English: Essays

An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. The word essay derives from the French infinitive essayer, "to try" or "to attempt". The Frenchman Michel de Montaigne (15331592) was the first author to describe his work as essays often written from an author's personal point of view the first edition, entitled Essais, was published in two volumes in 1580. Kinds: Formal: This is written in a serious and deep manner. Informal: Told in a familiar and humorous way. Types: Cause and effect: The defining features of a "cause and effect" essay are causal chains that connect from a cause to an effect, careful language, and chronological or emphatic order. A writer using this rhetorical method must consider the subject, determine the purpose, consider the audience, think critically about different causes or consequences, consider a thesis statement, arrange the parts, consider the language, and decide on a conclusion. Compare and contrast: Compare and contrast essays are characterized by a basis for comparison, points of comparison, and analogies. It is grouped by object (chunking) or by point (sequential). Comparison highlights the similarities between two or more similar objects while contrasting highlights the differences between two or more objects. When writing a compare/contrast essay, writers need to determine their purpose, consider their audience, consider the basis and points of comparison, consider their thesis statement, arrange and develop the comparison, and reach a conclusion. Compare and contrast is arranged emphatically. Definition Essay: Definition essay is a kind of academic writing that deals with defining what a particular term means. The space for customization is vast it may be written on any object and concept in existence, from concrete ones, such as wood, pencil or computer to highly abstract ones, like life, belief or happiness. However, the subject matter most often is drawn to the second group, thus providing great possibilities for personalizing your writing. Expository Essay: It is understood as explanatory essay, sometimes the definition is so vague that it may include just any type of academic writing. Argumentative Essay: The argumentative essay is a genre of writing that requires the student to investigate a topic, collect, generate, and evaluate evidence, and establish a position on the topic in a concise manner. Literary Analysis Essay: You are exploring the meaning and construction of a piece of literature. This task is more complicated than reviewing, though the two are similarly evaluative. In a review you are discussing the overall effect and validity of written work, while in a literary essay you are paying more attention to specifics. Character Analysis: Here you give a complete analysis on a character from a work of literature. This includes their appearance, characteristics, and attributes.