Essayist, Novelist,& Philosopher, James Baldwin(1924-1987)
What is an essay?
An essay is a genre of writing that discusses, explains, describes, or analyzes a particular topic. There are several different kinds of essays. Narrative essays tell a story. Argumentative essays share a person's point of view and beliefs about something. An explanatory or expository essay explains a particular topic with facts and objective language. A compare/contrast essay explores the differences and similarities between things, people, places, etc. Cause and effect essays aim to explain why or how something happened, and what resulted from the event. Descriptive essays provide explicit details about how something looks, feels, tastes, smells, makes one feel, or sounds.
The Five-paragraph Essay Model
While there are countless ways to organize an essay, we will be mainly discussing the effective use of the five-paragraph essay. You must include an engaging introduction that includes a theses statement, strong body paragraphs, and a memorable conclusion.