What is an Essay?

The pieces you have read so far in this unit are essays: "Stowaway", "The Old Fence", "The Pros and Cons of Being a Full-Time Musician", and "How to Be an Undividual". An essay is a well-organized, independent discussion of a specific topic. All essays require the reader to consider one key idea and its supporting evidence. An essay presents its readers with new perspectives or pushes them to consider complexities of current beliefs. 

In this unit, you are working towards writing a coherent, focused essay.

Writing essays helps you to 

  • demonstrate your understanding of learned concepts
  • organize your thinking
  • analyze and evaluate literature