As someone else mentioned in the class, I too have read this article somewhere else. I do not recall but I think it was in my last English class I had. Personally, I think that the "five paragraph" format is a good starting point for beginner writers and how to teach them a basic way to write an essay. Once these students get to highschool, I think they should be weaned off this style of writing and into more appropriate ways of writing. The problem in my opinion is that in some AP classes, they require the student to write a DBQ or three short essays within a short amount of time. This encourages teachers to enforce the "five paragraph" format because it is the easiest and probably the best way to help the students pass the AP test. This is also another problem, since the teachers are teaching the "five paragraph" format in an AP class, in which it is suppose to be a college level class, students are getting the wrong idea of what might be expected at the real college level.
Maybe some students just break off from the typical "five paragraph" format themselves and begin to add more and more paragraphs but still maintaining the integrity of their essay. I know for myself that the "five paragraph" format is very restricting and it confines writers into the basic: Introduction, three main points, and conclusion. I still use the "five paragraph" format as a backbone to my essay but not with just five paragraphs but still and introduction, main points, and a conclusion.
The "five paragraph" format is not bad, it is a good starting point for beginners but should be less emphasized as writers mature and continue on with their education.
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