Welcome to this post entitled essay analysis. Essay analysis is an undertaking in which you are going to examine a given essay using the theories and concepts we have studied carefully evaluating the elements present of an essay. Apart from writing essays, essay analysis is an indispensable skill you need to master if you are enrolled in any literature course. In this topic, you will learn the nature of essay, the growth and development of essay, the persons behind this literary genre among others. You will also get to know some of the outstanding essays written by great essayists, and of course, get to read some of these masterpieces. So, join me as we embark on this incredible journey of essay analysis!
Intended learning outcomes
At the completion of this topic, you should be able to:
- define what an essay is;
- identify the elements and different types of essay; and
- analyze an essay.
What is an Essay?
Essay came from the French word “essai” which translates to “an attempt, trial, or test” in English. It was coined by Michel de Montaigne, a French writer who was deemed as “The Father of Essay” for inventing it as a separate literary genre. Hence, he is the world’s first essayist, a person who writes essays.
Sir Francis Bacon, an English philosopher, scientist and essayist perfected the essay as a literary form and was named “The Father of Modern Essay.” His compilations of essays are very much read by peoples across the globe which include, Of Studies, Of Love, among others.
Now, we can define essay as a prose non-fiction composition of moderate length devoted to a single topic written from the writer’s point of view.
Types of Essay
There are many types of essays. Some literary experts differ argue that essays can be categorized according to their function or purpose. In this topic, we shall classify them according to purpose, they are:
- Expository essay intends to inform readers about things mostly unknown to them. The gaps in the knowledge are what this essay intends to fill in.
- Argumentative essay debates and argues the reader on some important issues but does essayist does not wish to persuade them to believe in the essayist’s view.
- Persuasive essay aims to convince and persuade the readers to side with him, thus, believing in his cause.
- Analytical essay provides a thorough analysis on issues and topics which are timely and relevant by presenting both sides of an issue and let the readers decide what to do next.
- Literary essay is the essayist’s view or reaction on some literary piece whether prose, poetry, drama or even movie.
- Descriptive essay mainly describes an event or phenomena for the benefit of the readers for them to have a complete picture of such event or phenomena.
- Narrative essay is a thorough narration of a personal experience by the essayist which the reader may find interesting, engaging or enlightening. The travelogue written by Dr. Jose Rizal in his travels to the continental America is a good example of narrative essay.
Elements of an Essay
Before doing an essay analysis, you must examine the elements of essay presented herein. They are as follows:
- Purpose. What is the purpose of the essayist in writing the essay?
- Subject. What is this essay speaking about? What is its topic?
- Thesis Statement. Identify the thesis sentence or the main argument of the essay. In ONE sentence, state the main argument of the essay.
- Supporting Statements. List down at least THREE topic sentences made in this essay that clearly support the thesis statement.statement. Remember, topic sentences are good clues to figuring out subordinate points.
- Audience. For whom might this essay have been written? Who are the general audiences? Who are the specific audiences?
- Context. In what context does the essay was written? Is it in the context of socio-economic, political, spiritual, historical, psychological, or personal?
- Type of Essay. What type of essay is it? Refer to the type above and explain why you think so.
- Pattern of Development. What pattern of development is used? Is it pyramidal (the thesis sentence is found in the end) or inverted pyramid (the thesis sentence is found at the beginning)? Justify your answer.
- Diction. Is it simple or highfalutin? Comment and analyze – using few examples – on the choice of words used by the essayist.
- Tone. How would you describe the author’s attitudes towards the subject? Is it angry, sober, sad, happy, relieved, enthusiastic, or resigned? Why would you say so? Explain briefly.
Some popular essays
Herewith is a list of popular essays by outstanding essayists:
- Of Sleep – Michel de Montaigne
- Of Studies – Francis Bacon
- On the Indolence of the Filipinos – Jose Rizal
- The Frailocarcy – Marcelo H. Del Pilar
- Liwanag at Dilim – Emilio Jacinto
- The Rise and Fall of the Philippine Republic – Apolinario Mabini
- Dignity of Labor – Jose P. Laurel
- Pliant like a Bamboo – Ismael V. Mallari
- Shall we Walk – Pura Santillan-Castrence
- The Will of the River – Alfredo Gonzales Jr.
The list is endless! You may want to read more essays written by equally talented essayists. For now, it is better if you choose an essay to analyze for your essay analysis activity.
Essay analysis
Now that you already knew and understood the elements of an essay, it is now time for you to do essay analysis. Here, you need to read the essay of Martin Villanueva entitled, “He’d Rather be Relevant,” a copy of which is available for download in our Edmodo class platform. Use this piece as your practice material in identifying the elements and thereby analyzing the same using the elements presented.
Afterwards, you will now choose any essay written by a Filipino essayist (author) which you will analyze. You need a copy of the Essay Analysis Matrix for this purpose. A copy of which is available for download in our Edmodo class platform too. Save this copy and fill in the needed information. Save it, then print for your submission. If you have concerns, message me immediately. Enjoy your essay analysis!
Works cited
- http://daphne.palomar.edu/handbook/whatisanessay.htm
- https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/685/1/