Do you have an interesting story to tell? Is there some past event, situation, or personal encounter you wish to share with others? The narrative essay is the perfect vehicle for doing so. With this type of essay, you relate your experiences (or those of another person) in a compelling way that holds your readers' interest.
I recently moved across to the east of the Pennines. Not only do I now have a garden with figs, plums and a whole host of other goodies, but I am meeting lots of new people. Last week I went into the next village as they have a library there. I saw a mother pushing a pram with a pair of tiny twins. Almost immediately behind her were a set of middle aged ladies, also twins and then across the road a pair of school girl twins followed a few minutes later by more babies. A coincidence of course, but it set me thinking. Not all twins are exactly alike. Often they don’t look exactly the same and they may have very different personalities.
Do you ever get frustrated when you realize that the person you've been talking to was not really listening at all?
Do others ever complain that you don't listen?
Don't be too anxious if the answer to either or both questions is "yes".
Although we may not be aware of it, many of us have poor listening skills, and strong listening skills are important for everyone, not only for second language learners. Good communication is essential to forming good relationships with people of all kinds, from family, friends and neighbours to co-workers, bosses and even government officials!
Sometimes in life, we only scratch the surface of things. Maybe a topic we're studying, or a place we're visiting. In addition, we often deal with people on a superficial level, not really getting to know them better. This includes having brief dialog with others, or only seeing outward appearances.
In the course of academic study, or as part of a freelance writing job, you may find yourself asked to write a Literary Analysis Essay. In this type of essay, you present your views on a certain novel, short story, poem, or play script. You can even present an analysis of a literary essay that deals with a topic in depth. In essence, a Literary Analysis Essay is you putting forth reasons as to why your observations on a particular work are valid ones.
In a way, a literary analysis essay is akin to an argumentative essay. You want to promote your views, opinions, and ideas on a work. Your goal is to put your best argument forward for your way of understanding the work. You can use elements of other essay types to do this, such as compare and contrast. This is where you may compare the novel, poem, or other work to another author's work. There can be elements of the narrative essay in this type of essay as well.
Sometimes, writing essays requires that you describe something exactly. You want to give your readers a complete picture of the subject of your essay. This may be an essay on a certain idea. It may be you writing about a person, place, or thing. It may simply be you describing or stating what a word or term means, and it means you are in effect writing a definition essay.