1. LECTURE 2: ESSAY
Instructor MRS. MABEL R. KINKITO
Course WORLD LITERATURE

2.  Essay is easy
 What is an essay?
 What is it for?
 Why is it written?

3. Essays are brief, non-fiction compositions
that describe, clarify, argue, or analyze a
subject.’
Essay derives from the French
infinitive essayer, "to try" or "to attempt". In
English essay first meant "a trial" or "an
attempt", and this is still an alternative
meaning.
CONSIDERATIONS IN AN ESSAY:
 Who is the writer writing for?
 What is his purpose for writing?

4. PURPOSES IN WRITING AN
ESSAY
 RESPOND
 Express reactions to a work
 INTERPRET
 Explain possible meanings and analyze the work
 EVALUATE
 Assess the work’s literary merits; its appeal to
different cultures using the critical sense, and
opinions of experts to make judgments about the
work.

5. Aldous Huxley’s three-poled frame
of reference:
 Personal and the autobiographical essays: these
use "fragments of reflective autobiography" to
"look at the world through the keyhole of
anecdote and description".
 Objective and factual: in these essays, the
authors "do not speak directly of themselves, but
turn their attention outward to some literary or
scientific or political theme".
 Abstract-universal: these essays "make the best
... of all the three worlds in which it is possible for
the essay to exist". This type is also known as
Giraffe Style Writing.

6. TYPES OF ESSAYS
 The Expository Essay. The function of
the expository essay is to explain, or to acquaint
your reader with a body of knowledge. By
explaining a topic to the reader, you are
demonstrating your own knowledge.
 The persuasive essay must choose a
side, make a case for it, consider and refute
alternative arguments, and prove to the
undecided reader that the opinion it presents is
the best one. You must be aware of other sides
and be fair to them; dismissing them completely

7.  The informal essay is written mainly for
enjoyment. This is not to say that it cannot be
informative or persuasive; however, it is less
a formal statement than a relaxed expression
of opinion, observation, humor or pleasure.
 The Review. A review may be either formal or
informal, depending on the context. Its goal is
to evaluate a work, which implies that the
reviewer's personal opinion plays a significant
role in the process.

8.  The Research Essay. The research
essay leads you into the works of others and
asks you to compare their thoughts with your
own. Writing a research paper involves going
to source material and synthesizing what you
learn from it with your own ideas.
 The Literary Essay. In the literary essay, you
are exploring the meaning and construction of
a piece of literature.

9.  The Argumentative Essay’s goal is to sway the
reader to accept their point of view.
 The Cause and Effect Essays. The cause and
effect essay includes some elements of writing
that might be considered more professional than
those a descriptive or narrative essay might
include.
 The Comparison and Contrast Essays. Writing
a comparison/contrast paper involves comparing
and contrasting two subjects. A comparison shows
how two things are alike. A contrast shows how
two things are different.

10. QUESTIONS ANYONE?

11. THINK ABOUT THIS:
Work is love made visible. And if you
cannot work with love but only with
distaste, it is better that you should leave
your work and sit at the gate of the temple
and take alms of those who work with joy.
~ Kahlil Gibran ~

12. 1. Search for an essay which you think best
reflects you or what you believe in.
2. Briefly discuss your reasons for choosing the
essay and determine its type.
3. Read and prepare a copy of Francis
Bacon’s Of Followers and Friends.
4. This must be submitted by the next meeting.