With a Little Help from Authors: Essay Samples for StudentsDecember 05, 2018

Michel de Montaigne is believe to be THE writer that popularised essay as a literary genre, and his works would reveal what a good gentleman must do in a civilised community like Europe. Ralph Waldo Emerson's followers have a point to raise on this claim, as the Bostonian also made the essay accessible to American readers. As a matter of fact, he visited the largest cities in Western Europe (and write his experiences about it). You may not find this piece of trivia interesting at all, as you rather look for the works of a homegrown author who would make his (or her) own mark in the essay genre. It might take months, if not years, as you must go to the Outback. The arid climate may test your limits, but the rewards would be invaluable. And you're certain that it's not an author who is interested in bush poetry.

Writers would learn about the craft from the previous generations of writers, and the classics should make it to the top of their list. It's the same thing with the essay, which is not too different from any academic material. It’s a daunting task, probably as hard as a novice mountain climber who is planning to scale the slopes of Mount Kosciuszko. This comparison can be a bit of a stretch, though.

University students should not take for granted the power that a good essay example can give them. While most of their coursemates might still be racking their brains for ideas on how to go about their assignments, a good sample essay can provide a good model for them. By looking at samples alone, students can have ideas for contents on their topics as well as helping them improve their academic writing.

5 Things University Students Can Learn from a Good Essay Example

How to present ideas in a logical manner? Organisation and coherence are essential elements of an essay. Sample essays that are tightly structured enable the students to appreciate the author's ideas better. Jumbled ideas can seriously undermine the essay paper. Hence, it’s critical that they maintain logic, rationality, and objectivity.

How to build the main idea? Apart from tactics on how to build a coherent essay structure, a well-written essay example also shows the strategies that university students can adopt to developing paragraphs. There are several methods on how students can expound their paragraphs and these include exemplification, comparison and contrast, and analogy among others.

How to strengthen arguments? To get hold of an essay example that contains strong arguments is tantamount to finding a rare gemstone. University students must closely scrutinise how the author is able to impart his (or her) arguments, and what devices are used in order to fortify them. Some writers opt to use quantifiable data to back up their claims while others cite passages from books, researches, and other credible sources to strengthen their point.

How to make the essay cohesive? In essay writing, the way the author presents his (or her) thoughts (or feelings) is just as important as the content. Thus it’s important that university students are able to create unity and consistency all throughout their text. They need to examine their essay examples and see how the writers make the transition between ideas. Some of the more popular strategies include the use of conjunctions and subheadings. By adopting these tactics, students can make a smooth transitions from one idea to another.

How to wrap it all up? An excellent essay example does not provide a haphazard conclusion to the paper. In fact, university students can do well by looking at sample essays that effectively synthesises the entire document. What students must understand is that the conclusion is where they can drive home their point. It's important that students make their professors feel that they’re not wasting their time (checking their assignments).

A Thing or Two on Authenticity

With the various ideas that an essay example provides, university students can pick up great points that they can adopt to their own writing. However, they must still draw a line between using an essay example and simply passing it off as one's own. The purpose of a sample essay is to serve as a reference. Having one is not a license to plagiarising, This point is loud and clear.

Students can channel their inner Montaigne (or Emerson), even compose a draft after reading a bush poem. (A line or two can serve as an introduction.) It might not be the right time to take a hike, even if the warmer climate makes it the perfect time to do it. A seashore would be a better destination. All you have to do is look at the deep, blue sea. It's impossible not to imagine what creatures (and possibly structures and objects) that can be found beneath the surface. Try to look at this body of water as a blank space. What ideas can you make from it?

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