Essay, literally means an ‘attempt’. So, it is an attempt at composing a comprehensive piece of writing on a particular subject. It demands some art of systematic expression of one’s thoughts on one subject. A fairly good knowledge of the subject is also needed. An essay reveals the writer’s opinion or gives information on a given subject or some details of a narrative or description. It must have an overall consistency and a well defined structure to depict a theme, concept and an attractive style.
An essay is like a finely presented dish with dressings and garnishes. The defined structure and the content is the dish. You can dress and garnish the essay with quotations, anecdotes, couplets or suitable jokes.
If you have reasonable command over English you can present the essay in your own style. Don’t be stereotype. Remember that you are a unique person on earth having your own distinct face, finger print, genetic code and mind. Hence your composition must also reflect that originality and uniqueness. Avoid artificiality, jargons and hackneyed phrases. The accepted mottos of a beautiful essay is simplicity, shortness and sweetness. Do not pollute the essay with out of context matter. Even a thick book on a subject is nothing but a collection of well written interrelated essays set in logical order. Only good English is not enough if there is weak content. The essay must have vital information and facts on the subject it is dealing with.
For your essay you can set your own guidelines to visualise a broad framework or format.
For example:
1. Introduction : After the heading in the capital letters, imagine a brief paragraph describing the theme of your essay, the importance of the subject and relation with the current situation around.
2. The Body : Break up broadly the facts or the information to be written in cohesive paragraphs. The facts or the information you have should give you some idea of the paragraphs they would make.
3. Dressing : Think of the anecdotes, examples, idioms, phrases or quotations you would like to add to the paragraphs.
4. Conclusion : For the end you will require another brief paragraph to sum up the essay, rounding up the subject. Make a final statement stressing your point or opinion or last word on the subject or the punch line.
If you are dealing with a problem or an issue it is not necessary to provide an answer at the end. In several cases it is neither feasible to evaluate nor proper to pass on a judgement. The effort should be to generate a dialogue by raising the related issues or points. Do not ever try to preach or give sermons.
Forms of Essays
1. Reflective Essays : A reflective essay reveals thoughts or reflections on an abstract topic. It can be any of the following four classifications :
a. Qualities, habits, nature like Fortitude, Bravery, Heroism, Intolerance, Patriotism etc.
b. Domestic, social or political subjects—like Marriage, Wealth, Poverty, Casteism, Dowry etc.
c. Philosophical subjects—like Ethics, Reality, Morality, Right and Wrong etc.
d. Religious or Theological topics—like Secularism, Zorastrianism, Vedanta, Ten Commandments etc.
2. Narrative Essays : A narrative essay consists of an account of an event or a series of events. It may deal with Legends, Biographies, Historical stories, Incidents like an accident or a street fight; A Journey or Voyage or Visit; A Story real or imaginary.
3. Descriptive Essays : A descriptive essay may describe some Place, Creature, Thing, Plants, Town, Building or Country—like Zoo, Elephant, Banyan Tree, Delhi, Tajmahal, New Zealand etc.; Aspect or Phenomena of Nature—like Earthquake, Monsoon, Autumn, Floods, Tsunami etc; Manufactured article—like Silk, Automobile, Paper, Locomotive, Aeroplane etc.
4. Expository Essays : An expository essay explains the subject of the essay. The subject is related to Occupations, Industries or Institutions—like the Parliament, the Teacher, the Press, the Refinery Complex etc.; Scientific topic—like Aerodynamics, Theory of Evolution, The Black Holes etc; and Literary matter—like Tagore’s works, Kalidasa, Merchant of Venice etc.
5. Imaginative Essays : In such an essay the writer puts himself in imagination and works out an composition using his power of visualisation. The topic can be ‘The autobiography of a Fly’, ‘If I were the Prime minister’ or ‘My story—a comb’ etc. The writer has to imagine as he has no actual experience in the given position.
Specimen Essay happy life
1. Introduction : We all seek a happy life. Happiness is ‘feel good’ state of mind. It means different things to different people. Some source it in spiritual peace, while others seek happiness in riches or love or friendship, or power or achievements and victories. But sadly, most happiness situations never last long. So, where can we find stable happiness?
2. Main Body : Infact, happiness is a illusive factor. The wise one’s have offered idealistic definitions of happiness. For Henry Wotton, a life free from worldliness and flattery is a happy one. According to him a happy man does not fear death. He spends time in reading scriptures or in silent meditation devoid of any impulsion. Such one is not deterred or afraid of failures. So, he is in a state of happy mind being immune to highs and lows of life. For Alexander Pope, solitude is the heaven of happiness. A person living alone on the island of self sufficiency is really a happy man. Good health and peace of mind born out of contentedness. Innocent pleasures, joys of scriptural study and meditation are true sources of happiness, the spiritual idealists maintain.
However, the most of us can not follow such spiritual ideals. We can’t break away from the harsh realities of the practical life or abandon the social relationships for the sake of solitude and meditation. As normal human beings we must associate with others, interact and nurture cordial relationships. For us the ideal happiness of the spiritual kind looks more like a delusion. So, most of us seek happiness in the economic security via highly paid jobs or flourishing business ventures. For the people who have suffered the miseries of poverty it is impossible to imagine that the poverty could be a blessing in disguise. Today, the basic source of happiness is in being able to lead a decent life, free of penury.
An idler and a superstitious person can never hope for a secure and decent life. A superstitious mind is always hunted by imaginary fears and unrest. And a decent life has to be earned through hard work. There is no scope for idling. Good health is another vital ingredient of happiness. A sick person is not a happy one in any way. Another source of happiness is having true friends with whom one can share the joys and sorrows. Such sharing multiplies the joys and halves the sorrows. Genuine love is also another source of true happiness.
Some people find joy in having power and command over others. While others try to seek it in carnal pleasures. But these joys have unhappy darksides too. Adventures, successes and victories in combat or competitions whip up euphorias and they lack permanence and get entombed in trophies, shields, prizes, citations and other mementos.
3. Conclusion—At the end of the day, in general, a decent life earned through hard work, good health, true friends and genuine love are the real sources of happiness in the practical life. Charity, compassion, helpfulness, sympathy, honesty and peace add value to the happiness.
Some Useful Tips
● Focus : An essay must focus on the theme of the essay. It should not be just an admixture of information but reflect a definite unity of purpose. Before writing down define the subject clearly in your mind. A broad picture should emerge in your mind like a landscape.
● Order : An essay must follow a logical order and reach a definite conclusion. There should be an unity between the subject and the treatment.
● Format : Visualise an overall framework to bind together all the components of the writing. Use your own imagination. Avoid being stereotyped. Inject some originality to your concept or format.
● Facts : Your essay must contain genuine facts, figures and information to make a rich content. Only flowery languages is not enough. Otherwise it will sound hollow.
● Compactness : Be brief and to the point. A school essay should not be too long although there are no strict rules about the length of the essay. If the length of the essay is prescribed, confirm to the specification.
● Form : The form of an essay should be graceful and dignified. Avoid slangs, colloquial terms and easy constructions like those of primary books. Keep the sentences simple, direct and natural.
● Language : Don’t use lengthy sentences, complicated expressions and bombastic words. They will make your essay feel like an empty vessel making a loud noise.
● Personal touch : Your essay is a written composition that gives expression to your personal ideas, thoughts or opinions on a given subject. So, it should carry your personal touch, your own stamp. Don’t be afraid of expressing your own views because it is your own essay i.e. attempt. Just keep the sentences simple and grammatically correct.
● Spontaneity : Your essay must not be a photocopy of a standard text of some guide book. It should reflect your own mind and distinct character with a touch of spontaneity. Your essay must have as large element of your originality as possible. Remember that the originality is the flavour of your essay.
● Dig into yourself : Often students panic in face of the challenge to write an essay. Their minds are thrown into confusion as to what to write. You feel lost and hesitant. The task is not as enormous as you imagine. Don’t worry about committing mistakes. Dig into your own mind with confidence. You will be surprised to find how much is there in yourself. Scratch your own mind and visualise what you have to offer in Introduction, Main body and Conclusion. Arrange your thoughts and write.
● Boldness : Don’t be shackled down by false notions and overemphasis on the canons of writing. Awe must not overtake you. Sometimes it is better to forget principles and convention to let your own thoughts off. Give more weight to your own thoughts than to what is taught to you or others say.
● Follow Gandhiji : The beauty of Gandhiji’s writings were in simple language and short sentences. Follow his example and stick to simplicity. Being simple is not easy. It takes some effort. You are required to explain complex issues in a simple and easy to understand languages. Try.
● Smoothness : Your essay should have a smooth flow with even consistency. Avoid sudden twists and turns. Move from one aspect to other in a logical way without any jumps. Remember the tips we gave you in other chapters on writing. Most of them apply in case of essay also. After all an essay is a collection of paragraphs and short compositions. An essay is a rivulet of a opinion made up by tributaries of thoughts on various aspects of the subject. The rivulet joins the river of thoughts which eventually meets the sea of literature.
● Read, Read and Read : Due to the lack of experience and reading many students feel at sea. They find that they have nothing or very little to say on a given subject for essay. So, read magazines, journals, books and watch informative TV channels. It will store valuable informations in your mind. Observe the life and things around you. The real life is the true teacher. Discuss various topics with your friends. Don’t devote all your interaction to the latest movies or new re-mix releases or gossip columns.
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Some Selected Essays
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