Ways We Use Content in an Essay 

Purpose

Your purpose for writing will generally fall in one of three categories:  

We often call these categories narrative, informative, and persuasive writing.

 

Consider the following three discussions of the same topic, "Hot" Bikram Yoga:

(Use the controls within the frame to scroll through the essay, to increase/decrease the font size, or even print out a copy.)

Narrative:

 

Informative:

 

Persuasive:

 

 

Do you see the difference in focus for each of the above selections?  

1. The first (narrative) takes you into the author's experience, relating a story or narrative.  

2. The second (informative) informs you of a process.  

3. The third (persuasive) argues a particular point.

 

Depending on your purpose, you may structure your essays differently. In addition to defining the general purpose, you will want to identify your specific objective(s) in writing.   What should the audience learn or believe after reading your essay?   What is your specific goal?

 

As you brainstorm or outline your essay, consider the points you'll be making.   This outline of general points may help you reach your goal.

 

Consider the following outline on an essay related to the Bowl Championship System (BCS). (Remember that five-paragraph essay from the review area in Module 1?):

 

I. Thesis: The Bowl Championship System (BCS) should be changed to more closely resemble the National Football League's (NFL) playoff system.

A. The Problems with the Subjectivity of Polling

B. The Distracting Nature of a Profit-Driven Bowl System

C. Increased Engagement (and Spending) Among Fans

 

Do you see how the points in a short outline may help achieve a specific goal, as stated in the thesis?   You can use your paragraphs and even specific rhetorical modes to help build these points.

 

Audience

Once you've defined your purpose, you'll want to consider your audience.

 

These questions and others you may generate will help you effectively analyze your audience and then decide what you should include in your essay to communicate effectively.

 

Context

Everything you'll write occurs within a specific context: the time in which you are writing your point. In order to do so effectively, you'll need to consider what has been said before and what perspectives exist on your topic. How much is known about this subject? What are the issues?

 

Think about yourself as entering an ongoing conversation. It is important to listen first and then share your perspective. Whether you are telling a story to entertain, presenting information, or arguing a side, other "conversations" have been ongoing.   Consider what has been said and how what you will have to say fits into the conversation. This helps make your writing effective.

 

Another factor in "context" is where and how you'll be delivering the information.  Writing a speech you'll deliver orally to a classroom looks much different than a ten-page paper you'll write for a history class.  Writing a standard paper document may look much different than an interactive web essay you want to post online. Even a multi-paragraph composition posted as a blog will "unfold" according to issues of context: what has been said before and what is expected in this format.  

 

If you can organize your thoughts according to purpose, audience, and context, you'll be on your way to developing an essay that is organized effectively.

 

Organizing content according to rhetorical modes is one way to develop specific content.   For example, if you are conveying a dominant impression of the town in which you grew up, you will need to use vivid details to capture it. This mode is called description. If you are trying to convey an epiphany you had because of a life-changing circumstance, you might draw heavily on narration. Chances are you'll need to blend these modes in either of these topics noted above.  

 

Here are some of the most common rhetorical modes used in academic writing: 

 


 

Self Check Area

 

Use this short practice to see how well you understand developing content in your essay.

 Open/Close Self Check Quiz

 

 

Click here to go to the review section for Module 2: Essay Content.