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Narrative Essay

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:04:59 +0000

As a mode of expository writing, the narrative approach, more than any other, offers writers a chance to think and write about themselves. We all have experiences lodged in our memories, which are worthy of sharing with readers. Yet sometimes they are so fused with other memories that a lot of the time spent in writing narrative is in the prewriting stage.
When you write a narrative essay, you are telling a story. Narrative essays are told from a defined point of view, often the author’s, so there is feeling as well as specific and often sensory details provided to get the reader involved in the elements and sequence of the story. The verbs are vivid and precise. The narrative essay makes a point and that point is often defined in the opening sentence, but can also be found as the last sentence in the opening paragraph.
Since a narrative relies on personal experiences, it often is in the form of a story. When the writer uses this technique, he or she must be sure to include all the conventions of storytelling: plot, character, setting, climax, and ending. It is usually filled with details that are carefully selected to explain, support, or embellish the story. All of the details relate to the main point the writer is attempting to make.
To summarize, the narrative essay
* is told from a particular point of view
* makes and supports a point
* is filled with precise detail
* uses vivid verbs and modifiers
* uses conflict and sequence as does any story
* may use dialogue
The purpose of a narrative report is to describe something. Many students write narrative reports thinking that these are college essays or papers. While the information in these reports is basic to other forms of writing, narrative reports lack the “higher order thinking” that essays require. Thus narrative reports do not, as a rule, yield high grades for many college courses. A basic example of a narrative report is a “book report” that outlines a book; it includes the characters, their actions, possibly the plot, and, perhaps, some scenes. That is, it is a description of “what happens in the book.” But this leaves out an awful lot.
What is left out is what the book or article is about — the underlying concepts, assumptions, arguments, or point of view that the book or article expresses. A narrative report leaves aside a discussion that puts the events of the text into the context of what the text is about. Is the text about love? Life in the fast lane? Society? Wealth and power? Poverty? In other words, narrative reports often overlook the authors purpose or point of view expressed through the book or article.
Once an incident is chosen, the writer should keep three principles in mind.
1. Remember to involve readers in the story. It is much more interesting to actually recreate an incident for readers than to simply tell about it.
2. Find a generalization, which the story supports. This is the only way the writer’s personal experience will take on meaning for readers. This generalization does not have to encompass humanity as a whole; it can concern the writer, men, women, or children of various ages and backgrounds.
3. Remember that although the main component of a narrative is the story, details must be carefully selected to support, explain, and enhance the story.
Conventions of Narrative Essays
In writing your narrative essay, keep the following conventions in mind.
* Narratives are generally written in the first person, that is, using I. However, third person (he, she, or it) can also be used.
* Narratives rely on concrete, sensory details to convey their point. These details should create a unified, forceful effect, a dominant impression. More information on the use of specific details is available on another page.
* Narratives, as stories, should include these story conventions: a plot, including setting and characters; a climax; and an ending.

Informal Essay

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:04:52 +0000

The informal essay is written mainly for enjoyment. This is not to say that it cannot be informative or persuasive; however, it is less a formal statement than a relaxed expression of opinion, observation, humor or pleasure. A good informal essay has a relaxed style but retains a strong structure, though that structure may be less rigid than in a formal paper.
The informal essay tends to be more personal than the formal, even though both may express subjective opinions. In a formal essay the writer is a silent presence behind the words, while in an informal essay the writer is speaking directly to the reader in a conversational style. If you are writing informally, try to maintain a sense of your own personality. Do not worry about sounding academic, but avoid sloppiness.
The essay, which follows is an opinion piece that was written for The Globe and Mail. The style is therefore journalistic but aimed at a fairly sophisticated readership. Paragraphs are short, as is normal in a newspaper with its narrow columns, and the tone is more conversational than would be appropriate for a formal essay. Notice the clear statement of the thesis, the concrete illustrations in the body of the essay, and the way the conclusion leads to a more general statement of what is perhaps to come in the future. It is included here both because it is a good example of the essay form and because it explores the kind of problem you will come up against as you try to punctuate your essays correctly.

Expository Essay

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:04:50 +0000

The purpose of an expository essay is to present, completely and fairly, other people’s views or to report about an event or a situation. Expository writing, or exposition, presents a subject in detail, apart from criticism, argument, or development; i.e., the writer elucidates a subject by analyzing it. Such writing is discourse designed to convey information or explain what is difficult to understand. Exposition usually proceeds by the orderly analysis of parts and the use of familiar illustrations or analogies.
Such an analysis requires
1. reading with understanding the ideas developed in an article by clearly stating another’s thesis, outlining the facts used by the author to support that thesis, and the “values” underlying the ideas
2. putting what is read into a larger context by relating another’s article or book to other work in the field
3. clearly and effectively communicating this information to a defined audience. In other words, you must write clearly and fully enough for your readers to know how you have arrived at your analyses and conclusions. They should never have to guess what you mean; give your readers everything they need to know to follow your reasoning
This practice is not “just for students.” Accurate analysis is a fundamental professional activity in almost all careers. Like any other fundamental skill, it must be constantly practiced in order to maintain and improve it. Other goals, such as learning “time management” and note-taking, are also developed by this activity.
Do not be afraid to revise your essay! In fact, you will probably want to change it at least once; this is called “thinking through a ‘problem’” or “learning.”
The revisions will consist of the following:
1. finding the precise words to express your thoughts
2. correcting typographical, spelling, and grammatical errors
3. making sure that your paragraphs are “tight” and sequenced properly
4. making sure that the transition (”segue”) from one major topic to another makes sense
Expository essays also have a distinct format.
The thesis statement must be defined and narrow enough to be supported within the essay.
* Each supporting paragraph must have a distinct controlling topic and all other sentences must factually relate directly to it. The transition words or phrases are important as they help the reader follow along and reinforce the logic.
* Finally, the conclusion paragraph should originally restate the thesis and the main supporting ideas. Finish with the statement that reinforces your position in a meaningful and memorable way.
* Never introduce new material in the conclusion.

Exploratory Essay

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:04:47 +0000

The concept of an exploratory essay is that you start without an end in mind. You don’t necessarily know how you feel about a subject or what you want to say about the subject, you allow the research and your own direction to determine the outcome. This is writing to learn rather than writing to prove what you know.
Purpose: The exploratory essay builds on the inquiry essay by having you look at and contribute to a range of arguments rather than just one at a time. Whereas the inquiry essay introduced you to a debate by looking at one argument a time, the exploratory essay asks you to widen your vision to the whole conversation.
1. The focus of an exploratory essay is a question, rather than a thesis.
2. The two main ways to compose an exploratory essay yield different effects: The “in-process” strategy produces immediacy, while a “retrospective” strategy produces more artistically designed essays.
3. Exploratory essays chronicle your research actions and the thinking that results from those actions; they address both content-oriented questions and rhetorical questions about possible responses to the problem under consideration.
4. Exploratory essays regularly consider the strengths and weaknesses of various different solutions to a perplexing problem.
5. Exploratory essays are often dialectical in either the Platonic or Hegelian sense of that term because they recreate the engagement of antithetical positions, sometimes resulting in a productive synthesis of contraries.

The Expository Essay

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:04:00 +0000

What is an Expository Essay?
The expository essay is a genre of essay that requires the student to investigate an idea, evaluate evidence, expound on the idea, and set forth an argument concerning that idea in a clear and concise manner. This can be accomplished through comparison and contrast, definition, exempla, the analysis of cause and effect, etc.
Please note: This genre is commonly assigned as a tool for classroom evaluation and is often found in various exam formats.
The structure of the expository essay is held together by the following:
A clear, concise, and defined thesis statement that occurs in the first paragraph of the essay.
It is essential that this thesis statement be appropriately narrowed to follow the guidelines set forth in the assignment. If the student does not master this portion of the essay, it will be quite difficult to compose an effective or persuasive essay.
Clear and logical transitions between the introduction, body, and conclusion.
Transitions are the mortar that holds the foundation of the essay together. Without logical progression of thought, the reader is unable to follow the essay’s argument, and the structure will collapse.
Body paragraphs that include evidential support.
Each paragraph should be limited to the exposition of one general idea. This will allow for clarity and direction throughout the essay. What is more, such conciseness creates an ease of readability for one’s audience. It is important to note that each paragraph in the body of the essay must have some logical connection to the thesis statement in the opening paragraph.
Evidential support (whether factual, logical, statistical, or anecdotal).
Often times, students are required to write expository essays with little or no preparation; therefore, such essays do not typically allow for a great deal of statistical or factual evidence.
A bit of creativity!
Though creativity and artfulness are not always associated with essay writing, it is an art form nonetheless. Try not to get stuck on the formulaic nature of expository writing at the expense of writing something interesting. Remember, though you may not be crafting the next great novel, you are attempting to leave a lasting impression on the people evaluating your essay.
A conclusion that does not simply restate the thesis, but readdresses it in light of the evidence provided.
It is at this point of the essay that students will inevitably begin to struggle. This is the portion of the essay that will leave the most immediate impression on the mind of the reader. Therefore, it must be effective and logical. Do not introduce any new information into the conclusion; rather, synthesize and come to a conclusion concerning the information presented in the body of the essay.
A Complete Argument
Perhaps it is helpful to think of an essay in terms of a conversation or debate with a classmate. If I were to discuss the cause of the Great Depression and its current effect on those who lived through the tumultuous time, there would be a beginning, middle, and end to the conversation. In fact, if I were to end the exposition in the middle of my second point, questions would arise concerning the current effects on those who lived through the Depression. Therefore, the expository essay must be complete, and logically so, leaving no doubt as to its intent or argument.
The Five-Paragraph Essay
A common method for writing an expository essay is the five-paragraph approach. This is, however, by no means the only formula for writing such essays. If it sounds straightforward, that is because it is; in fact, the method consists of:
1. an introductory paragraph
2. three evidentiary body paragraphs
3. a conclusion
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 student’s thoughts to wander or stray from her purpose; she must be deliberate and interesting.
It is the purpose of this handout to help students become familiar and comfortable with the process of essay composition through the introduction of some common essay genres.
This handout will include a brief introduction to the following genres of essay writing:
* The Expository Essay
* The Descriptive Essay
* The Narrative Essay
* The Argumentative (Persuasive) Essay

Self-Evaluation of Essays

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:03:35 +0000

You may be accustomed to having your writing evaluated by teachers. The odd abbreviations (”AGR,” “REF,” “AWK!”), the comments in the margins, the grade at the end of the paper–these are all methods used by instructors to identify what they see as the strengths and weaknesses of your work. Such evaluations can be helpful, but they are no substitute for a thoughtful self-evaluation.
As the writer, you can evaluate the whole process of composing a paper, from coming up with a topic to editing the final draft. Your instructor, on the other hand, often can evaluate only the final product.
A good self-evaluation is neither a defense nor an apology. Rather, it is a way of becoming more aware of what you go through when you write and of what troubles (if any) that you regularly run into. Writing a brief self-evaluation each time you have completed a writing project will make you more aware of your strengths as a writer and help you to see more clearly what skills you need to work on.
Finally, if you decide to share your self-evaluations with a writing instructor or tutor, your comments can guide your teachers as well. By seeing where you are having problems, they may be able to offer more helpful advice when they come to evaluate your work.
So after you finish your next composition, try writing a concise self-evaluation. The following four questions should help to get you started, but feel free to add comments not covered by these questions.
1. What part of writing this paper took the most time?
Perhaps you had trouble finding a topic or expressing a particular idea. Maybe you agonized over a single word or phrase. Be specific when you answer this question.
2. What is the most significant difference between your first draft and this final version?
Explain if you changed your approach to the subject, if you reorganized the paper in any significant way, or if you added or deleted any major details.
3. What do you think is the best part of your paper?
Explain why a particular sentence, paragraph, or idea pleases you.
4. What part of this paper could still be improved?
Again, be specific. There may be a troublesome sentence in the paper or an idea that isn’t expressed as clearly as you would like it to be.

Essay Types

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:03:29 +0000

You’ve received your assignment, and now you’re ready to decide on a topic. You may not have a choice about the type of essay you’ll write, since this may have been determined by the assignment. If you do have a choice, however, you can find a type that will best fit your personality.
Do you like to argue? If so, it can come in handy for this assignment! You might want to choose to write a persuasive argument.
Perhaps you are gifted with great descriptive capabilities, instead. Do you enjoy using colorful language to describe or explain things? You could write a narrative of something interesting that took place, or perhaps you could try writing a descriptive essay of an object.
Whatever you decide to do, you’ll find your assignment much more enjoyable (and readable) if you suit your topic to your own personality type.
Common essay types include the following:
Persuasive/argumentative essay. Makes a claim or takes a position and backs it up with statistics, expert opinions, and other evidence. You may review an opposing review and explain why it is wrong and you are right.
Comparison essay. Demonstrates similarities and differences between two topics.
Descriptive essay. Explains the “what, why, how, when, and where’s” of a topic. For example, a descriptive essay about a tree would explain what it’s made of, why it grows, when it grows, and so on.
Evaluation essay. Describes a thing or event and explains its importance, value, and/or relevance. Did you like this thing? Why?
Narrative essay. Tells a story in a sequence of events. There should be some point, lesson, or idea gleaned from this narrative to make the essay meaningful.
Successful writers know that they produce the best material when they put a little bit of heart and soul into their writing. You can improve your grades and your writing if you personalize just a bit!

How to Write an Argument Essay

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:03:14 +0000

Planning Stage
For an argument essay to be effective, it must contain certain elements. For this reason, you must take a few minutes to plan before you jump into writing an argument essay.
Find a Good Topic
To find good topic for an argument essay you should consider several issues that will have two conflicting points of view or very different conclusions. As you look over a list of topics you should find one that really sparks your interest.
While a strong interest in a topic is important, it’s not enough. You next have to consider what position you can back up with reasoning. It’s one thing to have a strong belief, but when shaping an argument you’ll have to explain why your belief is reasonable and logical.
As you explore the topics, make a mental list of points you could use as evidence for or against an issue.
Consider Both Sides of Your Topic and Take a Position
Once you have selected a topic you feel strongly about, you should make a list of points for both sides of the argument. One of your first objectives in your essay will be to present both sides of your issue with an assessment of each. Of course, you will conclude that one side (your side) is the best conclusion.
In the planning stage you will need to consider strong arguments for the “other” side. Then you’ll shoot them down!
Gather Evidence
When we think of arguments we might picture two red-faced people speaking quite loudly and making dramatic gestures. But that’s because face-to-face arguments often become emotional. In fact, the act of arguing involves providing proof to support your claim, with or without emotions.
In an argument essay you will have to provide evidence without providing too much drama. You’ll explore two sides of a topic (briefly) and provide proof as to why one side or position is the best one.
Writing Stage
Once you’ve given yourself a solid foundation to work with, you can begin to craft your essay. An argument essay should contain three parts: the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. The length of these parts (number of paragraphs) will vary, depending on the length of your essay assignment.
1. Introduce your topic and assert your side
As in any essay, the first paragraph of your argument essay should contain a brief explanation of your topic, some background information, and a thesis statement. In this case, your thesis will be a statement of your position on a particular controversial topic.
Example introductory paragraph with thesis statement:
Since the turn of the new century, a theory has emerged concerning the end of the world, or at least the end of life as we know it. This new theory centers around the year 2012, a date that many claim has mysterious origins in ancient manuscripts from many different cultures. The most noted characteristic of this date is that it appears to mark the end of the Mayan calendar. But there is no evidence to suggest that the Maya saw any great relevance to this date. In fact, none of the claims surrounding a 2012 doomsday event hold up to scientific inquiry. The year 2012 will pass without a major, life-altering catastrophe.
2. Present both sides of the controversy
The body of your essay will contain the meat of your argument. You should go into more detail about the two sides of your controversy and state the strongest points of the counter-side of your issue.
After describing the “other” side, you will present your own viewpoint and then provide evidence to show why your position is the correct one.
Select your strongest evidence and present your points one by one. Use a mix of evidence types, from statistics, to other studies and anecdotal stories. This part of your paper could be any length, from two paragraphs to two hundred pages.
Re-state your position as the most sensible one in your summary paragraphs.
Tips for Your Essay:
* Avoid emotional language
* Know the difference between a logical conclusion and an emotional point of view
* Don’t make up evidence
* Cite your sources
* Make an outline
* Be prepared to defend your side by knowing the strongest arguments for the other side. You might be challenged by the teacher or by another student.

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Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:03:04 +0000

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Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:02:29 +0000

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