essay --- not a big deal!!!!!
 

An essay is a short work that treats a topic from an author's personal point of view, often taking into account subjective experiences and personal reflections upon them. Essays are usually brief works in prose, but works in verse are sometimes dubbed essays (e.g. Alexander Pope's An Essay on Criticism (1711) and An Essay on Man (1733-1734)). Many voluminous and famous works refer to themselves as essays (e.g. John Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690), Thomas Malthus's An Essay on the Principle of Population (1798).

Virtually anything may be the subject of an essay. Topics may include actual happenings, issues of human life, morality, ethics, religion and many others. An essay is, by definition, a work of non-fiction, and is often expository. The essay as literary genreThe word essay derives from the French essay ('attempt'), from the verb essayer, 'to try' or 'to attempt'. The first author to describe his works as essays was, unsurprisingly, French: Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592). Inspired in particular by the works of Plutarch, a translation of whose Oeuvres morales [Moral works] into French had just been published by Jacques Amyot, Montaigne began to compose his essays in 1572; the first edition, entitled Essais, was published in two volumes in 1580. For the rest of his life he continued revising previously published essays and composing new ones.

Francis Bacon's essays, published in book form in 1597, 1612, and 1625, were the first works in English that described themselves as essays. Ben Jonson first used the word essayist in English in 1609, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.

Notable essayists are legion. They include Virginia Woolf, Adrienne Rich, Alamgir Hashmi, Joan Didion, Susan Sontag, Natalia Ginzburg, Sara Suleri, Annie Dillard, Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, Charles Lamb, William Hazlitt, Thomas Babington Macaulay, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walter Bagehot, George Orwell, John D'Agata, and E.B. White.

It is very difficult to define the genre of essay, but the following remarks by Aldous Huxley, regarded in his day as a leading practitioner of the genre, may be of interest:


"Like the novel, the essay is a literary device for saying almost everything about almost anything. By tradition, almost by definition, the essay is a short piece, and it is therefore impossible to give all things full play within the limits of a single essay. But a collection of essays can cover almost as much ground, and cover it almost as thoroughly, as can a long novel. Montaigne's Third Book is the equivalent, very nearly, of a good slice of the Comédie Humaine. Essays belong to a literary species whose extreme variability can be studied most effectively within a three-poled frame of reference. There is the pole of the personal and the autobiographical; there is the pole of the objective, the factual, the concrete-particular; and there is the pole of the abstract-universal. Most essayists are at home and at their best in the neighborhood of only one of the essay's three poles, or at the most only in the neighborhood of two of them. There are the predominantly personal essayists, who write fragments of reflective autobiography and who look at the world through the keyhole of anecdote and description. There are the predominantly objective essayists who do not speak directly of themselves, but turn their attention outward to some literary or scientific or political theme. … And how splendid, how truly oracular are the utterances of the great generalizers! … The most richly satisfying essays are those which make the best not of one, not of two, but of all the three worlds in which it is possible for the essay to exist" (Collected Essays, "Preface").
The essay as a pedagogical toolIn recent times, essays have become one of the chief tools by which colleges and universities judge the mastery and comprehension of material, and they are sometimes used as a part of the criteria by which the student body is selected as well. Academic essays are usually more formal than literary ones. They may still allow the presentation of the writer's own views, but this is done in a logically argued and detached manner (i.e.: the student is aware of, and tries to stand back from, their personal prejudices and 'common knowledge'). The argument of such essays often responds to the supporting evidence the author presents.
The five-paragraph essay
Main article: five paragraph essay
Many students' first exposure to the genre is the "hamburger essay":[1] a highly structured form requiring an introduction presenting the thesis statement; three body paragraphs, each of which presents an idea to support the thesis together with supporting evidence and quotations; and a conclusion, which restates the thesis and summarizes the supporting points. The short "five-paragraph essay" form is controversial in some educational thinking. It does allow the student writer to put additional structure in place, at a stage when the main concern is mastering more "tactical level" issues such as unified paragraphs, transitions, thesis statements, and so forth, but its simplistic structure severely limits the author's range of expression.
Other forms
Other common types of short essays used for academic purposes include but may not be limited to the following:
Argumentative essays
Cause & Effect essays
Compare & Contrast essays
Definition essays
Division/Classification essays
Example essays
Narrative essays
Process analysis
Longer academic essays (often with a word limit of between 2,000 to 4,000 words) are often more discursive. They sometimes begin with a short summary analysis of what has previously been written on a topic, which is often called a 'literature review'. Longer essays may also contain an introductory page in which words & phrases from the title are tightly defined. Most academic institutions will require that all substantial facts, quotations, and other supporting material used in an essay be referenced. Such references that appear throughout the text will refer to a bibliography at the end of the text. The reason for requiring references is that a teacher can then clearly distinguish between the original ideas and arguments of the student, and the secondary ideas and arguments the student has taken from their research and reading. Non-literary essaysArt
In the visual arts, an essay is a preliminary drawing or sketch upon which a final painting or sculpture is based, made as a test of the work's composition (this meaning of the term, like several of those following, comes from the word essay's meaning of "attempt" or "trial").
Music
In the realm of music, composer Samuel Barber wrote a set of "Essays for Orchestra," relying on the form and content of the music to guide the listener's ear, rather than any extra-musical plot or story.
Film
Film can also be used to produce the more subjective reflective attitude characteristic of essays. Important essay film makers include Chris Marker, Guy Debord, Raoul Peck and Harun Farocki. One working definition of the essay film is "documentary laced with self-portrait." Theoretical approaches to this genre can be found in the works of Michel Beaujour, Raymond Bellour, Roland Barthes and Walter Benjamin. Other filmmakers who have been active in the essay film are Orson Welles, Trinh T. Minh-ha, Hartmut Bitomski, Alexander Kluge, Jem Cohen, Jean-Luc Godard and Robert Kramer. Perhaps the original essay filmmaker was Dziga Vertov.
Photography
A photographic essay is an attempt to cover a topic by a series of photographs.
Philately
In philately, an essay is a prototype for a proposed stamp. In contrast, a proof is the prototype of an accepted stamp. Both essays and proofs are rare, as usually just a few are produced. They are not sold publicly, but handled by insiders or held in postal museums or collections. Possibly the first essay of a stamp not accepted is the Prince Consort Essay from 1850.
Numismatics
A numismatic essay is a coin prototype proposed for general sale or circulation
regards:wacko:

@Saira

Kindly mention the source of information.



Regards,

@Qurratulain
The source<book- essay- by wintherd belle and en.wikipedia.org>

hi every body
m a new user can plz some body tell how long shod n essay be...i'll really be greatful

@asma-j

Dear it is up to the topic's title. At times u r asked for 1000 words approximately so u need to follow it as it is directed. but sometimes when u r free to write it by urself then it is up to u. I believe that it should be more than 1500 words in all for css paper.

But some essays need to contain more facts and figures, sometimes these facts and figures come up to the point so u dont need to stretch the length of essay.

Regards

@asma

Essay paper demands for a comprehensive and analytical essay. Some of my seniors told me that it should contain atleast [B]2200[/B] to [B]3000 [/B] words. Well, in my opinion along with the length of the essay one ought to heed on all the aspects of the topis as well in order to make it comprehensive.



Regards,

how dare you do this in my thread

@saira

What happened janab? Thread that u post once is for all the members, we all have the right to say our say and discuss over the issue. Any prob?

Regards

AOA


Well, guys dont juzt chill.....be cool....shall i get for one of u a bottle of pepsi come on ....!! we all are here for discussion not to fight its not a ground of WWF and one of u not definatly a undertaker or jhon sena ;) :pp not not anyone here to u present any heavy weight championshil awrad not even me lolxxx........juzt kidding man keep helping me i need dire of it as i am v poor :con

keep smiling :pp

Regards,
Snob

@saira

BTW, what serious crime has been commited in 'your thread'. Well, i m possible has rightly mentioned, that once you've posted something here on forum's board it becomes public property and everyone has the right to have his / her say on that particular issue. Secondly, we are here to keep a stringent surviellance on forum's activities and we don't keep any offensive posts on forum so no need to worry.


Regards,

Well! The magician has too much of magic I doubt

[quote=Saira]Well! The magician has too much of magic I doubt
[/quote]
You better turn your doubt into a permanent belief. Good for you.

Too much of magic is not good for health I suppose or maybe I BELIEVE

[quote]Too much of magic is not good for health I suppose or maybe I BELIEVE[/quote]
Health's not the theme here, but the belief and doubt. And doubt creates anxiety thats not good while belief doesn't do so. As far as magic is concerned, it's nothing more than that of optical illusion.

And action- more than magic is the only thing we get.Action lady...........
I dont doubt but I believe some people are not too good for action even.

i m newer, and also i want to sit in css examination.my date of birth is 01-01 1982. 1st can anybody tell me that in how many attempts i can be appear. plzzzzzzzzzzzzzz tell me and 2nd when r exams held. 3d how should i prepare my self 4 exam.

[QUOTE=munwar]i m newer, and also i want to sit in css examination.my date of birth is 01-01 1982. 1st can anybody tell me that in how many attempts i can be appear. plzzzzzzzzzzzzzz tell me and 2nd when r exams held. 3d how should i prepare my self 4 exam.[/QUOTE]





Buddy! Pull up your socks and give it three back to back tries........28 years is normally the upper age limit unless you belong to some particular area in which case the upper age limit is 30 years.........so you need to set about working on your CSS-enterprise RIGHT NOW!!!!!

salam:

first of all Munawar bhai Welcome to the forum of intellectualls. you will find ur self more satisfied and uptodate regarding css.

in response to ur qurries,

1. i think u have still three years to be appear in css exam if ur not applying from NA/FATA or ur serving govt job. if ur from FATA or govt employee then u have five years. because maximum age for css exam is 28 years. along with two years relaxation if u fall in any of above mention catagories.

2. exam will be held on 18 march, 2008. u have still 5 months.

3. how tp prepare. ths depends on ur own study pattren and u concept. but if have strong dtremination u have more than enough time to handle tthe situation.. u must visit all the concernd threads and information in this forum... and it will be gud tht u start reading newspaer (dawn) and write down the editorial page in ur simple and plane word, dont care tht ur wrong at first instance. keep it in ur mind that practice make man perfect...
u have to concentrate on english and then rest of compulsory subjetcs along with ur optional . but u have to give more time ur compulsory. nevertheless, optional will give u boost and are marks scoring subjects so also have gud attention but not more tan compulsory and especially english


may be i have mentioned some incomplete and layman information but these are my personal experienced staregies which help me out more .

needs seniors suggestion and comments


wish u best of luck and also raise ur hands for all of us,,,


regards

shahid khan mohmand

Tip for an good essay
 

Hi Dear Friends, for getting good marks in essay writing, try to write practicle information rather than theoretical, for example, if you are writing essay on PAK-USA relations, you should present currenct scenerios of both countries rather than the foreign policies.

ok. i have got an special advice for essay writing. essay is very tough task to do and to succeed with flying colors is a big deal. just collect the information from divergent places and keep on writing different topics it will guid u to the right path and u pass it very easily in css and remember one thing that essay means nothing but to try.

tnx brother

i agree with u the essay is principly consist of elaborating facts with possitive mannar.
Nothing is difficult if the doer has a passion

Regard
Farhan Khan

one important query
 

being a junior member am again curious about one question which constantly baffles me and which i oftenly ask people of literary prominance as to what should be the beginning of an essay?though the comments and exhortations put forward by all of your goodselves are indeed praiseworthy,the point i want to make clear is whether one should try starting with a backgroung or giving direct introduction to the topic.terrorism say is given as the topic to compose,now what should be the starting?shall it be defining terrorism directly or going a brief into human history,its past dangers and the subsequent rise of the grisly spectre of terrorism.i think i cam make it more clear.whether the essay should be inductive or a deductive one.should there be any anecdote or allegory or any amusing story that bears upon the subject of essay.further more if essay is to start with backgroun or directly where exactly the thesis sentence should be located?your precious comments are highly solicited.

@ Ashfaq_dir
Dear as for as essay for terrorism is concerned, the smae rules will be applied for Terrorism Essay like
first you will have to start your essay with a quite interesting quote, saying, or anything you want to attarct the reader, then introduce Terrrorism, what Terrorism is ? Then you should go ahead with the currenct problems regarding Terrorism, point out some major problems of USA, Pakistan, Israel and other related like 9/11, Usama bin Laden, Al-Qaueda or Baituallah Mehsud, put the condition of our own country, the problems which we face of terrorism specially in Swat, North, west Waziristan and specially tribal areas, then you should suggest the main causes for terrorism , remedies and measures to stop terrorism in the country, and finally you should conclude the whole essay by giving a small conclusion.
by the way, this is quite big essay , if given in examination can be easily solved.
if you have any other confusion or you think i have commited any mistake, then plz guide me , and Dear my name is Also Ashfaq!
wish you best of luck.

i dont have any problem but i was away for some time so beacause i could not write. yes it is acually right to say that to write an essay aspecially from css point of view is a big deal but we can face it sharp. just it should be more than 1200 to 1500 hundred words and less than 2000 words. i do acknowledge that i m new but i have spent time with senior and css qualified persons so to write an essay is not so tough. just divide it in three parts itroduction should be arresting secondly body of the essay is acually an essay thirdly ending the essay which is called conclusion should be satisfactory. and some thing every body knows daily practice in writing essay will meke u perfect int it. do reply

hi every body. it is acually good to read english practical usage for css english all papers it will help u to be sharp in english. just it was in my opinion i dont know what do u think about this. bye

well.saira your post is fine but let me tell you a thing.
essay is not and cant be lernt through the amalgamation of so many a views from so many a resources as is mentioned by you.
thats for you.
for asma is that with all due respect do not misguide the posters about the lenght of an essay for to define the lenght of an essay is equally a tough job as kissing the sky...

AOA,

Dear members i need some essays urgently coz PMS exams are just going to start fsommid of july nd m not prepared due to some reason do me a favor please post some important essays.
thanking you

Dears, anybody please share important topics for Essays and also comprehensive outlines, if can. specially current topics with accurate data plzz.

standared of medical for fpsc???