ESSAY

An essay is a short piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. It is the simplest literary form with only three important parts;
1. ) the beginning- it should present the subject of the essay and should motivate the reader to read further
2. ) the body- contains the development and explanation of the writer’s ideas. It should be controlled by a singleness of purpose, a unity of intention.
3. ) the ending- it maybe a short paragraph that summarizes the central idea of the entire essay. It can also point out some ideas discussed in the body.

It is a form of literature which provides the reader an opportunity to see the importance of expressing ideas in form.

"Essay" is derived from Michel de Montaigne's first collection of short prose writing- Essais or "attempts". From its beginning it was considered as attempt to communicate.

The Four Types of Essays

The Expository Essay (explanation) – describes or explains a topic. For example, an essay entitled “The Care and Maintenance of a Bicycle” would be an expository essay

The Narrative Essay (recounting) – uses a single well told story as the basis for drawing a conclusion or making a statement of opinion.  For example “My Most Exciting Bicycle Adventure” would be a narrative essay. It uses tools such as flashbacks,flashforwards, and transitions that often build to a climax. The focus of a narrative is the plot. When creating a narrative, authors must determine their purpose, consider their audience, establish their point of view, use dialogue, and organize the narrative. A narrative is usually arranged chronologically.

The Persuasive Essay -combines reasoned arguments with the emotion required to persuade the reader to take action.  For example, an essay entitled Save the Ozone and Stimulate your Heart:  Leave Your Car at Home and Bicycle” would be a persuasive essay.

Descriptive Essay -writing is characterized by sensory details, which appeal to the physical senses, and details that appeal to a reader’s emotional, physical, or intellectual sensibilities. Determining the purpose, considering the audience, creating a dominant impression, using descriptive language, and organizing the description are the rhetorical choices to be considered when using a description. A description is usually arranged spatially but can also be chronological or emphatic . The focus of a description is the scene. Description uses tools such as denotative language, connotative language, figurative, metaphor , and simile to arrive at a dominant impression.