Extended "discourse," such as class presentations or essays written as school assignments, has a particular structure arising from particular expectations and standards. Such structure, expectations, ...

Require many reliable sources to back up your thesis/claim. Take up a position and support it with evidence. Usually about events (historical or current), textual arguments, or personal interests.

So you've been assigned to write an essay. You know you'll be spending the next few weeks of your life with this sort of hanging over your head; you'll do a lot of writing and asking yourself "What on ...