THE ESSAY

REFERENCE POINTS FOR

“KIDS WHO WANT TO WRITE GOOD”

DEFINITION

Derived from the French verb essayer “to try”, an essay is a composition discussing a topic in either an informal or formal style.

It is an extended piece of writing in which an author explores a subject in some detail.

The author should have a clear purpose, should reflect on his or her ideas, organize them clearly, and “try” to capture the attention of the intended audience with stimulating and insightful content.

A WELL-WRITTEN ESSAY MUST HAVE A PURPOSEinform

convince

entertain

analyze

problem solve

DEFINITION OF PURPOSE

The reason for its existence, the reason why it has been written.

It will determine nearly everything about the piece of writing-its tone, diction, style, selection of specific details, audience, attitude.

AND MAY BE CATEGORIZED ACCORDING TO THE FOLLOWING TYPES…Expository which explains or

informs about an event, process, issue, or topic.

Narrative tells a story of an event or experience

TYPES CONTINUED…

Descriptive describes a person, place, event, object, or process.

Persuasive/argumentative tries to win the audience over to an idea or point of view. The writer can either be serious or funny, but always tries to convince the reader of the validity of his or her opinion. The essay may argue openly, or it may attempt to subtly persuade the reader by using irony or sarcasm.

HAS AN INTENDED AUDIENCE…

DEFINITION OF AUDIENCE

The people for whom a piece of literature is written.

Authors usually write with a certain audience in mind, for example: children, members of a religious or ethnic group, or colleagues in a professional field.

The term “audience” also applies to the people who gather to see or hear any performance, including plays, poetry readings, speeches, and concerts

HAS UNITY…

Unity: your essay should contain only the content that is relevant to your topic

WAYS TO ESTABLISH UNITY

1. Development of topic sentence.2. Elimination of all unrelated

ideas.3. One main dominant impression.4. Introduce new paragraph when

a new idea about subject.

UNITY CONTINUED…

5. Paragraphs make a direct reference to introduction (thesis).

6. Maintains a consistent point of view.

7. Concluding paragraph restates thesis (closing by return)

8. Maintains a single focus.

HAS COHERENCE…

Coherence:

involves the smooth and effective transition from one idea to another or from one sentence or paragraph to another

 

IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH COHERENCE…

1. ideas must be arranged in proper order.

2. The gaps between sentences and paragraphs must be bridged

3. Thoughts must be developed appropriately.

#1. THOUGH LOGICAL ORDER

•order of importance: most to least important•chronological: beginning, middle, end •time order: “then”, “later”•spacial or place: “on the right”, “in the distance”, “in front of” etc.•logical: familiar to unfamiliar; general to specific

NUMBER TWO - THOUGH REPETITION

•repeat key words/phrases

•similes, metaphors

•closing by return

NUMBER THREE - PARALLELISM

Refers to the use of equivalent grammatical forms to express a series of ideas of equal importance. Parallelism can help to give your sentences rhythm, balance, impact, and clarity of expression.

Examples: she loved jogging, swimming, and skiing.

I skydive to relieve boredom and to get over my fear of heights.

The movie is successful because it is very funny and because it features a popular star.

Early in the novel the character, Piers, did… In the fifth chapter, he did…

At the climax in the seventh chapter, he did…

NUMBER FOUR - THROUGH PRONOUN REFERENCES

Pronouns- generic words that are used to rename or replace other "brandname"

Nouns-must have an antecedent (the initial noun which is then replaced by the pronoun). The pronoun and its antecedent must agree in number, person and gender.

Pronoun references, when used effectively, can create coherence.

NUMBER FIVE - THOUGH TRANSITIONAL PHRASES

Use connectives and transitions:

between paragraphsbetween sentences

AND EMPHASIS…

Emphasis: means that important elements in the essay are made to stand out (key ideas) How can this be done?

AN ESSAY SHOULD HAVE STYLE

Style – the author’s presentation; depends on the subject, purpose, tone; audience must be considered. Style may include:

Formal language that is polite, respectful and following particular conventions (covering letter for job, textbooks, public speeches)

STYLE CONTINUED

1. Informal is the language used in letters to friends and in family conversations.

2. The writing is less obviously serious in purpose, usually shorter, freer of structure

3. Written to please and entertain rather than to instruct

STYLE (CONT.)

Imaginative

Satirical – making a comment about a serious subject in a humorous way; use of sarcasm

Narrative – tell a story; lots of action, little plot development

The choice of words and phrases. In literature, a term used to describe the level of language used. Example: slang, colloquial, formal)

HAS DICTION

AN ESSAY SHOULD REFLECT THE TONE

Or the writer’s attitude towards his or her subject and audience.

admiration, arrogance, belonging, bitterness, cynicism, depressed, dignified, furious, indignation, ironic, reverence, satirical, wonderment, etc.

AND REVOLVE AROUND A CLEAR THEME

the dominating idea or central focus of a piece of

writing.

“Dulce et Decorum Est”

Subject: War

Theme: Nothing romantic about dying for one’s country

HAS A SPECIFIC STRUCTURE/ORGANIZATION

PROVIDES A STRONG INTRODUCTION

IS WELL-SUPPORTED WITH EXAMPLES/EVIDENCE

LEADS THE READER TO A LOGICAL CONCLUSION THAT SUMMARIZES THE MAIN IDEAS

DEVELOPMENT

Effective essays require sufficient elaboration and enough concrete

evidence, detail, and explanation of facts to support your thesis

statement (central ideal of an essay written in a complete

sentence that establishes the topic of the essay in clear, unambiguous

language)

THIS CAN BE DONE BY USING SOME OF THE FOLLOWING METHODS OF DEVELOPMENT)• Example and Illustration is used to support

an idea, reinforce a contention, or clarify some topic.

• Process Analysis presents information and gives direction. Process refers to the way something is done or how it happens. Analysis of a process explains rather than specifically shows how. How-to of a process details specific steps

METHODS OF DEVELOPMENT CONT…Comparative Essay:

• Explores the similarities and differences between two (or among more) related items

• Makes a thesis statement about these similarities and differences

• Reveals unexpected relationships among items

• Can be written for one of more of the following purposes: to inform, persuade, evaluate or entertain

• Uses specific examples • Is organized consistently, item by item

Cause and effect• Explores and explains the causes and effects of certain events, conditions, or situations

• Supports explanations with specific evidence

• Presents the evidence in a well-organized, logical sequence

• Makes connections clear with transitional words such as as a result, because, due to

METHODS OF DEVELOPMENT CONT..Classification and Division Essay

Is a means whereby items, ideas, topics, or any entity are sorted and arranged into meaningful categories

Attempts to deal with the complexity of a subject by separating it into smaller, individual units.

A writer may wish to further divide his topic into parts in order to begin a more detailed analysis.

METHODS CONTINUED…

Definition Expository writing which concentrates on

detailing the characteristics of a particular thing.

May extend beyond the basic definition by dealing with a topic’s qualities, purpose, history and so on.

Definition is at home with process analysis, where unfamiliar terms must be explained.

• Humor

• Analogy (comparison)

• Restating a key idea in different words