Essay Exploration Experimentation in Expression
“To Try” <ul><li>“ Essay” comes from the French word essayer , which means “to try” </li></ul><ul><li>“… the essay is a literary device for saying almost everything about almost anything .” – noted essayist Aldous Huxley </li></ul><ul><li>There are many different styles of essays: academic, personal, narrative, argumentative, expository and more </li></ul>
What is an Essay? <ul><li>An essay is a written work that is focused on one general topic and expresses the opinion or experiences of the author </li></ul><ul><li>Essays can be political arguments, recollections of the author, a place for deep reflection, a discussion of a topic, observations of life, and so much more </li></ul>
Different Types of Essays <ul><li>There is more to the essay than the standard five-paragraph academic form </li></ul><ul><li>Descriptive essays are written to brilliantly describe a person, place or event </li></ul><ul><li>Narrative Essays tell a story from the viewpoint of the author and try to explain the significance of the experience </li></ul><ul><li>Persuasive Essays use evidence to convince the reader to believe a certain point </li></ul><ul><li>Reflective Essays are written in a way to make the reader think about a certain topic (often abstract ideas like nature, time, life, happiness, family, etc) and contain the authors feelings and emotions on the subject </li></ul><ul><li>There are also photographic essays that try to explain or discuss a topic with a series of pictures </li></ul>
How to Write an Essay <ul><li>If you can pick the topic, pick something that you actually care about- your passion will come through in your word choice and tone </li></ul><ul><li>Non- “academic” essays are still organized, but do not adhere to the thesis-body paragraph-conclusion formula, you have room to discuss your topic as you want and the thesis can be anywhere (and can sometimes be implicit in really well-written essays) </li></ul>
How to Write an Essay (Cont’d) <ul><li>Even though most essays don’t have to adhere to rigid organizational rules, your writing should have the aspects of FORM, FOCUS AND FLOW- meaning it should be clear, correctly formatted and coherent </li></ul><ul><li>Use colorful and vibrant language, use advanced literary devices, show evidence of deep thought and reflection </li></ul>
How to Write an Essay (Cont’d) <ul><li>Remember, essays are topical- stick to one topic but feel free to wind around and explore all of the different facets of the subject </li></ul><ul><li>Sometimes it helps to not have a clear idea about where you want to go in your essay, just start writing about your topic and see where it takes you, you’ll be surprised at the journey on which your writing will take you </li></ul>
Quotes About the Essay <ul><li> ” A good essay must have this permanent quality about it; it must draw it’s curtain round us, but it must be a curtain that shuts is in, not out.” –Virginia Woolf </li></ul><ul><li>“ An essayist is a lucky person who has found a way to discourse without being interrupted.” –Charles Poore </li></ul><ul><li>“ The essays that really touch us are the ones that are deeply personal.” –Richard Shaw </li></ul><ul><li>“ The essayist is a self-liberated man…” –E.B. White </li></ul>
The Experiment in Expression <ul><li>Essays are truly experiments, you can write about the same topic several times and still end up with a unique and special piece of writing! </li></ul><ul><li>Start brainstorming some possible topics that you would like to write an essay about…ask questions, make guesses, explore ideas, reflect, recollect, describe, explain, embellish, offer a new perspective to your reader! </li></ul>
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