FYBFM/BAF/BMS

Communication Skills in English – I

Module 3 – Essay
Reflective
Analytical
Persuasive/Argumentative

An essay is a piece of writing which provides the author's perspective on some

subject or topic. Its length can range from 100 words to 1000 words or maybe
more. Essays can be formal and informal.

Formal essays are often written for serious purposes, a great example of a formal
essay would be an essay for a school magazine on some serious topic or subject
or an essay for a newspaper article however informal essays are characterized by
unconventionality and totally depends on an individual's taste.

History of Essay -

In literature, essay writing is not of ancient origin. In the year 1571, the 'essay'
was invented by a French philosopher named Montaigne. He called his short
and minuscule philosophical writings which were products of the moment by
the French word 'assai'. The essay became a good source to deliver one's
feelings and share his/her own philosophy through them. Essays can be used for
different purposes like criticizing someone, and basic observations of daily life.

Writing essays on a regular basis can help in expanding one’s knowledge about
different things, and it also helps in developing writing skills. According to
"Oxford English Dictionary" the person who used the word essayist for the first
time was" Ben Jonson". When England was going through the "Age of
Enlightenment", polemicists of England used essays as a way to influence their
readers. Addison and Steele were one of the most celebrated essayists of the
eighteenth century.

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Format of an Essay –

Basic structure of writing an essay -

1. Introduction - Introduction is the start of an essay, so this should contain

good phrases or some catchy lines related to the subject to attract the
reader's mind. The writer can also give the synopsis of his/her topic in the
introduction, about what this essay is going to be and its contents. It is not
more than 5-6 lines. The introduction can help to hook the reader and keep
his/her attention. One can also start by giving the definition of the topic to
the reader or by asking a question.
2. Thesis Statement - The thesis statement concisely states the main idea or
argument of the essay, sets limits on the topic, and can indicate the
organization of the essay. The thesis works as a road map for the entire
essay, showing the readers what the writer has to say and which main
points will be used by the writer to support his/her ideas.
3. Body – The body of the essay supports the main points presented in the
thesis and is placed between the introduction and the conclusion. This is
the most important part of an essay. This is not only limited to one or two
paragraphs, but one can go beyond that and write 5-6 paragraphs to make
the essay knowledgeable. The body of the essay is the most important part,
so it is essential to organize thoughts, write a rough draft, and then start
finalizing the essay. This makes the essay more presentable. Most of the
information is provided in the body of the essay. One of the ways is to write
in a systematic flow, for example, if a story is being narrated, one should
write in a chronological order so that the reader can comprehend. The body
also provides evidence to prove and influence the reader to accept the
writer's point of view.
4. Transitions - Transitions connect paragraphs to each other and to the
thesis. They are used within and between paragraphs to help the paper flow
from one topic to the next. These transitions can be one or two words
(“first,” “next,” “in addition,” etc.) or one or two sentences that bring the
reader to the next main point. The topic sentence of a paragraph often
serves as a transition.
5. Conclusion – Conclusion forms the end of the essay. Most writers end by
giving moral of the story. The conclusion allows the writer to sum up the
story and argument. It is very necessary to write the conclusion and ensure
that one does not leave any hanging threads.

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How to write a great Essay:

1. Since the title is the first thing that a reader sees, giving an appropriate title
to the essay helps in getting the reader’s attention. It also increases the
curiosity of the reader.
2. Too short essays will fail to satisfy the reader and too long ones will tend
to bore him/her. So, it is essential to keep the essay of an appropriate/ideal
length which is around 500-600 words. One can increase or decrease it
according to the subject.
3. Not all readers have great knowledge of English, so one should try to keep
the essay crisp and simple. One should avoid the use of complicated and
difficult words that ruin the flow of the sentence.
4. The writer should also avoid grammatical errors, that can distract the
reader. Punctuations and spellings should be used correctly.
5. Before writing directly one should prepare a rough draft, where the
important points are noted, it helps in maintaining the flow of the essay.
Having a rough draft helps in avoiding confusion.
6. Before writing the essay, one should know its requirements, and explore
vastly about the background information of the topic.
7. Having a thesis statement (that is, a single statement which makes it clear
on which side the writer is) and the arguments in it help in the formation
of the essay.
8. After the completion of the task, editing and reviewing it is very important,
as it helps in avoiding stylistic and structural errors.

Parts of a Paragraph
In an essay, a paragraph discusses one idea in detail that supports the thesis of
the essay. Each paragraph in the body of the paper should include a topic
sentence, supporting details to support the topic sentence, and a concluding
sentence. The paragraph’s purpose and scope will determine its length, but most
paragraphs contain at least two complete sentences.
Topic Sentence - The main idea of each paragraph is stated in a topic sentence
that shows how the idea relates to the thesis. Generally, the topic sentence is
placed at the beginning of a paragraph, but the location and placement may vary

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according to individual organization and audience expectation. Topic sentences
often serve as transitions between paragraphs.
Supporting Details - Supporting details elaborate upon the topic sentences and
thesis. Supporting details should be drawn from a variety of sources and should
include the writer’s own analysis.
Concluding Sentence - Each paragraph should end with a final statement that
brings together the ideas brought up in the paragraph. Sometimes, it can serve
as a transition to the next paragraph.
For example,
The root cause of childhood Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is difficult to
determine, since many biological, genetic, and environmental factors may
contribute. [Topic Sentence] While genetics can help explain the prevalence
of ADD in children and families, they do not necessarily explain its cause
(Winger 2012). [Supporting Detail 1] Environmental factors such as social
interaction, attachment, and other factors can also play a huge role in the
development of ADD but are not necessarily its root, according to
Graymond (2011, p. 33). [Supporting Detail 2] Research suggests that genetic
and environmental interactions may both be important in conditioning the risk
of ADD as well as its severity and progression. In the classic question of
“nature v. nurture,” in this case, the answer appears to be both.
[Concluding Sentence]

Unity and Coherence in Essay

Proper essay and paragraph format not only helps to achieve unity and
coherence but also enhances the reader’s understanding. Well-worded topic
sentences and concluding sentences will also help maintain unity throughout the
essay.
• Unity is the continuity of a single idea (the thesis) throughout the essay. Each
detail and example should develop logically and refer back to the original focus.
• Coherence means that each point should be linked to the previous and
following points to help the essay flow and progress logically and clearly. An
easy way to link paragraphs together is through transitions in each paragraph’s
topic sentence.

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Types of Essays –
1. Narrative Essays: These types of essays are written in first person form.
These include the essays where the writer is narrating a story. The writer
tries to write as vividly as possible so that the reader feels that the events
are happening in front of them.
2. Descriptive Essays: In this type of essay, the writer tries to describe a
place, a thing, or even a memory. One way of doing this is to bring not only
sight but different senses like touch, smell, and sound into the picture. If
the descriptive essay is written in a well-mannered way, then the reader
will feel the emotions that the writer was feeling while writing it.
3. Expository Essays: These types of essays do not have any place for the
writer's emotions. It includes facts and statistics. To write this type of essay
one should have very extensive knowledge of the subject. Expository
essays are further divided into:
o Cause and Effect: This type of essay is basically done by
connecting cause to its effect by various chains. In this type of essay
before coming to the conclusion the writer must understand the
subject and purpose of the subject. He/she should see what are the
demands of the audience.
o Compare and Contrast: These types of essays are used to compare
two things, both the similarities and dissimilarities.
4. Persuasive Essays: These types of essays are used to influence the reader,
to bring him/her to his/her side of the argument. The writer has to write
arguments from both sides, but the ultimate goal is to convince that the
writer is right, his/her arguments carry more weight than the other.
5. Descriptive Essays: These types of essays are full of sensory details.
These types of writings affect the physical senses of the reader. This type
of essay is written in a detailed manner so that it appeals to the reader's
intellectual, emotional and physical sensibilities.
6. Reflective Essays – These are essays in which the writer looks back on,
or reflects upon, his or her experiences and how they caused personal
change. Reflective essays require a writer to delve into memories that
trigger a strong emotional response. Thus, in a reflective essay, the writer
opens up about his/her thoughts and emotions to uncover his/her mindset,
personality, traits of character, and background. A reflective essay should

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 include a description of the experience/literature piece as well as
explanations of one's thoughts, feelings, and reactions.

Reflective Essay - Introduction

The writer could open the introduction with an attention-seizing hook that
engages the audience into reflective thinking with the writer. For instance, 'As I
was sitting on my bed with my notebook placed on my shaky lap waiting for the
letter of acceptance, I could not help but reflect, was enrolling in college the
path I wanted to take in the future?'
Provide context with a quick overview of the reflective essay topic. Do not
reveal too much information at the start to prevent the reader from becoming
discouraged to continue reading.
Make a claim with a strong reflective essay thesis statement. It should be a
simple explanation of the essay's main point, in this example, a specific event
that had a big impact on one.

Reflective Essay - Body Paragraphs

The second step is to develop the body of the essay. Planning the body properly
requires a lot of time and efforts. The following points can be followed for
effective writing -
Consider using a sequential strategy, that is, review everything one wishes to
discuss in the order it occurred. This method ensures that one's work is
structured and cohesive.
Ensure the body paragraph is well-rounded and employs the right amount of
analysis. The body should go into the effects of the event on one's life and the
insights one has gained as a consequence.
Prioritize reflecting rather than summarizing one's points. In addition to giving
readers insight into one's personal experience, a reflective stance will also reveal
one's personality and demonstrate one's ability to handle certain challenges.

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Reflective Essay - Conclusion
The goal of the conclusion of a reflective essay should be to tie everything
together by summarizing the key ideas raised throughout, as well as the lessons
learnt from experience.
Include the reasons for and the methods used to improve one's beliefs and
actions. Think about how one's personality and skills have changed as well.
What conclusions can one draw about one's behaviour in particular
circumstances? What could one do differently if the conditions were the same in
the future?

Reflective Essay Writing Tips:

• Be as detailed as possible while writing. To make the reflective essay
writing come to life, one should employ tactics like symbolism, sentence
patterns, etc.
• Keep one's audience in mind. The reader will become frustrated if one
continues writing in the first person without taking a moment to convey
something more important, even though one will likely speak about
something from one's own perspective.
• Put forth the effort to allow the reader to feel the situation or emotion that
one is attempting to explain.
• Instead of merely reporting what happened, one should use description
appropriately to paint a clear picture of the event or sensation.
• Plan the wording and structure of the reflective essay around a central
emotion or subject, such as joy, pleasure, fear, or grief.
• Avoid adding dull elements that can reduce the effect of one's work.
Avoid including it if it fails to enhance the emotion or understanding one
wishes to convey.
• Maintain a constant sense of progression. Consider whether the event has
transformed oneself or others around one.
• Remember to double-check grammar, syntax, and spelling.

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Reflective Essay Topics:
1. An experience you will never forget.
2. The moment you overcame a fear.
3. The most difficult choice you had to make.
4. A time your beliefs were challenged.
5. A time something changed your life.
6. The happiest/most frightening moment of your life so far.
7. Ways you think you or people can make the world a better place.
8. A time you felt lost.
9. An introspective look at your choices or a time you made the wrong
choice.
10.A moment in your life you would like to relive.

One could create a chart or table to keep track of one's ideas. The chart could be
divided into three parts as follows:

In the first column, write key experiences/one's main points. The points can be
arranged from the most important to the least important ones.
In the second column, list one's response to the points stated in the first column.
In the third column, write what, from one's response, one would like to share in
the essay.

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7. Analytical Essay - An analytical essay is an essay that meticulously and
methodically examines a single topic to draw conclusions or prove
theories. Although they are used in many fields, analytical essays are
often used with art and literature to break down creative themes of a work
and explore their deeper meanings and symbolism.
Analytical essays are a type of expository essay, so they do not express
bias, opinions, or persuasions. Even when the author is trying to prove
his/her own theory, his/her argument should stick solely to facts and logic
and keep the author’s personal feelings to a minimum.
An analytical essay example could be an in-depth reading of the character
of Hamlet, but this topic could have multiple interpretations. The essay
could focus on whether or not Hamlet truly loved Ophelia, or question the
motives for his constant hesitation.

Structure of an analytical essay -

1. Introduction - In the introduction, the writer presents his/her thesis

statement and prepares the reader for what follows. Because analytical
essays focus on a single topic, the introduction should give all the
background information and context necessary for the reader to
understand the writer’s argument.

2. Body - The body constitutes the nucleus of the essay. Here the writer
explains each separate point with evidence to support the thesis, breaking
up one's argument into paragraphs. While the introduction and conclusion
are each usually just a single paragraph, the body is composed of many
different paragraphs and often stretches out over pages, thereby making
up most of the essay.

Every paragraph in the body relates to the chosen topic and the thesis, but
each paragraph should make a different point or focus on a different piece
of evidence. For example, if the topic is about how Edgar Allan Poe uses
the theme of death in his writing, one paragraph could explore the use of
death in “The Tell-Tale Heart,” while a different paragraph could explore
death in “The Raven,” and so on.

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3. Conclusion -The conclusion wraps everything up. Conclusions usually
do not introduce new evidence or supporting details but instead reiterate
the previous points and bring them all together to strengthen one's
original thesis. At this point the reader has sufficient background to
understand the topic. With one's evidential examples in mind, they will be
more receptive to the writer's main argument when one presents it one
last time.

Steps to write an analytical essay -

1. Choose the topic - The topic should be specific enough to be able to

discuss it thoroughly. For instance, if one selects a broad topic like “love
in novels from Victorian England,” one will not be able to cover all
Victorian novels in a single analytical essay. Hence, narrowing the topic
down to something like “love in Jane Austen novels” makes one's task
more achievable. Also, try to find a good middle ground, specific enough
that one can discuss everything but general enough that one will be able
to find enough research and supporting evidence.

2. Research the topic - After selecting the topic, one can begin collecting
data and evidence to discuss it. If one's analytical essay is about a creative
work, one may want to spend time reviewing or evaluating that work,
such as watching a film closely or studying the details of a painting. It is
also useful to review other people’s critiques of that work to inspire new
ideas or reveal details one had not noticed before.

3. Create an outline - An essay outline gives one the opportunity to

organize all one's thoughts and research so one can put them in the
optimal order. The outline provides the writer a chance to decide when to
talk about each point. Outlines are typically broken up by paragraph.
Each paragraph should explore an individual point one is making and
include one's evidence or statistical data to back up that particular point.

4. Write the first draft - Write the rough draft of the analytical essay.
Ensure to include each piece of evidence and data one had planned to
include. Pay particular attention to how one would start an essay. The
introduction serves different purposes, such as telling the reader what to
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expect, providing background information, and above all presenting one's
thesis statement. The writer needs to be careful with the conclusion. Also
include transition sentences in between the body paragraphs when
needed. Moving abruptly from one topic to the next can be jarring for the
reader; transition sentences improve the essay’s flow and remove
distractions.

5. Revise the draft - At this stage, the writer can improve his/her
phrasing and word choice and edit out any unnecessary parts.
When one revises, one should pay particular attention to details and try to
find areas that one can remove to make the essay more succinct or
passages that are not clear that need more explanation. The writer should
put him/herself in the reader’s shoes, and question - "Will someone with
no background knowledge still understand one's points?"

6. Proofread the essay - Here, the writer fixes any grammar and spelling
mistakes by proofreading.

Analytical Essay outline specimen -

Here is an analytical essay example that shows how a proper outline. The
format here uses a five-paragraph essay structure.

Topic: Who is the real villain: Macbeth or Lady Macbeth?

Introduction

Briefly describe the plot of Macbeth for those who aren’t familiar with it
Thesis statement: Lady Macbeth is the real villain of Macbeth because
she manipulates her husband into committing an atrocious crime

Body Paragraph 1

Murdering the king is all Lady Macbeth’s idea

Macbeth is initially against it until Lady Macbeth convinces him

Body Paragraph 2

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 Lady Macbeth has her own individual character arc where she is driven
mad by her guilt
Her guilt insinuates she knows her actions are villainous, with appropriate
consequences
Cite quotations from her “Out, damned spot!” speech

Body Paragraph 3

Macbeth decides to listen to Lady Macbeth, so he is still guilty

Speculate that he still would not have murdered the king if not for Lady
Macbeth
Macbeth remains the main character because most scenes revolve around
him, but the person acting against him most is Lady Macbeth

Conclusion

Remind reader that Macbeth didn’t want to murder the king until Lady
Macbeth convinced him
Clincher: Macbeth is still the hero albeit a tragic one. But his main
antagonist is not Macduff or the king or even the prophecy itself; it is his
wife.

Topics for Analytical Essay:

1. Influence of technology on interpersonal communication.
2. Impact of climate change on global agriculture.
3. Role of social media in Modern Politics.
4. Character Psychoanalysis: Hamlet.
5. Gender stereotypes in advertisements
6. Capitalism and income inequality.
7. Plastic waste and its effects on marine life.
8. Homeschooling: Pros and cons.
9. Mental health and its correlation with social media usage.
10.Cryptocurrency and the modern economy.
11.Artificial intelligence and its effect on job markets.
12.Fast food culture and obesity rates.
13.Understanding schizophrenia through case studies.
14.Examination of bullying in high school.
15.Effects of Globalization on local cultures.
16.Dark matter: A mystery in the universe.

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17.Dynamics of interracial marriages.
18.Depression: A silent epidemic.

Persuasive/Argumentative Essay

Persuasive writing, used in an argumentative essay, uses logic and reason

to show that one idea is more legitimate than another idea. It attempts to
persuade a reader to adopt a certain point of view or to take a particular
action. The argument must always
use sound reasoning and solid evidence by stating facts, giving logical
reasons, using examples, and quoting experts.

The following steps can be used to write a Persuasive Essay:

1. Choose one's position, that is, write which side of the issue or problem
one is going to write about, and what solution will one offer. Know the
purpose of the essay.
2. Analyze the audience. Decide if the audience agrees with one, is
neutral, or disagrees with one's position.
3. Research on the topic. A persuasive essay must provide specific and
convincing evidence. Often it is necessary to go beyond one's own
knowledge and experience.
4. Structure the essay. Determine what evidence one will include and in
what order one will present the evidence. Consider one's purpose,
audience, and topic.
The following criteria are essential to produce an effective argument:
Be well informed about the topic. To add to one’s knowledge of a
topic, read thoroughly about it, using legitimate sources. Take notes.
Test one’s thesis. The thesis, i.e., argument, must have two sides. It
must be debatable.
Disprove the opposing argument. Understand the opposite viewpoint of
one’s position and then counter it by providing contrasting evidence or by
finding mistakes and inconsistencies in the logic of the opposing
argument.
Support one’s position with evidence. Remember that one’s evidence
must appeal to reason.
The following are different ways to support one’s argument:
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Facts - A powerful means of convincing, facts can come from one’s
readings, observations, or personal experiences.
Statistics - Ensure that statistics come from responsible sources.
Quotations - Direct quotations from leading experts effectively support
one’s position.
Examples - Examples enhance one’s meaning and make one’s ideas
concrete. They are the proof that supports one’s point.

To evaluate the effectiveness of an Argument Essay, one can ask two

questions:
1. Is the opinion based on facts and specific evidence rather than on
personal judgments and emotional reactions?
2. Does the method of presenting the opinion have enough impact to
persuade the reader to agree?

Topics for Persuasive/Argumentative Essays:

1. How important is mental health?
2. Is online school more effective?
3. Is social media dangerous?
4. What's wrong with the education system?
5. Does recycling work?
6. Is veganism bad for the environment?

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