Types of Essays

Inquiry/Exploration Essay

An inquiry/exploration essay summarizes a topic, gives an overview of a controversy, or explores a subject explores a subject you know little about.
Your purpose is not to make an argument. In most cases, you should write objectively rather than take a stand for or against a topic.
Example: An essay exploring the history of migrant farm workers in the American West.

In an essay to convince, the goal is to argue a position or make a claim and get readers to both listen to and agree with you. Build your case through rational presentation of reasons and evidence.
You write essays to convince when your subject is “intellectual” for example, when you’re writing about a scientific, technical, or rigorously academic topic.
Example: An essay arguing that migrant labor has led to loss of jobs for Americans.

A persuasive essay, like an essay to convince, involves arguing a position using relevant reasons and evidence.
When you write a persuasive essay, your goal is for your readers to agree with you and, as a result, change their attitudes or behavior in some way.
A persuasive essay is a call to action, and your goal will be to reach your audience on a deeper, more emotional level (see Forms of Appeal). As a result, a persuasive essay often is appropriate when you’re addressing topics such as social issues, public policy, or values.
Example: An essay arguing that migrant labor is exploitative and immoral.

In an analysis essay, you separate a selected text into parts and study them. Ultimately, you attempt to make a discovery about the text as a whole.
An analysis essay will always answer a question about a text, e.g., How does Steinbeck use symbolism in The Grapes of Wrath?
To answer such a question, use thoughtful interpretation of one or more textual elements. Your purpose is to illuminate and explain a writer’s strategies.
- After closely reading a text, you’ll evaluate the writer’s purpose, style, and/or rhetoric, as well as the effect, intended or actual, that the text has on readers.
- Your evaluation will include analysis of elements such as word choice, tone, attitude, organization, evidence, writing style, language, and argument.
In any analysis essay, it’s essential that you back up your claims with specific examples from the text.

In a personal essay, you’ll write about your own experiences and observations as they relate to a particular theme or subject.
You might write a personal essay to reflect on something, or you might use your personal experiences to argue a point, in the manner of an essay to convince or persuade.
Be sure to select your material carefully—each anecdote you include in a personal essay should in some way illuminate the purpose of the essay as a whole.
Example: An essay discussing your trip to Florida orange groves and how it shaped your views of migrant labor

Next: Developing an Argument