal into your interpretation. A little conflict is a good thing.
Model 5
This model is a variation of model 4. In order to make the response lengthier and more substantive, the essay writer added an additional research detail. She also split her original interpretation in two, dropping interpretation 2 down to follow the second research detail. Finally, because the response was starting to feel lengthy, she broke the response into a second paragraph. By simply indenting in a place that felt natural. No notes will follow this model as the two interpretations are essentially the same.
Type of essay: Expository / Argument
The prompt: We just read the Atlantic Monthly article, “How Two Common Medications Became One $455 Million Specialty Pill” by Marshall Allen. In a 300-400 word short essay, discuss whether you believe the Horizon Pharmaceutical Company is justified in selling the drug Vimovo at the price that they do.
…It seems that Horizon simply takes two very common medications, a pain reliever and a stomach-upset medicine, and combines them into one pill, because pain relievers cause some people stomach discomfort. Not a bad idea I guess, but at what cost? “Of course I did the math”, says the Allen. “You can walk into your local drugstore and buy a month’s supply of Aleve and Nexium for about $40. For Vimovo, the pharmacy billed my insurance company $3,252.” This is a staggering markup in price. And what’s worse is they seem to be getting away with it. Vimovo, according to Allen, has netted the company $455 million since 2014 and shows no signs of slowing down. They seem to be able to get away with this with a series of sales tricks and back-room deals with insurance companies that the doctors and patients prescribing and using the drugs are seldom aware of. And they don’t stop there.
Based on Allen’s research, Vimovo isn’t Horizon’s only such drug. It has brought in an additional $465 million in net sales from Duexis, a similar convenience drug that combines ibuprofen and famotidine, aka Advil and Pepsid. So, they’ve taken a successful, albeit questionable practice, and spun it into other profitable drugs. And despite the company executives claiming that they only are charging what the market will bear, and that they receive few complaints about their pricing, well, that’s only because they’ve done such a good job of concealing their unethical tactics. I’m with Mr. Asimov. It’s too bad a company like Horizon can’t simply make their profits in a more honest way.
Model 6
This is response to an actual University of California application question. It extends the basic short response template with the addition of a second research detail
Type of essay: University of California Application / Personal Insight Question / personal narrative.
The prompt: What have you done to make your school or your community a better place? Limit: 350 words.
…Eagle Rock serves grades 7 through 10 school, and some of our most at-risk students are our middle-schoolers. Bridges matches these kids with upperclassmen who guide these students through the rigors of the secondary school experience. It was a club that was supported by a federal grant for many years, but that grant expired, and the club began to dwindle. Without a budget and a teacher-mentor, Bridges lost its way. My group searched for and found a mentor, developed a fundraising strategy, recruited upperclassmen mentors and crafted lesson plans that would engage our at-risk, middle school population. We created a mentoring schedule that had to accommodate the calendars of teachers, administration and the mentees themselves. In time, we got the program up and running again, and even exceeded our own expectations in doing so. In bringing back Bridges, we brought back a support system for our most vulnerable students that was dearly missing from Eagle Rock. We recreated a program that has helped students in need find the support they need during one of their toughest, transitional times. Giving back what I received growing up has always been a priority for me. Resurrecting Bridges has allowed me to achieve this goal.
Notes
- Interpretation: This interpretation in this particular response is quite short. It’s simply a commentary on the impact that the program is having on the school’s 7th and 8th graders. This fits the writing for a few reasons. First, because this a personal narrative, so most of the research information are recollections of the essay writer herself, and, in a way, a form of commentary. Second, because the student is limited to a firm 350 words, she had to be very efficient with her word count.
Model 7
Type of essay: expository/ argument
The prompt: Based on the documents we reviewed in class today that assign blame for the Titanic tragedy to several different individuals, who, in your opinion, is most responsible for the sinking of the RMS Titanic and the deaths of over 1,500 passengers?
…Robert Ballard, who is considered one the most-renowned Titanic experts, confirms this in his research. Consider the following evidence taken from Ballard’s “Exploring the Titanic”: “In all Captain Smith received seven ice warnings the afternoon and evening of the disaster. Of those, only 3 were posted for anyone to see.” (367) Ignoring this many ice warnings just seems like a recipe for disaster. To use a car/driver analogy, this would be like a driver ignoring three stop signs, driving through two red lights and careening over the Metro track when the gate is down — such a driver would surely get into an accident sooner or later. It is surprising that a captain with 38 years of experience would be so reckless, and clearly had he heeded these warnings, the ship would have survived. It also makes one wonder if Captain Smith was caught up in the overconfidence and hubris of the moment. I mean, why worry about iceberg warnings if you’re sailing an “unsinkable” ship? Sure, the blame could be spread around in regards to this tragic event, but if one person must be held most responsible, it is the captain.
Notes
- Interpretation: This interpretation employs an analogy to help explain the significance of the quote. It brings in some of the essayists own opinion and, frankly, his judgement of the captain’s behavior. The interpretation concludes effectively with a rhetorical question, and transitions smoothly into the closer.
Model 8
This model extends the basic short response template by having the two research details and interpretations alternate within the response. This technique is ideal for expository responses that feature additional evidence. It also creates a rhythm within the writing.
Type of essay: research/expository
The prompt: We have reviewed a number of articles about the of the planet’s more interesting and unusual animals. In a text- evidence-based response (300-400 words), explain why you find one of these creatures to be the most intriguing. You have 35 minutes to complete this assignment.
…Scientists have discovered a number of examples of this fact. According to the highly regarded marine biologist, Edwin Kantor, “The largest jellyfish species, the lion’s mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata), can have tentacles that extend longer than a blue whale, the largest mammal on Earth.” (67) It is difficult to fathom how large this really is. If you placed this fellow on the top of a ten-story building , the tips of his tentacles would still touch the sidewalk. Imagine how effectively a creature with such a “wingspan” could hunt. He certainly must be a fearsome predator. And the the weirdness doesn’t stop there. Consider the following : “The immortal jellyfish (Turritopsis dohrnii) ages like Benjamin Button—when a crisis like starvation presents itself, the jellyfish’s cells transform and revert to their earliest form, a polyp, making this type of jellyfish potentially immortal.” (Simmons 254) Again, it is no surprise that folks look at this formless creature like an alien being from another universe. It’s one thing to be able to stretch out to the size of a sequoia redwood, but to possess the ability to live forever?– that’s truly unique, not to mention a skill that we humans would most likely want to emulate if they could ever figure out how. All in all, when you consider some of their unusual abilities and characteristics, jellyfish truly are some of the weirdest organisms on the planet, although that butt-breathing trick that turtles do is pretty unique.
Notes
- Interpretations 1 and 2: Neither interpretation is overly long (both are just 3 sentences in length), which is appropriate for a timed assignment like this one. The first interpretation gives the reader new way of imagining the length of jellyfish tentacles, then offers up a personal commentary about how well the creature might hunt. The second makes reference to the first then provides another personal commentary.
Model 9
Like model 1, this response uses just the basic template formula which is appropriate for an in-class, timed assignment.
Type of essay: persuasive/ argument
The prompt: Our school’s administration announced recently that they are considering instituting a school dress code at Marshall High School. Based on your understanding of the rights granted U.S. citizens in the Constitution, do you feel such a policy would is advisable, ethical or even legal? Your response should be 250-350 words in length and contain some researched or factual evidence. You have 30 minutes to complete your response.
…Afterall, The First Amendment of our United States Constitution states that “Congress cannot pass laws abridging the freedom of speech.” Our forefathers did not intend to have any American citizen’s right to reasonably express him or herself taken away by anybody at any time, no matter their age. This constitutional protection allows us to speak out against politicians who we disagree with. It allows us to write articles that might be controversial or even offensive to some. And it certainly extends to students who might want to wear some loose-fitting jeans or a punk-rock tee shirt. Expressing one’s style, politics or ideas with one’s choice of clothing is no different than doing so with words spoken aloud or written down on paper. So, if the adult leadership of our school is serious about forcing a dress code on us, then they might as well admit that they they are a willing party to the a crass violation of the basic constitutional rights of our school’s students.
Notes
- Interpretation: At six sentences long, the interpretation is a healthy length. It focuses on other areas where freedom of expression is protected by the 1st amendment, then reasons that choice of clothing at school should be similarly protected. The somewhat animated tone befits a persuasive response.
Model 10
This model is a variation of model 9. In this model the “script is flipped” and the interpretation directly follows the thesis statement. This is easily done by grabbing the writing frame handle and moving the frame to its new location. Another difference is that a second research detail is added to this model, giving the response a bit more gravity.
Type of essay: persuasive/ argument
The prompt: Our school’s administration announced recently that they are considering instituting a school dress code at Marshall High School. Based on your understanding of the rights granted U.S. citizens in the Constitution, do you feel such a policy would is advisable, ethical or even legal? Your response should be 250-350 words in length and contain some researched evidence. It is due at the start of class tomorrow.
…I hate to break it to these conservative “crushers-of-young-folks’-spirits”, but a mandated dress code at our school is a flagrant violation of young people’s’ civil rights. Our forefathers did not intend to have any American citizen’s right to reasonably express him or herself taken away by anybody at any time, no matter their age. This constitutional protection allows us to speak out against politicians who we disagree with. It allows us to write articles that might be controversial or even offensive to some. And it certainly extends to students who might want to wear some loose-fitting jeans or a punk-rock tee shirt. Expressing one’s style, politics or ideas with one’s choice of clothing is no different than doing so with words spoken aloud or written down on paper. Afterall, The First Amendment of our United States Constitution states that “Congress cannot pass laws abridging the freedom of speech.” Additionally, Lee Rowland of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Nevada branch reminds us that “in conflict with the First Amendment, school uniform policies create instead an environment of sterilized uniformity scrubbed of the diversity so prized by our founding fathers. (238) So, if the adult leadership of our school is serious about forcing a dress code on us, then they might as well admit that they they are willing to be a party to a crass violation of the basic constitutional rights of our school’s students.
Notes
- Interpretation: At six sentences long, the interpretation is a healthy length. It focuses on other areas where freedom of expression is protected by the 1st amendment, then reasons that choice of clothing at school should be similarly protected. The somewhat animated tone befits a persuasive response by a person who feel her rights are being violated.
