What is an Essay?

Though the word essay has come to be understood as a type of writing in Modern English, its origins provide us with some useful insights. The word comes into the English language through the French influence on Middle English; tracing it back further, we find that the French form of the word comes from the Latin verb exigere, which means to examine, test, or (literally) to drive out. Through the excavation of this ancient word, we are able to unearth the essence of the academic essay: to encourage students to test or examine their ideas concerning a particular topic. Essays are shorter pieces of writing that often require the student to hone a number of skills such as close reading, analysis, comparison and contrast, persuasion, conciseness, clarity, and exposition. As is evidenced by this list of attributes, there is much to be gained by the student who strives to succeed at essay writing. The purpose of an essay is to encourage students to develop ideas and concepts in their writing with the direction of little more than their own thoughts (it may be helpful to view the essay as the converse of a research paper). Therefore, essays are (by nature) concise, and require clarity in purpose and direction. This means that there is no room for the students thoughts to wander or stray from her purpose; she must be deliberate and interesting.

Types of Papers & Student Samples

1. Analysis Essays It is an essay that tells how each part of something contributes to the success of the whole. 2. Argumentative Essay It is a special piece of formal academic writing, in which a topic is developed in the way that two opposing sides of an argument are presented. 3. Persuasive Essay It is an essay that aims at proving that this or that point of view is correct, while another is wrong, using logic, facts and argumentation as its tools. It has little to do with emotions and personal opinions you not only have to state your opinion, you should make reader believe it is true. 4. Cause and Effect Essays This essay mainly deals with topics that investigate issues of why certain things happen (causes) and what the results are (effects). 5. Comparison and Contrast Essays This essay involves comparing and contrasting two subjects. A comparison shows how two things are alike. A contrast shows how two things are different. 6. Definition Essays It is a kind of academic writing that deals with defining what a particular term means.

7. Narrative Essay This essay tells the reader a story. 8. Classification Essays It is a special type of formal writing, aimed at evaluating the categorizing and generalization skills of the author. 9. Literary Essay It is an essay that involves exploring the meaning and construction of a piece of literature. 10. Informal Essay It is an essay less a formal statement than a relaxed expression of opinion, observation, humor or pleasure. 11. Expository Essay The function of this essay is to explain, or to acquaint your reader with a body of knowledge. 12. Descriptive Essay It is a genre of essay that describes an object, person, place, experience, emotion, situation, etc.