The structure & characteristics of a good essay

By P. Mohan Chandran

The word ‘essay’ is derived from the Latin word ‘exagium’ meaning a process of weighing. The Random House Dictionary of English defines essay as ‘a short literary composition on a particular theme or topic, usually in prose, and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative.’ In simple terms, an essay is a written composition giving expression to one’s own personal ideas or opinions on a particular topic. An essay is an exercise in composition and hence, one of the meanings of the word ‘essay’ also means ‘attempt.’

THE STRUCTURE OF AN ESSAY
An essay generally consists of a beginning, a middle, and an end. The beginning is called the ‘introduction,’ the middle is the ‘body,’ and the end is the ‘conclusion.’

1. The Beginning (or Introduction): The beginning or introduction should be interesting. The beginning usually introduces and limits the subject of the essay. The introduction of the subject can be explicit or implicit, immediate or delayed. Depending on the scope, purpose, and audience, you can begin an essay with the following:
   • A rhetorical question
     Ex: Can there be life after death?
   • A dictionary definition
     Ex: The Collins Cobuild English Dictionary (2006) defines a ‘street-smart’ person as ‘one who knows how to deal with difficult or dangerous situations, especially in big cities.’
   • A striking paradox, or epigram
     Ex: ‘The first rule is that you should first break all the rules.’
   • An appropriate quotation, or proverb
     Ex: “In prosperity our friends know us; in adversity, we know our friends,” said Colin Powell on ‘Friendship.’
   • An anecdote
     A visitor once asked young Indira Gandhi why their home seemed so empty. She replied, "What else could it be when my father, mother, and grandpa are all in prison?"
   • An intriguing piece of statistic
     Ex: The world produces 257 babies per minute, and India produces 51 of them.
     
2. The Middle (or Body): The body of the essay should be organized logically and coherently. The writer must use proper signposts such as words, phrases, sentences, which enable the reader to move smoothly from one thought/idea to another. Inter-paragraph connectors such as secondly, thirdly, therefore, summing up, it can be deduced from the above, etc., may also be used.
   
   The middle includes the central idea/theme, or the argument of the entire essay. Hence, it must be written very precisely and cogently, substantiating the points you have made in the middle. The middle and the other parts of the essay also express a ‘perspective.’ In informal essays, personal style (I think; it seems to me; according to me) may be appropriate, but in scientific and formal essays, impersonal style (it is noted; it may be inferred; it has been scientifically proved) has to be used.
   
   Apart from the perspective, the middle also conveys the ‘tone’ or ‘tenor’ of the essay, which is a set of feelings/attitudes of the writer. The attitude may be towards the subject, or the reader, or self. The tone towards the subject can be objective, as in an essay on the role of Mathematics in Scientific Development, or it can be emotional (anger, resentment) in expressing the writer’s anger at criminalization of politics, or corruption. The anger can also be expressed in an ironic/satirical tone.
   
   The tone towards the reader may be emphatic or cranky, treating readers as a bunch of kids to be instructed. Sometimes, the writer may adopt a tone of face-to-face discussion.
   
3. Conclusion (or End): The conclusion of the essay should be proportional to the length and complexity of the entire essay. You should avoid terms such as ‘To conclude,’ ‘Finally,’ ‘Lastly,’ ‘In the end,’ etc. The termination of a logical development of the thought sequence should look natural and coherent. The essay may end with a final sentence of evaluation about the central idea expressed in the essay (such as ‘corruption is unhealthy not only to a nation, but to the entire world’). Sometimes, it can even conclude with a rhetorical question (such as ‘will people ever learn from others’ mistakes?’). This kind of ending is found in editorials and lead-articles, and it is better to avoid such endings in formal essays.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD ESSAY?
There are certain characteristics that make an essay good and compelling to read. The following are some of them:

1. Unity: An essay must have unity, i.e., a theme with a particular purpose. The subject must be clearly defined and understood mentally first. Any irrelevant issue/point should not be included in the essay. The subject/topic of the essay should be treated in as many ways as possible with several points of view.
2. Order: The essay should follow a set of line of thoughts in a certain pattern or order. It should reach a definite conclusion. The essay should not contain any unorganized or inconsistent thoughts/ideas put down together. Apart from unity of subject, there should also be unity of treatment, too. Hence, it becomes essential to think out mentally in advance before putting your pen to paper.
3. Brevity: The essays should not be too long as it may not be able to sustain the reader’s interest. There should be a word-limit, although the length of the essay will depend on the nature of the topic and its complexity. An essay should attempt to express the idea succinctly and precisely, without beating about the bush.
4. Style: An essay should have a very dignified and literary style, not a casual or conversational style. Slangs, colloquial expressions, and jargons should be avoided. The language and sentence-construction should be simple, plain, direct, and natural. Clarity in writing comes from clarity in thinking. Remember that, in an essay your objective is to ‘express’ and not to ‘impress,’ and when you express, you automatically impress.
5. Personal Touch: An essay is a written composition giving expression to one’s personal ideas or opinions on a particular subject. Hence, the essay should reflect the writer’s personal feelings and opinions, and express his creativity and personality. Loss of personal touch will make the essay colourless and lifeless. Be yourself and express your own views, but never try to reflect others’ opinions. It is sincerity in what you write that lends a personal touch to the essay.

The success of an essay depends on proper arrangement of ideas (in the form of sentences) in a logical and coherent manner, and giving it adequate power of expression. Due attention has to be paid to the beginning of an essay to attract the attention, arouse the curiosity, and sustain the interest of the reader, making him/her read further. The conclusion should satisfy the reader’s curiosity and leave him with a sense of contentment and enrichment.

Published date : 26 Jan 2011 04:17PM