What is an Essay? Simply put, an essay is an organized collection of your thoughts on a particular topic. For instance, this article is, in fact, an essay on “What is an Essay?”
In academia, essay topics are often assigned. Yet, just as frequently, topics are chosen because the writer has interest or expertise in the subject. Writers use essays to:
Describe or define a subject (What is an Essay?)
Compare related items in a subject (The Difference Between Apples and Oranges)
Show cause and effect (If You Write It, They Will Read)
Write a narrative (My Summer Vacation)
Explain a process (How to Write an Essay)
Deliver an argument (The Case Against Essay Questions)
Critique (My Least Favorite Movie)
Essays can be either long or short, serious or humorous, formal or informal. It can describe your opinions or be a synopsis of expert opinions. The trick to writing a good one is to stay on topic. Because the essay title is the topic, in an index of essays the reader should be able to choose an essay based on the title, but then… that’s another topic!
In academia, essay topics are often assigned. Yet, just as frequently, topics are chosen because the writer has interest or expertise in the subject. Writers use essays to:
Describe or define a subject (What is an Essay?)
Compare related items in a subject (The Difference Between Apples and Oranges)
Show cause and effect (If You Write It, They Will Read)
Write a narrative (My Summer Vacation)
Explain a process (How to Write an Essay)
Deliver an argument (The Case Against Essay Questions)
Critique (My Least Favorite Movie)
Essays can be either long or short, serious or humorous, formal or informal. It can describe your opinions or be a synopsis of expert opinions. The trick to writing a good one is to stay on topic. Because the essay title is the topic, in an index of essays the reader should be able to choose an essay based on the title, but then… that’s another topic!