NTRODUCTION

Essay Writing

An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is
vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have
been sub-classified as formal and informal: formal essays are characterized by "serious purpose, dignity,
logical organization, length," whereas the informal essay is characterized by "the personal element (self-
revelation, individual tastes and experiences, confidential manner), humor, graceful style, rambling
structure, unconventionality or novelty of theme," etc.(Holman Williams 2003).

Essays are commonly used as literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of
daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. Almost all modern essays are written in prose, but
works in verse have been dubbed essays (e.g., Alexander Pope's An Essay on Criticism and An Essay on
Man). While brevity usually defines an essay, voluminous works like John Locke's An Essay Concerning
Human Understanding and Thomas Malthus's An Essay on the Principle of Population are
counterexamples.

In some countries (e.g., the United States and Canada), essays have become a major part of formal
education (Owen Derek 1996). Secondary students are taught structured essay formats to improve their
writing skills; admission essays are often used by universities in selecting applicants, and in the
humanities and social sciences essays are often used as a way of assessing the performance of students
during final exams.

Definition

The word essay derives from the French infinitive essayer, "to try" or "to attempt". In English essay first
meant "a trial" or "an attempt", and this is still an alternative meaning. The Frenchman Michel de
Montaigne (1533–1592) was the first author to describe his work as essays; he used the term to
characterize these as "attempts" to put his thoughts into writing.

Subsequently, essay has been defined in a variety of ways. One definition is a "prose composition with a
focused subject of discussion" or a "long, systematic discourse". It is difficult to define the genre into
which essays fall. Aldous Huxley, a leading essayist, gives guidance on the subject (Aldou Huxley 1960).
He notes that "the essay is a literary device for saying almost everything about almost anything", and
adds that "by tradition, almost by definition, the essay is a short piece". Furthermore, Huxley argues that
"essays belong to a literary species whose extreme variability can be studied most effectively within a
three-poled frame of reference". These three poles (or worlds in which the essay may exist) are:
The personal and the autobiographical: The essayists that feel most comfortable in this pole "write
fragments of reflective autobiography and look at the world through the keyhole of anecdote and
description".

The objective, the factual, and the concrete particular: The essayists that write from this pole "do not
speak directly of themselves, but turn their attention outward to some literary or scientific or political
theme. Their art consists of setting forth, passing judgment upon, and drawing general conclusions from
the relevant data".

The abstract-universal: In this pole "we find those essayists who do their work in the world of high
abstractions", who are never personal and who seldom mention the particular facts of experience.

Types of Essay

1. Expository

An expository essay is used to inform, describe or explain a topic, using important facts to teach the
reader about a topic. Mostly written in third-person, using "it", "he", "she", "they," the expository essay
uses formal language to discuss someone or something. Examples of expository essays are: a medical or
biological condition, social or technological process, life or character of a famous person. The writing of
an expository essay often consists of the following steps: organizing thoughts (brainstorming),
researching a topic, developing a thesis statement, writing the introduction, writing the body of essay,
and writing the conclusion. Expository essays are often assigned as a part of SAT and other standardized
testing or as homework for high school and college students.

2. Descriptive

Descriptive writing is characterized by sensory details, which appeal to the physical senses, and details
that appeal to a reader's emotional, physical, or intellectual sensibilities. Determining the purpose,
considering the audience, creating a dominant impression, using descriptive language, and organizing
the description are the rhetorical choices to consider when using a description. A description is usually
arranged spatially but can also be chronological or emphatic. The focus of a description is the scene.
Description uses tools such as denotative language, connotative language, figurative language,
metaphor, and simile to arrive at a dominant impression (Denise B. Wydra et al.,2005). One university
essay guide states that "descriptive writing says what happened or what another author has discussed;
it provides an account of the topic". Lyric essays are an important form of descriptive essays.

3. Narrative

A narrative uses tools such as flashbacks, flash-forwards, and transitions that often build to a climax. The
focus of a narrative is the plot. When creating a narrative, authors must determine their purpose,
consider their audience, establish their point of view, use dialogue, and organize the narrative. A
narrative is usually arranged chronologically.

4. Argumentative
An argumentative essay is a critical piece of writing, aimed at presenting objective analysis of the subject
matter, narrowed down to a single topic. The main idea of all the criticism is to provide an opinion either
of positive or negative implication. As such, a critical essay requires research and analysis, strong
internal logic and sharp structure. Its structure normally builds around introduction with a topic's
relevance and a thesis statement, body paragraphs with arguments linking back to the main thesis, and
conclusion. In addition, an argumentative essay may include a refutation section where conflicting ideas
are acknowledged, described, and criticized. Each argument of an argumentative essay should be
supported with sufficient evidence, relevant to the point.

5. Persuasive

A persuasive essay is one in which you attempt to get the reader to agree with your point of view. You
are trying to present arguments, research, and ideas in order to sway the reader one way or the other.

6. Analytical

Analytical writing aims to answer the ''so what,'' ''how,'' or ''why'' questions within the topic. Analysis
and analytical writings examine the relevance and significance of the material. Descriptive and
expository writings generally focus on questions related to ''who,'' ''what,'' and ''where.'' Analytical
writing takes those questions and deepens them, probing further to discover and interpret significance,
relevance, meaning, or world application. Analytical writing can examine and draw connections between
different points or topics. Finally, analytical writing can measure, compare, or evaluate the merits or
drawbacks related to the topic. The purpose of the analytical essay is to show one's insights, scrutiny,
and thoughts on a particular topic with the intent of persuading one's audience to learn about and adapt
the writer's perspective.

7. Comparative

A comparative essay is an academic paper that compares the similarities and differences of two or more
subjects on a given topic in a systematic manner. The topic can be anything from political ideologies to
historic events and the basis for comparison can include themes, stances, text or events. The key
component of this type of essay is that it compares two subjects that have some relation.

Characteristics of Each of the Essay

1. Narrative Essay

- Personal

- Storytelling
 - Chronological

2. Descriptive Essay

- Vivid language

- Sensory details

- Descriptive

3. Expository Essay

- Informative

- Objective

- Explanatory

4. Argumentative Essay

- Claim

- Evidence

- Reasoning

- Persuasive

5. Persuasive Essay

- Convincing

- Emotive

- Persuasive

6. Analytical Essay

- Detailed

- Logical

- Analytical

7. Comparative Essay

- Similarities

- Differences
 - Evaluative

Example of Expository and Argumentative Essay

Expository Essay

"The Water Cycle"

Water is essential for life on Earth, and its cycle is crucial for our planet's survival. The water cycle
consists of three main stages: evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. Evaporation occurs when
water is heated by the sun, turning it into vapor. Condensation happens when the vapor cools and turns
back into liquid water. Precipitation occurs when the condensed water falls to the ground as rain or
snow. Understanding the water cycle is vital for managing our water resources and mitigating the
effects of droughts and floods.

Argumentative Essay

"Should Marijuana be Legalized?"

Marijuana should be legalized for its numerous benefits, including reduced crime, increased revenue,
and improved public health. Legalizing marijuana would take away the power from drug cartels and
reduce drug-related crimes. It would also generate significant tax revenue and create jobs.

Furthermore, marijuana has proven medicinal benefits, and legalizing it would allow for further
research and access to treatment. While some argue that legalization would increase drug use, studies
have shown that regulation and education are effective in minimizing its harmful effects. It is time to
reconsider our stance on marijuana and embrace a more rational and evidence-based approach.

REFERENCE

Holman, William (2003). A Handbook to Literature (9 ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall. p. 193.
Owens, Derek (1996). "Essay". Keywords in Composition Studies. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook. pp.
85–88. ISBN 0-86709-399-4.

Gale – Free Resources – Glossary – DE Archived 2010-04-25 at the Wayback Machine.

Aldous Huxley, Collected Essays, "Preface", London: Harper and Brothers, 1960, p. v.

"Book Use Book Theory: 1500–1700: Commonplace Thinking". Lib.uchicago.edu. Archived from the
original on 2013-08-01. Retrieved 2013-08-10.

Chapter 2: Description in Glenn, Cheryl. Making Sense: A Real-World Rhetorical Reader. Ed. Denise B.
Wydra, et al. Second ed. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005.

Montaigne, Michel de (1580). Essais de messire Michel de Montaigne,... livre premier et second (I ed.).
impr. de S. Millanges (Bourdeaus). Retrieved 22 November 2019 – via Gallica.