ESSAY

-is a form of writing that you will always employ

-The word essay was adapted from the French literary corpus when 16th century philosopher Michael de
Montaigne described his writings as “attempts.”
-Meanwhile, our term sanaysay was coined by Modernist Filipino poet and critic Alejandro G. Abadilla in
1938. It is a portmanteau for a written account of someone who is “sanay sa pagsasalaysay” (skilled in
narration)
-part of our life; is anything prose that is not fiction. there are poems classified as essay
-Essays are divided into four common forms (description, narration, expository and argumentative or
persuasive) based on their purpose.
-Prose is any kind of written text that is not poetry (in verse form); that is to say, it is written in paragraphs.
-The essay is written in prose form. Also, essay is anything prose that is not fiction.
-Though most essays are written in prose form, there are some poems that are labeled as essays. One such
poem is Alexander Pope’s “An Essay on Criticism.”
-Formal essays are characterized by philosophical, scientific, or historical. Informal essays could be as
imaginative as fictional works.
-Montaigne, who wrote “I confess myself in public,” is considered the “Father of Informal Essays.”
-A fictionist Genoveva Edroza-Matute grouped essay into two categories: maanyo (formal essays) and
palagayan (informal/ personal essays.
THREE ELEMENTS OF ESSAY
1. Tone – manner of approaching a thesis. (can be formal or personal) – diplomatic or sarcastic.
2. Form and
3. Structure give a logical arrangement of ideas and events.
-In essay, the topic is the subject matter of your essay.
-The theme narrows the topic. Your essay could have multiple themes – both major and minor.
-The major theme is the main or central idea when you directly state your main idea in a sentence, it is
called thesis statement. It is your personal take or insight.
-The structure of a narrative has three parts: the beginning, the middle and the end.
-The same format applies in writing an essay. An essay has an introduction, a body and a conclusion. The
speaker is very important in an essay.
Fiction – narrator
Poetry – persona
Essay – speaker
-It is the authorial voice that you set in your writing – your POV. It sets the tone of your essay.
WRITING THE INTRODUCTION
-You need to consider writing a good introduction for your essay. When you write your introduction, you
have to make sure that your readers are hooked right away. For formal essays, in general, make sure that
the thesis statement is mentioned in the introduction. If not, your readers must be able to read it in the last
paragraph.The first paragraph introduces the main idea of your essay. Introducing the key points for
discussion, including the challenges and problems. Usually consists of three-five sentences.
-Some CNF pieces start with a “Once upon a time” or “One day” theme. Your introduction is an
opportunity for you to connect with your readers. Citing quotes and song lyrics, among others, gives your
essay a sense of familiarity.Remember that your introduction should facilitate a smooth transition toward
the body of your essay. There should be coherence or an orderly sequence in the flow of thought.
NARRATIVE TECHNIQUES IN ESSAY
-Saying the that narrative structure is comprised of the beginning, middle and end does not mean that the
flow of story has to be chronological in order. Use techniques line in media res, flashback and
foreshadowing. Often, you will see long essays with subheadings. A subheading is a minor title or heading
for a subsection of a piece of writing.Using modular or episodic technique in a long work of CNF
systematizes the flow of the narrative.
BREVITY
-is very important in writing a thesis statement.
1) Start with (a) question (s)
2) Start with a quote
3) Start with an anecdote
4) Start with a sound device
5) Start with a dialogue
6) Start with a song lyrics
7) Start with a vignette or a short impressionistic scene
CHARACTERS IN CREATIVE NONFICTION
-the characters in the story are the individuals who will drive the plot until the very end.58
-your characters could be of any race, color, national origin, political bg, religion, sex, age and disability.
-a character that has a “disability”, may it be physical or behavioral, may already spark an interest among
your would-be readers.
-if your characters are creatures that talk and act like humans, they will not only entertain your readers.
-you may also use them as metaphors for humans in the real life.
FLAT VS ROUND CHARACTERS
FLAT
-predictable
-built around a single idea or quality
-two-dimensional; do not change throughout the course of the narrative
-Example: Mrs. Micawber in Charles Dicken’s David Copperfield
ROUND
-have depth
-have a complexity in temperament and motivation
-Capable of growth and change during the course of the narrative.
-Example: Becky Sharp in William Thackeray’s Vanity Fair