An essay is an analytic, interpretive, or critical literary composition that is much shorter than a dissertation or thesis and typically deals with its subject from a limited and often personal point of view. The essay became the favoured medium for expressing political awareness during the Age of Enlightenment, and such essays were often used as a tool for social reform.
In order to write a well-crafted essay, it is important to have a clear topic and purpose in mind. It is also a good idea to develop an outline that identifies the main points you want to cover in your essay and how they relate to one another. This will help keep you on track as you write and can be a useful reference point for editing your essay later on.
Using vivid language to paint a picture for your readers will foster engagement and enhance the overall impact of your essay. However, be careful not to overdo it with adjectives as this can detract from the overall message of your essay. It is also a good idea to consider counterarguments and acknowledge them in your essay as this will demonstrate a more nuanced understanding of the topic and add depth to your argument. Finally, seeking feedback from peers or mentors is an excellent way to get fresh perspectives and enrich the overall impact of your essay.
The body of your essay will provide the supporting information that backs up your main argument and ties in with the question posed in the introduction. This can include statistics, key information, examples, and even personal anecdotes. A common strategy is to provide an overview of each supporting point in the body paragraph and then to use transitory words to link the different points together (e.g. “however” “in addition to”).
The final part of your essay will be the conclusion which will synthesise your main arguments and provide a closing statement or opinion on the issue. This can be a great opportunity to showcase your ability to pull together your research and ideas into a coherent whole, and to provide a conclusive statement that will leave the reader with something to think about.
