Cause and Effect
Wanda M. Waller
Student Learning Outcomes
- Identify causes and effects (cause-and-effect relationships of various events, decisions, or conditions)
- Apply an effective arrangement of introduction, body, and conclusion for a cause-and-effect essay
- Create a cause-and-effect essay
Introduction to Cause and Effect
What is Cause and Effect?
The cause-and-effect essay is a form of argumentation that details the reasons for (causes) and the outcomes of (effects) an event, condition, or decision. The purpose of the cause-and-effect essay is to determine how various phenomena relate. This essay is an attempt to discover either the origins of something, such as an event or a decision, the effects or results that can be properly attributed to it, or both. Sometimes the connection between cause and effect is clear, but often, determining the exact relationship between the two is challenging. For example, a single cause can produce many different effects, or a single effect may have several causes. A cause-effect essay can do one of two things:
- It can analyze the ways in which one or more effects result from a particular cause.
- It can analyze the ways in which one or more causes lead to a particular effect.
In other words, your essay may focus more on the effects of a cause or more on the causes of one effect. Either approach provides a useful means of discussing the possible relationship between the two events. However, in cause-effect essays, it is easy to suggest that because one event preceded another event, the former event caused the latter. Simply because one event follows another one sequentially does not mean that the two actions are related. Similar to argumentation (see the chapter on Argument), the cause-and-effect essay attempts to advance knowledge and ideas with reason and support.
What Is Cause and Effect?
Watch the following video on “Homelessness in America” to share your thoughts on possible causes and effects. (You can also watch it directly on YouTube.) Closed captioning is available and can be enabled using the player controls.
Self-Assessment
What causes are discussed in the video link? What effects?
Identify other causes and effects of homelessness in America.
Structure of a Cause-and-Effect Essay
Organization
The cause-and-effect essay can be organized in one of the following two primary ways:
- Start with the cause and then talk about the effects.
- Start with the effect and then talk about the causes.
Introduction
The cause-and-effect essay opens with an introduction that provides appropriate background to inform the reader about the topic and establish a clear purpose for exploring the causes and effects. Include information on why your topic is significant, who or what it involves, and where, when, or how often the situation occurs. The introduction includes the thesis statement that states the main cause, main effect, or various causes and effects of a condition or event.
Thesis Statement
The thesis state