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Unit 1 Form and Method: The Essay. The Power of The Essay.
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The Power of The Essay The essay is an essential genre in the Western literary tradition. Its uses are varied: it is a vehicle for reflection, analysis,argument, and the transfer of information. Presenting a viewpoint, developing an argument logically, providing supporting details, engaging the reader with lively descriptions, and presenting information clearly and cleverly are all essential elements of different types of writing. Reviews, editorials, speeches, presentations, instructions, profiles, magazine articles all resemble the essay in some way. Studying the essay is a way of building a repertoire of a widely transferable skills.
5 Examples of Essays(overall, there are 2 main groups of essays: FORMAL and INFORMAL) • Expository • Persuasive • Personal • Literary • Biographical/ Autobiographical
Expository • writing that teaches or explains (often answers the questions: WHAT? HOW? WHY? • often uses formal language and has an academic tone • Examples:philosophies, histories, theories of economics, studies of government and law, sociological finding, and the investigations of science
Persuasive • written by a writer who desires to change a reader’s opinions on a topic • writer attempts to persuade the reader to believe in his or her conclusions • a powerful thesis (main argument) focuses the essay • controversial issues are often discussed • logic and emotional language are used to manipulate readers
Personal • subject is mainly the writer/personal experiences of the writer • writer’s personality is evident • uses the pronoun I • tone is often casual and conversational • essay is aimed to entertain more often than to inform • very loosely organized, often without a thesis
Literary • present an interpretation of/explores some aspect of one or more works of literature • demonstrates how writers support their views with evidence from the text • designed to help us understand literature and develop an appreciation for a variety of literary forms
BiographicalAutobiographical • written as a tribute to the life and accomplishments of a noteworthy individual • writer may insert some anecdotes to establish the subject’s character • may include direct quotations from the person (who is the subject) • Serves to inspire and educate readers
Essay Analysis Terminology • We analyze all essays using the same criteria and terminology. Once you know the terms, we will look at how they differ based on different types of writing. • Topic • Thesis • Type of Essay & Why • Purpose • Organizing Principal • Tone • Audience • Language Level • Figurative Devices • Diction (sentence length, type, phrases) /Stylistic Elements