The Essay: Why Your Professors Always Force You to Write Essays
You’re suffering five times the brutality of the writing process as you try to work on essays for all five of your classes because all of your professors decided to assign essays all at once. Many sleepless nights of writing and writing and writing later, the torture is over, the burden has been eased; the essays are all turned in. You can finally think now, so your mind falls on this question: What is with my professors and their love for essays?! It does seem that college professors are in love with essays–or at least with assigning them. In this article, we will discuss the art of essay writing; we will look into the history and purpose of essays so that we can figure out exactly what our professors intend when they assign the pain of the essay.
The Essay’s Past
The term “essay” has been around for over five centuries, as it has its origins in the Renaissance. The word derives from the French word, essayer, which actually comes from the Latin word, exagere, which means “to weigh” or “to sift.” This meaning seems to suggest that an essay isolates an idea and examines it thoroughly.
You can thank Michel de Montaigne for the essay you know and love today. The 16th century French philosopher Montaigne is widely regarded as the Father of the Essay because of his collection of short, personal works on various subjects such as cruelty and friendship. Montaigne titled his two-volume collection, Essais, and his conversational pieces were the first of their kind. Sir Francis Bacon followed Montaigne two decades later with his own Essays: Or Councils, Civil and Moral (1597). He was the one to sort of begin the trend because he gave the essay a more definitive form. After Bacon, the essay-style of writing took off.
Since the Renaissance, essays have been a vital part of politics, literature, and human history in general. People across the world have used this style of writing to express their views on major world issues, to share their personal stories, and to leave behind their legacies. Even formal academic writing is personal to the writer, for each word is an expression of the opinion of the person who put it on the page. Whether hastily written or carefully articulated, all essays are important because they carry a person’s voice.
A famous historical example of a collection of essays were the Federalist Papers, a series written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. All wrote in support of the new Constitution, trying to convince Americans to support it as well. Without their writings (which they wrote discretely and under the pen-name, Brutus), it is unlikely that the Constitution would have gained the support it needed to be passed in replacement of the weak Articles of Confederation. Their writings were widely read, and they successfully convinced America to ratify the Constitution. Where would America be without the essay?!
The Essay’s Present and Future
The Merriam-Webster dictionary currently defines an essay as “an analytic or interpretive literary composition usually dealing with its subject from a limited or personal point of view.” Thus, when a student is assigned to write an essay, they are essentially expected to write an analysis, making some sort of argument, with the information they have gathered in a course. The professor grades the student not on how much they personally agree with the student’s interpretation, but rather on how well the student goes about articulating their thoughts, which must also be relevant, accurate, and backed up with evidence.
Essays also come in a variety of styles. From the persuasive to the descriptive, each essay has a specific set of standards to which a student must adhere when embarking on the task of writing their essay. It is important to know exactly what the professor expects out of the student when they assign the essay because each type of essay has a particular purpose in the education process.
Professors will assign a certain style of essay to a class depending on the skills which they want them to practice. While some professors might want their students to practice the process of researching, others might want to see how argumentative their students can write. Some essays will have a more formal style, others less formal; some essays will also require you to be more personal. It all depends on the type of essay and purpose for writing. So here is an important takeaway: know what kind of essay you are writing before you begin writing so that your essay allows you to practice the skills your professor intended you to practice.
Essay-writing can be grueling, I know. We’ve all had that one essay that was particularly difficult and took much longer than necessary (I had such a difficult time with a political economy paper at the end of last semester “). Nevertheless, it is all a learning process. Essays are not just sixteenth century torture devices, for your professors are not trying to torture you (well, some might be trying, just a little…); they are trying to improve your mind. Writing is an expression of your thoughts, so when your professor gives you an essay to write, they are essentially hoping to get you to think. And they know that thinking isn’t always easy. If nothing else, don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment with a Communication Coach at the Writing and Communication Center. Coaches at the WCC are here to help guide you through the difficulties faced at any stage of the writing process. :)
The essay is your chance to think critically and creatively and to put into words your thoughts for your professor to examine. Give yourself the time to think and reach out for help when necessary. We’ve all suffered the same pain of the college essay, but we know we will grow from the process. Essay writing is one of the most difficult aspects of college, but it can also be the most rewarding when you finally see your own original words stringed together on the page for another’s eyes to read.
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