The
term expository essay sounds very strange and mysterious,
but it actually is something most of us see every day and don't
recognize.
Essay terminology
The term essay merely means a short literary composition.
Short could mean anything up to a 50-page booklet. Most of the time,
though, essays are between 500 and 5,000 words.
An essay is a literary composition because it uses words
instead of images or musical tones to convey its message.
It is composed, not just scribbled or thrown together.
The essay is literary because essayists are literate. They
not only know their subject, but also know their craft. They can
put words together in a way that has style. Their prose flows. They
don't turn off readers by poor grammar
or strange syntax.
Unlike journal writers, who write for themselves, essayists
write to communicate with readers. They prefer having people
understand the message to having people dazzled by their writing.
Being clear is more important to an essayist than being clever
or creative.
Textbook definition misleads kids
The textbook definition of expository essay is"a personal
statement of informed opinion."
The term personal statement always gives students the wrong
impression. Students think they have to write about some deeply
held conviction and put the phrase “in my opinion” in
every paragraph at least twice.
That's not what is meant at all.
The statement is personal only in a grammatical sense. The writer
writes as if the opinion were his or her own. In many cases,
the opinions the essayists express may not be their opinions at
all.
In many real world writing situations, essayists write what their
teachers or supervisors want to hear rather than what they really
believe. (Students are accustomed to doing this; it's the terminology,
not the practice, that they won't recognize.)
Essays must support a thesis
The important part of the definition is the last part: informed
opinion. The writer has to expose
or explain the evidence that supports the opinion. The opinion
of the expository essay is a thesis statement, of course.
The evidence might be anything from government statistics
to the writer’s experience raising guinea pigs. The essay might
be dense with facts or it might be frothily entertaining. Both approaches
are equally valid if they are appropriate to the situation
and the readers.
All expository essay writing is at least a little
bit persuasive.
The essayist says to the reader, "Look at this from my perspective
for a minute."
Exposition aims at clarity
Readers don't have to agree with the writer's thesis, but they
should not be confused as to what the writer’s opinion
is or why the writer holds that opinion.
Writers may produce a piece of exposition based on invented or
exaggerated facts. Humor and satire often take liberties
with the facts in order to make a point. Sometimes what makes a
piece funny is the combination of a traditional (stodgy!) persuasive
essay pattern with absurd “facts.”
Knowing what is an expository essay is of little use unless writers
can write one. Your job and mine is to make sure students master
that skill.
created 18-Mar-2008; updated: 11-Sep-2008
