Introduction
An essay is generally a short piece of writing written from an author’s personal point of view, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. Almost all modern essays are written in prose, but works in verse have been dubbed essays (e.g., Alexander Pope’s An Essay on Criticism and An Essay on Man). While brevity usually defines an essay, voluminous works like John Locke’s An Essay Concerning Human Understanding and Thomas Malthus’s An Essay on the Principle of Population are counterexamples.
In some countries (e.g., the United States and Canada), essays have become a major part of formal education. Secondary students are taught structured essay formats to improve their writing skills; admission essays are often used by universities in selecting applicants, and in the humanities and social sciences essays are often used as a way of assessing the performance of students during final exams.
The concept of an “essay” has been extended to other mediums beyond writing. A film essay is a movie that often incorporates documentary filmmaking styles and which focuses more on the evolution of a theme or idea. A photographic essay covers a topic with a linked series of photographs; it may or may not have an accompanying text or captions.
Major Types of Essays
Narrative Essay: This type of essay is used to tell a story or recount an event in the author’s life. It focuses on relating specific experiences complete with sensory and emotional details and usually reveals something about the author in the process of narrating the event.
Descriptive Essay: The descriptive essay paints a picture in the reader’s mind by extensively describing sights, sounds, textures, tastes, smells, and feelings that the author associates with the topic. It aims to involve the emotions of the reader by describing a person, place, or event in such a vivid way that the reader feels he/she can picture it.
Argumentative Essay: In an argumentative essay, the writer takes a stance on a controversial issue. This type of essay would persuade the reader to agree with particular ideas or viewpoints on the subject through elaborating on the key reasons and evidence that support the claims.
Expository Essay: The expository essay explains or examines a topic by presenting relevant facts and accurate information in an objective manner. It educates the reader without convincing him/her to undertake a particular viewpoint. The purpose is to present facts and accurate information related to the topic.
Common Types of Essays by Purpose:
Classification Essay: This type of essay breaks a topic or an item down into categories or groups and looks at the ways they are similar and different from one another and how they relate to the overall subject.
Compare and Contrast Essay: The compare and contrast essay, as the name suggests, analyzes two subjects by comparing them, contrasting them, or both. It shows similarities and differences between the two topics using clear organization and parallel construction in the body paragraphs.
Cause and Effect Essay: The cause and effect essay is concerned with why things happen (causes) and what happens as a result (effects). It examines the reasons and outcomes of certain events, choices, situations, etc.
Persuasive Essay: Persuasive essays aim to convince the readers to agree with the writer’s arguments and point of view on the discussed topic. It generally focuses on one main idea and uses reasoning and fact-based evidence to support the position.
Definition Essay: This type of essay concisely defines a single term by providing detailed descriptive attributes, categorizations, functions, or other information related to the chosen word. It aims to give the reader an unambiguous idea of what the subject represents.
Sample Essays by Type
Narrative Essay Sample:
Title: My First Day at College
My heart was beating fast as I walked down the hallway towards my first class. I was a freshman in college and it was the beginning of my first semester. As I entered the classroom, I glanced around nervously, searching for an empty seat. Most of the spots were already taken except for a small desk in the back corner. I quickly made my way over and took my seat, pulling out my notebook and pen from my backpack. More students filed in, chatting animatedly with friends. But I sat quietly, anxiously waiting for class to start.
When the professor finally walked in, everyone fell silent. She began introducing herself and going over the syllabus. I found it hard to focus, my mind was swirling with thoughts about my first day of college. By the end of the class period, I began to feel more at ease being there. The professor seemed nice and approachable. As students stood up to leave, I noticed a few glancing over at me. I hoped this was the beginning of making new friends in my classes. Although it was an intimidating start, I was looking forward to the rest of my freshman year.
Descriptive Essay Sample:
Title: A Joyful Summer Day at the Beach
I opened my eyes to the warm glow of sunlight streaming through the bedroom window. Throwing back the covers, I jumped out of bed knowing it was going to be a beautiful summer day. I walked to the window and gazed out at the sparkling blue water in the distance, the waves gently rolling onto the shore. The sky was a radiant shade of azure with fluffy white clouds drifting lazily by.
After getting dressed, I went downstairs to fix a quick breakfast. The familiar aroma of sizzling bacon and freshly brewed coffee filled the kitchen. Once I had finished eating, I grabbed a towel, sunscreen, and a book to read. Then I headed out the door, the salty sea air already refreshing my senses. When I arrived at the beach, I laid out my towel and slathered on sunscreen. Closing my eyes, I listened to the calming sounds of seagulls cawing and waves lapping at the wet sand. It was the ideal day to relax and unwinds at my favorite place.
Argumentative Essay Sample:
Title: Why Social Media is Detrimental to Teenagers
Social media has become an integral part of teenage lives in the digital age. The constant use of sites like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram is doing more harm than good. While it allows for easy communication, the negative impacts of social media on the mental and emotional well-being of teenagers far outweigh any benefits.
Firstly, social comparison and feelings of inadequacy are prevalent on social platforms. Teenagers are exposed to carefully crafted highlights of their peers’ seemingly perfect lives – good grades, nice clothes, fun outings, etc. This often leads to poor self-esteem when comparing their ordinary lives to the filtered versions online. Research has shown correlations between high social media use, anxiety, and depression in adolescents.
Secondly, cyberbullying has become a serious concern affecting one in five teenagers. Behind anonymous screens and accounts, many use social media to target and publicly shame their classmates. This type of harassment can seriously damage one’s mental health and in some cases even lead to suicide. The prevalence of cyberbullying highlights the downside of having a permanent online history for youth.
While social media filled a communication need, its overuse actually isolates teenagers from meaningful social interactions and risks their psychological well-being. Parents and schools need to educate about responsible digital citizenship and encourage teens to limit recreational screen time in favor of offline activities and human connections. Strict limitations on social media are justified given the health risks to developing minds.
Andrew Stroud