Understanding the Art and Structure of the Essay
The essay is an expressive and argumentative text whose main purpose is to inform about a subject, primarily conveying our thoughts and opinions on a given reality.
Key Features of the Essay
Flexible Extension and Length
The essay is a text without a strictly defined length. It can occupy many pages or even be an entire book, but an essay can also be as short as a single page. To understand the reach of an essay, one might look at the third page of the newspaper ABC, where many of the most important writers have published their work within the space of a single page.
Subjective Expression vs. Scientific Proof
An essay is written in our natural language without the requirement of scientific proof. For example, a text demonstrating the effect of gamma rays on daisies would not be an essay; it would be a scientific text.
Universal Subject Matter
An essay can be about any matter. No discipline, subject, or science is excluded from the essayist's reach: history, philosophy, geography, literature, language, and art are all valid topics for discussion.
Accessibility for the Non-Specialist Reader
The essay addresses an average, non-specialist reader. This means the text can be understood by all types of people who have received a general education. Through the reading of essays, we educate ourselves. Essayists use a style that is simple, clear, and pleasant to engage their audience.
Presentation of a Personal View
This is a vital aspect of the genre. The essayist presents their personal vision on a particular issue or topic. It reflects what we call public opinion, but the author must prove their thesis. The essayist reflects on a theme and presents the results of those reflections, essentially stating: "I think about this question in this way..."
The Structure of an Essay
While the structure is often very personal, the most commonly used format includes the following sections:
Introduction and Thesis Statement
This part introduces the topic or issue. In this section, the author proposes the theme, which can be formulated as a thesis that needs to be demonstrated.
The Argumentative Body
In this section, the author presents thoughts and ideas regarding the subject. This part is known as the thematic development or argumentative body, particularly if it is dominated by arguments intended to prove the thesis being discussed.
The Conclusion
This section presents the conclusion the author has reached. Interestingly, the conclusion can also be placed at the beginning of the text depending on the author's preference.
Writing Style and Formal Presentation
The style of an essay can be very varied. Above all, it must be simple yet rigorous. We must avoid common or vulgar terms. The formal or external presentation is also very important. We should distribute our writing into various paragraphs depending on its extension, and if necessary, we can use headings to organize those paragraphs.