ESSAY

FINAL TOPIC
• ESSAI- A FRENCH WORD
• MEANS TRIAL OR TEST
• IS A PROSE COMPOSITION OF MODERATE
LENGTH DEVOTED TO A SINGLE TOPIC FROM
A LIMITED POINT OF VIEW.
• EXPLAINS A PROVISIONAL EXPLORATION OR
APPRAISAL OF A SUBJECT
• GIVES DETAILS, POINT OF VIEW OR ANYTHING THAT
CAN BE SAID ON A PARTICULAR SUBJECT
• PURPOSE TO EXPLAIN OR ELUCIDATE THOUGHT, A
THEORY, AN INKLING, OR A STANDPOINT.
• SERVES AS AN IDEAL MEANS FOR TRANSFORMING
HUMAN CONDITIONS AS EVOKED IN ITS CONTENT
• BRINGS AN ATTEMPT FOR REFORMATION AS
EXEMPLIFIED BY THE PERSONAL EXPRESSION OF
THOUGHT AND EXPERIENCES OF THE WRITER
TYPES OF ESSAY
 NARRATIVE ESSAYS: TELLING A STORY
• THE WRITER TELLS A STORY ABOUT A REAL-LIFE
EXPERIENCE. WHILE TELLING A STORY MAY
SOUND EASY TO DO, THE NARRATIVE ESSAY
CHALLENGES WRITERS TO THINK AND WRITE
ABOUT THEMSELVES. WHEN WRITING A
NARRATIVE ESSAY, WRITERS SHOULD TRY TO
INVOLVE THE READER BY MAKING THE STORY AS
VIVID AS POSSIBLE.
 NARRATIVE ESSAYS: TELLING A STORY
• THE FACT THAT NARRATIVE ESSAYS ARE
USUALLY WRITTEN IN THE FIRST PERSON
HELPS ENGAGE THE READER. “I” SENTENCES
GIVE READERS A FEELING OF BEING PART OF
THE STORY. A WELL-CRAFTED NARRATIVE
ESSAY WILL ALSO BUILD TOWARDS
DRAWING A CONCLUSION OR MAKING A
 DESCRIPTIVE ESSAYS: PAINTING A PICTURE
• PAINTS A PICTURE WITH WORDS. A WRITER
MIGHT DESCRIBE A PERSON, PLACE, OBJECT,
OR EVEN MEMORY OF SPECIAL
SIGNIFICANCE. HOWEVER, THIS TYPE OF
ESSAY IS NOT DESCRIPTION FOR
DESCRIPTION’S SAKE. THE DESCRIPTIVE
ESSAY STRIVES TO COMMUNICATE A DEEPER
DESCRIPTIVE ESSAYS: PAINTING A PICTURE
• IN A DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY, THE WRITER
SHOULD SHOW, NOT TELL, THROUGH THE
USE OF COLORFUL WORDS AND SENSORY
DETAILS. THE BEST DESCRIPTIVE ESSAYS
APPEAL TO THE READER’S EMOTIONS, WITH
A RESULT THAT IS HIGHLY EVOCATIVE.
 EXPOSITORY ESSAYS: JUST THE FACTS
• AN INFORMATIVE PIECE OF WRITING THAT PRESENTS A
BALANCED ANALYSIS OF A TOPIC. IN AN EXPOSITORY
ESSAY, THE WRITER EXPLAINS OR DEFINES A TOPIC,
USING FACTS, STATISTICS, AND EXAMPLES.
EXPOSITORY WRITING ENCOMPASSES A WIDE RANGE
OF ESSAY VARIATIONS, SUCH AS THE COMPARISON
AND CONTRAST ESSAY,
 EXPOSITORY ESSAYS: JUST THE FACTS
• THE CAUSE AND EFFECT ESSAY, AND THE
“HOW TO” OR PROCESS ESSAY. BECAUSE
EXPOSITORY ESSAYS ARE BASED ON FACTS
AND NOT PERSONAL FEELINGS, WRITERS
DON’T REVEAL THEIR EMOTIONS OR WRITE IN
THE FIRST PERSON.
 PERSUASIVE ESSAYS: CONVINCE ME
• TO CONVINCE THE READER TO ACCEPT THE WRITER’S
POINT OF VIEW OR RECOMMENDATION. THE WRITER
MUST BUILD A CASE USING FACTS AND LOGIC, AS
WELL AS EXAMPLES, EXPERT OPINION, AND SOUND
REASONING. THE WRITER SHOULD PRESENT ALL SIDES
OF THE ARGUMENT, BUT MUST BE ABLE TO
COMMUNICATE CLEARLY AND WITHOUT
EQUIVOCATION WHY A CERTAIN POSITION IS CORRECT.
ELEMENTS OF ESSAY
 IDEA
• THE GENERAL PROPOSITION OR THESIS THAT YOUR
ESSAY ARGUES ABOUT ITS TOPIC, WHETHER IT'S SPELLED
OUT FULLY AT THE START OR REVEALED GRADUALLY. IT
SHOULD BE (1) TRUE, BUT (2) ARGUABLE--NOT
OBVIOUSLY TRUE, AND (3) LIMITED ENOUGH IN SCOPE TO
BE ARGUED IN A SHORT COMPOSITION AND WITH
AVAILABLE EVIDENCE. (IN THE EARLY STAGES, YOU
MIGHT THINK OF YOUR IDEA AS A HYPOTHESIS, TO HELP
KEEP IT OPEN TO CHANGE AS YOU TEST IT IN DRAFTING).
 MOTIVE

• A REASON FOR WRITING, SUGGESTED AT THE

START OF THE ESSAY AND ECHOED
THROUGHOUT, ESTABLISHING WHY YOU
THOUGHT THE TOPIC NEEDED TAKING UP AND
WHY THE READER SHOULD CARE (THE "SO
WHAT" FACTOR).
 MOTIVE

• THE TRUTH ISN'T WHAT ONE WOULD EXPECT, OR

WHAT IT MIGHT APPEAR TO BE ON FIRST READING
• THERE'S AN INTERESTING WRINKLE IN THE
MATTER, A COMPLEXITY
• THE STANDARD OPINION OF THIS WORK (AS
GREAT, OR AS -DULL OR MINOR) NEEDS
CHALLENGING
 MOTIVE
• THERE'S A CONTRADICTION, OR PARADOX, OR
TENSION HERE THAT NEEDS SOME SORTING OUT
• THERE'S AN AMBIGUITY HERE, SOMETHING UNCLEAR,
THAT COULD MEAN TWO OR MORE THINGS
• THERE'S A MYSTERY OR PUZZLE HERE, A QUESTION
THAT PRESENTS ITSELF
 MOTIVE
• WE CAN LEARN SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT A
LARGER PHENOMENON BY STUDYING THIS SMALLER
ONE
• THERE'S A PUBLISHED VIEW OF THIS THAT'S MISTAKEN,
OR NEEDS QUALIFYING
• HE PUBLISHED VIEWS CONFLICT
• THIS SEEMINGLY TANGENTIAL OR INSIGNIFICANT
MATTER IS ACTUALLY INTERESTING, OR IMPORTANT
 STRUCTURE

• THE SHAPE YOUR IDEA TAKES, THE SEQUENCE

OF SUB-TOPICS AND SECTIONS THROUGH
WHICH IT IS UNFOLDED AND DEVELOPED. THIS
HAPPENS BY THE COMPLEMENTARY
ACTIVITIES OF CONVINCING YOUR READER
AND EXPLORING YOUR TOPIC.
 STRUCTURE
• CONVINCING REQUIRES YOU TO PUSH
FORWARD INSISTENTLY, MARSHALLING
EVIDENCE FOR YOUR IDEA, IN A FIRM,
LOGICAL STRUCTURE OF CLEAR SECTIONS--
EACH SECTION PROVING FURTHER THE
TRUTH OF THE IDEA.
 STRUCTURE
• EXPLORING REQUIRES YOU TO SLOW DOWN
AND CONTEMPLATE THE VARIOUS ASPECTS OF
YOUR TOPIC--ITS COMPLICATIONS,
DIFFICULTIES, ALTERNATIVES TO YOUR VIEW,
ASSUMPTIONS, BACKGROUNDS, ASIDES,
NUANCES AND IMPLICATIONS.
 STRUCTURE
• THE CHALLENGE IS TO MAKE YOUR ESSAY'S STRUCTURE
FIRM AND CLEAR WHILE STILL ALLOWING FOR
COMPLICATION--WITHOUT MAKING IT FEEL MECHANICAL
OR LIKE A LAUNDRY LIST. (JUST AS YOU MIGHT THINK OF
YOUR IDEA, AT THE DRAFT STAGE, AS A HYPOTHESIS, YOU
MIGHT THINK OF YOUR STRUCTURE, WHEN IT'S A
PROVISIONAL OUTLINE OF SECTIONS, AS MERELY A PLAN.)
 EVIDENCE
• THE FACTS OR DETAILS, SUMMARIZED OR QUOTED,
THAT YOU USE TO SUPPORT, DEMONSTRATE, AND PROVE
YOUR MAIN IDEA AND SUB-IDEAS.
• EVIDENCE NEEDS TO BE AMPLE AND CONCRETE--
ENOUGH QUOTATION AND VIVID SUMMARY SO READERS
CAN EXPERIENCE THE TEXTURE OF THE WORK, ITS
SOUND AND FEEL, SO THEY FEEL ABLE TO JUDGE YOUR
ANALYSIS
 EVIDENCE
• EXPLICITLY CONNECTED TO THE IDEA--SO
IT'S ALWAYS CLEAR EXACTLY WHAT
INFERENCE IS BEING MADE FROM THE
EVIDENCE, EXACTLY HOW THE DETAILS
SUPPORT THE IDEA OR SUB-IDEA.
 EXPLANATION
• BITS OF BACKGROUND INFORMATION,
SUMMARY, CONTEXT TO ORIENT THE READER
WHO ISN'T FAMILIAR WITH THE TEXT YOU'RE
DISCUSSING.
THIS INCLUDES:
• ESSENTIAL PLOT INFORMATION
 EXPLANATION
• PRECISE LOCATING OF SCENE OR COMMENT (E.G.
"IN THE OPENING SCENE/ THE CLIMACTIC SCENE/
THE OPENING VOLLEY, WHERE THE PROTAGONIST/
WHERE THE AUTHOR/ WHERE THE CRITIC
WONDERS, CONSIDERS, PROPOSES...., WE FIND....)
• SETTING UP A QUOTATION, TELLING WHO'S
SPEAKING IT, IN WHAT CONTEXT, AND WHAT THE
READER SHOULD BE LISTENING FOR IN IT.
 COHERENCE
• SMOOTH FLOW OF ARGUMENT CREATED BY:
• TRANSITION SENTENCES THAT SHOW HOW THE
NEXT PARAGRAPH OR SECTION FOLLOWS FROM THE
PRECEDING ONE, THUS SUSTAINING MOMENTUM
• ECHOING KEY WORDS OR RESONANT PHRASES
QUOTED OR STATED EARLIER.
 IMPLICATION

• PLACES WHERE YOU SPECULATE ON THE GENERAL

SIGNIFICANCE OF YOUR PARTICULAR ANALYSIS OF
A PARTICULAR TEXT; YOU SUGGEST WHAT ISSUES
YOUR ARGUMENT RAISES ABOUT THE AUTHOR'S
WORK GENERALLY, OR ABOUT WORKS OF ITS KIND
(E.G. ALL SHORT STORIES), OR ABOUT THE WAY
FICTION OR CRITICISM WORKS, ETC.
 PRESENCE
• THE SENSATION OF LIFE IN THE WRITING, OF A
MIND INVESTED IN AND FOCUSED ON A
SUBJECT, FREELY DIRECTING AND DEVELOPING
THE ESSAY--NOT SURRENDERING CONTROL
(OUT OF LAZINESS OR FEAR) TO EASY IDEAS,
SENTIMENTS, OR STOCK PHRASES.
GENERAL TYPES OF ESSAY
 STRICT OR IMPERSONAL
• DEALS WITH SERIOUS TOPICS THAT ARE
AUTHORITATIVE AND SCHOLARLY IN TREATMENT.
• REVEALS THE WRITER’S MASTERY OF THE SUBJECT
WHERE ITS TONE IS DICTATED, CHARACTERIZED AS
SOMETHING DETACHED, OBJECTIVE, CLEAR AND
STRAIGHTFORWARD.
 CASUAL OR FAMILIAR

• DEALS WITH LIGHT, ORDINARY, EVEN COMMON

PLACE SUBJECTS IN A LANGUAGE THAT IS
BUBBLING, CASUAL, CONVERSATIONAL,
FRIENDLY, OFTEN HUMOROUS AND APPEALS
MORE TO THE EMOTION THAN THE INTELLECT,
TOUCHING ON SENSITIVITY FIRST, THEN IN MIND
 CASUAL OR FAMILIAR
• THE MAIN SOURCE, THE PERSONALITY OF
THE AUTHOR, IS REVEALED IN THE STYLE
AND TREATMENT OF THE SUBJECT.
BASIC PARTS:
 INTRODUCTION

HINTS OR RELATES TO THE MAIN THESIS

 MAIN BODY

PRESENTS THE DISCUSSION AND

ILLUSTRATION OF THE MAIN IDEAS RAISED.
 CONCLUSION

PRESENTS THE GENERALIZATION OR INSIGHT

OF THE ESSAY
 MAJOR PATTERNS:
• INDUCTIVE PATTERN-PRESENTS IDEAS FROM
SPECIFIC POINTS LEADING TO A GENERAL
PRINCIPLE OR THESIS.
• DEDUCTIVE PATTERN-DEVELOPS IDEAS FROM
GENERAL HYPOTHESIS TO A PARTICULAR OR
SPECIFIC PROOFS THAT LEAD TO A DEFINITE
ENDING OR CONCLUSION.
 ACTIVITY 1: ESSAY

•WRITE 50 WORDS ABOUT THE

EFFECTS OF INTERNET TO THE
KIDS.