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English 621. The Essay. What’s An Essay?. An essay is an extended piece where its creator explores a subject in some detail. It’s not always a piece of writing . Essays differ from fictional pieces in that they are organized by thoughts/ideas and not by a narrative (story).
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English 621 The Essay
What’s An Essay? • An essay is an extended piece where its creator explores a subject in some detail. • It’s not always a piece of writing. • Essays differ from fictional pieces in that they are organized by thoughts/ideas and not by a narrative (story).
Think You’ve Never Read One? • Essays appear in many different forms: • Speeches • Newspaper Editorials • Opinion Pieces in Magazines • Documentary Films • Photo Essays in Magazines • Exam Questions
Why Essays are Written • To express new ideas/points of view. • To teach or explain. • To reflect on or express opinions about people, events, or situations. • To raise awareness of social issues or injustices. • To influence readers on political issues. • To entertain or amuse by presenting topics in original or clever ways.
One of the World’s Most Famous Essays • Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (as read by Johnny Cash)
Essays: • Always have some sort of central topic or theme. • The title is often the first clue about the topic and may even provide clues about the thesis or proposition, which is the position/stance the writer takes in relation to the topic.
Understanding Essays • Often, the key to understanding the real meaning for an essay is to identify its main THESIS (the main idea).
What Do You Call Someone Who Writes/Films/Documents Essays? Essayist
What Makes an Essayist Good? • Skilled essayists: • are clear about their purpose in writing; • develop distinct ideas • organize ideas clearly • include original insights to stimulate audience • support what they say with evidence from verifiable sources.
Essay Characteristics Introduction
The Introduction: • Gains your interest through a strong or controversial statement, quotation, or some other technique (anecdote, figure of speech, visual, etc.). • Sometimes states the thesis of the essay and previews ideas discussed in the body of the essay.
Thesis Statements • In writing, the first paragraph or two usually presents the thesis and an overview of the essay’s content. • The thesis could be expressed as a sentence, and could also include the topic of the essay as well as the writer’s position in relation to the topic. • But this is not always the case.
Myths About Thesis Statements • A thesis statement must come at the end of the first paragraph. • A thesis statement must be one sentence in length, no matter how many clauses it contains. • You can't start writing an essay until you have a perfect thesis statement. • A thesis statement must give three points of support.
Explicit/Implicit Thesis • In some essays, the thesis is not stated explicitly (an actual line from the essay in plain English/easy to identify). • You may have to reread the essay to come up with the implicit (implied) thesis and then state it in your own words.
The main section. • Where the thesis is developed: • Arguments are presented/explained; • Evidence is given (and properly-referenced); • Ideas are connected into a cohesive whole.
The Body • Each body section develops an new (but connected) aspect of the thesis. • TOPIC SENTENCE • Each new topic should begin with a sentence that supports the main thesis. • Each topic sentence – when read together – should outline the key arguments or ideas that support the thesis.
Transitional Devices • Shifts in between the key arguments of the essay are usually contained in the first sentence of the paragraph (the topic sentence). • Look for transitional phrases or connecting words that signal such shifts.
The Conclusion • Usually short and to the point. • A conclusion usually includes a brief summary of main points of the. • It should not add new information, but can present the writer’s final thoughts and insights on the thesis.
What You Are Used To… • A written essay usually follows a standard structure: • Introduction establishes the topic and the writer’s position in relation to the topic (thesis). • Body develops the thesis through supporting arguments. • Conclusion sums up key ideas and leaves the reader with a sense of importance of the topic. • But this structure can be flexible. Writers vary in how they use it.
Author’s Viewpoint Informal Essay • Usually uses the first person (‘I’ or ‘We’) • Directly addresses the reader Formal Essay • Usually uses the third-person (‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’, ‘they’, etc)
Sources of Evidence Informal • Frequently drawn from life of the writer and everyday events (informal editorials, etc) Formal • More commonly drawn from shared historical events or literature or other forms of knowledge (research).
Structure Informal • Appears to be more loosely structured. Formal • Follows a fairly rigid structure that focuses on the development of one clear argument at a time to support a clearly-stated thesis.
Location of Thesis Informal • May appear anywhere in the essay; may not be explicitly stated. Formal • Usually stated explicitly, generally located in the first or second paragraph of the essay.
Vocabulary Informal • vocabulary tends to be taken from everyday usage. Formal • vocabulary tends to be more academic and may contain some unfamiliar words.
Purpose Informal • Entertainment; satire; reflection. Formal • Provokes thought, and sometimes action.
Many Essays: • Have characteristics of both formal and informal. • Informal essays are understood in a single reading. • Formal essays can take several re-readings to ensure understanding. • Until now, we have encountered mostly FORMAL essays in school.
Expository Essay • Describes or explains a topic. • The Care and Maintenance of a Mustache • No opinions • No controversial statements or calls to action • No informal language • This is the type of essay you tackled last year
Narrative Essay • Uses a single well-told story as the basis for drawing a conclusion or making a statement of opinion. • My Fascinating Mustache Story • Mostly informal language • Will use ‘I’ • Will have opinion, reflection
Argumentative Essay • Presents a reasoned (well-explained and supported) series of arguments in support of a position. • Mustaches or Beards: Which is Safest? • May be formal or informal • Uses research and expert opinion • Will tend to be opinionated
Persuasive Essay • Combines reasoned (supported by research) arguments with the emotion required to persuade the reader to take action. • Real Men Wear Mustaches • Will be mostly formal with some informal elements • Relies on rhetoric and emotional appeal • Relies heavily on research to support stance
Essay Analysis English 621
Purpose • what the essay tries to accomplish; the author wouldn’t have written it without some sort of purpose in mind • common purposes are to narrate, to describe, to express, to argue, to persuade, to instruct, to report (usually purpose is expressed as a verb) • figuring out the purpose behind the essay is essential in order to recognize the type of essay you are analyzing
Subject Matter • Subject • the topic (broad or specific) of the essay being analyzed • Thesis • sentence(s) summarizing the main point of the essay; all subordinate points should support thesis • Subordinate Points • individual thoughts or arguments that develop the thesis (topic sentences for each paragraph) • Supporting Details • examples, illustrations, quotes, reasons used to support the subordinate points (which support thesis)
Audience • to whom the essay is directed • why would the author choose to direct this essay at this particular audience? (this is always tied to the purpose) • we must assume that the audience has been carefully chosen by the writer. We find the best ‘fit’ for this essay.
Vehicle • the form of the author has selected to share his/her message • letter, article, review, column, video, documentary, editorial, speech, etc. • in some cases, the vehicle isn’t an essay at all, but a documentary film, a speech, a photo essay, etc. Please disregard the pink blob.
Context • the personal, historical or social circumstances of the writer that influence the content and form of the essay • for example, what would prompt Michael Moore to produce a documentary (an essay on film) which points out the flaws in the American healthcare system or another one which suggests President Bush acted in error during his first presidential term?
Essay Style What Sets an Essay Apart
Style • in simple terms, style refers to the author’s writing style, his/her structure, diction, use of figurative language and rhetoric. • style is affected by regional and cultural variations, by changing uses of words, by the development of new words and new meanings in the language, and by the fertility of the author’s imagination. • a good essayist chooses and arranges words to convey his/her particular meaning and to produce a particular effect.
Style • Beginnings and Endings are Important • The reader often remembers them best. • They contain the ideas you most want to emphasize. • The beginning is what draws the reader in. • The ending leaves the reader with a strong final image, thought, or insight.
Style : Development • The development of arguments is the main component of the structure of the essay. • Using different methods indicates a sophisticated thought process. Some methods: • Analogy • Cause-effect • Definition • Example • Comparison • Contrast • Classify
