Professional Documents
Culture Documents
(essai is French for attempt) It is an opinion derived from your own experiences in life (unlike the literary essay which asks for your opinion about a piece of literature).
Thesis
The thesis is the main point of the essay. It is often indicated in the introduction. The body contains material (examples, narratives, descriptions analogies, reasonings etc. to support the thesis. Note: you may have a strong thesis, but a pesonal essay does not try to prove anything.
rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of persuasion through language. It is the art of using language effectively. Rhetoric particularly involves the following:
Diction:
Word Choice
Syntax
Word Order
That aforementioned example of preternatural sloth has finally commenced work on his given task in expectation of the arrival of his teacher now imminent with the cessation of the recess interregnum. Consider what audience and tone mean and how they could help in discussing the pink example. Lazy old John finally started his assigned work, knowing that his teacher would soon return from the recess break.
Lazy old John finally started his assigned work, knowing that his teacher would soon return from the recess break.
Knowing that his teacher would soon return from his recess break, lazy old John started his assigned work. Priscilla killed him with a hammer blow to the temple, having first prepared herself a nice hot chocolate accompanied by two oatmeal cookies. Having first prepared herself a nice hot chocolate accompanied by two oatmeal cookies, Priscilla killed him with a hammer blow to the temple.
Examples
Thesis
Bent or loose or broken spokes make for a weak wheel. A bad essay would be a mere collection of spokes.
A Good Essay:
Informs
AND
Entertains
A Thesis must be a statement expressing an opinion Smoking is widespread among young people. Smoking and creativity go together.
Extended Thesis
Smoking is an example of mans essential idiocy, an instinct for self-destruction, a desire to return to the womb, an embracing of chaos, and a refusal of life.
Smoking reveals the human instinct for freedom and opposes those who demand that pleasure be postponed. It is the refusal of common sense and authority. It is a life-embracing anarchy which refuses societys instinct to make all ordered and uniform. It demands quality, not quantity, adventure, not protection.
Criteria for marking essays: Unity/Coherence/Clarity/Conciseness/Emphasis Sentence structure: fragments/splices/run-ons Punctuation: esp. quotation marks & apostrophe Details: moving from the general to the specific. Appropriate language: audience/voice/tone/usage Imagination: like the short story or poem-you must entertain Spelling: use your dictionary (I do)
Pre-Writing: 4 questions Why am I writing? How big is my topic? What message am I sending? Who is my audience?
Introductions: Possibilities
Reveal the thesis (thesis statement)
Background information Unusual/puzzling statement Anecdote Figures of speech Quotation or allusion
In conclusion
Reference to opening ?Question? Quotation Revealing significance Transition signals Drawing conclusions Contrast/reversal (irony)
summary
Assignment
Write a personal essay of 500-750 words on a topic/thesis of your own choice. Appendix must follow containing: 1) title / source/ thesis / rhetorical model of 2 TWO essays found by you 2) Thesis statement of your own essay and explanation of 2 rhetorical models used in your own essay.