An essay is, in essence, a literary piece that present the writer’s argument, but sometimes the term is ambiguous, encompassing those of an essay, a report, a novel, a newspaper, and even a short story. In the modern era of composition, essays have become increasingly popular due to the expanding opportunities for publishing and presenting them. Essays are categorized into formal and informal categories depending on their nature of content. Essays may be written in response to a specific question, for entertainment or for research purposes, or as a means of self-expression.
Narrative essays refer to those written works dealing mainly with the telling of personal stories and experiences. The information provided is often subjective and some use historical fact and other texts from a third party perspective. There are a number of different sub-categories under the heading of narrative essay, including narrative criticism, which reviews the methods and materials used to construct a work of fiction; a narrative essay typically contrasts two or more writers who are writing about the same event/story/person.
A descriptive essay, on the other hand, is one that is generally less in depth than a narrative essay. Rather than being based on a single experience, the focus of this type of essay is on general descriptions, usually portraying some aspect of the environment or people involved. It may include lists, illustrations, maps, graphs, and even photographs. Under this heading is often mixed genres, which refer to pieces of creative literature that display the same elements, but in slightly different ways. A good example of a descriptive essay might be a collection of funny anecdotes, whereas a narrative might be based on an accurate account of an historical occurrence.
The point of the essay is usually to persuade the reader, either by arguing a particular point of view, or by providing scientific evidence to support it. Most students work toward different goals when they write their essay, but all of them eventually require a thesis statement. The thesis statement is the “preamble” to any essay. Essays need to prove their points, and provide evidence to back them up. An essay’s thesis needs to be reasonable, well supported with evidence and easily understood by the reader.
Argumentative essays, on the other hand, are written to present an argument. Unlike descriptive essays, there is more room for debate in an argumentative essay. Students are not required to prove their points, but instead are required to develop a particular piece of logic that will help them argue their points.
Finally, the last type of essay, topical essay maps, is the most important to the successful completion of any essay. These maps are designed to illustrate the various aspects of a topic. Essay background information will sometimes help with this process, as it gives the writer a chance to dig a bit deeper into the topic. The essay maps that are created will become the basis for each individual writer’s assignment, so it is important to create one that will impress the professor.
