|
Читайте также: |
“Essay is a short, nonfictional composition that presents the writer’s opinion or analysis of a particular subject.” (Britannica.)
Essay is an organized paper of moderate length dealing with a specific subject. But it is not a report, which is primarily an organized presentation of information. Composition is another word with almost the same meaning of essay. (Eric W. Johnson.)
There are 2 main kinds of essays: personal essays and formal essays.
Personal essays were organized by Michel de Montaigne, a French writer of the 1500’s. They were based mainly on personal experience. The word “essay” comes from essais, a French word meaning trials or attempts. Formal essays were developed by Sir Francis Bacon, an English philosopher and statesman of the mid 1500’ and early 1600’. Bacon was the first English essayist.
In writing essay, never lose sight of the Purposeof your paper. Why are you writing it, and for whom? Also consider the material you will use.
A. Purpose. Your purpose may be to entertain your reader, to give him information, to persuade him of some point of view, to reassure him, to move him to action, or a combination of these. It will help to think about what you are trying to achieve before starting to figure out how to go about the writing.
B. Material. Your materialmayconsist of opinions and information you already have in your head. Or it may be made up of notes you have taken on reading you have done, interviews or conversations you have had, or matters you have heard or seen on TV, on radio, or at the movies, or net. Whatever the material, you will do a better job if you spend a little time arranging your material in some way before you start writing. Having an outline or plan will help to avoid some pain and saves time later on.
C Organization:. beginning,. middle, end.
1. Beginning You do need to give some thought to the way you start your paper. One good way to begin a paper is with a question: “Why should students be required to attend classes when they are likely to learn more by staying out in the real world?” Or “What kind of knowledge of sex and love is a fifteen-year-old kid likely to pick up if he’s never read a book on the subject?”
Another way is to begin with a statement: “If you make your eyes really see and your ears really hear, you can figure out a lot about the BNTU by just sitting for an hour on the benches of the BNTU campus.” Or “After talking with two teachers and fifteen students in my group, I believe there are three changes we ought to make, and I intend to see that they are made.”
Don’t turn your reader off by writing, “I’ve been given the topic “Summer Vacations’ to write about...”or “This is going to be a paper about...”
2. Middle You may start your paper right in the middle of the subject... The middle constitutes the substance of what you have to say. It will be the longest part of the paper that needs the most careful organizing and arranging.
A good way to organize ideas and information is to list the main ideas, following each with the points you might use to develop it: facts, examples, incidents, anecdotes, reasons, and explanations. If you do use an outline, think of it as a tool to serve you, not as a form that will dominate you.
3. End A good piece of writing ends in such a way that a reader has a satisfying feeling. Of course he doesn’t want to read some such phrasing as “And so I have shown that...” or “Now I bring my paper to a conclusion.” But he does want to have a sense of completion. This ending can be another question arising from the material in the paper: “What have you seen in the past week that could prove me wrong?”
The ending can also consist of a vigorous (решительное) restatement of the main idea of the paper: “So it’s not a matter of whether or not there will be sex education for fifteen-year-olds, but rather what kind of sex education there will be. Only the school with a free atmosphere, good teachers, and plenty of discussion is qualified to give the best kind.”
D. Paragraphing. Yet paragraphing is important. For one thing, the reader get tired or discouraged looking at a page of writing or print that goes on and on with never break. A reader wants to be allowed to take a mental breath now and then before plunging back into the argument. Thus, you will make your readers happier and get your ideas across better if you write in paragraphs.
As you become experienced in writing essays, you will discover ways that especially suits your style.
Дата добавления: 2015-11-14; просмотров: 63 | Нарушение авторских прав
| <== предыдущая страница | | | следующая страница ==> |
| Focus on the fundamental issues of life. | | | Advanced learning aids |