Writing PERSONAL
Essays
Ellen Beck
September 29, 2004
What is an Essay?
• An essay is a composition that
discusses, describes or explains one
topic. It can be serious or funny. It
can describe personal feelings or
state your opinion or it can just
explain facts.
The BASIC Structure
of an Essay
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Introduction with thesis
Supporting Idea 1
Supporting Idea 2
Supporting Idea 3
Conclusion
It is important to remember that an essay can be any length. For
example, some essays are one paragraph and others are 25
paragraphs. If you are writing an essay for class, you should always
ask your instructor about the length of the essay.
The Introduction
I. Introduction
• Introductory statements
• Thesis statement
• Introduce supporting ideas (optional)
The Body
II. Body
– First supporting idea
• Transition, topic sentence
• Discussion, examples, and analysis
– Second supporting idea
• Transition, topic sentence
• Discussion, examples, and analysis
– Third supporting idea
• Transition, topic sentence
• Discussion, examples, and analysis
The Conclusion
III. Conclusion
– Transition, statement reflecting back
on thesis
– Restate key points
Let’s Get Personal
PERSONAL ESSAYS are
• About YOU
• Written using “I”
These essays are about you—your life,
your experiences, your feelings, your
thoughts.
Sample:
My Job in an Apple Plant
By John Langan
• Working in an apple plant was the worst job I ever had. First of
all, the work was physically hard. For ten hours a night, I took
cartons that rolled down a metal track and stacked them onto
wooden skids in a tractor trailer. Each carton contained twelve
thirty-two-ounce cans or bottles of apple juice, and they were
heavy. The second bad feature of the job was the pay. I was
getting the minimum wage at that time, two dollars an hour, plus
the minimum of a nickel extra for working the night shift. Even
after working over sixty hours a week, I still did not take home
much more than one hundred dollars. The worst feature of the
apple plant job was the working conditions. During work we were
limited to two ten-minute breaks and an unpaid half hour for
lunch. Most of my time was spent outside on the truck-loading
dock in near-zero-degree temperatures. And I was very lonely on
the job, since I had no interests in common with the other truck
loaders. I felt this isolation especially when the production line
shut down for the night, and I worked by myself for two hours
cleaning the apple vats. The vats were an ugly place to be on a
cold morning. The job was a bitter one to have.
Quick Review
The BASIC Structure of an Essay
1. Introduction
2. Supporting Idea 1
3. Supporting Idea 2
4. Supporting Idea 3
5. Conclusion
English Works! Web Site
• To find more information on essay
writing go to our English Works!
website
• http://depts.gallaudet.edu/englishwo
rks/writing/main/essay.htm
• Or stop by the TIP lab in 1221 to see
a writing advisor.