ENG3U1: Unit 1
Explorations in Non-Fiction:
The Essay
What defines an essay? An essay may explore a thought, analyze an idea, express a
feeling, or establish the parameters of a debate. But whatever its form or its intent, an
essay always builds an argument. It seeks to convince the reader if its main point: its
thesis.
This thesis is, essentially, an opinion. The thesis asks you to rethink some aspect of a
world you thought you knew. The writer believes that we don’t understand something
that is going on around us. Stop, the essay says, and reconsider what TV does to kids,
the plight of someone living and dying with AIDS, a trip to the dentist, a roller coaster
ride, the true meaning of gender equality in sports. The essayist wants us to look again
at something we may have thought we already understood.
Thesis
Although the manner in which the thesis is conveyed varies from essay to essay, the
thesis is always present, and informs everything else. An essay without a thesis is, in
short, not an essay at all.
A thesis may be stated explicitly, in one sentence. The thesis statement often
appears near the beginning of the essay in the introductory paragraph.
Or, the writer may choose to lead up to his or her statement, and so it may not appear
until the second or third paragraph.
Or, it may not be stated at all. But there is still a thesis: in these cases it is implied
rather than explicit. It should, nevertheless, be clear to the reader what the writer is
saying. Like fiction, the meanings lie below the surface, and it falls to the reader to
interpret the words on the page.
Development
Within the conventional form of the essay (introduction, body, conclusion), there are
many approaches to developing an argument. Generally, essays are organized in one
of the following methods:
• process and analysis - shows a sequence of steps or stages taken to produce a
result
• cause and effect - shows why and how a particular result has been achieved
ENG3U1: Unit 1
• compare/contrast - shows the similarities and/or differences of ideas, objects,
processes
• classification - identifies the categories contained within a topic
• argument - presents evidence to support a hypothesis and draws conclusions
• example - illustrates a concept by giving one or more examples
• narrative - illustrates a concept by telling a story
• description - explains or illustrates by providing vivid imagery
• definition - explains the unfamiliar by using a clear and detailed definition
Keep in mind, however, that while most essays follow one overall approach, good
writers combine elements of other approaches to give their ideas maximum
effectiveness.
A Three-Step Approach to Essay Analysis
The “S.O.S. Model”
S: Beginning with the writer’s thesis, summarize the main
points/ideas.
O: Identify the method of organization (i.e. cause and
effect)
S: Evaluate the writer’s style by identifying rhetorical
devices and explaining how they contribute to the impact
of his or her ideas.