But chiefly, our concern is wanting to lend a hand that can be used right now. Right away. With speed. An essay can be read in a sitting or on the way from one thing to the next, but a book is a time investment. We wanted the delivery to be quick. Not only do we live in a fast paced world, it can be a bit of a waste to read an entire book about writing a book. Or writing one. Not that we discourage books or any written work on the subject of writing. But we wanted a solution for the busy working class person looking to learn the craft. We chose to not repeat authors, although quite a few writers that made this list penned multiple essays worth reading. Doctorow , noted essayist and author of Ragtime , is no stranger to Hollywood.

With many adaptations under his belt, including Ragtime and Billy Bathgate , Doctorow is well suited to discuss the differences between film and literature. This essay, published in The New York Times , opines on the changes in literature since the advent of the motion picture. Notable differences include quickening of pace, shortening of exposition, and more personal narratives. Jonathan Lethem , author of Motherless Brooklyn , is known for his blending of multiple genres. It only makes sense that he should write so eloquently on the power and responsibility of using influences in original work. Technology has only multiplied the possibilities; musicians have gained the power to duplicate sounds literally rather than simply approximate them through allusion.

Today an endless, gloriously impure, and fundamentally social process generates countless hours of music. Pulitzer Prize-winning poet T. Eliot , writer of The Waste Land and Four Quartets , is as known for his literary criticism and influence as an editor than for his original work. Thus, it makes sense to include his essay on writing in a vacuum, or rather, the impossibility of such a feat. This essay, hosted now by the Poetry Foundation and originally collected in The Sacred Wood: Essays on Poetry and Criticism , nearly creates an ouroboros effect. His significance, his appreciation is the appreciation of his relation to the dead poets and artists. You cannot value him alone; you must set him, for contrast and comparison, among the dead.

I mean this as a principle of aesthetic, not merely historical, criticism. The necessity that he shall conform, that he shall cohere, is not onesided; what happens when a new work of art is created is something that happens simultaneously to all the works of art which preceded it. The existing monuments form an ideal order among themselves, which is modified by the introduction of the new the really new work of art among them. Legendary essayist and activist Susan Sontag , author of In America , exudes a confident personal style. Sontag is a bit of a Renaissance woman: professor of philosophy, journalist, novelist, playwright, photographer, and much more.

To boot, she did this during divisive times, starting in the early s. It makes sense that we should pay attention to her thoughts on style, especially as she argues for its close juxtaposition to artistic norms. Perhaps too academic for some beginners, this essay nonetheless helps to shake up preconceptions on the purpose of style in modern writing. Further: the visibility of styles is itself a product of historical consciousness. Were it not for departures from, or experimentation with, previous artistic norms which are known to us, we could never recognize the profile of a new style. Author of the infamously banned Tropic of Cancer , Henry Miller blurs the line between autobiography and fiction.

Actual and imagined experiences became indistinguishable from each other. Art is only a means to life, to the life more abundant. It is not in itself the life more abundant. It merely points the way, something which is overlooked not only by the public, but very often by the artist himself. In becoming an end it defeats itself. Most artists are defeating life by their very attempt to grapple with it. They have split the egg in two. All art, I firmly believe, will one day disappear. In any true sense we are certainly not yet alive. Writer, editor, and critic Kate Bernheimer knows a thing or two about fairy tales. So, when Kate Bernheimer talks about fairy tales, you listen.

An increased appreciation of the techniques in fairy tales not only forges a mutual appreciation between writers from so-called mainstream and avant-garde traditions but also, I would argue, connects all of us in the act of living. While there are no clear, definitive answers, burgeoning writers may find solace in the seemingly ubiquitous search for meaning. The writer trusts nothing he writes—it should be too reckless and alive for that, it should be beautiful and menacing and slightly out of his control. It should want to live itself somehow. The writer dies—he can die before he dies, it happens all the time, he dies as a writer—but the work wants to live. What some casual readers—or even fans—of the Harry Potter author might not know is that Rowling faced poverty and abject failure before finding publishing success.

This combination made for the perfect commencement speech at Harvard University. Although not an essay at first, the speech became a smash hit, garnering the most views of all Harvard commencement addresses. Sure to inspire, and possibly soothe or reassure, the speech and resulting transcription should be read by any aspiring writer. Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. There should be something important, impressing, heartwarming in your work. And, of course, it should be truthful and original as well. And here, you might need help of professionals.

Special services that help students in writing college essays exist all over the world. You can see it for yourself. Be careful when choosing a cheap service: you might end getting your paper done by a non-native English speaker. Do you actually want to waste your money on that? Make a little research before you start writing an argument essay, read the examples you find on the Internet, make notes and try to write down all the thoughts you have during the day not when you actually seat in front your PC. Write an essay! Disagree with a popular opinion and wish to convince others to join you? Need to write something because the college you dream of attending is making you? Give your essays extra polish Grammarly helps you write with confidence Write with Grammarly. Below we discuss that framework and how you can apply it to your essays, whatever types they may be.

There are three things to consider before writing your essay: thesis, type, and audience. Of these, the most important by far is your thesis, or the crux of what your essay is about. Essays can occasionally stray and go into related tangents, but they always come back to that one core idea in the thesis. You should always pinpoint your thesis before writing. The rest of your essay, then, supports your thesis. You can include empirical evidence, testimonials, logical deductions, or even persuasive rhetoric —whatever gets the job done. Like any form of writing, essays come in many different types. Sometimes the assignment dictates the type, as with admissions essays, and other times the thesis will determine it. Regardless, it helps to know what your options are, so here are some of the most common essay types:.

Argumentative essays assert or defend a position. This is the most common type of school paper, so keep that in mind when writing your first college essay. A persuasive essay is just as it sounds: an essay to persuade or convince the reader of a certain point. When you want to devote equal attention to two opposing things, a compare-and-contrast essay works better than argumentative or persuasive essays, which lean to one side over the other. Personal essays are often anecdotal or real-life stories of the authors, like the works of David Sedaris. Because they tend to follow narrative structures, the thesis can be flexible or interpretive. Your final consideration is who will read your essay—a teacher, an admissions counselor, your peers, the internet at large, etc.

For one thing, your readers determine whether the essay is formal or casual , which has an enormous impact on language, word choice, and style.

Before you sit down to write, you need a topic, and these essay writing topics can help you get started. Writing an essay is an important skill for high school and college students. Yet finding essay writing topics can feel vague. This list will help students find the right topic for a descriptive essay or argumentative essay. It outlines a number of hot topics that students can delve into in order to express their opinions and showcase their writing skills. You can use these to practice your essay writing skills or as prompts for you or students. If you are picking an essay for a 7th or 8th-grade student, the topic needs to be something that students in that age range are interested in.

This will help them want to do the research and explore their ideas. This age range will often write expository essays or narrative essays, rather than persuasive ones. Climate change is a hot topic with middle schoolers, and this essay topic idea lets them explore it. This essay topic can work well for a persuasive, informative, or cause-and-effect essay. Few middle school students enjoy homework, but this can be a great way to get them to dig into why the education system relies on homework. Students can give their opinion about the need for homework or why homework should be eliminated. Middle school students who are not ready to write on argumentative essay topics can practice their English essay writing skills by writing about a funny thing that happened as a child.

This topic should focus on entertaining, engaging storytelling. Many young students spend a lot of time playing video games, and this can translate into an essay topic. Exploring the mental health effects of too much video gameplay is a good option. Ask them to write about games they live or spend too much time playing. Sometimes younger students find it difficult to write an entire essay about a challenging topic. They can write about what this animal means to them. This is a staple choice of teachers everywhere, particularly after the summer break. All younger students can write essays easily enough about how they spent a few weeks of school what it is and where they went.

Perhaps it was time with a family member or a best friend? There is a good reason that many elementary and middle school teachers assign this as a writing assignment at the start of school. A student could start writing this essay by writing about when they felt like all was lost. Then, they could describe how picked themselves up off the dirt and achieved a victory. Will we find solutions to the problems we face today, like poverty and homelessness? Will technology enrich our lives further or be the cause of new issues? Many young students often think about the future, and this topic allows them to let their imagination run loose. This way they can express their ideas on how the world will look like in a few decades.

Do they see the positives in everything, or are they a bit more realistic? As children, we loved going to the museum. This essay topic works exceptionally well right after a school holiday. Maybe the young student just witnessed some of the best historical pieces. Writing about this topic allows them to reconnect with the emotion they felt. In this essay, ask students what they liked most about visiting the museum, important lessons they learned, and how they felt in the moment. This could be an actor, musician, or athlete. How would they feel, what questions would the student ask them, and what activities would they do together.

As they enter high school and college, students should start transitioning from informative essays to persuasive ones. Controversial essay topics are a good way to do this. They help students develop their critical thinking skills and learn how to reason an argument. The below topics the bill well:. Few people would argue about the health benefits of tobacco, yet it remains a top-selling product. This essay would explore the benefits of banning the sale of the product altogether. The death sentence is definitely a controversial ethical and social issue. This essay topic would explore whether or not it is a good way to punish for serious crimes and the benefit or drawback of adding it to every country across the globe. Homeschooling is growing in popularity, and this school essay topic would explore the benefits or drawbacks of this particular school choice.

It may pull from personal experience if the student homeschooled. Elections are an essential part of our lives. However, is the election process fair? This essay topic requires more research, and students walk away with knowledge that can help them in the long term. Sea levels are rising, which makes it difficult for animals like polar bears to survive. When writing about this essay topic, students will have to research the effect of climate change, what causes it, and how to reduce its impact. This requires logical thinking and creativity. These topics lend themselves well to a great essay that focuses on persuasion.

Fast food kids meals target young consumers, and soda is often included. Making junk food a way of life contributes to childhood obesity, and this topic could explore alternatives to soda for these kid-centered meals. When people enter a country illegally, putting them in jail does not solve the problem. Instead, alternative punishments or even help with attaining legal immigrant status can reduce the strain on an overloaded system while also helping these individuals become part of society. Babies need breast milk to survive, yet many places in society frown on women feeding their babies in public.

This essay topic would explore why this is an outdated and unhealthy idea. The best topics for persuasive essays are ones that are a little controversial. Gun control fits the bill well, and it can be a good topic for an essay. Other topics include alcohol, drugs and, in some cases, religion. That said, it depends on the nature of your students and school. All the students can typically point to an occasion or life event when their worldview or concept that themselves changed ask them to write about a defining life experience. Should it be taught or removed from schools and why? The average American produces 1, pounds of garbage per year. Most of this is thrown in landfills, which can be equally as damaging to the environment as littering.

Oceans are also filled with plastic that negatively affects the lives of marine life. This essay topic encourages older students to research recycling and the pros and cons of making it mandatory. Getting a tertiary education is essential. It allows you to learn a marketable skill that other people pay you for. However, private colleges are becoming more common, leading people to think that these institutions are more focused on making money. When writing about this topic, students need to research the cost of college tuition, how this high price negatively impacts your adult lives, and how the government can fix it.

This type of essay compares two like or unlike things, drawing ways they are the same or different. Some ideas include:. Which has more value, homework or assignments completed in class? This essay topic would explore the contrast between these two types of school assignments. For fun, give it to students to complete in class… and then ask them to revise it at home. Social media can keep people connected, but the increased push for social media connection can detract from in-person communication. This essay would explore the contrast between the two types of communication. Both exercise and diet play a role in health. This essay topic would explore the impact of both through the education system.

Older students and adult learners can remember a time before we spend so much time. Is life any better now that we spend so much time connected to the Internet? This essay explores what it means to be always connected. The right side of the brain thinkers are typically more creative and artistic. The left side of the brain thinkers are analytical and mathematical. What can each type learn from their counterpart? Caffeine is a staple for many students and workers. It gives you a boost of energy in the morning, which allows you to get more done.

It also helps if you have a test coming up and need to study hard. However, larger amounts of caffeine are known to cause heart palpitations, anxiety, and increased stress. In this essay, students look at the benefits and drawbacks of tea and coffee. It empowers them with knowledge on when to limit their consumption. Fashion is constantly changing. What looked cool 20 years ago might look weird today. Older students will also notice how their fashion choices changed from middle school to high school and from high school to college.

Cambridge, ma harvard university press. If someone did something for you once that really stood out, transform that into an essay topic. WHAT'S NEW? Legendary author Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell , stands firmly in the great pantheon of 20th century writers. read more.

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