This essay asks you to define a term or a concept or explore an issue
This essay asks you to define a term or a concept or explore an issue.
The term can be one that carries a depth of meaning within a particular religion or culture, like “girl” or “ghetto.” It can refer to a particular term, occasion, or object that is the focus of conflict, like “torture.” It can be an invented term, like “Lacrosstitution.” This assignment is a definition, one that explores the issue from all sides, not an argument that tries to persuade the reader to do something or feel a certain way. One way to develop this essay is with classifications and categories, breaking your subject into subtopics that will explain it. But these can get abstract and general, so when you do this, it’s often good to include illustrative stories, perhaps from personal experience. (If you have a personal connection to your topic, or find some anecdotes that illustrate the aspect of the topic you are explaining, do use them. Just don’t make them up; made-up examples may clarify what you mean, but they don’t enhance your credibility or support your point.)