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Definition of essay

 (Entry 1 of 2)

Definition of essay  (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

  • composition

attempt , try , endeavor , essay , strive mean to make an effort to accomplish an end.

attempt stresses the initiation or beginning of an effort.

try is often close to attempt but may stress effort or experiment made in the hope of testing or proving something.

endeavor heightens the implications of exertion and difficulty.

essay implies difficulty but also suggests tentative trying or experimenting.

strive implies great exertion against great difficulty and specifically suggests persistent effort.

Examples of essay in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'essay.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Middle French essai , ultimately from Late Latin exagium act of weighing, from Latin ex- + agere to drive — more at agent

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing essay

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Cite this entry.

“Essay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/essay. Accessed 24 Feb. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of essay.

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Meaning of essay in English

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  • I want to finish off this essay before I go to bed .
  • His essay was full of spelling errors .
  • Have you given that essay in yet ?
  • Have you handed in your history essay yet ?
  • I'd like to discuss the first point in your essay.
  • boilerplate
  • composition
  • dissertation
  • essay question
  • peer review
  • go for it idiom
  • go for someone
  • go out of your way idiom
  • go the extra mile idiom
  • go to great lengths idiom
  • square the circle idiom
  • step on the gas idiom
  • stick at something
  • stick to something
  • stick-to-itiveness

essay | American Dictionary

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Word of the Day

a game played by two or more children in which one child chases the others and tries to touch one of them. This child then becomes the one who does the chasing.

Infinitive or -ing verb? Avoiding common mistakes with verb patterns (1)

Infinitive or -ing verb? Avoiding common mistakes with verb patterns (1)

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What is an Essay?

10 May, 2020

11 minutes read

Author:  Tomas White

Well, beyond a jumble of words usually around 2,000 words or so - what is an essay, exactly? Whether you’re taking English, sociology, history, biology, art, or a speech class, it’s likely you’ll have to write an essay or two. So how is an essay different than a research paper or a review? Let’s find out!

What is an essay

Defining the Term – What is an Essay?

The essay is a written piece that is designed to present an idea, propose an argument, express the emotion or initiate debate. It is a tool that is used to present writer’s ideas in a non-fictional way. Multiple applications of this type of writing go way beyond, providing political manifestos and art criticism as well as personal observations and reflections of the author.

what is an essay

An essay can be as short as 500 words, it can also be 5000 words or more.  However, most essays fall somewhere around 1000 to 3000 words ; this word range provides the writer enough space to thoroughly develop an argument and work to convince the reader of the author’s perspective regarding a particular issue.  The topics of essays are boundless: they can range from the best form of government to the benefits of eating peppermint leaves daily. As a professional provider of custom writing, our service has helped thousands of customers to turn in essays in various forms and disciplines.

Origins of the Essay

Over the course of more than six centuries essays were used to question assumptions, argue trivial opinions and to initiate global discussions. Let’s have a closer look into historical progress and various applications of this literary phenomenon to find out exactly what it is.

Today’s modern word “essay” can trace its roots back to the French “essayer” which translates closely to mean “to attempt” .  This is an apt name for this writing form because the essay’s ultimate purpose is to attempt to convince the audience of something.  An essay’s topic can range broadly and include everything from the best of Shakespeare’s plays to the joys of April.

The essay comes in many shapes and sizes; it can focus on a personal experience or a purely academic exploration of a topic.  Essays are classified as a subjective writing form because while they include expository elements, they can rely on personal narratives to support the writer’s viewpoint.  The essay genre includes a diverse array of academic writings ranging from literary criticism to meditations on the natural world.  Most typically, the essay exists as a shorter writing form; essays are rarely the length of a novel.  However, several historic examples, such as John Locke’s seminal work “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding” just shows that a well-organized essay can be as long as a novel.

The Essay in Literature

The essay enjoys a long and renowned history in literature.  They first began gaining in popularity in the early 16 th century, and their popularity has continued today both with original writers and ghost writers.  Many readers prefer this short form in which the writer seems to speak directly to the reader, presenting a particular claim and working to defend it through a variety of means.  Not sure if you’ve ever read a great essay? You wouldn’t believe how many pieces of literature are actually nothing less than essays, or evolved into more complex structures from the essay. Check out this list of literary favorites:

  • The Book of My Lives by Aleksandar Hemon
  • Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin
  • Against Interpretation by Susan Sontag
  • High-Tide in Tucson: Essays from Now and Never by Barbara Kingsolver
  • Slouching Toward Bethlehem by Joan Didion
  • Naked by David Sedaris
  • Walden; or, Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau

Pretty much as long as writers have had something to say, they’ve created essays to communicate their viewpoint on pretty much any topic you can think of!

Top essays in literature

The Essay in Academics

Not only are students required to read a variety of essays during their academic education, but they will likely be required to write several different kinds of essays throughout their scholastic career.  Don’t love to write?  Then consider working with a ghost essay writer !  While all essays require an introduction, body paragraphs in support of the argumentative thesis statement, and a conclusion, academic essays can take several different formats in the way they approach a topic.  Common essays required in high school, college, and post-graduate classes include:

Five paragraph essay

This is the most common type of a formal essay. The type of paper that students are usually exposed to when they first hear about the concept of the essay itself. It follows easy outline structure – an opening introduction paragraph; three body paragraphs to expand the thesis; and conclusion to sum it up.

Argumentative essay

These essays are commonly assigned to explore a controversial issue.  The goal is to identify the major positions on either side and work to support the side the writer agrees with while refuting the opposing side’s potential arguments.

Compare and Contrast essay

This essay compares two items, such as two poems, and works to identify similarities and differences, discussing the strength and weaknesses of each.  This essay can focus on more than just two items, however.  The point of this essay is to reveal new connections the reader may not have considered previously.

Definition essay

This essay has a sole purpose – defining a term or a concept in as much detail as possible. Sounds pretty simple, right? Well, not quite. The most important part of the process is picking up the word. Before zooming it up under the microscope, make sure to choose something roomy so you can define it under multiple angles. The definition essay outline will reflect those angles and scopes.

Descriptive essay

Perhaps the most fun to write, this essay focuses on describing its subject using all five of the senses.  The writer aims to fully describe the topic; for example, a descriptive essay could aim to describe the ocean to someone who’s never seen it or the job of a teacher.  Descriptive essays rely heavily on detail and the paragraphs can be organized by sense.

Illustration essay

The purpose of this essay is to describe an idea, occasion or a concept with the help of clear and vocal examples. “Illustration” itself is handled in the body paragraphs section. Each of the statements, presented in the essay needs to be supported with several examples. Illustration essay helps the author to connect with his audience by breaking the barriers with real-life examples – clear and indisputable.

Informative Essay

Being one the basic essay types, the informative essay is as easy as it sounds from a technical standpoint. High school is where students usually encounter with informative essay first time. The purpose of this paper is to describe an idea, concept or any other abstract subject with the help of proper research and a generous amount of storytelling.

Narrative essay

This type of essay focuses on describing a certain event or experience, most often chronologically.  It could be a historic event or an ordinary day or month in a regular person’s life. Narrative essay proclaims a free approach to writing it, therefore it does not always require conventional attributes, like the outline. The narrative itself typically unfolds through a personal lens, and is thus considered to be a subjective form of writing.

Persuasive essay

The purpose of the persuasive essay is to provide the audience with a 360-view on the concept idea or certain topic – to persuade the reader to adopt a certain viewpoint. The viewpoints can range widely from why visiting the dentist is important to why dogs make the best pets to why blue is the best color.  Strong, persuasive language is a defining characteristic of this essay type.

Types of essays

The Essay in Art

Several other artistic mediums have adopted the essay as a means of communicating with their audience.  In the visual arts, such as painting or sculpting, the rough sketches of the final product are sometimes deemed essays.  Likewise, directors may opt to create a film essay which is similar to a documentary in that it offers a personal reflection on a relevant issue.  Finally, photographers often create photographic essays in which they use a series of photographs to tell a story, similar to a narrative or a descriptive essay.

Drawing the line – question answered

“What is an Essay?” is quite a polarizing question. On one hand, it can easily be answered in a couple of words. On the other, it is surely the most profound and self-established type of content there ever was. Going back through the history of the last five-six centuries helps us understand where did it come from and how it is being applied ever since.

If you must write an essay, follow these five important steps to works towards earning the “A” you want:

  • Understand and review the kind of essay you must write
  • Brainstorm your argument
  • Find research from reliable sources to support your perspective
  • Cite all sources parenthetically within the paper and on the Works Cited page
  • Follow all grammatical rules

Generally speaking, when you must write any type of essay, start sooner rather than later!  Don’t procrastinate – give yourself time to develop your perspective and work on crafting a unique and original approach to the topic.  Remember: it’s always a good idea to have another set of eyes (or three) look over your essay before handing in the final draft to your teacher or professor.  Don’t trust your fellow classmates?  Consider hiring an editor or a ghostwriter to help out!

If you are still unsure on whether you can cope with your task – you are in the right place to get help. HandMadeWriting is the perfect answer to the question “Who can write my essay?”

A life lesson in Romeo and Juliet taught by death

A life lesson in Romeo and Juliet taught by death

Due to human nature, we draw conclusions only when life gives us a lesson since the experience of others is not so effective and powerful. Therefore, when analyzing and sorting out common problems we face, we may trace a parallel with well-known book characters or real historical figures. Moreover, we often compare our situations with […]

Ethical Research Paper Topics

Ethical Research Paper Topics

Writing a research paper on ethics is not an easy task, especially if you do not possess excellent writing skills and do not like to contemplate controversial questions. But an ethics course is obligatory in all higher education institutions, and students have to look for a way out and be creative. When you find an […]

Art Research Paper Topics

Art Research Paper Topics

Students obtaining degrees in fine art and art & design programs most commonly need to write a paper on art topics. However, this subject is becoming more popular in educational institutions for expanding students’ horizons. Thus, both groups of receivers of education: those who are into arts and those who only get acquainted with art […]

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a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative.

anything resembling such a composition: a picture essay.

an effort to perform or accomplish something; attempt.

Philately . a design for a proposed stamp differing in any way from the design of the stamp as issued.

Obsolete . a tentative effort; trial; assay.

to try; attempt.

to put to the test; make trial of.

Origin of essay

Other words from essay.

  • es·say·er, noun
  • pre·es·say, verb (used without object)
  • un·es·sayed, adjective
  • well-es·sayed, adjective

Words that may be confused with essay

  • assay , essay

Words Nearby essay

  • essay question

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use essay in a sentence

As several of my colleagues commented, the result is good enough that it could pass for an essay written by a first-year undergraduate, and even get a pretty decent grade.

GPT-3 also raises concerns about the future of essay writing in the education system.

This little essay helps focus on self-knowledge in what you’re best at, and how you should prioritize your time.

As Steven Feldstein argues in the opening essay , technonationalism plays a part in the strengthening of other autocracies too.

He’s written a collection of essays on civil engineering life titled Bridginess, and to this day he and Lauren go on “bridge dates,” where they enjoy a meal and admire the view of a nearby span.

I think a certain kind of compelling essay has a piece of that.

The current attack on the Jews,” he wrote in a 1937 essay , “targets not just this people of 15 million but mankind as such.

The impulse to interpret seems to me what makes personal essay writing compelling.

To be honest, I think a lot of good essay writing comes out of that.

Someone recently sent me an old Joan Didion essay on self-respect that appeared in Vogue.

There is more of the uplifted forefinger and the reiterated point than I should have allowed myself in an essay .

Consequently he was able to turn in a clear essay upon the subject, which, upon examination, the king found to be free from error.

It is no part of the present essay to attempt to detail the particulars of a code of social legislation.

But angels and ministers of grace defend us from ministers of religion who essay art criticism!

It is fit that the imagination, which is free to go through all things, should essay such excursions.

British Dictionary definitions for essay

a short literary composition dealing with a subject analytically or speculatively

an attempt or endeavour; effort

a test or trial

to attempt or endeavour; try

to test or try out

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for essay

A short piece of writing on one subject, usually presenting the author's own views. Michel de Montaigne , Francis Bacon (see also Bacon ), and Ralph Waldo Emerson are celebrated for their essays.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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  • Literary Terms
  • Definition & Examples
  • When & How to Write an Essay

I. What is an Essay?

An essay is a form of writing in paragraph form that uses informal language, although it can be written formally. Essays may be written in first-person point of view (I, ours, mine), but third-person (people, he, she) is preferable in most academic essays. Essays do not require research as most academic reports and papers do; however, they should cite any literary works that are used within the paper.

When thinking of essays, we normally think of the five-paragraph essay: Paragraph 1 is the introduction, paragraphs 2-4 are the body covering three main ideas, and paragraph 5 is the conclusion. Sixth and seventh graders may start out with three paragraph essays in order to learn the concepts. However, essays may be longer than five paragraphs. Essays are easier and quicker to read than books, so are a preferred way to express ideas and concepts when bringing them to public attention.

II. Examples of Essays

Many of our most famous Americans have written essays. Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson wrote essays about being good citizens and concepts to build the new United States. In the pre-Civil War days of the 1800s, people such as:

  • Ralph Waldo Emerson (an author) wrote essays on self-improvement
  • Susan B. Anthony wrote on women’s right to vote
  • Frederick Douglass wrote on the issue of African Americans’ future in the U.S.

Through each era of American history, well-known figures in areas such as politics, literature, the arts, business, etc., voiced their opinions through short and long essays.

The ultimate persuasive essay that most students learn about and read in social studies is the “Declaration of Independence” by Thomas Jefferson in 1776. Other founding fathers edited and critiqued it, but he drafted the first version. He builds a strong argument by stating his premise (claim) then proceeds to give the evidence in a straightforward manner before coming to his logical conclusion.

III. Types of Essays

A. expository.

Essays written to explore and explain ideas are called expository essays (they expose truths). These will be more formal types of essays usually written in third person, to be more objective. There are many forms, each one having its own organizational pattern.  Cause/Effect essays explain the reason (cause) for something that happens after (effect). Definition essays define an idea or concept. Compare/ Contrast essays will look at two items and show how they are similar (compare) and different (contrast).

b. Persuasive

An argumentative paper presents an idea or concept with the intention of attempting to change a reader’s mind or actions . These may be written in second person, using “you” in order to speak to the reader. This is called a persuasive essay. There will be a premise (claim) followed by evidence to show why you should believe the claim.

c. Narrative

Narrative means story, so narrative essays will illustrate and describe an event of some kind to tell a story. Most times, they will be written in first person. The writer will use descriptive terms, and may have paragraphs that tell a beginning, middle, and end in place of the five paragraphs with introduction, body, and conclusion. However, if there is a lesson to be learned, a five-paragraph may be used to ensure the lesson is shown.

d. Descriptive

The goal of a descriptive essay is to vividly describe an event, item, place, memory, etc. This essay may be written in any point of view, depending on what’s being described. There is a lot of freedom of language in descriptive essays, which can include figurative language, as well.

IV. The Importance of Essays

Essays are an important piece of literature that can be used in a variety of situations. They’re a flexible type of writing, which makes them useful in many settings . History can be traced and understood through essays from theorists, leaders, artists of various arts, and regular citizens of countries throughout the world and time. For students, learning to write essays is also important because as they leave school and enter college and/or the work force, it is vital for them to be able to express themselves well.

V. Examples of Essays in Literature

Sir Francis Bacon was a leading philosopher who influenced the colonies in the 1600s. Many of America’s founding fathers also favored his philosophies toward government. Bacon wrote an essay titled “Of Nobility” in 1601 , in which he defines the concept of nobility in relation to people and government. The following is the introduction of his definition essay. Note the use of “we” for his point of view, which includes his readers while still sounding rather formal.

 “We will speak of nobility, first as a portion of an estate, then as a condition of particular persons. A monarchy, where there is no nobility at all, is ever a pure and absolute tyranny; as that of the Turks. For nobility attempers sovereignty, and draws the eyes of the people, somewhat aside from the line royal. But for democracies, they need it not; and they are commonly more quiet, and less subject to sedition, than where there are stirps of nobles. For men’s eyes are upon the business, and not upon the persons; or if upon the persons, it is for the business’ sake, as fittest, and not for flags and pedigree. We see the Switzers last well, notwithstanding their diversity of religion, and of cantons. For utility is their bond, and not respects. The united provinces of the Low Countries, in their government, excel; for where there is an equality, the consultations are more indifferent, and the payments and tributes, more cheerful. A great and potent nobility, addeth majesty to a monarch, but diminisheth power; and putteth life and spirit into the people, but presseth their fortune. It is well, when nobles are not too great for sovereignty nor for justice; and yet maintained in that height, as the insolency of inferiors may be broken upon them, before it come on too fast upon the majesty of kings. A numerous nobility causeth poverty, and inconvenience in a state; for it is a surcharge of expense; and besides, it being of necessity, that many of the nobility fall, in time, to be weak in fortune, it maketh a kind of disproportion, between honor and means.”

A popular modern day essayist is Barbara Kingsolver. Her book, “Small Wonders,” is full of essays describing her thoughts and experiences both at home and around the world. Her intention with her essays is to make her readers think about various social issues, mainly concerning the environment and how people treat each other. The link below is to an essay in which a child in an Iranian village she visited had disappeared. The boy was found three days later in a bear’s cave, alive and well, protected by a mother bear. She uses a narrative essay to tell her story.

VI. Examples of Essays in Pop Culture

Many rap songs are basically mini essays, expressing outrage and sorrow over social issues today, just as the 1960s had a lot of anti-war and peace songs that told stories and described social problems of that time. Any good song writer will pay attention to current events and express ideas in a creative way.

A well-known essay written in 1997 by Mary Schmich, a columnist with the Chicago Tribune, was made into a popular video on MTV by Baz Luhrmann. Schmich’s thesis is to wear sunscreen, but she adds strong advice with supporting details throughout the body of her essay, reverting to her thesis in the conclusion.

Baz Luhrmann - Everybody's Free To Wear Sunscreen

VII. Related Terms

Research paper.

Research papers follow the same basic format of an essay. They have an introductory paragraph, the body, and a conclusion. However, research papers have strict guidelines regarding a title page, header, sub-headers within the paper, citations throughout and in a bibliography page, the size and type of font, and margins. The purpose of a research paper is to explore an area by looking at previous research. Some research papers may include additional studies by the author, which would then be compared to previous research. The point of view is an objective third-person. No opinion is allowed. Any claims must be backed up with research.

VIII. Conclusion

Students dread hearing that they are going to write an essay, but essays are one of the easiest and most relaxed types of writing they will learn. Mastering the essay will make research papers much easier, since they have the same basic structure. Many historical events can be better understood through essays written by people involved in those times. The continuation of essays in today’s times will allow future historians to understand how our new world of technology and information impacted us.

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The Essay: History and Definition

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"One damned thing after another" is how Aldous Huxley described the essay: "a literary device for saying almost everything about almost anything."

As definitions go, Huxley's is no more or less exact than Francis Bacon's "dispersed meditations," Samuel Johnson's "loose sally of the mind" or Edward Hoagland's "greased pig."

Since Montaigne adopted the term "essay" in the 16th century to describe his "attempts" at self-portrayal in prose , this slippery form has resisted any sort of precise, universal definition. But that won't an attempt to define the term in this brief article.

In the broadest sense, the term "essay" can refer to just about any short piece of nonfiction  -- an editorial, feature story, critical study, even an excerpt from a book. However, literary definitions of a genre are usually a bit fussier.

One way to start is to draw a distinction between articles , which are read primarily for the information they contain, and essays, in which the pleasure of reading takes precedence over the information in the text . Although handy, this loose division points chiefly to kinds of reading rather than to kinds of texts. So here are some other ways that the essay might be defined.

Standard definitions often stress the loose structure or apparent shapelessness of the essay. Johnson, for example, called the essay "an irregular, indigested piece, not a regular and orderly performance."

True, the writings of several well-known essayists ( William Hazlitt and Ralph Waldo Emerson , for instance, after the fashion of Montaigne) can be recognized by the casual nature of their explorations -- or "ramblings." But that's not to say that anything goes. Each of these essayists follows certain organizing principles of his own.

Oddly enough, critics haven't paid much attention to the principles of design actually employed by successful essayists. These principles are rarely formal patterns of organization , that is, the "modes of exposition" found in many composition textbooks. Instead, they might be described as patterns of thought -- progressions of a mind working out an idea.

Unfortunately, the customary divisions of the essay into opposing types --  formal and informal, impersonal and familiar  -- are also troublesome. Consider this suspiciously neat dividing line drawn by Michele Richman:

Post-Montaigne, the essay split into two distinct modalities: One remained informal, personal, intimate, relaxed, conversational and often humorous; the other, dogmatic, impersonal, systematic and expository .

The terms used here to qualify the term "essay" are convenient as a kind of critical shorthand, but they're imprecise at best and potentially contradictory. Informal can describe either the shape or the tone of the work -- or both. Personal refers to the stance of the essayist, conversational to the language of the piece, and expository to its content and aim. When the writings of particular essayists are studied carefully, Richman's "distinct modalities" grow increasingly vague.

But as fuzzy as these terms might be, the qualities of shape and personality, form and voice, are clearly integral to an understanding of the essay as an artful literary kind. 

Many of the terms used to characterize the essay -- personal, familiar, intimate, subjective, friendly, conversational -- represent efforts to identify the genre's most powerful organizing force: the rhetorical voice or projected character (or persona ) of the essayist.

In his study of Charles Lamb , Fred Randel observes that the "principal declared allegiance" of the essay is to "the experience of the essayistic voice." Similarly, British author Virginia Woolf has described this textual quality of personality or voice as "the essayist's most proper but most dangerous and delicate tool."

Similarly, at the beginning of "Walden, "  Henry David Thoreau reminds the reader that "it is ... always the first person that is speaking." Whether expressed directly or not, there's always an "I" in the essay -- a voice shaping the text and fashioning a role for the reader.

Fictional Qualities

The terms "voice" and "persona" are often used interchangeably to suggest the rhetorical nature of the essayist himself on the page. At times an author may consciously strike a pose or play a role. He can, as E.B. White confirms in his preface to "The Essays," "be any sort of person, according to his mood or his subject matter." 

In "What I Think, What I Am," essayist Edward Hoagland points out that "the artful 'I' of an essay can be as chameleon as any narrator in fiction." Similar considerations of voice and persona lead Carl H. Klaus to conclude that the essay is "profoundly fictive":

It seems to convey the sense of human presence that is indisputably related to its author's deepest sense of self, but that is also a complex illusion of that self -- an enactment of it as if it were both in the process of thought and in the process of sharing the outcome of that thought with others.

But to acknowledge the fictional qualities of the essay isn't to deny its special status as nonfiction.

Reader's Role

A basic aspect of the relationship between a writer (or a writer's persona) and a reader (the implied audience ) is the presumption that what the essayist says is literally true. The difference between a short story, say, and an autobiographical essay  lies less in the narrative structure or the nature of the material than in the narrator's implied contract with the reader about the kind of truth being offered.

Under the terms of this contract, the essayist presents experience as it actually occurred -- as it occurred, that is, in the version by the essayist. The narrator of an essay, the editor George Dillon says, "attempts to convince the reader that its model of experience of the world is valid." 

In other words, the reader of an essay is called on to join in the making of meaning. And it's up to the reader to decide whether to play along. Viewed in this way, the drama of an essay might lie in the conflict between the conceptions of self and world that the reader brings to a text and the conceptions that the essayist tries to arouse.

At Last, a Definition—of Sorts

With these thoughts in mind, the essay might be defined as a short work of nonfiction, often artfully disordered and highly polished, in which an authorial voice invites an implied reader to accept as authentic a certain textual mode of experience.

Sure. But it's still a greased pig.

Sometimes the best way to learn exactly what an essay is -- is to read some great ones. You'll find more than 300 of them in this collection of  Classic British and American Essays and Speeches .

  • What Are the Different Types and Characteristics of Essays?
  • What Is a Personal Essay (Personal Statement)?
  • Rhetorical Analysis Definition and Examples
  • The Writer's Voice in Literature and Rhetoric
  • What Is Expository Writing?
  • Point of View in Grammar and Composition
  • What Is Tone In Writing?
  • The Difference Between an Article and an Essay
  • How to Write a Narrative Essay or Speech
  • Topical Organization Essay
  • Writers on Writing: The Art of Paragraphing
  • What is a Familiar Essay in Composition?
  • Compose a Narrative Essay or Personal Statement
  • Mood in Composition and Literature
  • Writing Prompt (Composition)

What is Essay? Definition, Usage, and Literary Examples

Essay definition.

An essay (ES-ey) is a nonfiction composition that explores a concept, argument, idea, or opinion from the personal perspective of the writer. Essays are usually a few pages, but they can also be book-length. Unlike other forms of nonfiction writing, like textbooks or biographies, an essay doesn’t inherently require research. Literary essayists are conveying ideas in a more informal way.

The word essay comes from the Late Latin exigere , meaning “ascertain or weigh,” which later became essayer in Old French. The late-15th-century version came to mean “test the quality of.” It’s this latter derivation that French philosopher Michel de Montaigne first used to describe a composition.

History of the Essay

Michel de Montaigne first coined the term essayer to describe Plutarch’s Oeuvres Morales , which is now widely considered to be a collection of essays. Under the new term, Montaigne wrote the first official collection of essays, Essais , in 1580. Montaigne’s goal was to pen his personal ideas in prose . In 1597, a collection of Francis Bacon’s work appeared as the first essay collection written in English. The term essayist was first used by English playwright Ben Jonson in 1609.

Types of Essays

There are many ways to categorize essays. Aldous Huxley, a leading essayist, determined that there are three major groups: personal and autobiographical, objective and factual, and abstract and universal. Within these groups, several other types can exist, including the following:

  • Academic Essays : Educators frequently assign essays to encourage students to think deeply about a given subject and to assess the student’s knowledge. As such, an academic essay employs a formal language and tone, and it may include references and a bibliography. It’s objective and factual, and it typically uses a five-paragraph model of an introduction, two or more body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Several other essay types, like descriptive, argumentative, and expository, can fall under the umbrella of an academic essay.
  • Analytical Essays : An analytical essay breaks down and interprets something, like an event, piece of literature, or artwork. This type of essay combines abstraction and personal viewpoints. Professional reviews of movies, TV shows, and albums are likely the most common form of analytical essays that people encounter in everyday life.
  • Argumentative/Persuasive Essays : In an argumentative or persuasive essay, the essayist offers their opinion on a debatable topic and refutes opposing views. Their goal is to get the reader to agree with them. Argumentative/persuasive essays can be personal, factual, and even both at the same time. They can also be humorous or satirical; Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal is a satirical essay arguing that the best way for Irish people to get out of poverty is to sell their children to rich people as a food source.
  • Descriptive Essays : In a descriptive essay, the essayist describes something, someone, or an event in great detail. The essay’s subject can be something concrete, meaning it can be experienced with any or all of the five senses, or abstract, meaning it can’t be interacted with in a physical sense.
  • Expository Essay : An expository essay is a factual piece of writing that explains a particular concept or issue. Investigative journalists often write expository essays in their beat, and things like manuals or how-to guides are also written in an expository style.
  • Narrative/Personal : In a narrative or personal essay, the essayist tells a story, which is usually a recounting of a personal event. Narrative and personal essays may attempt to support a moral or lesson. People are often most familiar with this category as many writers and celebrities frequently publish essay collections.

Notable Essayists

  • James Baldwin, “ Notes of a Native Son ”
  • Joan Didion, “ Goodbye To All That ”
  • George Orwell, “ Shooting an Elephant ”
  • Ralph Waldo Emerson, “ Self-Reliance ”
  • Virginia Woolf, " Three Guineas "

Examples of Literary Essays

1. Michel De Montaigne, “Of Presumption”

De Montaigne’s essay explores multiple topics, including his reasons for writing essays, his dissatisfaction with contemporary education, and his own victories and failings. As the father of the essay, Montaigne details characteristics of what he thinks an essay should be. His writing has a stream-of-consciousness organization that doesn’t follow a structure, and he expresses the importance of looking inward at oneself, pointing to the essay’s personal nature.

2. Virginia Woolf, “A Room of One’s Own”

Woolf’s feminist essay, written from the perspective of an unknown, fictional woman, argues that sexism keeps women from fully realizing their potential. Woolf posits that a woman needs only an income and a room of her own to express her creativity. The fictional persona Woolf uses is meant to teach the reader a greater truth: making both literal and metaphorical space for women in the world is integral to their success and wellbeing.

3. James Baldwin, “Everybody’s Protest Novel”

In this essay, Baldwin argues that Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin doesn’t serve the black community the way his contemporaries thought it did. He points out that it equates “goodness” with how well-assimilated the black characters are in white culture:

Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a very bad novel, having, in its self-righteous, virtuous sentimentality, much in common with Little Women. Sentimentality […] is the mark of dishonesty, the inability to feel; […] and it is always, therefore, the signal of secret and violent inhumanity, the mask of cruelty.

This essay is both analytical and argumentative. Baldwin analyzes the novel and argues against those who champion it.

Further Resources on Essays

Top Writing Tips offers an in-depth history of the essay.

The Harvard Writing Center offers tips on outlining an essay.

We at SuperSummary have an excellent essay writing resource guide .

Related Terms

  • Academic Essay
  • Argumentative Essay
  • Expository Essay
  • Narrative Essay
  • Persuasive Essay

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Types of Essays

Feb 22, 2024

Essays can vary widely in their purpose, style, and content. Here are some common types of essays:

  • Descriptive
  • Argumentative
  • Cause and effect essays
  • Compare and contrast essays
  • Definition essays
  • Critical analysis
  • Critical essays
  • Rhetorical analysis
  • Literary analysis
  • Five-paragraph essay

Let’s explain each of them.

1. Descriptive Essay

“A descriptive essay is a type of essay that aims to create a vivid and detailed picture of a person, place, object, event, or experience for the reader.”

Read more at Purdue University .

Key Elements of Descriptive Essay:

  • Detailed description: It should efficiently describe all the details about the person, place, event, or object that is being described. 
  • Sensory details: It is essential to have a touch of all five senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing) for an immersive reader experience. 
  • Organization: Format the essay in a spatial or chronological order to guide the readers smoothly. 
  • Figurative language: Must contain figures of speech such as similes, metaphors, and personification to add depth to the essay.
  • Emotional connection or impact: A descriptive essay aims to evoke emotions or convey a particular mood or atmosphere.
  • Strong intro & conclusion : Always starts with a hook and ends with a strong yet concise overview of the entire essay to leave a long-lasting impression. 

Examples of Descriptive Essays:  

Essay 1: “ The Necklace " by Guy de Maupassant is a perfect example of a descriptive essay. It discusses the story of a middle-class woman named “ Mathilde Loisel ” who longs for a wealthy lifestyle. 

Essay 2: “ The Old Man and the Sea " by Ernest Hemingway : It is a descriptive novel about a Cuban fisherman named “ Santiago ” who thinks he is too unlucky as he hasn’t caught a single for around 84 days. But in the end, he catches a “ big shark ” on his own.

2. Narrative Essay:

“A narrative essay is a piece of art that focuses on storytelling and describing a personal experience, fictional events, or even historical narratives.”

Get more info about narrative essay at Study.com .

Key Elements of Narrative Essay:

  • Plot: It should have a clear yet engaging plot that includes the sequence of events that make up the story.
  • Characters: Must contain characters that can either refer to the writer or other individuals that are involved in the story. 
  • Settings: The essay should establish a vivid yet immersive setting that reflects the atmosphere and mood of your story.
  • Conflict: A conflict either internet or external is essential in a narrative essay. This is because it creates drives the arguments/story forward.
  • Storytelling: Use a clear and engaging narrative arc with a beginning, middle, and end that propels the reader forward.
  • Theme: It should efficiently explore a deeper meaning or theme. This could be about human nature, relationships, societal issues, or any other thought-provoking concept.
  • Sensory details: The narrative essay must engage the reader's senses through vivid descriptions of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures. 

Examples of Narrative Essays:

Essay 1: “ The Lottery " by Shirley Jackson can be taken as an excellent example of a narrative essay. It describes a small town gathering to hold a yearly lottery festival. But instead of winning money, the " winner " gets stoned by the whole community. That's the shocking twist in "The Lottery," where a seemingly normal tradition masks a disturbing hidden practice

Essay 2: “ The Things They Carried " by Tim O'Brien. Here the writer describes the emotional and psychological impact of the Vietnam War on young American soldiers.

3. Argumentative Essay

“An argumentative essay is one that efficiently explains the opinions about both sides of an issue. It aims to persuade the reader to agree with a particular viewpoint by presenting evidence, reasoning, and counterarguments.”

Check Argumentative Essay guide by University of Toledo

Key Elements of Argumentative Essay:

  • Clear thesis statement: The essay should start with a clear and concise thesis statement that presents the writer's position on the topic and the main arguments they will use to support it.
  • Evidence support: It should contain facts, statistics, expert opinions, research, and examples to back up the claims and strengthen the argument. 
  • Counterarguments: Briefly mention and refute opposing arguments to demonstrate the strength of your own.
  • Logical structure: All the arguments should be structured properly so that readers can easily go through them. 
  • Formal language: Academic tone and style are maintained, avoiding informal language and emotional appeals.

 Examples of Argumentative Essays:

Essay 1: “ Should Everyone Go to College? ” is an example of an argumentative essay in which the writer has efficiently described the arguments to address the main question. 

Essay 2: “ Performance Enhancements Through Biotechnology Has No Place in Sports ” discusses that athletes use performance-enhancing substances especially biotechnologies like gene therapy. 

4. Persuasive Essay

“A persuasive essay aims to persuade the reader to adopt your point of view on a particular issue through arguments and evidence.”

Visit 11trees to get more info. 

Key Elements of Persuasive Essay

  • Compelling thesis statement: It states the specific opinion or belief that the writer wants the reader to adopt engagingly and attractively.
  • Credible evidence & sources : Should contain accurate statistics, and expert opinions to strengthen your claims and build trust with the reader.
  • Appeal to emotions: The essay must evoke feelings like concern, hope, fear, or excitement to influence the reader's perspective.
  • Formal or informal language: Can have a more relaxed and engaging tone compared to the formal style of argumentative essays.
  • Proper structure or format: To persuade and engage the readers, the persuasive essay should be formatted or structured properly. 
  • Call to action: Although this is not necessary, many persuasive essays contain Call-to-action (CTA) encouraging the readers to take some kind of action. 

Examples of Persuasive Essays:

Essay 1: “ Why Students Should Eat Breakfast Every day . ” In this essay sample, the writer has tried to convince the students about the importance of breakfast every day by addressing multiple reasons. 

Essay 2: “ How Does Outdoor Exercises Impact Our Health & Well Being ” is another good example of a persuasive essay. The writer has provided four reasons about how outdoor exercises can contribute to better health. 

5. Cause and Effect Essays

“A cause-and-effect essay explores the connections between events or situations. It aims to explain how a specific cause leads to a particular effect or, conversely, how an effect can be traced back to its various causes.”

You check detailed instructions and guides on “Cause and Effect Essays” at Excelsior University .

Key Elements of Cause & Effect Essays:

  • Type: The essay either can be “ Cause focused ’’ or “ Effect focused ” or both. 
  • Thesis statement: This should start with a clear thesis statement that efficiently presents the main cause-and-effect relationship being explored.
  • Evidence and examples: The essay should provide evidence and examples to support the cause-and-effect relationship being discussed.
  • Logical organization: It should be organized in such a logical way that makes the relationship between causes and effects clear to the reader.
  • Inclusion of transitional words: The essay must contain transitional words and phrases because these will give the readers a feel that each cause and effect is properly connected with each other. 
  • Analysis & Interpretation: Include analysis and interpretation to efficiently explain the causes and effects that are being described. 
  • Conclusion: Should have a concise conclusion explaining causes and effects while referring to the thesis statement. 

Examples of Cause-and-Effect Essays:

Essay 1: “ The Effect of Divorce on Children .” This was written by a student in which he/she has discussed both positive and negative consequences of divorce on children. 

Essay 2: “ The Causes of Air Pollution ” is another good example in which the writer has explained some of the major causes or sources of air pollution. 

6. Compare and Contrast Essays

“A compare and contrast essay analyzes two or more subjects, highlighting their similarities and differences to provide a deeper understanding of each.”

Visit Del Mar College for more information. 

Key Elements of Compare & Contrast Essays:

  • Focus: It is always written on two subjects that can be meaningfully compared and contrasted, avoiding vague or unrelated topics.
  • Clear thesis statement: Always start with a clear thesis statement that identifies the subjects being compared and contrasted and presents the main points of comparison or contrast.
  • Strong structure: The essay should compare or contrast both subjects using a strong structure like point-by-point or subject-by-subject. 
  • Evidence & examples: Must contain evidence and examples to support the comparisons and contrasts.
  • Fairness & balance: The essay should acknowledge both the similarities and differences of the subjects, instead of just favoring one. 
  • Use of transitional words & phrases: The inclusion of transition words and phrases will make it easier for the readers to efficiently go through the analysis. 
  • Effective conclusion: It must have a conclusion that efficiently summarizes the main points of comparison or contrast while also reinforcing the thesis statement.

Example of Compare and Contrast Essays:

Essay 1: “ The Senate & the House of Representatives (Page 4) ” is a perfect example of a compare and contrast essay as it efficiently highlights both the differences and similarities between “ Senate ” and “ The House of Representatives. ”

7. Definition Essays

“A definition essay is a type of essay that defines and explains the meaning of a particular term, concept, or idea.”

For more: https://paradisevalley.libguides.com/ENG102/definition_essay

Key Elements of Definition Essays:

  • Clear and concise definition: It provides a simple yet short definition for the term, idea, or topic that is being addressed. 
  • Explanation & interpretation: The essay must explain or interpret the main topic in complete detail, providing insights into its origin, history, usage, and significance.
  • Examples & illustrations: Examples and illustrations can help to clarify and reinforce the definition of the chosen topic.
  • Structure or organization: It should follow a logical and clear structure, typically beginning with a definition, exploring different aspects, and concluding with a final thought.
  • Language & delivery: A definition essay is always written in a clear and engaging writing style, instead of technical or complex language. 

Examples of Definition Essays:

Essay 1: “ What is trust ” is an example of a definition essay in which the writer has efficiently described the meaning and the concept behind the word “ Trust .”

Essay 2: “ Definition of Cultural Romance ” is another excellent example of a definition essay.

8. Process Essay

“A process essay explains the step-by-step explanation of how something is done or how something works. It provides a clear and informative guide for readers who want to understand or undertake the process themselves.”

Read more about process essays at Lumen Learning .

Key Elements of Process Essay:

  • A clear purpose: It is always written on a topic that has well-defined steps that can be logically explained to the audience. 
  • Break-down of step-by-step instructions: Obviously, the essay should explain step-by-step instructions for completing the process being described.
  • A list of materials, equipment, or ingredients: It should highlight the use of necessary materials, equipment, or ingredients for the efficient completion of the task. 
  • Use of clear and concise: Using clear & concise is necessary during the step-by-step procedure for ease of understanding of the readers. 
  • Chronological order: Each step mentioned in a process essay should relate to the previous one. 
  • Visuals: Depending on the process complexity, the essay can include visuals such as tables, charts, and diagrams for ease of understanding. 
  • Conclusion: The conclusion should concisely wrap the entire essay while sticking to the main idea. 

Examples of Process Essay:

Essay 1: “ How to live a Happy Life ” in this process essay example, the writer has explained multiple that readers can consider following to live a happy life. 

9. Reflective Essay

“A reflective essay is an academic essay where you explore a past experience, event, or situation and analyze how it impacted your thoughts, feelings, and overall understanding of yourself and the world.”

More help on “what is Reflective Essay and how to write” at Australian College of Applied Professions

Key Elements of Reflective Essay:

  • Meaningful personal experience: Reflective essays always revolve around personal experiences, thoughts, and emotions.
  • Compelling thesis statement : It always starts with compelling yet emotional thesis statements to engage the readers. 
  • Description of the experience: Provides a detailed description of the experience being reflected upon, including the context, setting, and events that occurred.
  • Deep analysis & interpretation: A reflective essay goes beyond superficial descriptions. It efficiently explores and explains the thoughts, feelings, and motivations before, during, and after the experience.
  • Connection to universal themes: It is necessary to connect your personal experiences to broader theoretical concepts or academic frameworks.
  • Organization: The essay follows a logical structure (intro, main body, conclusion) to guide the readers. 
  • Meaningful conclusion: The conclusion of a reflective essay should offer a concluding thought, reflection, or insight that encapsulates the overall learning and personal journey.

Example of Reflective Essay:

Essay 1: “ Fieldwork Experience ” can be a good example of a reflective essay. Because it describes both the negative and positive experiences, emotions, and feelings of a person who belongs to fieldwork. 

10. Critical Analysis Essay

“A critical analysis essay examines and evaluates someone else's work, such as a book, an essay, a film, or a piece of art.”

More info is available at Thompson River University .

Key Elements of Critical Analysis Essay:

  • A strong thesis statement: A critical analysis essay efficiently presents a focused argument about the work's strengths, weaknesses, effectiveness, or impact in the thesis statement. 
  • In-depth analysis: The essay requires in-depth analysis and evaluation of the work being analyzed.
  • Evidence & Examples: All the analysis or arguments in it should be supported by evidence or examples for maximum credibility. 
  • Use of formal & engaging language: It is written in a formal and engaging to show both the writer’s professionalism and keep the readers engaged. 
  • Insightful conclusion: The conclusion should efficiently relate all the key points in a concise while making the final statement/verdict. 

Example of Critical Analysis Essay:

Essay 1: “ Oklahoma Movie Critical Analysis ” discusses every detail about the movie from ticket price to the experience of buying a ticket inside the cinema, movie scenes, and many more. 

11. Critical Essays

“There is only a minor difference between a critical essay and a critical analysis essay. A critical essay is a form of academic writing that analyzes and evaluates a text, artwork, film, or any other kind of creative work.”

Read more at Literary Devices .

Key Elements of Critical Essays:

  • Thesis statement: Always start with a clear thesis statement that presents the main argument or interpretation of the work being analyzed.
  • Based on deep analysis: The essay is written by performing an in-depth analysis of the work using critical thinking abilities to make it broader. 
  • Engagement with secondary sources: Depending on the type of work, a critical essay may involve engaging with secondary sources such as literary criticism, scholarly articles, or theoretical frameworks.
  • Critical perspective: The essay must require a critical perspective, which involves questioning, challenging, and evaluating the assumptions, biases, and intentions of the work being analyzed. 
  • Evidence & Reasoning: All the claims or arguments should be supported with specific examples from the work, expert opinions, historical references, or other relevant evidence. 
  • Conclusion: End up with a short conclusion, summarizing all the main points discussed in the critical essay. 

Example of Critical Essay:

Essay 1: “ Critical Essay on Tess of the d’Urbervilles ” can be a good example of a critical essay.

12. Expository Essay

“An expository essay aims to explain, inform, or describe a particular topic, idea, or concept.”

Find more info here CSUEastbay.edu

Key Elements of Expository Essay:

  • Fully focused thesis statement: An expository essay efficiently states the intended outcome: what the reader will learn by the end of your essay.
  • Follow a certain tone: The essays are written in an informative and objective tone, presenting factual information and avoiding personal opinions or biases.
  • Contains transition words: Loaded with words like “ Then ,” “ Next ,” etc. so that a logical connection is created between the sentences. 
  • Simple organization: The essay follows a simple sequential structure so that readers can be guided easily toward the end. 
  • Conclusion: The essay should conclude by summarizing the main points and restating the thesis statement.

Examples of Expository Essay:

Essay 1: “ Understanding Mental Health and Its Impact on Individuals and Society ” has efficiently discussed the definition, explanation, causes, and impacts of mental health on both individuals and society. 

13. Review Essay

“A review essay evaluates and analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of a particular work, such as a book, film, artwork, or academic paper.”

Get more info at Best Essays

Key Elements of Review Essay:

  • Introduction: Efficiently describes the main thesis or argument of the review essay. It should also offer necessary background information about the subject.
  • Analysis: The review essay should also evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the work through evidence and examples. 
  • Critique: It should explain the reviewer's opinion or perspective on the work while also highlighting notable aspects that contribute to the work's value or significance.
  • Maintain a neutral yet critical tone: The essay should acknowledge different perspectives while expressing the writer’s own informed opinion.
  • Conclusion: It must have a short conclusion that summarizes the entire information discussed in the essay within a few sentences. 

Example of Review Essay:

Essay 1: “ Place-Based Learning Geographies of Writing & How Place Still Matters in Writing Studies ” is an excellent example of a review essay. As it efficiently evaluates how the location of writing affects the student’s abilities. 

14. Rhetorical Analysis Essay

“A rhetorical analysis essay examines how authors or speakers use rhetorical devices and strategies to achieve their intended purpose and persuade their audience.”

Learn more about Rhetorical Analysis Essay (a guide by studysmarter.co.uk)

Key Elements Rhetorical Analysis Essay:

  • Impactful introduction: It must start with an introduction that provides context for the rhetorical analysis.
  • Identification of Rhetorical Strategies: The essay should identify and analyze the rhetorical strategies used in the text, such as ethos (appeals to credibility), pathos (appeals to emotions), and logos (appeals to logic).
  • Evaluation of effectiveness: The essay should evaluate the effectiveness of the author's rhetorical strategies in achieving their intended purpose.
  • Textual Evidence : The analysis needed to be supported by textual evidence from the text being analyzed.
  • Contextualization: Analysis should be situated within the broader context of the text, as well as its historical, cultural, and social context.
  • Clear organization: Must organized logically, typically structuring it with an introduction, body paragraphs analyzing specific aspects of the rhetoric, and a concluding reflection.
  • Conclusion: Briefly summarize your key points and restate your thesis in a new light.

Example of Rhetorical Analysis Essay:

Essay 1: “ Rhetorical Strategies in Grose's "Cleaning: The Final Feminist Frontier ” discussed how the author “ Grose ” used rhetorical strategies to efficiently convey the intended message. 

15. Analytical Essay

“An analytical essay takes a subject and examines it critically, dissecting its components and exploring its deeper meaning, significance, or impact.”

Key Elements of Analytical Essay:

  • Clear & focused thesis statement: It should have a statement that succinctly summarizes your central argument about the subject's meaning, significance, or unique qualities.
  • In-depth analysis: The analytical essay needed to be based on in-depth analysis and interpretation of the topic being analyzed.
  • Inclusion of evidence: All the analysis in the essay should be supported with credible evidence or examples. 
  • Objective & informed perspective: The essay should maintain a neutral and objective tone, avoiding personal opinions or biases.

Find more about “writing an analytical essay” at Habib University .

Example of Analytical Essay:

Essay 1: “ Critical Thinking & Writing for Nursing Students ” in this analytical essay example, the nursing students are introduced to both critical and reflective thinking, so that they can become successful in their nursing careers. 

16. Literary Analysis Essay

“A literary analysis essay is a type of analytical essay that focuses specifically on analyzing a piece of literature, such as a novel, short story, poem, or play.”

Key Elements of Literary Analysis Essay:

  • Strong introduction: It presents a specific and arguable claim about the work's meaning, technique, or impact.
  • Analysis of literary elements: The essay should analyze the literary elements used in the work, such as plot, character, setting, theme, symbolism, and imagery.
  • Evidence & reasoning: Support the author's claims with specific textual evidence (quotes, examples, descriptions) and relevant critical analysis.
  • Engaging with multiple perspectives: The essay should acknowledge and discuss differing interpretations of the work.
  • Engagement with secondary sources: Depending on the requirements of the assignment, literary analysis essays may involve engaging with secondary sources such as literary criticism, scholarly articles, or theoretical frameworks.
  • Conclusion: The conclusion should offer reflections on the significance of the analysis and its implications for understanding the work being analyzed.

How to write a Literary analysis essay, key points and precautions: Bucks County Community College .

Example of Literary Analysis Essay:

Essay 1: “ The Old Man & The Sea (Page 2) ” in this example, the writer has done an in-depth analysis of the famous novel written by Ernest Hemingway .

17. Five-Paragraph Essay

“Five-paragraph essay is a widely known essay type that is usually taught to primary school students. It is based on a 5Ws rule (What, Who, When, Why, and Where sometimes “how” as well).”

Key Elements of Five Paragraph Essay:

  • Introduction (1 paragraph): It should have an introduction that provides background information on the topic and presents the main thesis or argument.
  • Main body (3 paragraphs): The main body should describe or address the main topic in detail using evidence and examples. 
  • Conclusion (1 paragraph): The conclusion should describe the summary of the main points made in the body paragraphs and a restatement of the thesis statement. 

University of Maryland Global Campus has described how you can write a perfect five-paragraph essay. 

Example of a paragraph Essay:

Essay 1: “ The Benefits of Regular Exercise ” explained the advantages of working out regularly within five paragraphs. 

Difference Between Essay Types, its Key Points and its Users

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  • Example of a great essay | Explanations, tips & tricks

Example of a Great Essay | Explanations, Tips & Tricks

Published on February 9, 2015 by Shane Bryson . Revised on July 23, 2023 by Shona McCombes.

This example guides you through the structure of an essay. It shows how to build an effective introduction , focused paragraphs , clear transitions between ideas, and a strong conclusion .

Each paragraph addresses a single central point, introduced by a topic sentence , and each point is directly related to the thesis statement .

As you read, hover over the highlighted parts to learn what they do and why they work.

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Other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about writing an essay, an appeal to the senses: the development of the braille system in nineteenth-century france.

The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability. The writing system of raised dots used by visually impaired people was developed by Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France. In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized, and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation. The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted systems were difficult to learn and use. As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness. This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s social and cultural lives.

Lack of access to reading and writing put blind people at a serious disadvantage in nineteenth-century society. Text was one of the primary methods through which people engaged with culture, communicated with others, and accessed information; without a well-developed reading system that did not rely on sight, blind people were excluded from social participation (Weygand, 2009). While disabled people in general suffered from discrimination, blindness was widely viewed as the worst disability, and it was commonly believed that blind people were incapable of pursuing a profession or improving themselves through culture (Weygand, 2009). This demonstrates the importance of reading and writing to social status at the time: without access to text, it was considered impossible to fully participate in society. Blind people were excluded from the sighted world, but also entirely dependent on sighted people for information and education.

In France, debates about how to deal with disability led to the adoption of different strategies over time. While people with temporary difficulties were able to access public welfare, the most common response to people with long-term disabilities, such as hearing or vision loss, was to group them together in institutions (Tombs, 1996). At first, a joint institute for the blind and deaf was created, and although the partnership was motivated more by financial considerations than by the well-being of the residents, the institute aimed to help people develop skills valuable to society (Weygand, 2009). Eventually blind institutions were separated from deaf institutions, and the focus shifted towards education of the blind, as was the case for the Royal Institute for Blind Youth, which Louis Braille attended (Jimenez et al, 2009). The growing acknowledgement of the uniqueness of different disabilities led to more targeted education strategies, fostering an environment in which the benefits of a specifically blind education could be more widely recognized.

Several different systems of tactile reading can be seen as forerunners to the method Louis Braille developed, but these systems were all developed based on the sighted system. The Royal Institute for Blind Youth in Paris taught the students to read embossed roman letters, a method created by the school’s founder, Valentin Hauy (Jimenez et al., 2009). Reading this way proved to be a rather arduous task, as the letters were difficult to distinguish by touch. The embossed letter method was based on the reading system of sighted people, with minimal adaptation for those with vision loss. As a result, this method did not gain significant success among blind students.

Louis Braille was bound to be influenced by his school’s founder, but the most influential pre-Braille tactile reading system was Charles Barbier’s night writing. A soldier in Napoleon’s army, Barbier developed a system in 1819 that used 12 dots with a five line musical staff (Kersten, 1997). His intention was to develop a system that would allow the military to communicate at night without the need for light (Herron, 2009). The code developed by Barbier was phonetic (Jimenez et al., 2009); in other words, the code was designed for sighted people and was based on the sounds of words, not on an actual alphabet. Barbier discovered that variants of raised dots within a square were the easiest method of reading by touch (Jimenez et al., 2009). This system proved effective for the transmission of short messages between military personnel, but the symbols were too large for the fingertip, greatly reducing the speed at which a message could be read (Herron, 2009). For this reason, it was unsuitable for daily use and was not widely adopted in the blind community.

Nevertheless, Barbier’s military dot system was more efficient than Hauy’s embossed letters, and it provided the framework within which Louis Braille developed his method. Barbier’s system, with its dashes and dots, could form over 4000 combinations (Jimenez et al., 2009). Compared to the 26 letters of the Latin alphabet, this was an absurdly high number. Braille kept the raised dot form, but developed a more manageable system that would reflect the sighted alphabet. He replaced Barbier’s dashes and dots with just six dots in a rectangular configuration (Jimenez et al., 2009). The result was that the blind population in France had a tactile reading system using dots (like Barbier’s) that was based on the structure of the sighted alphabet (like Hauy’s); crucially, this system was the first developed specifically for the purposes of the blind.

While the Braille system gained immediate popularity with the blind students at the Institute in Paris, it had to gain acceptance among the sighted before its adoption throughout France. This support was necessary because sighted teachers and leaders had ultimate control over the propagation of Braille resources. Many of the teachers at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth resisted learning Braille’s system because they found the tactile method of reading difficult to learn (Bullock & Galst, 2009). This resistance was symptomatic of the prevalent attitude that the blind population had to adapt to the sighted world rather than develop their own tools and methods. Over time, however, with the increasing impetus to make social contribution possible for all, teachers began to appreciate the usefulness of Braille’s system (Bullock & Galst, 2009), realizing that access to reading could help improve the productivity and integration of people with vision loss. It took approximately 30 years, but the French government eventually approved the Braille system, and it was established throughout the country (Bullock & Galst, 2009).

Although Blind people remained marginalized throughout the nineteenth century, the Braille system granted them growing opportunities for social participation. Most obviously, Braille allowed people with vision loss to read the same alphabet used by sighted people (Bullock & Galst, 2009), allowing them to participate in certain cultural experiences previously unavailable to them. Written works, such as books and poetry, had previously been inaccessible to the blind population without the aid of a reader, limiting their autonomy. As books began to be distributed in Braille, this barrier was reduced, enabling people with vision loss to access information autonomously. The closing of the gap between the abilities of blind and the sighted contributed to a gradual shift in blind people’s status, lessening the cultural perception of the blind as essentially different and facilitating greater social integration.

The Braille system also had important cultural effects beyond the sphere of written culture. Its invention later led to the development of a music notation system for the blind, although Louis Braille did not develop this system himself (Jimenez, et al., 2009). This development helped remove a cultural obstacle that had been introduced by the popularization of written musical notation in the early 1500s. While music had previously been an arena in which the blind could participate on equal footing, the transition from memory-based performance to notation-based performance meant that blind musicians were no longer able to compete with sighted musicians (Kersten, 1997). As a result, a tactile musical notation system became necessary for professional equality between blind and sighted musicians (Kersten, 1997).

Braille paved the way for dramatic cultural changes in the way blind people were treated and the opportunities available to them. Louis Braille’s innovation was to reimagine existing reading systems from a blind perspective, and the success of this invention required sighted teachers to adapt to their students’ reality instead of the other way around. In this sense, Braille helped drive broader social changes in the status of blindness. New accessibility tools provide practical advantages to those who need them, but they can also change the perspectives and attitudes of those who do not.

Bullock, J. D., & Galst, J. M. (2009). The Story of Louis Braille. Archives of Ophthalmology , 127(11), 1532. https://​doi.org/10.1001/​archophthalmol.2009.286.

Herron, M. (2009, May 6). Blind visionary. Retrieved from https://​eandt.theiet.org/​content/​articles/2009/05/​blind-visionary/.

Jiménez, J., Olea, J., Torres, J., Alonso, I., Harder, D., & Fischer, K. (2009). Biography of Louis Braille and Invention of the Braille Alphabet. Survey of Ophthalmology , 54(1), 142–149. https://​doi.org/10.1016/​j.survophthal.2008.10.006.

Kersten, F.G. (1997). The history and development of Braille music methodology. The Bulletin of Historical Research in Music Education , 18(2). Retrieved from https://​www.jstor.org/​stable/40214926.

Mellor, C.M. (2006). Louis Braille: A touch of genius . Boston: National Braille Press.

Tombs, R. (1996). France: 1814-1914 . London: Pearson Education Ltd.

Weygand, Z. (2009). The blind in French society from the Middle Ages to the century of Louis Braille . Stanford: Stanford University Press.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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An essay is a focused piece of writing that explains, argues, describes, or narrates.

In high school, you may have to write many different types of essays to develop your writing skills.

Academic essays at college level are usually argumentative : you develop a clear thesis about your topic and make a case for your position using evidence, analysis and interpretation.

The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.

Your essay introduction should include three main things, in this order:

  • An opening hook to catch the reader’s attention.
  • Relevant background information that the reader needs to know.
  • A thesis statement that presents your main point or argument.

The length of each part depends on the length and complexity of your essay .

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

A topic sentence is a sentence that expresses the main point of a paragraph . Everything else in the paragraph should relate to the topic sentence.

At college level, you must properly cite your sources in all essays , research papers , and other academic texts (except exams and in-class exercises).

Add a citation whenever you quote , paraphrase , or summarize information or ideas from a source. You should also give full source details in a bibliography or reference list at the end of your text.

The exact format of your citations depends on which citation style you are instructed to use. The most common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago .

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If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Bryson, S. (2023, July 23). Example of a Great Essay | Explanations, Tips & Tricks. Scribbr. Retrieved February 22, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/example-essay-structure/

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  • Israel-Hamas War

Palestine and the Power of Language

A protester's painted hand during a march to demand a ceasefire in response to the ongoing Israel–Hamas conflict on Dec. 28, 2023 in Berlin, Germany.

I n today’s near-constant news cycle on Gaza, Palestinians seem to die at the hands of an invisible executioner. Palestinians are shot dead. Palestinians starve . Palestinian children are found dead . But where is there accountability? Palestinians die, they aren’t killed , as if their death is a fault of their own. 

The obfuscation of responsibility is facilitated by a structure often overlooked since grade school: grammar. At this moment, grammar has the indelible power to become a tool of the oppressor, with the passive voice the most relied-upon weapon of all.

When I was young, teachers scolded me for using the passive voice—they wanted my writing to be precise and direct. Instead, my sentences always seemed to protect those who performed the actions. Back then, the fact that my sentence structure obscured accountability didn’t bother me. But I know better now. As a Palestinian American, with refugee grandparents who survived the Nakba, I’m confronting the occupation back home from the safety of my apartment in America. Over the years,  I’ve combed through headlines searching for the active voice in a sea of passivity. I need those who commit actions, those who hold agency, to be named. I need Israel and its occupational forces to be named.  

The passive voice often focuses on the recipient of the event, not the doer. In the news today, I see only the passive voice: “ A group of Palestinian men waving a white flag are shot at ,” and I can’t help but hear the voices of my past English teachers ask, “But who ‘shot’ these men?” Accountability is not just vague; it’s altogether missing.

Mohammad Shouman carries the body of his daughter, Masa, who was killed in an Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, during her funeral in Rafah, southern Gaza, on Jan. 17.

I learned most acutely about the power of language to silence and erase in graduate school while auditing an undergraduate course on Israel. In a class of 25 people, I was one of two Palestinians. The rest of the class consisted of students who either self-identified as proud Zionists or Zionists who felt confused.

The professor, a Jewish Israeli, reminded me of my grandfather with his bushy eyebrows and thick accent—a soothing familiarity at first.

But that familiarity didn’t last. By the end of the first month, the class was split on the definition of “ethnic cleansing”—not only how to define it but who, in terms of the subject doing the action, can be charged with this human rights violation. 

The professor called our attention to his use of the term “ethnic cleansing” in his own writing. He wrote that around 750,000 Palestinians were displaced in 1948, an act that today would be considered ethnic cleansing. At first read, this statement seemed bold—he may not have named the Nakba , but his writing gestured toward violence. Even so, his examination felt sanitized. Palestinians “were displaced,” he wrote. But there was no mention of who did the displacing.

After reading part of the article out loud, a girl who had been fidgeting in her seat said it couldn’t be. 

“What couldn’t be?” my professor asked. 

“Ethnic cleansing. Because it’s what happened in the Holocaust, so we can’t be charged with this,” she replied. Another student cut in. He qualified by referring to himself as a critic of Israel. “There’s a distinction between occupation and ethnic cleansing,” he announced. “It’s an issue of structural power and systematic violence—what happened in 1948 was not ethnic cleansing.”

“By whom?” I finally asked, interrupting the flow of conversation.

“By whom, what?” the professor said.

“Who displaced 750,000 Palestinians?” Silence.

Palestinians leave their Jerusalem neighborhood during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

A boy behind me got the last word. “ Intent is what makes it ethnic cleansing,” he said. “It doesn’t sound like this was intentional. It might look like it, but it’s different.” The professor nodded, mumbling, “intent” to himself. 

In a 2023 interview with Palestinian scholar Rashid Khalidi published in The Intercept , Khalidi shared that although Israel’s recent military assault on Gaza may seem unprecedented it, unfortunately, aligns with Israel’s long-standing doctrine rooted in colonial, British counterinsurgency strategies. Khalidi said that this doctrine is characterized by an “absolute merciless attack on the enemy, delivering crushing blows.”

Read More: Hamas Built Tunnels Beneath My Family’s Home in Gaza. Now It Lies in Ruin

“This is how Britain ruled the world,” Khalidi went on to explain. “It was an empire of violence. And that strategy of overwhelming violence, when challenged, has been Israel’s strategy ever since.” This history of violence can easily be traced back to the foundation of the Zionist movement. The first Israeli prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, wrote to his son in 1937: “The Arabs will have to go, but one needs an opportune moment for making it happen, such as a war.” 

I saw intent in these words, but others in my class did not. So I kept searching, looking through the archive to help me piece together what parts of history I was missing. I found Joseph Weitz, director of the Jewish National Fund’s Lands Department, who wrote that there was no solution other than to transfer all Arabs from Palestine—who were the overwhelming majority in the region—into neighboring countries so that no Palestinian villages would remain. But when I shared these findings in class, they were brushed aside. “This isn’t intent,” a student said. “You can’t prove intent with a few peoples’ letters and actions.”

By the second month of class, I spent most of my time picking at my cuticles, fiddling with them until they drew blood, as students argued over when the words “Palestine” and “Palestinian” came into existence. Finally, the professor changed the subject, unable to convince some in class that “Palestine” was a place before Israel’s existence. He went on to discuss how Zionism could be considered a colonial project. A student behind me interrupted the lecture and said, “It’s not like they were coming in like other imperial powers and raping and killing immediately.”

My hand with its bloody cuticles shot up, eager to call out the absurdity of the comment. But my professor had started calling on me less and less, avoiding eye contact when possible and acknowledging me only in nods. My consistent stream of comments and questions perhaps disturbed the delicate balance of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that he so cautiously wanted to maintain. He had become passive; I had been forced into passivity in turn. 

Anti-war protesters raise painted hands behind U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on President Biden's $106 billion national security supplemental funding request to support Israel and Ukraine, as well as bolster border security, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., on Oct. 31, 2023.

“Who started it first?” another student asked in my row, ignoring my raised hand. 

“Which time did ‘who start what?’” The professor asked. 

“In 1947,” she said, “if Zionism really is a ‘colonial project,’ who started it first?” 

“In 1947, the Arabs were upset by the U.N. partition lines. There were Palestinian uprisings,” he said. 

“They retaliated,” I interjected, angry again at the empty spaces left in the professor’s response—as if Zionism and its goals had no role in why there were Palestinian uprisings. In a 2002 report completed by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), researchers found that during the Second Intifada the word “retaliation” was used 79% of the time to describe Israeli violence against Palestinians in American news outlets. Meanwhile, Palestinian violence was characterized as “retaliation” only 9% of the time. Palestinians “attacked” or “threw rocks” or, at best, there were Palestinian “uprisings” that seemed to spring from the ground without any explanation of the pressure that premeditated why the surface cracked in the first place. 

“Retaliation” suggests a need to defend oneself because safety is on the line. “Retaliation” empowers some in their violence while reprimanding others.

I wanted to say all this, but the professor put his palm in the air, a visible stop sign in my direction, and asked me to raise my hand if I wanted to engage. So I continued to raise my hand, which remained raised until the end of class. And I wondered, if there were a stone nearby, would I have thrown it?

Read More: The Power of Changing Your Mind

After class, the professor pulled me aside and told me, “As an auditor, it’s best you don’t participate. I sympathize with the Palestinians, but it’s necessary you don’t add to the discussion.” He followed up this conversation with an email, reaffirming his desire for me to remain silent. Perhaps he didn’t intend to silence me, one of two Palestinians in the course. Perhaps he intended only to follow university policy, a policy I later learned was up to the discretion of each professor. Perhaps intent didn’t apply here at all, just as it couldn’t be applied to those who ethnically cleansed Palestinians during the Nakba.

While writing tedious essays in high school, I didn’t care that I used the passive voice. I didn’t care because our writing assignments were often divorced from broader socio-political contexts. The violence of protecting those accountable versus those left bearing the burden of the violence didn’t yet touch me or my body. A privilege, I know. The calculated use of language against Palestinians didn’t yet anger me, either, even though blatant anti-Arab racism happened in front of me with growing frequency after 9/11. It felt as though this version of racism was acceptable, even expected.

I learned history as if its problems were a thing of the past. This was purposeful. History preserved in textbooks relies on meticulous and insidious language to shape narratives. In the same month I sat in class and listened to students negotiate accountability and qualify their feelings toward ethnic cleansing, a seven-year-old Palestinian boy, Rayan, died in the West Bank. Did he die or was he killed? It depends on which headline you read—some headlines stated that he was simply “mourned” by his community.

Israeli flags flutter in Gaza amid the ongoing conflict on Jan. 12.

As I searched for accountability for Rayan, I heard my teachers’ voices echo from the past: “Who did the action?” Paramedics say he had a heart attack though pediatric specialist, Dr. Mohamed Ismail, claimed Rayan had no previous medical conditions that would point to an early cardiac arrest. “The most probable scenario of what happened is that under stress, he had excess adrenaline secretion, which caused the increase of his heartbeat, ” Ismail said. 

We do know this: right before he died, Israeli occupation forces chased the boys home, banged on their door, and threatened to come back at night and arrest the boys, ages 7, 8, and 10. When Rayan saw the soldiers at his door, he tried to run away but, instead, dropped dead. Times of Israel published the headline , “Palestinian boy, 7, dies in disputed circumstances amid IDF activity near Bethlehem.”

“What are the disputed circumstances?” I hear my English teachers press on in my mind.  

There were rocks. No, stones. They say stones. They were being thrown. 

“Who did the action? Who started it?” 

One of Rayan’s older brothers threw a stone at a soldier. 

In the active voice, “A seven-year-old Palestinian boy’s heart killed him” is how the headlines could have read. 

“The heart is not to blame,” I hear my teachers say. 

What does it matter when language can minimize suffering at its best and erase it altogether at its worst?

As my graduate studies progressed, professors repeatedly told me that no one’s hands were clean in this “complicated” history. They felt my writing and my questions were too exacting in ways that perhaps made them uncomfortable. “This history is full of gray areas,” they’d say. They wanted my writing to be vague, passive. They wanted my writing to speak to the “complicated” nature of this conflict—but Palestine has never been that complicated to me. 

The word “complicated” is often used to describe the occupation in Palestine, a word that insists that occupation is untouchable—Palestine’s history is too complex, there are too many moving parts, it’s a puzzle that can never be solved. But this word is condescending—a distraction. It wants us to feel small, worthless, and petty in our investigation. It demands power structures remain in place, allowing some to speak while requiring others to stay quiet. But what’s happening today in Palestine against the Palestinian people is not complicated. It’s a revolting violation of human rights. It is active and precise. Palestinians are killed or, if they’re lucky, violently evicted from their homes. The question— by whom? —is often never raised. Palestinian schools, hospitals, community centers, historic holy spaces, safe zones are bombed; their resources depleted; people are starving—as if all of this happened devoid of context or responsibility for those who hold power.

So let me amend the above statements, as my former English teachers would have requested, and put them into the active voice: Israel bombs Palestinian schools that house sacred archives. Israel bombs hospitals with necessary aid. Israel bombs community centers and historic holy spaces that have stood for centuries. Israel depletes Palestinian resources. Israel bombs Rafah , housing over 1 million displaced Palestinians, after claiming it a safe zone. Israel is starving Gaza.

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Identification and the Meaning of Sustainability

If you were asked to define the word “sustainability,” what would you say?

The word is everywhere, in the news, politics, advertisements, and especially in this class blog. But even though it is always present in some aspect of our daily lives, it is actually quite difficult to describe when one thinks about it. The dictionary defines sustainability as the “avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance.” While that may seem like an all-around, agreeable explanation, many people do not use this particular meaning when discussing sustainable topics.

And this is where things get tricky with how communication about sustainability functions. Every person has a different interpretation of the word based off of their position in life, ideologies, and experiences, whether they know it or not. This introduces a sort of psychology to the issue of Earth’s health, which I propose is one of the reasons to why there are still many disagreements and conflicts about what actions to take to address detrimental effects to the environment.

Way in the beginning of the semester, our class read an article from Communicating Nature: How We Create and Understand Environmental Messages by Julia B. Corbett, which introduces the theory of identification with the land one is from and how that influences one’s formation of environmental beliefs. In this, the author describes how childhood experiences with nature, sense of place, and historical/cultural context are big factors in shaping these beliefs.

Recently, we discussed how providing a narrative behind an argument can be an effective way to add support. Even though these lessons occurred separately over a long stretch of time, the topics of identification and narrative style can be linked when describing how one defines sustainability. I intend to provide examples of different types of people who are influenced by these things and how that can affect the ongoing discussion of sustainable advancements. I do not speak for everyone when I describe how people may think, but I am making generalizations based from my experiences.

Example 1: The Farmer

Someone who works with land for a living will probably imagine sustainability as a relationship between themselves and the earth. As the earth provides crops for the farmer, the farmer takes care of the earth by rotating those crops and allowing the land to rejuvenate itself before being planted on again. Without all the noise and business of a more industrial environment, a farmer will have more one-on-one time with the land they farm and will therefore have lots of time to understand it.

Picture of a corn field

Source: istockphoto.com

Example 2: Scientist

A professional studier of the environment will have more knowledge of the elemental workings of nature and will probably think of sustainability in a more analytical fashion of how our actions towards the earth will affect further generations. Scientists have lots of experience with conducting experiments and physical fieldwork with the land itself, which gives them the ability to predict what will happen to the earth depending on how we treat it.

Scientific equipment

Source: thoughtco.com

Example 3: A Middle-Class Member

This last example reflects my upbringing, so I will explain how I specifically thought about sustainability before college. In elementary school, I (like many others) was taught the Three Rs of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and these principles became what I thought was the best way to take care of the earth. I didn’t really do any more than make sure I turned the water off while I was brushing my teeth and put my water bottles in the recycling after I was finished with them. Since I couldn’t physically see how I was impacting the land around me, I only saw sustainability as just another lesson they taught in school.

Reduce Reuse Recycle written in a circle

Source: amazon.com

With all these identities, it can be seen how differences would arise if their ideologies converged. Who someone is plays an integral role in how they view topics, so when entering the conversation of sustainability, it would be beneficial to understand the backgrounds of other members of the discussion in order to decipher what they truly mean by “sustainable” and carry on from there.

Therefore, determining a definition that everyone agrees upon isn’t as important as listening to others’ perspectives and cooperating through differences on how to best help the earth.

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  1. Essay Definition & Meaning

    essay 1 of 2 noun es· say ˈe-ˌsā senses 2, 3 & 4 also e-ˈsā Synonyms of essay 1 a : an analytic or interpretative literary composition usually dealing with its subject from a limited or personal point of view b : something resembling such a composition a photographic essay 2 a : effort, attempt especially : an initial tentative effort b

  2. ESSAY

    literature a short piece of writing on a particular subject, often expressing personal views In a school test, an essay is a written answer that includes information and discussion, usually to test how well the student understands the subject. (Definition of essay from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

  3. ESSAY

    a short piece of writing on a particular subject, especially one done by students as part of the work for a course: For homework I want you to write an essay on endangered species. Mr Jones thought my history essay was terrific. Fewer examples I want to finish off this essay before I go to bed. His essay was full of spelling errors.

  4. Essay

    essay, an analytic, interpretative, or critical literary composition usually much shorter and less systematic and formal than a dissertation or thesis and usually dealing with its subject from a limited and often personal point of view.

  5. What is an Essay? Definition, Types and Writing Tips by HandMadeWriting

    00:00 Download file | Recorded on May 10, 2020 Defining the Term - What is an Essay? The essay is a written piece that is designed to present an idea, propose an argument, express the emotion or initiate debate.

  6. Essay

    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.

  7. Definition and Examples of Essays or Compositions

    To essay is to attempt, to test, to make a run at something without knowing whether you are going to succeed. The experimental association also derives from the other fountain-head of the essay, Francis Bacon, and his stress on the empirical inductive method, so useful in the development of the social sciences."

  8. The Four Main Types of Essay

    An essay is a focused piece of writing designed to inform or persuade. There are many different types of essay, but they are often defined in four categories: argumentative, expository, narrative, and descriptive essays.

  9. What is an essay?

    Frequently asked questions What is an essay? What is an essay? An essay is a focused piece of writing that explains, argues, describes, or narrates. In high school, you may have to write many different types of essays to develop your writing skills.

  10. ESSAY Definition & Usage Examples

    noun a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative. anything resembling such a composition: a picture essay. an effort to perform or accomplish something; attempt.

  11. ESSAY definition and meaning

    1. a short literary composition dealing with a subject analytically or speculatively 2. an attempt or endeavour; effort 3. a test or trial verb (ɛˈseɪ ) (transitive)

  12. The Beginner's Guide to Writing an Essay

    The essay writing process consists of three main stages: Preparation: Decide on your topic, do your research, and create an essay outline. Writing: Set out your argument in the introduction, develop it with evidence in the main body, and wrap it up with a conclusion. Revision: Check your essay on the content, organization, grammar, spelling ...

  13. What Is an Essay? The Definition and Main Features of Essays

    An essay is a short nonfictional piece of formal writing assigned to students to improve their writing skills or assess their knowledge of a given subject. Alternative essay definitions Here are some of the many definitions of an essay:

  14. Essay: Definition and Examples

    Quiz I. What is an Essay? An essay is a form of writing in paragraph form that uses informal language, although it can be written formally. Essays may be written in first-person point of view (I, ours, mine), but third-person (people, he, she) is preferable in most academic essays.

  15. Essay Definition & Meaning

    Britannica Dictionary definition of ESSAY. [count] : a short piece of writing that tells a person's thoughts or opinions about a subject. Your assignment is to write a 500-word essay on one of Shakespeare's sonnets. The book is a collection of his previously unpublished essays on/about a variety of topics. 2 essay /ɛ ˈ seɪ/ verb.

  16. Essay

    Definitions of essay noun an analytic or interpretive literary composition see more verb make an effort or attempt "The infant had essayed a few wobbly steps" synonyms: assay, attempt, seek, try see more noun a tentative attempt see more verb put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to

  17. The Essay: History and Definition

    Meaning In the broadest sense, the term "essay" can refer to just about any short piece of nonfiction -- an editorial, feature story, critical study, even an excerpt from a book. However, literary definitions of a genre are usually a bit fussier.

  18. Essay in Literature: Definition & Examples

    Essay Definition. An essay (ES-ey) is a nonfiction composition that explores a concept, argument, idea, or opinion from the personal perspective of the writer. Essays are usually a few pages, but they can also be book-length. Unlike other forms of nonfiction writing, like textbooks or biographies, an essay doesn't inherently require research.

  19. Writing 101: The 8 Common Types of Essays

    Writing 101: The 8 Common Types of Essays. Written by MasterClass. Last updated: Jun 7, 2021 • 3 min read. Whether you're a first-time high school essay writer or a professional writer about to tackle another research paper, you'll need to understand the fundamentals of essay writing before you put pen to paper and write your first sentence.

  20. 15 Types of Essays (and What You Need To Know About Them)

    Though you're likely not to encounter every single type of essay that exists, sometimes it's necessary to know about them. Learn about 15 different types here.

  21. PDF Strategies for Essay Writing

    • Avoid writing a "funnel" introduction in which you begin with a very broad statement about a topic and move to a narrow statement about that topic. Broad generalizations about a topic will not add to your readers' understanding of your specific essay topic. • Avoid beginning with a dictionary definition of a term or concept you will be

  22. Essay Structure: The 3 Main Parts of an Essay

    Basic essay structure: the 3 main parts of an essay. Almost every single essay that's ever been written follows the same basic structure: Introduction. Body paragraphs. Conclusion. This structure has stood the test of time for one simple reason: It works. It clearly presents the writer's position, supports that position with relevant ...

  23. Types of Essays

    Language & delivery: A definition essay is always written in a clear and engaging writing style, instead of technical or complex language. Examples of Definition Essays: Essay 1: "What is trust" is an example of a definition essay in which the writer has efficiently described the meaning and the concept behind the word "Trust."

  24. Example of a Great Essay

    An essay is a focused piece of writing that explains, argues, describes, or narrates. In high school, you may have to write many different types of essays to develop your writing skills. Academic essays at college level are usually argumentative : you develop a clear thesis about your topic and make a case for your position using evidence ...

  25. Palestine and the Power of Language

    Dudum is a Palestinian-Syrian-American writer currently working on a memoir about living in the diaspora as a Palestinian in America. She is a graduate of Columbia University In today's near ...

  26. In History: Toni Morrison on why 'writing for black people is tough'

    In a 2003 interview, she told the BBC about why that made her writing sing. ... Her origin story. Although she was known and celebrated globally as Toni Morrison, she was born Chloe Ardelia ...

  27. Identification and the Meaning of Sustainability

    With all these identities, it can be seen how differences would arise if their ideologies converged. Who someone is plays an integral role in how they view topics, so when entering the conversation of sustainability, it would be beneficial to understand the backgrounds of other members of the discussion in order to decipher what they truly mean by "sustainable" and carry on from there.