Essay Writing By Eguriase S. M. Okaka

 

 

                                                        ESSAY WRITING

BY EGURIASE S. M. OKAKA

 

WHAT IS AN ESSAY?

An essay is an organized writing or composition in which one in keeping to a certain and style of writing expresses his knowledge of a certain topic or subject.

 

GENERAL STRUCTURE OF AN ESSAY

 

 

TYPES OF ESSAYS

The basic types of essays include the following:

·        Descriptive Essay

·        Narrative Essay

·        Argumentative Essay

·        Expository Essay

·        Imaginative Essay

 

Let me now explained them in details.

 

DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY

A descriptive essay can either be objective dispassionate or impressionistic, that is passionate or all. But however way a descriptive essay may be it always involves this saying of a particular person or place or thing or idea that it is like this or that.

 

Example of a Descriptive Essay

 

QUESTION:

Your town is a wonderful place, in context of its origin, outlay, occupation commerce, and politics of its citizens, all in reference to development.  In short, four hundred and forty words can tell us about (describe) your town.

 

Answer:

 

MY TOWN

 

Oredo Local Government Area is my hometown, my own dear native land, known of old as the land of peace. Oredo is a big Local Government Area in Edo State of Nigeria popularly known as “The Heart Beat of the Nation.” We cannot talk about Edo State without its capital Benin City the throne of the Benin Monarch, i.e. the Oba of Benin Kingdom. Oredo has a wonderful origin and structural outlay. Her political and social life is second to none. Cultivation of crops, tapping of palm wine, and rearing of animals, that is, Agriculture, is her main stay, whereas the commerce of goods and services is her economy distinct profession.  The Edo people are known for Bronze Casting and Carving including all types of wood works.

 

Oredo is blessed with good road network with one road or streets leading to another. According to a tourist who has toured many African countries with Edo State inclusive attested to this fact. Even villages around are connected to the city because of this good road network enjoyed by the people. But majorities of the roads are not tarred that is one of the disadvantages faced by the people. We only hoped that the authorities in-charged will bring us succor someday.

 

The peace of this city is fairly relative as there is no society completely devoid of crime and criminality. That does not mean that there is no crime at all, you see, no society is completely free from crime. Because of this relative peaceful environment visitors always like choosing Oredo as a safe haven to live in amongst other Local Government Areas of Nigeria.  A man came from one of the neighboring community and shouted, this place is peaceful not like my state where we are always afraid for fear of been killed by robbers. That is to say that we dwell in a peaceful environment to say the least.

 

The people here are hospitable and accommodating to strangers or visitors. I noticed this when I first visited Edo State in the 90’s. Our vehicle arrival in Benin City late that night due to a mechanical fault which took the mechanics hours to repair. We got to Benin City at about 10:45 p.m., what to do is now the question running through my head but a young man walked to me, one of the passengers in the same transport service that brought me to Benin.

 

Jude:              Hello my name is Jude.

Joseph:         Hi my name Joseph.

Jude:              I guess this is your first time coming to Benin. (From the way Jude looks restlessly).

Joseph:         Yes Joseph. Do you know this address? (Showing him a piece of paper containing the address).

Jude:              Ogbowo! Of course, I know this place.

Joseph:         Thank God!

Jude:              This place is far from here and besides there is no vehicle around here that will take you there now.

Joseph:         What will I do now?

Jude:              Don’t worry! My house is not far from here. You can come with me let’s go to my house so that you can pass the night there till tomorrow morning, then you can go and locate your destination.

Joseph:         I’m grateful Jude. You are God sent.

 

That is one of the few occasions of hospitality shown by our people to strangers. There are more instances of our accommodating nature shown to people.

 

The city center houses the civil service and the state secretariat where most government offices are located. Edo state is often regarded as a Civil Service State because of the ministries and non-availability of other jobs apart from those offered by the State Government. The Ring Road as it is popularly called houses the Oba’s palace, Oba Market and many well-known streets of the land. The Oba Market police station is located in that axis, responsible for crime control within the city center because of the must population of the place. As you already know where more than one person is gathered in a place, there is always a tendency of crime there. That is the reason why you need effective policing in such areas. The Ring Road is characterized with traders of the Oba’s Market involving in buying and selling of goods and services.

 

The Oba of Benin is the custodian of the customs and traditions of the people. He stands as a spiritual father of the people and lives peacefully with his people but highly respected by all his subjects. Every December he celebrates the Igue festival to thank the gods and his ancestors for all the peace in the kingdom. It is always celebrated between Christmas and the New Year and it includes the Oba’s blessings of the land and his people.

 

My town is blessed with many mineral resources and the people are great people and dwell peacefully with each other. I think peace is very essential to all human being, as we cannot do without food that is exactly how we cannot do without peace. Peace is a very important tool for development. That is why every good leader will always seek for peaceful co-existence with his subjects.

 

 

 

NARRATIVE ESSAY

A piece of continuous writing or composition in which the writer tells the story of an event or events, is called a Narrative Essay. Example of a Narrative Essay is given below:

 

Question:

In about six hundred and eighty words, write an essay on a very interesting ceremony you attended, taking time and care to tell your story in such a way that the ceremony of choice will really be seen as a very interesting one.

 

Answer:

 

THE MARRIAGE CEREMONY OF MY ELDER SISTER

 

A very interesting ceremony I attended is the marriage ceremony of my elder sister. Marriage is the coming together of a man and a woman to live together as husband and wife. The marriage ceremony of my sister began with the settlement and payment of the bride price on the first day. Then the marriage took place, with all its pomp and pageantry on the second day. On the third day was the Christian wedding rite and the knowing-of-in-laws.

 

The first day of March in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-nine (1999), was an interesting day in our very large family. My sister Rosemary came back to tell us the story of two men who met her on her way to the morning market, asked her name, one of them expressing interest in marrying her. To our surprise, the two men came to our house in the afternoon of the same day, with the elders of their family. My father called the elders of his family and after the visitors has presented their gallon of palm-wine, the settling of the bride price started by use of the broom sticks. The settling commenced immediately, because as the elders from sides witnessed to each other, both families have the best line and age in the town and her neighbors. By the evening of this first day, the suitor and the accompanying elders came back, paid the dowry and announced their intentions to have the marriage ceremony tomorrow.

 

It was a very great challenge to us, but our well-to-do family can not at all be challenged thus by our suitor’s family. However well-to-do they are. So, we agreed. That evening we sent for the girls and women of our extended family. They all came. Then, all types of food materials were brought out from our great store, rice, yam, cassava, et cetera, and the women and girls from dust to dawn. One of our cows was slaughtered for the occasion and by the morning of the second day; we were ready to host our visitors.

 

By 9:00 a.m., in the morning of this second day, the suitor and his company arrived with pomp and pageantry. They came with one big lorry, filled with different types of drinks, both local and foreign. They also came with the famous Nkwa Umuagbogho of Afikpo.  Of course, we welcomed them in our numbers, and the ceremony which really started yesterday came to its heights and call. There were several presentations of things: kola nuts, opening speeches, wines, foods, etc. Then, there was the exchange of wine-cups and dance by the couple. There were great feasting, dancing, goodwill, speeches and words of advice to the latest couple in town, and all that. At last, there was the presentation of things: money, cooking utensils, et cetera, to the bride. The ceremony took its tone by the suitor’s family announcing to all and sundry, that the ceremony of today will be concluded tomorrow morning at St. Michael’s Church with the Wedding Mass, after which reception follows immediately with the ceremony of knowing-of-in-laws. According to them, as the Parish Priest heard of the two families involved, he needed no other question, for he confirmed that they are very good Christian families.

 

So, on the morning of the third day, at St. Michael’s Church, the Parish Vicar, Rev. Fr. Rich, wedded the couple with the following covenant-word and blessing, what God has joined together let no man put asunder. A great reception followed immediately after the Mass in the parish hall, where everybody, including the parish priest, ate and danced wishing the Newly Wedded Couple a happy and peaceful married life devoid of troubles and disunity.

 

You see that! It was a very interesting ceremony. Just in three days, everything about the coming together of my sister and her man, to live together as husband and wife was done with pomp and pageantry. That can never be equaled in history. May you grow old together and have a peaceful home. Amen!

 

 

 

ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY

A piece of organized writing, in which a writer logically argues a point of view by giving the relevant reasons, is called an Argumentative Essay. Such an essay should be logical, not emotional. For it to be logical it must contain evidences (that is premises), from which a conclusion is drawn. The premises most imply the conclusion. The conclusion must follow from the premises.

 

Examples of an Argumentative Essay

 

QUESTION:

The Editor of your school magazine wishes to include an article about the public debate that village life should be encouraged more than city life. Write your own contribution in not less than five hundred and forty words.

 

Answer:

 

VILLAGE LIFE SHOULD BE ENCOURAGE MORE THAN CITY LIFE

 

Concerning the motion which says that village life should be encouraged more than city life, I wish to contribute to the proposing side. When we consider the fundamentality, the cultural dynamism, the social life and attitude, and the incorruptibility of the village life; all against the life-type in the city, one surely will not remember again, that there is also the opposing side to the topic under consideration. For one will see nothing again to oppose concerning the topic.

 

Everybody agrees that the village life is more fundamental than life in the city. Why? Because almost all of us began our life in the village, it was only from the village that most of us came to the city life, and if the beginning of life has more influence on the character and behavior of life itself, then village life should be encouraged more than the city life.

 

In the village, because everyone came from the cultural background, life is lived with a high sense of cultural dynamism in the context of identity and patriotism. Thus, the character and behavior of life are principled by the invaluable cultural values of one’s land of origin and birth. Nobody of course will, in his right senses let down his own native place, before his very brothers and sisters. But the cultural dynamism, we have just talked about is not possible in relation to life in city. Why? It is because of the different cultural backgrounds and affiliations of the people living in a city.

 

Now, because of the common culture background of the people who live in villages, they live a common social life and have a common attitude to life’s affairs, whether political or economic or all. Consequently, unlike the people who live in the cities, those who live in the villages are their brother’s keepers.

 

Consequently, because a common life and attitude enrich the lives and actions of those who live in the village, life and action become incorruptible in the villages. So, unlike in the cities where there are many robbery activities, bribery, and corruption, rapes and arsons, there are no such corrupt activities in the village.

 

So, from all we have said, from the beginning until now, it will readily be clear to us that, more than the city life the village life should be encouraged and fostered. Since it is from the villages that people usually move to the cities, seeing now that the village life should be encouraged more than the life in the city, our business or rather  the business of the government must be to turn our villages into cities by setting up industries, construct good roads, providing storage facilities for agricultural products, etc., in our villages, for it is only in the light of these secondary facilities that the city life claims some advantage over the village life.

 

 

Question:

The budget of this fiscal year has been published the details of which show, that some public enterprises have been privatized. The Head of State has also just come to visit your school. As the prefect of the society for Economic Emancipation (S.E.E), present a speech of not less than four hundred and fifty words to the Head of State and the welcoming audience, on the dangers of such privatization.

 

Answer:

 

Mr. Chairman,

Special Guest of Honor,

The Head of State,

My lords Spiritual and Temporal,

Our Royal Fathers,

The Principal and members of Staffs,

Distinguished Guest,

My Fellow Students,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

It is with humility and respect that I take this stand among you, as the prefect of the Society for Economic Emancipation, to make a speech on the dangers of the proposal to privatize some public enterprises in the last budget of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 

The budget of this fiscal year has been published, the details of which shows that some public enterprise like NITEL, NEPA, Petroleum Refineries, Petrochemical, etc., have all put on the privatization proposal list. Without prejudice to the advantages of such privatizations when accomplished, like enhancement of free enterprises, which increases productivity and engendering of economic liberation which increases efficiency, professionalism and government resources for economic reforms, there are however, on the other side, the dangers of private monopolies, high cost of things, job-cut and general instability.

 

If public enterprise like NEPA, NITEL, etc., is privatized, private monopolies will replace public monopoly. For instance, particular individual, who may be dubious in character and more, may hijack the economy by using their wealthy position to buy over these public enterprises.

 

Moreover, once such private monopolies are established, services must become very expensive, because private enterprises are only concerned with the maximization of gains. (I.e.) making profit that is the reason why they are in business. As you are aware nobody goes into business to loose and profitability is the watch word.

 

Such maximization of profits must have the free conclusion of job-cuts, for this slogan will never die or be overcome in the private economic sector. “Cut down staff and generate more profits.”

 

At any rate, in the face of such private monopolies, high cost of things, and job-cuts, there will follow a general instability, with respect to the honest management and transparent efficiencies of services and goods in context of our public-oriented enterprises like NITEL, NEPA, etc. The major effect of this instability will be this: that the cost of goods and services will highly be unpredictable. They will be out of the reach of the common man. This will bring more hardship in the country as goods and services will be not affordable by the citizens.

 

At this juncture, I hereby call on the Head of State, and all the other officials’ in-charge to use their authority and presence to consider again the delicate proposal of privatizing some of our public enterprises. I am not saying that such privatization cannot be done or it has no gain to the citizens of our great country, all I am saying is this that with respect to some of the dangers we have seen, such an exercise should be well protected with public economic laws by the government before it can meaningful take place.

 

Thank you!

 

 

 

EXPOSITORY ESSAY

When in a piece of continuous writing, one makes the formation and idea of something clear to thought and sense that piece of write-up or composition is called an Expository Essay. To be sure, an expository essay is also called an Explanatory Essay.

 

Example of an Expository

 

QUESTION:

Agriculture is important to a nation in a number of significant ways. Write an essay of not less than six hundred and forty words showing such importance.

 

ANSWER:

 

Agriculture is the cultivation of crops and the rearing of animals. From the meaningfulness of this definition, it will readily strike one that agriculture must, however way one looks at it, is most significant importance to a nation. Since a nation is a nation because people made it up, agriculture provides a nation with food, with materials for trade, with raw materials for industrial productions, and with money for wellbeing and development.

 

In the cultivation of crops that is agriculture, various food crops are cultivated, like yams, coco-yams, rice, cassava, maize, beans, and so on. The cultivation of these foods crops by a nation makes it possible for her to satisfy completely her need for food and nutrition. Also, since the rearing of animals like cows, goats, sheep, fowls, etc., agriculture is also an important source of provisions for nutritional meats.

 

But all the food crops and meats provided by agriculture cannot on the whole be used for food, especially, in these modern days of mechanized agriculture. So, a nation uses the food crops and meat it cannot eat as material for trade. Moreover, it is not all farmers in a nation can provide all the food crops and meats types they need, they can thus buy what they don’t have or cannot produce from other nations and sell what they have or produce in abundant to other nations of the world. The commerce of the food crop and meat materials can be done either in a local market or a foreign market. Thus a nation can export her food crop and meat trade material.

 

Still there is a further thing a nation can do with her agricultural crops and rear-animals .she can get materials from them for other things. For instance, from cassava the raw material for garri is taken.  Maize provides the raw material for pap and flours.  The skin of rear animals gives the raw materials for making of leathers, shoes, sandals etc. These raw materials keep the industrial works in the various nations providing variety in a nation’s outlay of goods and services.

 

But, as much have been readily discerned prevvoiusly, if agriculture provides a nation material for trade raw materials for industries, then agriculture also provides a nation with money. This point is very clear because, in the buying and selling of goods and services and the production and distributions entailed thereof as a result of agriculture’s provision of raw materials trade materials, a great amount of money is made by a nation. This money is used for the wellbeing and development of the nation. For instance, more industries can be built with the money. A cultural center can also be built with the money for the nation. Good roads can be constructed, and build other social infrastructures.

 

So, if agriculture feeds a nation, provides her with materials for commerce, gives her the raw materials economics production, and  provides her thus with the great amount of money needed for national development, then agriculture is not only important, more so, it is necessarily important to any nation.

 

 

 

IMAGINATIVE ESSAY

A piece of writing or composition in which we allow our minds to create the image of certain event or idea is called an imaginative essay.

 

Example of an Imaginative Essay

 

Question:

In not more than five hundred and eight-six words imagine a write=up that begins or ends with “One good turn deserves another.”

 

Answer:

 

 

“ONE GOOD TURN DESERVES ANOTHER”

 

Someday, while Josephine and her colleagues were playing in their school compound, as an old woman suddenly came up to them. She was carrying a three year old baby. Both mother and child were in rags, their hairs disheveled. The woman was carrying also an old torn mat, with a horde of flies following the mother, the child and the mat. As soon as she came near the girl’s environment of play, the whole place started to smell like a hideous sore.  

 

The girls at once started to scorn and rebuke the woman, calling her various mocking names, without even trying to hear what the woman was telling them in a voice, made faint by hunger and decay. The woman was asking them for bread and water, not even for herself, but for her child. The girls rebuked her to get out, but when she persisted, they insulted her and threw stones at her.

 

But Josephine was not happy. She took pity on the mother and child and commanded colleagues to stop their bad and unchristian attitude. She went to her hostel and got three loaves of bread and two cups of water for the mother and child, made weak by hunger and travel. They ate the bread, drank the water, thanked her, and went home.

 

Josephine was not a brilliant student in their school. Indeed, she scarcely passes her examination. But ever since the day she showed kindness to that old woman and her little child, she became very intelligent, to the clear surprise of her fellows classmates, and colleagues, she always took the first position in the class, and further, she always came out the best student in the whole school. Moreover, she never lacked anything.

 

One day Josephine knelt down to pray to thank her God for the things he has done and is still doing for her. She has just prayed and thanked for a little while, when a bright light filled the room. Josephine’s heart jumped to the mouth. By the time she could say Jack Robinson, she saw a bright spirit before her. But the spirit told her not to be afraid, and to look closely at it. Josephine looked, and saw that it was the woman with the child she helped sometime in her school. The spirit said that it is the spirit of knowledge and good luck. Those who treat her well in her needy conditions as a woman carrying a child it gives knowledge and good luck. But those who scorn and insult her, it gives ignorance and bad luck. She told Josephine to continue in good works, that all will be well with her.

 

With great fear and trembling Josephine thanked the spirit of knowledge and good luck. When the spirit turned to go Josephine asked it. “But, is it really because of the three loaves of bread and two cups of water I gave you that bestowed all these good things and knowledge to me?”. The spirit laughs, and while going away said this to her “One good turn deserves another.”

 

 

 

GENERAL RULES OF ESSAY AND LETTER WRITING

 

·        Choose the essay or letter writing that interests you most and that you know most about, for we write best about what interests us best.

·        Choose the essay or letter writing whose purpose is clear and meaningful.

·        Make sure you always find out what type of essay or letter.

·        While writing a letter or essay. Use simple words and expression that communicates clear meanings. Do not make unnecessary volumes. Keep to a lawful content. Organize your ideas well, first ideas should come first, do not put the cart before the horse. Remember to use the right punctuations; and cancel at most one or two things. Use the right tenses and constructions.

·        When writing a letter, make your intention first before swimming in the ocean of “how are you” or before letting your smiling pen dance in the bucket of full-stop (or at times even in a fool’s stop).

·        When writing an essay, make sure you always start with an introduction, for the slogan will forever remain valid that no introduction, no essay. Your introduction must contain the definition or explanation of the key terms of your topic, as well as all the points you are going to develop in the body of the essay should be developed Para graphically, one point, one paragraph. The last paragraph of your essay must be your conclusion.

·        Always remember to revise the essay or letter you have written.

 

THE END