THE ESSAY
scientific writers sometimes use a more elaborate system, be-
ginning each paragraph with a two-part number, the first digit
to designate the chapter, the second the paragraph.
Interparagraph Transitions
Transitions link a paragraph to what has immediately pre-
ceded it. They occur at or near the beginning of the new para-
graph because it represents a turn of thought, needing to be
linked to what has gone before. Transitions act like railroad
switches, smoothing and easing the turn from one track to
another.
The Repetitive Transition
The simplest type of transition repeats a key word. Writing
about the Louisiana politician Huey Long, Hodding Carter
ends one paragraph and begins the next with the following
link (the italics are added in this and in all following examples,
unless noted otherwise):
Behind Huey were the people, and the people wanted these things.
And with the people behind him, Huey expanded ominously.
A repeated word makes a strong and simple connection. It
works well when the key term leading into the new paragraph
occurs naturally at the end of the preceding one. But it is
awkward and artificial when the term is forced into the final
sentence merely to set up the transition.
The Transition
A second way of linking paragraphs is to ask and answer a
rhetorical question. Usually the question is placed at the end
of the preceding paragraph and the answer at the beginning
of the following one. Nancy Mitford, commenting upon the
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ORGANIZING THE MIDDLE

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THE ESSAY
he surprised them unpleasantly also by discovering something
else. G. K. Chesterton
Long summarizing transitions tend to be formal in tone.
On informal occasions it may be better to avoid a full if- or
and state the summary more briefly. Here, for
example, a writer moves from the topic of college teaching
methods to that of personal responsibility:
Because of these differences in teaching methods, college throws
more responsibility upon the student.
A summarizing transition may take even briefer form, us-
ing pronouns like this, that, these, those, or such to sum up
the preceding topic. The historian J. Fred moves from
the severe geographical conditions of South America to a dis-
cussion of its resources:
These are grave handicaps. But Latin America has many resources
in compensation.
Although the "these" in that example is perfectly clear,
such pronouns can be ambiguous when used as the subjects
of sentences, especially when they refer to the whole of a long,
complex idea. If you do use such a pronoun in this way, be
sure that readers understand what it refers to. Should there
be a doubt, make the pronoun an adjective modifying a word
or phrase that fairly sums up the preceding point: for example,
"These handicaps are grave."
Logical Transitions
Finally, you may link paragraphs by words showing logical
relationships: therefore, however, but, consequently, thus, and
so, even so, on the other hand, for instance, nonetheless, and

> Go through something you have written and underline the link-
ages between paragraphs. If you find places where the connections
seem weak, improve
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CHAPTER
11
Point of View, Persona, and
Tone
Point of View
Thus far we have looked at how to begin and end essays and
how to help readers follow the flow of thought. It remains to
consider several other aspects of a composition, more abstract
but no less important. These are point of view, persona, and
tone.
Point of view relates to how you present a subject. Two
approaches are possible. In a personal point of view you play
the role of writer openly, using "I," "me," "my." An imper-
sonal point of view, on the other hand, requires that you avoid
all explicit reference to yourself. The difference is not that in
a personal point of view the subject is the writer, while in an
impersonal one it is something else. Every subject involves,
though it is not necessarily the writer. The difference
is a question of strategy.
On many occasions one point of view or the other is pref-
erable. Some topics so intimately involve the writer that they
require a presentation. It would sound silly to
describe your summer vacation impersonally. Don't be afraid
to use "I" if it fits your subject and purpose.
On other occasions a personal point of view is not appro-
priate. A scientist, writing professionally, usually tries to keep

Persona derives from the Latin word for an actor's mask (in
the Greek and Roman theaters actors wore cork masks carved
to represent the type of character they were playing). As a
term in composition, persona means the writer's presence in
the writing.
The derivation from "mask" may be misleading. It does not
imply a false face, a disguise, behind which the real individual
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