illustration in an essay

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Learn the step-by-step process to write an effective and captivating illustration essay that engages readers and showcases your analytical and critical thinking skills.

Exploring the vast realm of writing is akin to embarking on a captivating journey through the realm of ideas, thoughts, and knowledge accumulation. One of the most intriguing genres that allows individuals to express their creativity and analytical skills is the illustration essay. This unique form of writing serves as a powerful tool enabling authors to convey complex concepts in a clear and engaging manner. By utilizing varied examples, anecdotes, and visuals, writers are granted the opportunity to illuminate their perspectives on a multitude of subjects, ranging from art and literature to science and social issues.

In order to create an effective illustration essay, authors should take into account several key recommendations. Firstly, it is vital to select compelling and relevant illustrations that will serve as the backbone of the entire composition. These examples should be carefully chosen to emphasize the core message of the essay while capturing the attention of the readers. Allowing the audience to easily grasp the main arguments and ideas will result in a more enjoyable and enlightening reading experience.

Secondly, the structure of an illustration essay should be meticulously crafted to ensure the seamless flow of ideas and concepts. By employing a logical and coherent structure, writers can lead their readers through a thought-provoking journey. The essay should start with a strong and attention-grabbing introduction that presents the topic and establishes the purpose of the composition. Subsequently, each paragraph should be dedicated to a single illustration, supported by relevant evidence and presented in a clear and concise manner.

Choose a Focused and Specific Topic

When writing an illustration essay, it is important to choose a topic that is focused and specific. This means selecting a subject that is narrow enough to be effectively explored within the constraints of the essay, while also being broad enough to provide ample examples and evidence.

By choosing a focused and specific topic, you will be able to delve deeper into your subject matter and provide a more comprehensive analysis. This will not only make your essay more engaging to readers, but it will also allow you to showcase your knowledge and understanding of the topic.

When selecting a topic, consider your own interests and expertise. Choose a subject that you are passionate about and have a good understanding of, as this will make the writing process more enjoyable and productive. Additionally, consider the availability of examples and evidence that can support your arguments and illustrate your main points.

In conclusion, when writing an illustration essay, it is crucial to choose a focused and specific topic that allows for a comprehensive analysis and engages readers. By selecting a subject that aligns with your interests and expertise, you will be able to create a more impactful and effective essay.

Gather Sufficient Evidence and Examples

When writing an illustration essay, it is crucial to gather ample evidence and examples to support your ideas and strengthen your arguments. By providing convincing evidence and relevant examples, you can effectively illustrate your point and make your essay more persuasive.

One way to gather evidence is through thorough research. Take the time to immerse yourself in reputable sources such as books, academic journals, and credible websites. Look for information that directly relates to your topic and supports your main idea. The more evidence you gather, the stronger your essay will be.

In addition to gathering evidence, it is important to provide examples that illustrate your points. Examples can come in various forms such as statistics, personal anecdotes, or case studies. These examples should be specific, relevant, and clearly demonstrate the concepts you are trying to convey. By using a range of examples, you can appeal to different types of readers and make your essay more engaging.

When gathering evidence and examples, it is also crucial to consider opposing viewpoints. By addressing counterarguments and presenting opposing evidence, you can strengthen your own argument. This shows that you have thoroughly considered different perspectives and have come to a well-rounded conclusion. Additionally, addressing counterarguments can help you anticipate any potential objections from your audience and address them proactively.

In conclusion, gathering sufficient evidence and examples is essential for writing an effective illustration essay. By thoroughly researching your topic, providing relevant examples, and considering opposing viewpoints, you can create a well-supported and persuasive essay that effectively illustrates your ideas.

Use Clear and Concise Language

In order to effectively convey your message in an illustration essay, it is crucial to utilize clear and concise language. By choosing your words carefully and avoiding unnecessary jargon or complicated terms, you can ensure that your readers will understand your ideas easily. This clarity and conciseness will enhance the overall readability of your essay and enable your audience to follow your thoughts and arguments effortlessly.

When writing an illustration essay, it is important to remember that your goal is to illuminate a specific topic or concept. Clarity in language helps you achieve this by ensuring that your readers can grasp your intended meaning without any confusion or ambiguity. Using precise and straightforward language also helps you maintain the reader’s interest, as they can quickly and easily comprehend your ideas.

Additionally, concise language helps you make the most of your limited word count. By choosing your words carefully and removing any unnecessary fluff or repetition, you can maintain the reader’s attention and avoid overwhelming them with extraneous information. Conciseness allows you to present your arguments in a succinct and impactful manner, enhancing the overall effectiveness of your essay.

Furthermore, clear and concise language demonstrates your command of the topic and helps establish your credibility as a writer. When you are able to express complex ideas in a simple and straightforward manner, your readers will trust in your knowledge and expertise. It also shows that you have taken the time to carefully consider your words and communicate your ideas effectively.

In conclusion, using clear and concise language is essential in writing an effective illustration essay. By choosing your words carefully and avoiding unnecessary complexities, you can ensure that your readers understand your ideas easily and remain engaged throughout your essay. Clear and concise language enhances the overall readability and impact of your work, while also showcasing your command of the topic and establishing your credibility as a writer.

Structure Your Essay Properly

Developing a well-structured essay is crucial for effectively conveying your ideas and supporting them with relevant examples. A solid essay structure ensures that your readers can easily follow your arguments and understand the points you are trying to make. In this section, we will explore some essential tips to help you structure your illustration essay in a clear and organized manner.

One of the key elements of a well-structured essay is a strong introduction. The introduction sets the stage for your essay and should capture the reader’s attention, provide some background information on the topic, and present a clear thesis statement. The thesis statement should concisely state the main point you will be arguing throughout the essay.

After the introduction, you should organize your essay body into logical paragraphs. Each paragraph should focus on a specific subtopic or supporting point related to your thesis. It is important to present evidence, facts, and examples in each paragraph to support your arguments. Use transitional words and phrases to ensure a smooth flow between paragraphs and to guide your readers through your essay.

In addition to organizing your paragraphs, consider using a visual aid such as a table to present data or statistics if applicable to your essay topic. Tables can effectively summarize information and make it easier for readers to grasp complex concepts or compare different pieces of data. Be sure to provide a clear explanation of the table and its relevance in the text.

Finally, your essay should conclude with a strong and concise conclusion. The conclusion should summarize your main points and restate your thesis in a way that leaves a lasting impression on the reader. Avoid introducing new information in the conclusion and instead focus on reinforcing your main argument and leaving the reader with a sense of closure.

By following these tips, you can ensure that your illustration essay is well-structured and effectively conveys your ideas. Remember to always revise and edit your essay for clarity and coherence, paying attention to sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation. A well-structured essay not only demonstrates your writing skills but also increases the chances of your argument reaching your target audience.

Provide Relevant and Interesting Examples

When it comes to crafting an effective illustration essay, one key element is the use of relevant and interesting examples. Examples help to clarify and support the main points of your essay, making it easier for readers to understand and relate to your ideas. Additionally, by providing examples that are both relevant and interesting, you can engage your audience and keep them interested in your essay.

Relevant examples are those that directly relate to the topic or main point you are trying to convey. They should be specific and applicable to the subject matter, providing concrete evidence to support your arguments. By using relevant examples, you can strengthen your essay and make it more persuasive and convincing.

However, it is not enough for an example to be relevant; it should also be interesting. Interesting examples capture the attention of your readers and make them want to continue reading. They can be personal anecdotes, historical events, or even current news stories that help to illustrate your point in a captivating way. By incorporating interesting examples into your essay, you can make it more engaging and memorable.

When selecting examples for your essay, it is important to consider the diversity of your examples. Using a variety of examples can help to make your essay more comprehensive and well-rounded. You can include examples from different time periods, different cultures, and different fields of study to provide a broader perspective on your topic. This not only adds depth to your essay but also shows that you have done thorough research and considered different angles.

In conclusion, providing relevant and interesting examples is essential for writing a compelling illustration essay. By using examples that directly relate to your topic and are captivating to your readers, you can effectively support your main points and engage your audience. Remember to also incorporate a diverse range of examples to add depth and demonstrate your understanding of the topic. With these tips in mind, you can create an impactful and persuasive illustration essay.

Use Strong Transitions and Cohesion

A key aspect of creating a compelling illustration essay is the use of strong transitions and cohesion throughout the text. By employing well-crafted transitions and maintaining a cohesive structure, the writer can guide the reader seamlessly from one point to another, ensuring a smooth and logical flow of ideas.

Transitions play a vital role in connecting different paragraphs and ideas within an illustration essay. They act as bridges, helping to propel the reader from one thought or example to the next. Without strong transitions, the essay may feel disjointed and difficult to follow. To prevent this, writers should employ a variety of transition words and phrases, such as “furthermore,” “on the other hand,” “in addition to,” and “similarly.” These transitional expressions provide a clear and concise link between ideas, allowing the reader to easily grasp the intended meaning.

In addition to using transitions, cohesive writing is crucial in an illustration essay. Cohesion refers to the overall sense of unity and coherence within a piece of writing. It is achieved by ensuring that each paragraph and sentence flows logically from the previous one, creating a seamless progression of ideas. One way to enhance cohesion is through the use of repetition and parallel structure. By repeating key words or phrases, or by structuring sentences in a similar manner, the writer can establish a sense of continuity and reinforce the main points of the essay.

Moreover, the use of cohesive devices, such as pronouns and transitional words, can help to establish a strong connection between ideas. For example, the writer can use pronouns like “it” and “they” to refer back to previously mentioned concepts, creating a sense of familiarity and emphasizing the continuity of thought. Likewise, transitional words like “thus,” “consequently,” and “therefore” can highlight the cause-and-effect relationship between different ideas, further enhancing the cohesion of the essay.

In conclusion, incorporating strong transitions and cohesion is essential for writing an effective illustration essay. By carefully selecting and utilizing appropriate transitional words and phrases, as well as maintaining a cohesive structure throughout the essay, the writer can ensure that the reader understands and appreciates the connections between different ideas and examples. Ultimately, this will lead to a more compelling and engaging essay that effectively illustrates the chosen topic.

Revise and Edit for Clarity and Coherence

Ensure that your illustration essay is clear and coherent by thoroughly revising and editing your work. By revising, you can refine your ideas and ensure that your essay flows smoothly. Editing, on the other hand, focuses on correcting grammar and spelling errors to enhance the overall quality of your writing.

To revise your essay effectively, start by reading through it carefully and critically. Look for areas that may be confusing or need further clarification. Make sure that your ideas are presented in a logical and organized manner. Consider the flow of your essay and make necessary changes to improve its coherence.

When editing your essay, pay attention to grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. Use a spell-check tool to identify and correct any mistakes. Be sure to also check for proper sentence structure and word usage. Consider the overall tone of your essay and make adjustments as needed to maintain a consistent voice throughout.

Additionally, it can be helpful to seek feedback from others. Ask a friend, classmate, or instructor to review your essay and provide constructive criticism. They can help identify areas that may not be clear to the reader and offer suggestions for improvement.

Remember, the goal of revising and editing is to ensure that your essay is easy to understand and presents your ideas in a cohesive manner. Take the time to carefully review your work, making necessary revisions and edits to enhance its clarity and coherence.

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How to Write an Illustration Essay: Quick and Easy Guide

How to Write an Illustration Essay: All You Need to Know

Creating an illustrative essay entails more than simply sketching a few beautiful images, even though some might believe that they are easy because they can incorporate drawings into the writing. To excel in this type of work and enhance the visual appeal of your piece, it demands both time and a solid comprehension of the subject matter.

Students can master this academic writing style by consulting guides and examples. So, to acquire comprehensive guidance on crafting an exceptional illustration essay from beginning to end, check out our article to discover the definition, suggested themes, and guidelines for creating an uncontested paper from beginning to end.

Illustration Essay Definition

To give you a clear idea of your first potential question on the concept of - what is an illustration essay - here is a simple definition from our essay writing service : Illustration papers serve as a form of written composition employed to present instances or examples of a particular concept or idea. These essays commonly incorporate visuals and other illustrations to aid in explaining the discussed concept.

Similar to other essay types, this paper typically commences with a thesis statement that establishes the main overarching theme of the work and provides a preview of what readers can expect. Subsequently, a series of examples are presented throughout the essay to support the thesis statement. While illustrative elements can be found in other types of essays, such as argumentative essays, this type of work must avoid presenting claims or personal opinions.

How to Write an Illustration Essay: Steps To Begin

Let's take a journey together with our essay writer to learn how to start writing your paper. By following these steps, you'll be able to bring your illustration essay ideas to life and make a strong impact on your readers.

Step 1: Select a Topic

If you are given the freedom to choose your illustration essay topics, take full advantage of it. Consider selecting a subject you are passionate about, so you will be motivated to explore it further, and the writing process will not feel burdensome.

Step 2. Research

Embrace research as your closest companion. When embarking on your work, refrain from diving into writing before gathering ample material. It is crucial to locate credible sources from which you can extract relevant information. Platforms such as Oxford Academic and Google Scholar prove excellent for conducting your research.

Step 3. Write an Outline

While some students argue that creating an outline is a futile task, it actually serves as a valuable step. When constructing your outline, be sure to incorporate the following components:

Introductory paragraph: Introduce the topic, provide background information, clarify the significance and relevance of the topic, and present a strong thesis statement.
Body paragraphs: Present your ideas in a logical and organized manner. Dedicate each paragraph with a topic sentence to discuss a single idea, utilize transitional devices to enhance the flow between paragraphs, and strive for paragraph coherence.
Conclusion: Restate the thesis statement, summarize the main ideas discussed in the body paragraphs, and provide a concluding statement that wraps up the entire paper.

Step 4. Write Your Ideas

Having completed the necessary steps thus far, crafting an outstanding essay should pose no difficulty. Simply transform your main ideas into concise paragraphs and bolster each one with the appropriate supporting evidence.

Step 5. Review

After completing your essay, it is essential to give it a thorough editing. Take the time to read through it once or twice to identify any grammatical, structural, or contextual errors. Additionally, ensure that your essay is free from any instances of plagiarism.

Step 6. Enjoy Your Perfect Essay

By considering the aforementioned steps, you should now be able to appreciate your perfectly completed essay. Keep in mind that the writing process can be painless when you follow our expert tips (more to come below!), leading to a flawless outcome.

Why Write Illustration Essay: Purpose and Importance

The primary objective of illustration essays is to facilitate readers in comprehending a concept or argument with clarity by presenting tangible and illustrative examples and evidence. The examples utilized in this type of paper should be pertinent, vibrant, and precise, enabling readers to understand and visualize the topic being discussed.

Illustrative writing can prove advantageous for both the writer and the readers. On the one hand, this type of assignment enhances a student's creativity and comprehensive abilities. On the other hand, it stimulates the reader's imagination as they are required to mentally construct a visual representation.

If you find yourself uncertain about how to start an illustration essay, one approach is to delve into your personal experiences that are relevant to the topic or subject matter. Reflect on real-life examples or incidents that can effectively illustrate the concept you intend to discuss. By drawing from your own experiences, you can provide authentic and relatable illustrations for your essay.

Main Tips For Writing

If you are still unsure about how to write an illustration essay and need additional tips, you've come to the right place! Make the most of the advice provided below.

Collect Evidence - When embarking on your academic essay , refrain from diving into writing before gathering ample material. This type of writing necessitates the inclusion of numerous examples, so acquire a multitude of firsthand examples from professional writers.

Be Concise - Aim for precise and focused illustrations, steering clear of unnecessary elaboration or lengthy descriptions. Keep your examples concise while ensuring they retain clarity and effectiveness.

Provide Concrete Instances - Opt for specific illustration essay examples that vividly depict your points. The inclusion of specific details enhances the clarity and impact of your illustrations, making them more relatable and captivating to readers.

Rely on Reliable Sources - Make use of trustworthy and credible sources when gathering examples and evidence. This approach bolsters the credibility and reliability of your essay. Consider referencing scholarly articles, academic books, reliable websites, or expert opinions to reinforce your arguments.

Ensure Clear Expression - Ensure the clarity and comprehensibility of your illustrations. Avoid ambiguity or confusion by offering ample context and explanation. Take the time to review your essay, ensuring that your examples effectively convey the intended message and provide support for your thesis statement.

Topics for Illustration Essay: Choose The Best One

Presented below are a collection of ideas to ignite your creativity when writing an illustration essay. Feel free to explore and adapt them according to your personal interests and the specific guidelines of your assignment.

Student Life:

a. The Challenges and Benefits of Balancing Academics and Extracurricular Activities

b. The Impact of Peer Pressure on College Students' Decision-Making

Personal Development:

a. The Role of Traveling in Broadening a College Student's Perspective

b. The Benefits of Mindfulness and Meditation for Stress Reduction in College Life

Social Relationships:

a. The Influence of Social Media on Interpersonal Communication Skills

b. The Importance of Developing Healthy Boundaries in Friendships and Relationships

Career and Future Planning:

a. Exploring Alternative Career Paths: Non-Traditional Options for College Graduates

b. The Significance of Internships in Gaining Practical Experience and Building Professional Networks

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Illustration Essay Examples

Exploring our collection of expertly crafted illustration paper examples offers a valuable opportunity to delve deeper into the intricacies of this writing style. Utilize the vivid examples below as a point of reference as you refine your own writing skills.

We also recommend taking a look at our comprehensive guide on a narrative essay , complete with examples.

To wrap up, by thoughtfully selecting enthralling examples, conducting meticulous research, and skillfully presenting them with clarity, your illustration essay has the potential to transform into a captivating masterpiece. Allow your imagination to roam free, infuse your prose with the enchantment of visual storytelling, and embark on an extraordinary odyssey where ideas flourish, and comprehension deepens.

And if you still find it challenging, buy essay from our creative writers who will infuse vitality into your essay through illustrations that invigorate, leaving readers uplifted, enlightened, and yearning for more!

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is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

Illustration Essays: Definitions, Templates and Examples

I’m a university professor, and in this article, I’m going to show you exactly how to write an illustration essay.

ultimate guide to illustration essays (template and full sample essay)

1. What is an Illustration Essay?

An Illustration Essay is an essay designed to describe and explain with examples. You will be required to use examples to reveal details about the subject you are discussing.

In many ways, it is the easiest form of essay because you don’t have to come up with a thesis or argue a point. All you need to do is explain with descriptions and examples (or ‘illustrate’) a subject or phenomenon.

Much like when someone draws a picture to show you what something looks like, an illustrative essay uses words to show what something is.

Related Article: 141+ Illustration Essay Topics

2. Difference between Illustrative and Argumentative Essays

You can see that in many ways, an illustrative essay should be easier than an argumentative essay . You can put all your efforts into your explanations and examples.

Aim to create a coherent picture in the reader’s mind about the topic you’re discussing.

3. Definition of ‘Illustrate’

Here are a few definitions of ‘illustrate’:

Oxford Dictionary says that to Illustrate is to “Explain or make (something) clear by using examples, charts, pictures, etc.”
MacMillan Dictionary provides this nice, simple explanation: “to show what something is like.”

Let’s now put the term into a few sentences to help clarify it for you just a little more:

The newspaper article illustrates how the dinosaurs became extinct.
The story of Abraham Lincoln provides a clear illustration of his life achievements.
My father’s explanation of how to change oil in a car illustrated the process sufficiently.

Synonyms for ‘Illustrate’

Illustrate may also be interchangeably used with words like:

Give Detail

4. How to write an Illustration Essay

Here’s how to write an illustration essay:

2.1 How to write your Introduction

The introduction is much like any other in an essay, and therefore I suggest you use the usual I.N.T.R.O formula .

This formula is a way of writing a 5-sentence introduction that orients the reader to the topic. Here’s how it works. Each of the following points forms one sentence of your introduction:

Inform: Inform the reader of the topic.
Notify: Notify the reader of one piece of interesting background information about the topic.
Translate: Translate or paraphrase the essay question.
Report: Report on your position or argument (This step can be skipped as you will often not need to make an argument)
Outline: Outline the essay structure. You can use ‘Firstly, secondly, thirdly’ here.

2.2 An example introduction for an illustration essay

This example is for an illustration essay on the topic: Illustrate the various ways young people use social media in their everyday lives.

“Social media has many impacts on young people. Social media is quite new, with the most famous social media site Facebook only being introduced to the world in 2004. This illustrative essay will explain and provide examples of the many ways young people engage with social media every day. The essay will begin with an explanation of what social media is, followed by several illustrative points with examples to give details about what new media is and how it has changed young people’s lives.”

2.3 How to write an illustration paragraph (body paragraph)

Paragraphs in the body of an illustration essay have two purposes:

Describe and Define: You need to clearly describe and define your subject to the reader. The reader should be left with the impression that you have a deep knowledge of the topic.
Explain and Exemplify: You need to provide many examples to illustrate your points.

I recommend that you do this in order. Your first few paragraphs should describe and define the subject. Your following paragraphs should give a lot of quality examples.

2.4 Examples of illustrative paragraphs

I’ll keep using the example topic: Illustrate the various ways young people use social media in their everyday lives.

Example of a Describe and Define Paragraph:

“Social media is a form of media that emerged during the Web 2.0 era of the internet. It is unique because it gives people the ability of people to create personal profiles and communicate back-and-forth with one another. It is generally known to have emerged in the early 2000s with websites like MySpace and Facebook, and has changed recently to be heavily mobile responsive with the emergence of smartphones in the 2010s.”

Example of an Explain and Exemplify Paragraph:

“One unique consequence of social media is that it has meant young people are in constant contact with their friends. Whereas in the past young people would have to hang out in person to be in contact, now they can message each other from their homes. For example, young people get home from school and can log into their web forums like Facebook messenger. From here, they can stay in touch and chat about issues that happened at school. While this may be enjoyable, some people also believe that it means young people can continue to be bullied even from within their own bedrooms.”

2.5 How to write a Conclusion for an Illustration Essay

To conclude your illustrative essay, feel free to use the normal conclusion paragraph style. My preferred template for a conclusion is the 5 Cs Conclusion method .

Here’s a brief summary of the 5 Cs Conclusion method. Like the INTRO method, you can write one sentence per point for a 5 sentence conclusion paragraph:

Close the loop: Refer to a statement you made in your introduction to tie the beginning and end together.
Conclude: Show your final conclusion on the issue. As this is an illustrative essay that generally does not require a unique thesis statement, this step can be blended with ‘Clarify’.
Clarify: Show how you have answered the essay question
Concern: Show who would be concerned about the issue.
Consequences: Show what the consequences of the issue are for real life.

Read Also: 39 Better Ways to Write ‘In Conclusion’ in an Essay

2.6 Example Conclusion for an Illustrative Essay

Here’s an example conclusion for an illustrative essay on the topic: Illustrate the various ways young people use social media in their everyday lives.

“The beginning of this essay pointed out that social media is quite a new phenomenon. Nonetheless, it appears to have had a significant impact on young people’s everyday lives. This essay has illustrated this fact with examples including points on how many young people use social media at home every night, how it has impact how bullying occurs, and helped them to stay in touch with friends who live long ways away. Parents and teachers should be concerned with this issue in order to help children know when to switch off social media or use it responsibly. Social media is not going anywhere and will continue to impact the ways young people interact with one another on a daily basis.”

5. A Template Just for You

6. illustration essay topic ideas.

I’ve provided a full list of over 120 illustration essay topics you can choose form on this post here .

For a summary of 5 of my favorites, see below:

Provide an illustration of the lifestyle of American Pilgrims in the first few years of settlement. You can dig deep in this example by giving explanations of the farming practices, initial struggles faced, and the complex relationships between colonizers and Indigenous peoples.
Provide an illustration of the factory line production model and how it changed the world. Here, you can dig deep with examples of how the production line model was different to anything that came before it. You can also explain it using an example of a product going through a factory, such as a Model T Ford.
Provide an illustration of the ways the court system seeks to ensure justice is served. Courts are complex places, so you can dig deep here to explain why we have them and how they help keep all of us safe.
Provide an illustration of human development from birth to 18 years of age. You can dig deep in your explanation of how children move through stages of development before becoming what we consider to be fully grown adults. I selected this example for the illustration essay above.
Provide an illustration of how and why the Pyramids were built. An illustration of these remarkable structures can help you delve deep into the ways ancient Egypt operated. Discuss the ways pharaohs saw pyramids as spiritual buildings, how they used slaves to build them, and the remarkable engineering coordination required to build enormous structures back before we had machinery to help out!

7. Illustration Essay Example

Topic: “Provide an illustration of human development from birth to 18 years of age. (1000 words)”

Introduction of the Illustration Essay:

Children are born with complete dependence on their parents for their own survival. Over the next 18 years they go through several stages of biological and cognitive development before reaching full maturation. This illustrative essay explores several key ideas about how humans develop in their first 18 years. There are multiple different understandings of how humans develop, and several of the major ones will be illustrated in this essay. First, the key ideas behind human development are defined and described. Then, several examples of key parts of human development in childhood are presented with a focus on Piaget’s approach to human development.

Body Paragraphs of the Illustration Essay – Definition and Description:

Human development is the process of human growth from birth through to adulthood. It is a process that takes somewhere between 16 and 25 years, although most western societies believe a child has reached adulthood on their 18 th birthday (Charlesworth, 2016). The process behind child development has been defined and described in multiple different ways throughout history. Two of the key theorists who describe child development are Piaget and Freud. Both believe all children develop in clear maturational stages, although their ideas about what happens in each stage differ significantly (Davies, 2010).

Freud believes that all children develop through a series of psychological stages. At each stage of development, children face a challenge which they must overcome or risk experiencing psychological fixations in adulthood. Freud outlined five stages of child development: the oral (0 – 1 years of age), anal (1 – 3 years of age), phallic (3 – 6 years of age), latency (6 – 12 years of age) and genital (12+ years of age). For each stage, there is a challenge (Fleer, 2018; Devine & Munsch, 2018). These are: weaning off the breast (oral), toilet training (anal), identifying gender roles (phallic), social interaction (latency) and development of intimate relationships (genital). If the child successfully navigates each stage, they will become a well developed adult.

By contrast, Piaget was focused less on psychological development and more on cognitive maturation. Piaget also believes that all children develop in roughly equal stages (Devine & Munsch, 2014). Piaget outlined five stages of development: the sensorimotor (0 – 2 years of age), preoperational (2 – 7 years of age), concrete operational (7 – 11 years of age) and formal operational (11+ years). In each stage, the child is capable of certain tasks, and should be encouraged to master those tasks to develop successfully to the next stage. These tasks include: mastery of the sense and motor skills to navigate the world (sensorimotor), capacity to use language and think using symbols (preoperational), ability to use logic and understand time, space and quantities (concrete operational), and ability to use abstract and hypothetical thinking (formal operational) (Charlesworth, 2016).

Body Paragraphs of the Illustration Essay – Explanations and Examples:

For the remainder of this essay, Piaget’s stages will be used to illustrate how children are perceived to develop. Piaget’s stages are still widely acknowledged as useful for teaching and guiding children through cognitive development, and are generally more well received in contemporary society than Freud’s. Their value in education make them an important set of stages to understand for teacher educators. Furthermore, many educational curricula around the world continue to roughly teach in stages commensurate with Piaget’s stages (Kohler, 2014). They are therefore important stages of child development to understand.

The first stage is the sensorimotor stage (0 – 2). Children in the sensorimotor stage need support to develop skills in navigating their immediate environments. At this stage, children are given objects with various textures, shapes and compositions to allow children to touch and learn about their world (Kohler, 2014). Children in this stage also learn to develop the understanding that when things are out of their sight, they still exist! Piaget called this skill ‘object permanence’. For example, the game ‘peek-a-boo’ is often very entertaining to young children because their parents’ faces appear to disappear from the world, then reappear randomly (Isaacs, 2015; Devine & Munsch, 2018).

The next stage is the preoperational stage (2 – 7). In the preoperational stage, children learn to develop more complex communicative capacities. Children develop linguistic capacities and begin to express themselves confidently to their parents and strangers. Children also develop imaginative skills, and you often see children engaging in imaginative play where they dress up and pretend to be princesses, firefighters and heroes in their stories (Isaacs, 2015). At this young age, children are very egotistical and continue to see themselves as the centre of the world. To help children develop through this stage, parents and teachers should encourage creative writing and praise children whenever they may see things from other people’s perspectives (MacBlain, 2018).

The third stage is the concrete operational stage (7 – 11). At this stage, children learn to think logically about things in their everyday environments. They therefore develop more complex capacities to reason and do mathematical tasks. At this stage teachers tend to encourage children to learn to come to conclusions using reason and scientific observations (MacBlain, 2018). At this level many children are able to see things from others’ perspectives, but remain focused on their own lives and things in their immediate environments (Kohler, 2014).

Lastly, from ages 11 and up, children develop into the formal operations stage where they can think abstractly. In this stage, ethical and critical thinking emerges. These young people are now starting to think about issues like social justice and politics (Kohler, 2014). They also develop the capacity to do more complex mathematical tasks in the realm of abstract rather than concrete maths. A real life example may include the capacity to complete algebraic tasks. This is why algebra tends to become a part of mathematics curricula in middle and high school years (Charlesworth, 2016; MacBlain, 2018).

While Piaget’s stages are widely acknowledge to be accurate for ‘normal’ development, there is criticism that these stages do not reflect the development of children across all cultures and abilities. For example, children with autism may develop at faster or slower rates (Isaacs, 2015). Similarly, it appears children in some non-Western cultures develop concrete operations at a much younger age than children in Western societies. Thus, other theorists like Vygotsky have demonstrated that we should not see child development in set rigid stages, but instead think of development as being heavily influenced by social and cultural circumstances in which children develop (MacBlain, 2018).

Conclusion of the Illustrative Essay:

At the beginning of this illustrative essay, it was stated that children use the first 18 years of their life to develop biologically, psychologically and cognitively. Zooming in on cognitive development, this essay has illustrated child development through Piaget’s four stages of cognitive development. Through these stages, it is possible to see how children develop from very dependent and unknowledgeable states to full independence from their parents. Teachers should know about these stages of development to properly understand what level children should be at in their learning and to target lessons appropriately.

References:

Charlesworth, R. (2016). Understanding child development. Los Angeles: Cengage Learning.

Davies, D. (2010). Child development: A practitioner’s guide . New York: Guilford Press.

Fleer, M. (2018). Child Development in Educational Settings . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Isaacs, N. (2015). A Brief Introduction to Piaget. New York: Agathon Press.

Kohler, R. (2014). Jean Piaget. London: Bloomsbury.

Levine, L. E., & Munsch, J. (2018). Child Development from Infancy to Adolescence: An Active Learning Approach . London: Sage Publications.

MacBlain, S. (2018). Learning theories for early years practice . London: SAGE.

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 15 Self-Actualization Examples (Maslow's Hierarchy)
Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ Forest Schools Philosophy & Curriculum, Explained!
Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ Montessori's 4 Planes of Development, Explained!
Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ Montessori vs Reggio Emilia vs Steiner-Waldorf vs Froebel

How to Write an Illustration Essay: A Complete Guide for Students

10 min read

Illustration Essay Definition

An illustration essay is a type of essay that aims to present a compelling and vivid picture of a particular subject or personal experiences.

Unlike other essays that may focus solely on presenting arguments or analyzing data. An exemplification/illustration essay employs various examples, anecdotes, or scenarios to provide clarity and support for the chosen topic.

Purpose of Writing an Illustration Essay

The goal of an illustration essay is to paint a picture for the reader, helping them understand the subject through real-life instances or relatable situations.

This type of essay allows the writer to showcase their ability to express ideas in a relatable manner, making it an engaging and informative piece of writing.

In simpler words, think of an illustration essay as a bunch of pictures or examples that come together to create a clear and detailed image of the chosen topic. It's a way of making the subject more alive and easy to understand for the reader.

Check out this video to improve your understanding of illustration essays:

Read on to get a step-by-step guide on how to write one yourself!

How to Write an Illustration Essay?

Here is the step-by-step guide that you can follow for writing a great illustration essay:

1. Choose a Topic

The first step is to choose an interesting topic for your essay. Make sure the topic you choose has enough material available online. 2. Plan Your Writing

Once you have decided on the topic, start planning your essay. Find credible sources before starting to write your essay. In this way, you will have plenty of information and examples to include in your essay.

3. Creating an Outline

Create a rough outline to make the writing easier. Make sections for the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion, and write ideas you would add to each section.

4. Introduction & Thesis Statement

Here’s the answer to “how to start an illustration essay?”

Introduction is the opening paragraph that typically contains 5 to 10 sentences. The number of sentences in the introduction depends on the complexity of the topic.

The essay introduction should begin with a hook statement followed by some background information. End your introduction with the thesis statement.

It is important to include a well-written thesis statement at the end of the introductory paragraph. The thesis statement for illustration essay should reflect your point of view. It is basically a one-sentence statement that tells the readers what you will discuss in your essay.

Here is an illustration essay thesis example:

5. Body Paragraphs

This body section is typically made up of 3 paragraphs, but the number can be increased depending on the topic. In an illustration essay the body paragraphs should begin with a topic sentence followed by some supporting details and an example.

Make sure to include stronger evidence to support the thesis. The stronger the evidence is, the more seriously the reader will consider your point. Make sure the illustration you provide to support a point must relate to the subject and your audience.

You can also mention evidence in terms of importance, either from important to least important or from least important to the most important.

6. Conclusion

Create a summary of the whole essay in the last paragraph. Then, reiterate the thesis statement and include a finishing statement in the last.

7. Add References

An illustration essay may require you to use empirical data and other research material. Don’t forget to state the sources on the final page of the essay. Follow the referencing style specified by your instructor.

8. Proofread

Once you have finished the writing process, proofread your essay for any mistakes in grammar or structure. Edit and revise your essay to make sure it is free from any language mistakes.

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Illustration Essay Outline

Below you can find the most common layout of the illustration essay.

Below you can find a sample illustration essay outline that you can refer to for a better understanding.

Illustration Essay Outline Example

Free Illustration Essay Examples

You can look at some professionally written illustration essay examples to better understand the correct writing style and tone for a great essay.

Here are some illustration essay examples that you can review before beginning the writing process.

Illustration Essay on Social Media

Example Illustration Essay on Smoking

Illustration Essay Sample

Illustration Essay Examples Pdf

Illustration Essay Examples For College

Illustration Essay Introduction Examples

Transition Words for Illustration Essay

Transition words and phrases are important to include for a smooth flow of information. However, students sometimes find it difficult to have a smooth transition in this type of essay.

Using transitions in your essay will make it easy for you to maintain a flow in your writing and for the readers to understand the connection in between.

Here’s a list of transition words and phrases that will come in handy for writing an illustration essay:

For example
For instance
To illustrate
In other words
As an illustration
In particular
The result that
Consequently
Accordingly
For this reason
As a result

Illustration Essay Topics

Choosing the right topic is the key point in crafting an outstanding essay. Below you can find some good illustration essay topics for college to choose from.

What are the best hobbies that can help you make money?
Illustrate how a good education can lead to a successful life
Explain your views on your favorite social media platform
What is the most common challenge faced by Students today?
What are the necessary steps for writing a resume?
Rugby and football: Write about the main differences
Status symbol and Fashion shows: Share your views with examples
What are the most effective ways to save money?
Write about the challenges currently faced by students
Explain how movies impact our view of life

Looking for more great topics for your illustrative essay? Browse through our list of illustration essay topics !

Illustration Essay Writing Tips

Ready to start writing your illustration essay? Keep these tips in mind to make the process easier.

Define the Focus of Your Illustration Essay:

Before you start writing your essay, it is important to clearly identify the focus of your illustration essay. This will help to ensure that you are able to effectively illustrate your points in an organized and concise manner.

Use Illustrative Examples:

Make sure to include examples to support your points in your essay. These can be real-world examples that illustrate a point or hypothetical situations designed to show how certain aspects of the topic work.

Check for Clarity:

Once you’ve finished writing your essay, read it over and make sure it’s clear and easily understood. If there are any areas of confusion or ambiguity, revise them to ensure the reader understands your point.

Use Credible Sources:

If you’re going to include any facts or figures in your essay, make sure they are accurate and up-to-date. Before including them, make sure to check their credibility with reliable sources. This will help improve the authority of your essay.

Proofread Carefully:

Finally, proofread carefully for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and other errors. Make sure to edit and proofread your essay before submitting it. This will help to ensure that your essay is as polished and professional as possible.

Following these tips will let you write an excellent illustration essay. So be sure to keep these in mind while writing.

To conclude,

Hopefully, now you understand what an illustration essay is and the necessary steps for writing a perfect one.

If you are still unsure how to write a good illustration essay, get help from expert essay writers. MyPerfectWords.com is a write my essay service that can help you with all of your essay writing tasks.

Just hire our top essay writer and get the best illustration essay writing help from experts.

Write Essay Within 60 Seconds!

Dr. Barbara is a highly experienced writer and author who holds a Ph.D. degree in public health from an Ivy League school. She has worked in the medical field for many years, conducting extensive research on various health topics. Her writing has been featured in several top-tier publications.

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10.2 Illustration

Learning objectives.

Determine the purpose and structure of the illustration essay.
Understand how to write an illustration essay.

The Purpose of Illustration in Writing

To illustrate means to show or demonstrate something clearly. An effective illustration essay clearly demonstrates and supports a point through the use of evidence.

As you learned in Chapter 9 “Writing Essays: From Start to Finish” , the controlling idea of an essay is called a thesis . A writer can use different types of evidence to support his or her thesis. Using scientific studies, experts in a particular field, statistics, historical events, current events, analogies, and personal anecdotes are all ways in which a writer can illustrate a thesis. Ultimately, you want the evidence to help the reader “see” your point, as one would see a good illustration in a magazine or on a website. The stronger your evidence is, the more clearly the reader will consider your point.

Using evidence effectively can be challenging, though. The evidence you choose will usually depend on your subject and who your reader is (your audience). When writing an illustration essay, keep in mind the following:

Use evidence that is appropriate to your topic as well as appropriate for your audience.
Assess how much evidence you need to adequately explain your point depending on the complexity of the subject and the knowledge of your audience regarding that subject.

For example, if you were writing about a new communication software and your audience was a group of English-major undergrads, you might want to use an analogy or a personal story to illustrate how the software worked. You might also choose to add a few more pieces of evidence to make sure the audience understands your point. However, if you were writing about the same subject and you audience members were information technology (IT) specialists, you would likely use more technical evidence because they would be familiar with the subject.

Keeping in mind your subject in relation to your audience will increase your chances of effectively illustrating your point.

You never want to insult your readers’ intelligence by overexplaining concepts the audience members may already be familiar with, but it may be necessary to clearly articulate your point. When in doubt, add an extra example to illustrate your idea.

On a separate piece of paper, form a thesis based on each of the following three topics. Then list the types of evidence that would best explain your point for each of the two audiences.

Topic: Combat and mental health

Audience: family members of veterans, doctors

Topic: Video games and teen violence

Audience: parents, children

Topic: Architecture and earthquakes

Audience: engineers, local townspeople

The Structure of an Illustration Essay

The controlling idea, or thesis, belongs at the beginning of the essay. Evidence is then presented in the essay’s body paragraphs to support the thesis. You can start supporting your main point with your strongest evidence first, or you can start with evidence of lesser importance and have the essay build to increasingly stronger evidence. This type of organization— order of importance —you learned about in Chapter 8 “The Writing Process: How Do I Begin?” and Chapter 9 “Writing Essays: From Start to Finish” .

The time transition words listed in Table 10.1 “Transition Words and Phrases for Expressing Time” are also helpful in ordering the presentation of evidence. Words like first , second , third , currently , next , and finally all help orient the reader and sequence evidence clearly. Because an illustration essay uses so many examples, it is also helpful to have a list of words and phrases to present each piece of evidence. Table 10.2 “Phrases of Illustration” provides a list of phrases for illustration.

Table 10.2 Phrases of Illustration

Vary the phrases of illustration you use. Do not rely on just one. Variety in choice of words and phrasing is critical when trying to keep readers engaged in your writing and your ideas.

Writing at Work

In the workplace, it is often helpful to keep the phrases of illustration in mind as a way to incorporate them whenever you can. Whether you are writing out directives that colleagues will have to follow or requesting a new product or service from another company, making a conscious effort to incorporate a phrase of illustration will force you to provide examples of what you mean.

On a separate sheet of paper, form a thesis based on one of the following topics. Then support that thesis with three pieces of evidence. Make sure to use a different phrase of illustration to introduce each piece of evidence you choose.

Collaboration

Please share with a classmate and compare your answers. Discuss which topic you like the best or would like to learn more about. Indicate which thesis statement you perceive as the most effective.

Writing an Illustration Essay

First, decide on a topic that you feel interested in writing about. Then create an interesting introduction to engage the reader. The main point, or thesis, should be stated at the end of the introduction.

Gather evidence that is appropriate to both your subject and your audience. You can order the evidence in terms of importance, either from least important to most important or from most important to least important. Be sure to fully explain all of your examples using strong, clear supporting details. See Chapter 15 “Readings: Examples of Essays” to read a sample illustration essay.

On a separate sheet of paper, write a five-paragraph illustration essay. You can choose one of the topics from Note 10.23 “Exercise 1” or Note 10.27 “Exercise 2” , or you can choose your own.

Key Takeaways

An illustration essay clearly explains a main point using evidence.
When choosing evidence, always gauge whether the evidence is appropriate for the subject as well as the audience.
Organize the evidence in terms of importance, either from least important to most important or from most important to least important.
Use time transitions to order evidence.
Use phrases of illustration to call out examples.

How To Write an Illustration Essay?

12 May, 2020

8 minutes read

Author: Tomas White

Not all of us are "right-brained" enough to have a powerful visual imagination. So, when the tutor handles the illustration essay task, hands could get a little shaky. But, no worries! This type of essay is not about artistic visualization nor it requires any kind of drawing experience. It is much more about the "big picture" vision and the ability to formulate examples supporting your claims/arguments. So..

<h2 “alignnone” title=”Illustration Essay Writing Guide”>What is an Illustration Essay?

Illustration essay is here to prove a particular thing exists. This particular essay type relies much more on research than analysis in order to prove a particular point. It contains a great deal of description and provides the reader with vocal examples. The thesis is formulated in the introduction; then it is developed with the help of illustrative examples within the body paragraphs – just to be perpetuated in the conclusion by the end of the essay.

How to write an Illustration Essay?

An illustration essay is also commonly referred to as an Example essay. Of all the different kinds of essays students write, this exists as the most straightforward, easiest essay to write.

While other essays require very specific aspects, such as the Cause and Effect essay , an illustration essay is exactly what it sounds like: an illustration of a particular subject. If you’re wondering if it requires drawing, have no fear! In an illustration essay, the writer illustrates his or her points with clear, authentic examples—not pictures. The body paragraphs should contain research illustrating the thesis, and likely the Works Cited and/or Bibliography pages.

Introduction

This paragraph opens the illustration essay. It typically contains anywhere from 5 to 15 sentences; a number of sentences depend upon the density of the topic being explained in the essay. It should begin with a hook – a sentence to gain and keep the reader’s attention. Hooks may also be referred to as “attention getters”. Examples of hooks include:

Interesting facts
Relevant statistics
Rhetorical question
Personal anecdote

Related post: How to write an Essay Introduction

Following the hook should be several background sentences . These sentences provide key information the audience may need to fully understand the concept being illustrated in the essay. Such information could include defining important vocabulary, providing historic or social context, or relevant personal background for individuals discussed in the paper. Information plays a fundamental role when it comes to putting up a piece of content, whether it’s an informative essay or not.

Finally, the last sentence of the introduction paragraph should be the thesis statement . It’s a good idea to craft your thesis statement before you begin any research; a well-written thesis should be able to guide your research and make it more effective. What makes a good thesis? So glad you asked!

A thesis statement should be both clear and argumentative. For an illustrative essay, a thesis statement should focus on identifying the subject to be illustrated and the way the writer plans to support the illustration.

Body Paragraphs

A body paragraph’s purpose is to support the thesis. Each paragraph should contain a different piece of evidence that proves the writer’s thesis has merit. All body paragraphs follow a universal format involving five basic sentence types:

Topic Sentence. This sentence identifies the topic of the paragraph and how it relates to the thesis statement.
Background sentence(s). Depending on the complexity of the subject identified in the topic sentence, the essay writer may need one to three or more background sentences.
Research sentences. These sentences can be direct quotations or paraphrases of important ideas found during the research process. Any research sentences supporting the topic should be cited according to your teacher’s preference.
Analysis. Analysis sentences explain how the research sentences are relevant to the topic sentence and thesis sentence. These sentences often use analysis words such as shows, portrays, illustrates, proves, and communicates.
Conclusion/Transition. This sentence wraps up the paragraph and transitions the reader to the next idea in the following paragraph.

Now, here is where the “illustration” part comes in. You need to support each body paragraph statement with examples, proving or supporting your claim. Two examples covering each statement works the best. There is no need to dive too deep into examples – just lay them out as you outline your body paragraphs.

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Beginning the conclusion paragraph means that you’re almost done! Conclusion paragraphs are typically the shortest paragraphs in an illustration essay. Its purpose is to reiterate the main points within each body paragraph and prove to the reader that the writer proved his or her point within the essay. While these paragraphs are short, they are important; it is the last impression the reader has – so make it a good one!

Conclusion paragraphs should be strongly worded and confident. However, they should not introduce any new information; focus only one what’s already been presented as evidence in the essay.

Tips from our writers – free takeaways!

Transition words.

Transitions can really help move an argument along in an illustration essay. Transitions are words that act as connectors in a sentence; they connect one idea to another. They can show similarity, contrast, or illustration among other connections. Want your illustration essay to shine? Consider incorporating the following transitions to improve the flow of the essay:

Transitions can link similar ideas in the same body paragraph or link different examples of body paragraphs.

Outline Example

As with all essay writing assignments, it’s important to begin early and stay on-task. Keep to a writing schedule, beginning with an idea outline to organize your thoughts and help guide your research.

Check out this no-frills outline:

Illustration Essay Sample

Be sure to check the sample essay, completed by our writers. Use it as an example to write your own essay. Link: Illustration Essay on Social Statuses

Drawing the line (figuratively)

Taking the time to outline and narrow your research focus makes finding information much, much easier! But it is not always necessary to verse an outstanding illustrative essay. The best way to prove your point is to show a real-life example.

Nothing really works better than cases and situations taken straight from your life experience (almost like the narrative essay , right?) People with colorful life experience tend to be the best in the illustrative essay “business”.

Remember: you have many resources available to you to help you earn the grade you want. Stick to a good writing schedule and take a rough draft to your professor for constructive criticism. Visit the campus writing center if you have one, or send your essay to our professional editing service. Revisit and revise your draft at least once – perfection is a process!

A life lesson in Romeo and Juliet taught by death

Due to human nature, we draw conclusions only when life gives us a lesson since the experience of others is not so effective and powerful. Therefore, when analyzing and sorting out common problems we face, we may trace a parallel with well-known book characters or real historical figures. Moreover, we often compare our situations with […]

Ethical Research Paper Topics

Writing a research paper on ethics is not an easy task, especially if you do not possess excellent writing skills and do not like to contemplate controversial questions. But an ethics course is obligatory in all higher education institutions, and students have to look for a way out and be creative. When you find an […]

Art Research Paper Topics

Students obtaining degrees in fine art and art & design programs most commonly need to write a paper on art topics. However, this subject is becoming more popular in educational institutions for expanding students’ horizons. Thus, both groups of receivers of education: those who are into arts and those who only get acquainted with art […]

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11 Illustration

Writing for Success

Learning Objectives:

Determine the purpose and structure of an illustration essay
Understand when to write an illustration essay

The Purpose of Illustration in Writing

To illustrate means to show or demonstrate something clearly. An effective illustration essay clearly demonstrates and supports a point through the use of evidence.

The controlling idea of an essay is called a thesis, and it should be stated explicitly. A writer can use different types of evidence to support his or her thesis. Using scientific studies, experts in a particular field, statistics, historical events, current events, analogies, and personal anecdotes are all ways in which a writer can illustrate a thesis. Ultimately, you want the evidence to help the reader “see” your point, as one would see a good illustration in a magazine or on a website. The stronger your evidence is, the more clearly the reader will consider your point.

Use evidence that is appropriate to your topic as well as appropriate for your audience.
Assess how much evidence you need to adequately explain your point depending on the complexity of the subject and the knowledge of your audience regarding that subject.

Keeping in mind your subject in relation to your audience will increase your chances of effectively illustrating your point.

The Structure of an Illustration Essay

The time transition words in the previous chapter on “Narrative” can also be helpful in ordering the presentation of evidence. Words like first, second, third, currently, next, and finally all help orient the reader and sequence evidence clearly. Because an illustration essay uses so many examples, it is also helpful to have a list of words and phrases to present each piece of evidence. Table 3.1 “Phrases of Illustration” provides a list of additional transitional phrases for illustration.

Vary the phrases of illustration you use. Do not rely on just one. Variety in choice of words and phrasing is critical when trying to keep readers engaged in your writing and your ideas.

Writing at Work

Writing an Illustration Essay

Adapted from Writing for Success by University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, CC Attribution NonCommercial 4.0

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Illustration Essay

Last updated on: May 25, 2024

Quick Steps to Write a Great Illustration Essay

By: Dorothy M.

Reviewed By: Jacklyn H.

Published on: Mar 22, 2023

Are you tired of boring, mundane essays that leave your reader snoozing? It's time to bring your writing to life with the power of illustration!

Well, no more! We'll be diving into the details of creating an exciting illustration essay, showing you how to add a creative flair and make your ideas truly pop.

We'll cover everything from understanding the basics of illustration essay writing to giving you outlines and topics.

By the end of this guide, you'll have the tools you need to write engaging, visually-stunning essays that will leave the readers in awe.

So, grab a pen and some paper, and let's get started on this illustration essay adventure!

On this Page

Illustration Essay Definition

“An illustration essay is a type of essay that uses vivid and specific examples to support or illustrate a thesis statement.”

The purpose of an illustration essay is to explain or clarify a concept, idea, or argument by providing examples and evidence that help readers understand the topic in a deeper and more concrete way.

Unlike other types of essays that rely mainly on textual evidence, illustration essays use examples, anecdotes, and personal experiences to demonstrate the writer's point.

The goal of an illustration essay is not only to inform but also to engage the reader and create a clear and memorable picture of the topic being discussed.

How to Write an Illustration Essay?

Here is a step-by-step guide to writing a great illustration essay.

1. Choose a Topic

The first step to writing your illustration essay is finding a topic. Make sure you choose something that has plenty of material available for research online and will pique the interest of others reading it as well.

2. Conduct Some Research

By checking out the latest news, useful material, or sources you can develop a better understanding of the topic. It will also help you to explain the topic better.

3. Create an Outline

The first thing any potential writer should do is to create a rough outline. This way, the writing process will be much easier and allow for more creativity in crafting the message.

4. Write an Introduction

Knowing how to start an illustration essay the right way can make all the difference.

This is the opening paragraph that typically contains 5 to 10 sentences. The number of sentences in the introduction depends on how complex a topic may be so it can range from five to ten (or even more).

In this introductory paragraph, you'll want to start with an attention-grabbing statement followed by some background information about your illustration essay's subject matter. The background could include historical events, current news, etc.

5. Write the Thesis Statement

An illustration essay thesis statement should be well-written and concise. An illustration essay should always have a well-written, concise thesis statement. This one sentence is your point of view when telling the story. Support the thesis statement through proper evidence and facts.

6. Body Paragraphs

The body section is the most extensive part of your essay, and it will be made up of 3 or more paragraphs. The first paragraph should introduce what you want to talk about. Each subsequent paragraph can have supporting details, examples, explanations, etc., but make sure they all flow together smoothly.

The body section in essays must contain at least three full paragraphs linked by a common theme. Each one should start with an intriguing introductory sentence before going into detail about how this point relates to your thesis statement.

Each paragraph should have adequate evidence to prove your point.

7. Conclusion

When it comes to writing an illustration essay, the conclusion is a critical section. It's the final opportunity to leave a lasting impression on your reader and to sum up your main ideas.

To begin, it's important to reiterate your thesis statement and main points. Avoid introducing new information or ideas in the conclusion, as this can detract from the strength of your overall argument.

Next, consider the significance of your topic and the implications of your argument. Ask yourself, "So what?" and "Why does this matter?" This can help you to tie together your main points and make a final case for why your argument is important.

At last, you might consider offering a call to action or a final thought. Depending on your topic, this could be a recommendation for further research, a plea for action, or a reflection on the implications of your argument. This can help to leave a lasting impact on your reader and inspire them to think critically about the topic.

8. Proofread

The best way to make a paper perfect is by double-checking for grammar issues. Once you've completed the writing process, edit and proofread your essay so that it's free from any language mistakes.

Check out this illustration essay rubric to make proofreading easier and more effective!

Illustration Essay Outline

To write a strong essay, one should always start with an outline.

The following are the most commonly used outline for illustration essays.

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Transition Words for Illustration Essay

A professional writer uses transition phrases (such as firstly, secondly) that help readers follow along by connecting ideas together smoothly.

You should use these connectors when writing your own essays because they keep things tidy for you. Moreover, they ensure that whoever reads through your paper will have an easier time understanding how individual paragraphs fit into larger pieces.

For example
In other words
To illustrate
For instance
With the result that
As an illustration
In particular
Consequently
For this reason
Accordingly
As a result

Free Illustration Essay Example

Example papers are a great way to learn about a specific writing style. You can look at some professionally written illustration essay examples to better understand the correct writing style and tone for your next great story.

For your help, we have also provided you with an interesting example of an illustration essay about family.

Check out these essay samples:

Illustration Essay About Family

Illustration Essay Examples pdf

Illustration Essay on Social Media

How to Write an Exemplification Illustration Essay

Good Illustration Essay Topics

Coming up with a good illustration essay idea is the key to creating an interesting essay. Choosing a topic is the key to writing an effective illustration essay. It should be something you know about and find interesting, but it also needs relevance in today's society.

Here are some possible topics for an illustration essay:

Some useful studying habits for a high school and college student.
How to revitalize your hometown?
How to get proper exercise in college?
How to create a non-profit organization work guide?
Illustrate how to play disc golf.
Describe life in a particular dorm on campus.
Illustrate how to keep up good communication with your family?
Explain the difference between good and bad studying techniques.
Explain how to sell a product to a customer.
Explain how a grocery store works.
How to develop a good resume for college applications?
Rugby vs. other sports: what is the difference?
How to prepare for the first day on a sports team?

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Illustration Essay Writing Tips

Here are some tips that you can follow for writing a great illustration essay.

Choose a Topic That You Are Familiar With

When choosing a topic idea for your illustration essay, it is important to choose one that you are familiar with. This will make it easier for you to provide examples that illustrate your point. If you are not familiar with the topic, you may want to do some research to learn more about it.

Make a List of Examples

Once you have chosen a topic, make a list of examples that you can use to illustrate your point. These examples can be taken from your personal experience, current events, or from history. If you are having trouble coming up with examples, try brainstorming or doing a free write to get your ideas flowing.

Choose the Most Effective Example

Once you have a list of examples, take some time to consider which one will be the most effective in illustrating your point. The example should be clear and concise, and it should be something that your audience will be able to relate to.

Check out this detailed video on how to write an illustration essay

Write a Clear Thesis Statement

Knowing how to write a thesis for an illustration essay is essential. Your thesis statement is the main point of your essay, so it is important that it is clear and concise. The thesis statement should briefly state what you will be illustrating in the essay and why it is important.

Use Transitions Between Paragraphs

In order to keep your essay flowing smoothly, it is important to use transitions between paragraphs. Transitions help to create logical connections between ideas and make your argument easier to follow.

Want to make your essay more cohesive? Check out this list of transition words for essays to make your ideas flow!

Create a Vivid Description

In order to make your writing more engaging, it is important to create vivid descriptions of the examples that you are using. Use strong adjectives and sensory language to bring your examples to life.

To sum things, it's not always easy to write an interesting and creative illustration essay. There are a lot of minute details to keep note of. With this blog, we hope that you can write a convincing illustration essay.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What three parts make up an illustration paragraph.

An illustration paragraph is much more than just the title of an article. It's made up of a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and then wrapping it all together with one last concluding line.

What's the difference between illustration and description?

The difference between description and illustration is that a description can be seen as an account or sketch of something in words, while illustrations are more graphic depictions. For example, you might describe the sound "hmm" but use drawings to illustrate it instead.

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Dorothy M. is an experienced freelance writer with over five years of experience in the field. She has a wide client base, and her customers keep returning to her because of her great personalized writing. Dorothy takes care to understand her clients' needs and writes content that engages them and impresses their instructors or readers.

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

This section will help you determine the purpose and structure of illustration/ example in writing.

The Purpose of Illustration in Writing

To illustrate means to show or demonstrate something clearly. An effective illustration essay, also known as an example essay, clearly demonstrates and supports a point through the use of evidence.

The controlling idea of an essay is called a thesis. A writer can use different types of evidence to support his or her thesis. Using scientific studies, experts in a particular field, statistics, historical events, current events, analogies, and personal anecdotes are all ways in which a writer can illustrate a thesis. Ultimately, you want the evidence to help the reader “see” your point, as one would see a good illustration in a magazine or on a website. The stronger your evidence is, the more clearly the reader will consider your point.

Use evidence that is appropriate to your topic as well as appropriate for your audience.
Assess how much evidence you need to adequately explain your point depending on the complexity of the subject and the knowledge of your audience regarding that subject.

Keeping in mind your subject in relation to your audience will increase your chances of effectively illustrating your point.

The Structure of an Illustration Essay

Transition words are also helpful in ordering the presentation of evidence. Words like first, second, third, currently, next, and finally all help orient the reader and sequence evidence clearly. Because an illustration essay uses so many examples, it is also helpful to have a list of words and phrases to present each piece of evidence. Certain transitional words and phrases aid in keeping the reader oriented in the sequencing of a story. Some of these phrases are listed here:

Phrases of Illustration

Vary the phrases of illustration you use. Do not rely on just one. Variety in choice of words and phrasing is critical when trying to keep readers engaged in your writing and your ideas.

Writing an Illustration Essay

Illustration/Example Essay Example

Letter to the City

By Scott McLean in Writing for Success

To: Lakeview Department of Transportation

From: A Concerned Citizen

The intersection of Central Avenue and Lake Street is dangerous and demands immediate consideration for the installation of a controlling mechanism. I have lived in Lakeview my entire life, and during that time I have witnessed too many accidents and close calls at that intersection. I would like the Department of Transportation to answer this question: how many lives have to be lost on the corner of Central Avenue and Lake Street before a street light or stop sign is placed there?

Over the past twenty years, the population of Lakeview has increased dramatically. This population growth has put tremendous pressure on the city’s roadways, especially Central Avenue and its intersecting streets. At the intersection of Central Avenue and Lake Street it is easy to see how serious this problem is. For example, when I try to cross Central Avenue as a pedestrian, I frequently wait over ten minutes for the cars to clear, and even then I must rush to the median. I will then have to continue to wait until I can finally run to the other side of the street. On one hand, even as a physically fit adult, I can run only with significant effort and care. Expecting a senior citizen or a child to cross this street, on the other hand, is extremely dangerous and irresponsible. Does the city have any plans to do anything about this?

Recent data show that the intersection of Central Avenue and Lake Street has been especially dangerous. According to the city’s own statistics, three fatalities occurred at that intersection in the past year alone. Over the past five years, the intersection witnessed fourteen car accidents, five of which were fatal. These numbers officially qualify the intersection as the most fatal and dangerous in the entire state. It should go without saying that fatalities and accidents are not the clearest way of measuring the severity of this situation because for each accident that happens, countless other close calls never contribute to city data. I hope you will agree that these numbers alone are sufficient evidence that the intersection at Central Avenue and Lake Street is hazardous and demands immediate attention.

Nearly all accidents mentioned are caused by vehicles trying to cross Central Avenue while driving on Lake Street. I think the City of Lakeview should consider placing a traffic light there to control the traffic going both ways. While I do not have access to any resources or data that can show precisely how much a traffic light can improve the intersection, I think you will agree that a controlled busy intersection is much safer than an uncontrolled one. Therefore, at a minimum, the city must consider making the intersection a four-way stop.

Each day that goes by without attention to this issue is a lost opportunity to save lives and make the community a safer, more enjoyable place to live. Because the safety of citizens is the priority of every government, I can only expect that the Department of Transportation and the City of Lakeview will act on this matter immediately. For the safety and well-being of Lakeview citizens, please do not let bureaucracy or money impede this urgent project.

A Concerned Citizen

Key Takeaways

An illustration essay clearly explains a main point using evidence.
When choosing evidence, always gauge whether the evidence is appropriate for the subject as well as the audience.
Organize the evidence in terms of importance, either from least important to most important or from most important to least important.
Use time transitions to order evidence.
Use phrases of illustration to call out examples.
Provided by : Lumen Learning. Located at : http://lumenlearning.com/ . License : CC BY: Attribution
Successful Writing. Provided by : Anonymous. Located at : http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/successful-writing/s14-02-illustration.html . License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
Letter to the City. Authored by : Scott McLean. Located at : http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/successful-writing/s19-03-illustration-essay.html . License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
Table of Contents

Instructor Resources (Access Requires Login)

Overview of Instructor Resources

An Overview of the Writing Process

Introduction to the Writing Process
Introduction to Writing
Your Role as a Learner
What is an Essay?
Reading to Write
Defining the Writing Process
Videos: Prewriting Techniques
Thesis Statements
Organizing an Essay
Creating Paragraphs
Conclusions
Editing and Proofreading
Matters of Grammar, Mechanics, and Style
Peer Review Checklist
Comparative Chart of Writing Strategies

Using Sources

Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Avoiding Plagiarism
Formatting the Works Cited Page (MLA)
Citing Paraphrases and Summaries (APA)
APA Citation Style, 6th edition: General Style Guidelines

Definition Essay

Definitional Argument Essay
How to Write a Definition Essay
Critical Thinking
Video: Thesis Explained
Effective Thesis Statements
Student Sample: Definition Essay

Narrative Essay

Introduction to Narrative Essay
Student Sample: Narrative Essay
"Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell
"Sixty-nine Cents" by Gary Shteyngart
Video: The Danger of a Single Story
How to Write an Annotation
How to Write a Summary
Writing for Success: Narration

Illustration/Example Essay

Introduction to Illustration/Example Essay
"She's Your Basic L.O.L. in N.A.D" by Perri Klass
"April & Paris" by David Sedaris
Student Sample: Illustration/Example Essay

Compare/Contrast Essay

Introduction to Compare/Contrast Essay
"Disability" by Nancy Mairs
"Friending, Ancient or Otherwise" by Alex Wright
"A South African Storm" by Allison Howard
Writing for Success: Compare/Contrast
Student Sample: Compare/Contrast Essay

Cause-and-Effect Essay

Introduction to Cause-and-Effect Essay
"Cultural Baggage" by Barbara Ehrenreich
"Women in Science" by K.C. Cole
Writing for Success: Cause and Effect
Student Sample: Cause-and-Effect Essay

Argument Essay

Introduction to Argument Essay
Rogerian Argument
"The Case Against Torture," by Alisa Soloman
"The Case for Torture" by Michael Levin
How to Write a Summary by Paraphrasing Source Material
Writing for Success: Argument
Student Sample: Argument Essay
Grammar/Mechanics Mini-lessons
Mini-lesson: Subjects and Verbs, Irregular Verbs, Subject Verb Agreement
Mini-lesson: Sentence Types
Mini-lesson: Fragments I
Mini-lesson: Run-ons and Comma Splices I
Mini-lesson: Comma Usage
Mini-lesson: Parallelism
Mini-lesson: The Apostrophe
Mini-lesson: Capital Letters
Grammar Practice - Interactive Quizzes
De Copia - Demonstration of the Variety of Language
Style Exercise: Voice

Learn How to Use Illustration in Rhetoric and Composition

The Art of Explaining, Clarifying, and Justifying a Point

An Introduction to Punctuation
Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
B.A., English, State University of New York

In rhetoric and composition , the word "illustration" refers to an example or anecdote that's used to explain, clarify, or justify a point. And the word "illustration," pronounced [IL-eh-STRAY-shun], is from the Latin Illustrationem , which means "vivid representation."

"In writing an illustration," says James A. Reinking, "we try to show readers something truthful about our understanding of the world. They wouldn't read what we have written if they suspected we were unusually careless in our thinking, or if they thought we were trying to deceive them by skewing our evidence or distorting our examples."

( Strategies for Successful Writing. 8th ed., 2007.)

Examples and Observations of Illustration

The Function of Illustration

"Illustration is the use of examples to make ideas more concrete and to make generalizations more specific and detailed . Examples enable writers not just to tell but to show what they mean. For example, an essay about recently developed alternative sources of energy becomes clear and interesting with the use of some examples—say, solar energy or the heat from the earth's core. The more specific the example, the more effective it is. Along with general statements about solar energy, the writer might offer several examples of how the home building industry is installing solar collectors instead of conventional hot water systems, or building solar greenhouses to replace conventional central heating."

(Rosa, Alfred and Paul Eschholz. Models for Writers. St. Martin's Press, 1982.)

Joe Queenan's Illustrations: 'You Can't Fight City Hall'

"Books, I think, are dead. You cannot fight the zeitgeist, and you cannot fight corporations. The genius of corporations is that they force you to make decisions about how you will live your life and then beguile you into thinking that it was all your choice. Compact discs are not superior to vinyl. E-readers are not superior to books. Lite beer is not the great leap forward. A society that replaces seven-tier wedding cakes with lo-fat cupcakes is a society that deserves to be put to the sword. But you can’t fight City Hall."

(Queenan, Joe. interviewed by John Williams in "‘Books, I Think, Are Dead’: Joe Queenan Talks About ‘One for the Books.’" The New York Times , Nov. 30, 2012.)

Tom Destry Jr.'s Illustration: Stick to Your Own Trade

"Nobody's gonna set themselves up above the law around here, you understand? I got something to say to you. I think maybe I could illustrate it a little better if I told you a story. I used to have a friend that was an opry singer. Then he went into the cement business, and one day he fell into the cement. And now he's the cornerstone of the post office in St. Louis, Missouri. He should have stuck to his own trade. You better stick to yours."

(James Stewart as Tom Destry in the film Destry Rides Again , 1939.)

Don Murray's Illustration of Writers as Dawdlers

"Even the most productive writers are expert dawdlers, doers of unnecessary errands, seekers of interruptions—trials to their wives or husbands, associates, and themselves. They sharpen well-pointed pencils and go out to buy more blank paper, rearrange offices, wander through libraries and bookstores, chop wood, walk, drive, make unnecessary calls, nap, daydream, and try not 'consciously' to think about what they are going to write so they can think subconsciously about it."

(Murray, Donald M. "Write Before Writing." The Essential Don Murray: Lessons from America's Greatest Writing Teacher, Heinemann, 2009.)

T.H. Huxley's Illustration of the Word 'Fish'

"If any one wants to exemplify the meaning of the word 'fish,' he cannot choose a better animal than a herring. The body, tapering to each end, is covered with thin, flexible scales, which are very easily rubbed off. The taper head, with its underhung jaw, is smooth and scaleless on the top; the large eye is partly covered by two folds of transparent skin, like eyelids—only immovable and with the slit between them vertical instead of horizontal; the cleft behind the gill cover is very wide, and, when the cover is raised, the large red gills which lie beneath it are freely exposed. The rounded back bears the single moderately long dorsal fin about its middle."

(Huxley, Thomas Henry. "The Herring." Lecture delivered at the National Fishery Exhibition, Norwich, April 21, 1881.)

Charles Darwin's Illustration: 'All True Classification Is Genealogical'

"It may be worthwhile to illustrate this view of classification, by taking the case of languages . If we possessed a perfect pedigree of mankind, a genealogical arrangement of the races of man would afford the best classification of the various languages now spoken throughout the world; and if all extinct languages, and all intermediate and slowly changing dialects , were to be included, such an arrangement would be the only possible one. Yet it might be that some ancient languages had altered very little and had given rise to few new languages, whilst others (owing to the spreading and subsequent isolation and states of civilisation of the several races, descended from a common race) had altered much, and had given rise to many new languages and dialects. The various degrees of difference in the languages from the same stock, would have to be expressed by groups subordinate to groups; but the proper or even only possible arrangement would still be genealogical; and this would be strictly natural, as it would connect together all languages, extinct and modern, by the closest affinities, and would give the filiation and origin of each tongue."

(Darwin, Charles. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. 1859.)

Figure of Speech: Definition and Examples
How to Use Exemplification in Writing
What Is an Anecdote?
Imitation in Rhetoric and Composition
Understanding Organization in Composition and Speech
Exemplum in Rhetoric
Supporting Detail in Composition and Speech
Definition and Examples of Correctness in Language
Audience Analysis in Speech and Composition
What Is Academese?
Heuristics in Rhetoric and Composition
Definition and Examples of Composition-Rhetoric
What Is Rhetoric and Commonplace in English Grammar?
Definition and Examples of Evaluation Essays
What Is Composition? Definition, Types, and Examples
What is Metadiscourse?

Essay Guides
Main Academic Essays

Illustration Essay: A Complete Guide, Tips, Examples

Speech Topics
Basics of Essay Writing
Essay Topics
Other Essays
Research Paper Topics
Basics of Research Paper Writing
Miscellaneous
Chicago/ Turabian
Data & Statistics
Methodology
Admission Writing Tips
Admission Advice
Other Guides
Student Life
Studying Tips
Understanding Plagiarism
Academic Writing Tips
Basics of Dissertation & Thesis Writing

Research Paper Guides
Formatting Guides
Basics of Research Process
Admission Guides
Dissertation & Thesis Guides

Table of contents

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An illustration essay is a type of writing that uses specific examples to illustrate a general idea or an abstract concept. The primary goal of illustration writing is to use proper examples to prove the main point of the essay.

This article will explain the purpose, importance, and structure of an illustration essay. Want to know how to write it step by step? Hop on and keep reading until you get to the actual guide. Soon you’ll be ready to write this kind of paper, from first sentences until last paragraphs. Let’s dive into it together!

What Is an Illustration Essay: Definition

The illustration essay concept lies in providing an initial introduction into the general research subject. Essentially, this is about proving that a particular object or notion exists, showing how it functions, and explaining why it is important for everyone involved. As an author, make sure you familiarize your readers with key ideas and important context. If necessary, detailed explanations must be provided, together with strong examples or evidence. It is easier to start an entire research project with this writing type. At this stage conducting some detailed research or analyzing numerous academic sources isn't necessary. An illustrative work should provide just an initial impression about future research in this field. It also helps a great deal with planning your further steps of exploring the main topic.

How to Write an Illustration Essay: Step-By-Step

It is important to compose an illustrative essay correctly as it will pave the road towards your main research goals. We’ll provide you with a quick and easy guide about writing a great essay. The key to success is getting a clear understanding of general direction and staying methodical. Make sure to pay close attention to our tips provided below. They will help you with creating a nice composition, thus boosting your research progress.

Step 1. Choose a Topic for Your Illustration Essay

The first step in writing an illustrative essay is finding a good topic. You need to be well aware of what you plan to research in future. Include this information into an illustrative work and show what further steps will be made towards this goal. Pick a specific topic that can help to provide good insights into this general research subject. Besides, you should find some good materials supporting your work. In case it is too difficult to find them for your topic, consider picking an easier one.

Step 2. Conduct a Research for an Illustration Essay

The next step is to prepare for writing. Illustration text should give its readers proper understanding of the general problem’s context which is why you need to know this context well yourself. Search for credible sources and evidence that could support all explanations. But it is not necessary to involve too many scholarly sources at this step. Instead, you just need to provide initial clarifications on future research works you will write so several descriptive books or articles would do.

Step 3. Create an Illustration Essay Outline

A great idea is creating an illustration essay outline before starting with actual writing. It might not be strictly necessary, as stated in your assignment. But in any case it would help you a lot in terms of avoiding serious mistakes or finding noticeable gaps in initial text. The idea of outline is to write down all important ideas and descriptions shortly. Instead of writing a full paragraph for a certain idea, give it just 1-2 phrases. Once done, you’ll review it yourself and correct all inconsistencies. Making such corrections is much easier at this step.

Step 4. Create Good Introduction for Illustration Essay

After reviewing and correcting the outline, it is time to proceed with an introduction of illustration essay. Begin with describing the general research subject and stating your main ideas which would be explained in this main body part later. Make sure to consult assignment you’ve received if not sure which ideas should be included. An important part of an introduction is adding a ‘hook’ at the end. This could engage your audience and thus ensure achieving great success after presenting the completed work.

Step 5. Write a Strong Illustration Essay Thesis

Don’t forget to compose your illustration essay thesis at its beginning. An effective thesis clearly identifies your main illustrative topic, making sure all readers understand what’s going on. Besides, it contains at least three crucial arguments that support or deny main ideas. Other requirements for an illustrative thesis:

It presents the purpose of your text for its readers.
It serves as a path to developing explanations in main body paragraphs.
It formulates a question that is to be answered in concluding part.

Step 6. Create Body for Your Illustration Essay

The central part of the illustrative writing process is to compose paragraphs with actual descriptions, explanations and evidence for each main idea of current text. The body part should support opinions you’ve formulated in your thesis. All key facts should be presented in this part. It is crucial to make all paragraphs logically connected to each other. All necessary information must be included here but don’t make this part too wordy. Certain balance must be achieved between leaving readers informed and also keeping their attention. We recommend using a good body paragraph example while writing.

Step 7. Conclude Your Illustration Essay

Now it’s time for the final part of illustration essay: conclusion paragraph. It must summarize all explanations and effectively answer questions posed at your introduction. A good conclusion essay makes all main ideas clearer while keeping it short and concise. Don’t add any new facts here, just mention ones given in the main part. However, you can talk about next research steps in your conclusion so that audience gets prepared for some upcoming works on this subject.

Step 8. Proofreading Your Illustration Essay

Once you’re done with illustrative writing, it is time for reviewing and editing it. Even skillest writers make mistakes so it is highly likely current composition would have some inconsistencies left at first. You need to give it a second look and proofread it closely, e.g. next day after finishing with writing. Consider asking someone else to read it as well: your peers, friends, or family members. They might find some logical gaps where everything would seem quite clear for you.

Illustration Essay Examples

In case you would need some extra information in addition to our descriptions and explanations above, we’ve added several free illustration essay examples to illustrate it. These are the real world cases of this kind of writing. They include description of main research idea, explanation of its aspects and context, and informative conclusion.

An Illustration Essay: Final Thoughts

This is all about illustration paper writing process that you need to know. If you’ve finished this article, you’ll be better prepared for creation of strong illustrative materials and for conducting good research.

Not sure about your writing skills or struggling with tight deadlines? Feel free to check out our essay service by StudyCrumb ! We are a team of professional writers with vast experience in various academic areas. So just let us know if you need help with any papers.

Frequently Asked Questions About Illustrative Essay

1. how many paragraphs should an illustration essay have.

The number of illustration essay paragraphs is expected to be at least five:

1 paragraph for the introduction: its thesis statement and main ideas.
3 paragraphs for main body: in most kinds of academic compositions, body paragraphs are where all supporting arguments must be included.
1 paragraph for conclusion to summarize all of the above.

You can write more than that but keep in mind that an illustrative text is not expected to be too long.

2. What is an illustrated essay?

An illustration essay or an illustrated essay should provide an initial introduction into your research subject for your audience. It is structured around the goal of using examples to make valid points supporting the main ideas of your essay. Such an essay does not typically involve in-depth research but rather makes a broad examination of a research field and its context.

3. What is the purpose of illustration?

The purpose of illustration essay, also known as an example essay, is to clearly demonstrate and support a point by using evidence. It should help your audience better understand the context of your research subject and prepare them for your further works in that field. In addition to explaining the topic for your readers, such text helps you plan further steps. It serves as a quick and easy start for your research process.

4. Is an illustration a drawing?

By definition, it is a visualization or a depiction made by an artist, such as a drawing, sketch, painting, or photograph. An illustration essay however does not necessarily involve a painting or a photograph, nor does it have to revolve around an art theme. Its name means that it illustrates your chosen topic for your readers using detailed explanations and basic depictions.

Daniel Howard is an Essay Writing guru. He helps students create essays that will strike a chord with the readers.

How To Write An Illustration Essay

Writing an illustration essay requires you to have not only a very specific set of writing skills, but also a deep understanding of what is illustration essay and how to achieve success with this task. The professional writers of our top-rated essay writing service are ready to share how to write an illustration essay with you right now!

What Is an Illustration Essay?

According to the illustration essay definition , this kind of work is an explanation of the subject matter with the use of relevant examples. Before you learn how to create an interesting and engaging piece of work, you should know its specificity and its difference from other written tasks.

An illustration essay, also known as an exemplification paper, needs you to sum up empirical data, make an explanation, and provide supporting evidence. This is why it is often confused with compare and contrast essays and cause and effect essays. Instead of arguing a point, you need to demonstrate your all-around understanding of the topic by using sufficient examples.

Throughout the writing process, you should demonstrate a topic through the prism of associated details. This is how the reader can visualize the described person, situation, process, or event. Without the discussion of examples, an illustration essay won’t be complete.

Why Is an Illustration Essay Important?

Illustration essay writing is crucial for your personal academic development. It creates the necessary basis for dissertation and thesis writing in the future. While writing an illustration essay , you learn how to develop arguments based on thorough research and analysis. By illustrating different points in the academic format, you demonstrate your ability to deal with discussions. The significance of illustrations is determined by their value in an academic essay. Here are three types of illustrations to be used:

The personal illustration can be taken from your personal background. For example, you can describe the situation that is taken from your personal background. In your essay, you will say how to deal with it.
The traditional illustration is a generic example that can be addressed by many people on the particular topic. For example, the situation can be discussed as an average thing that might happen to everyone.
The hypothetical illustration is an invented illustration. For example, you can cover the idea of circumstances under which this kind of situation might occur.

Whatever illustration you are about to use, you need to adjust it to your context. This way, you can provide the reader with the better understanding of the covered topic. Thus, illustrations are to be relevant to both your subject and your audience. You can sort out the evidence in terms of importance by moving from the least valuable to most valuable examples or from the most valuable to least valuable examples.

Illustration Essay Outline

How to write an illustration essay? Proving your point through different examples is not hard. When you choose a correct topic and conduct proper research, you make the content sound trustworthy and reliable. Similar to every academic piece of work, an illustration essay can be written in three stages. Here they are:

Introduction

The introduction paragraph aims to present the topic you are going to cover in an illustration essay. It is crucial to find a thesis that reflects your point of view. You need to point briefly why other people have different opinions from yours. You should be able to defend your thesis better than they can defend theirs.

If you decide to discuss social networks’ impact on your daily communication, you may refer to the personal background and scientific data. Before you integrate certain examples, you can make up some foundations first. Once you are done with it, you can highlight some key points to prove that the membership in the popular social network has really changed the way you communicate with other people. First, you can talk about the value of communication in social networks. Second, you can discuss the opportunity to get closer to your family and friends. Finally, you can explain how social networks help you in your studies or work. You can also take the opposite side by discussing the negative effects of social networks on human life. The final sentence of your introductory paragraph is the thesis statement, where you build up the foundation for your further discussion.

An average introduction involves five sentences. But it can be slightly smaller or bigger, depending on the general size of an illustration essay. While writing an introduction, you should include the following elements:

Inform : Inform the reader about the selected topic.
Notify : Notify the reader of background information about the topic.
Translate : Translate the essay question by saying it in different words.
Report : Report on your supporting points after you introduce the example.
Outline : Outline the essay organization by using transition words, such as “firstly, secondly, thirdly.”

Body paragraphs

An average number of body paragraphs is three, although there can be some variations. Depending on how many ideas you want to cover, you can have more than three paragraphs involved. Each body paragraph should highlight a separate idea that addresses your thesis statement. Generally, paragraphs in the body section have two goals:

Describe and define : You need to introduce your topic in a simple and clear way. The reader should gain the impression that you have a deep knowledge of the topic.
Explain and exemplify : You need to provide as many examples as possible to address your topic.

Before you start writing the body paragraphs, you should introduce them first. For each paragraph, write down a topic sentence with an argument addressing your thesis. This is where you should mention all the support that includes factual data, examples, and other proofs. After you finish your initial research on the thesis, sort out the examples by priority. It will make your narration more structured. As a result, it won’t be difficult for the reader to understand your points of view.

Every example should be examined and defended in detail. This way, you will convince the audience of your thesis by using factual information and formal language. Some topics need additional investigation and collecting examples, while others will allow you to rely on your own personal experiences.

Throughout the writing process, you should remember who your target reader is. This will allow you to keep your text customized. Depending on the target reader, you will make the right accents, involve the right details, and collect the relevant examples in the text. With this information in mind, you will be able to describe the central points effectively.

Now that you have your topic properly covered in the body section, you need to create a striking conclusion. The last paragraph aims to sum up everything that has been mentioned in the previous parts of the illustration essay.

You may use the 5 C’s method to make your conclusion interesting and memorable for the reader. Ideally, you write one or two sentences per point. But some variations are acceptable.

Close the loop : You need to connect the first and the last paragraph. This is why you will discuss the thesis statement through the prism of examples highlighted in the body section. This will make your essay look concise and cohesive.
Conclude : You should make the final word on the issue. In other words, you can rephrase the thesis statement by using different words.
Clarify : You should answer the essay question by using the examples from the body section.
Concern : You should mention the party that might take responsibility for the issue.
Consequences : You should introduce the possible effects of the covered issue.

The conclusion section is usually the shortest one in an illustration essay. It aims to mention the main points from the body paragraphs and prove their relevance to the reader. While this section is short, it is also important. In order to create a high-quality conclusion, think of it as the last impression the reader has! So, this section should be strongly worded.

While a research essay won’t be complete without references, an illustration essay can be used with and without them. If an illustration essay relies on your personal experiences, it won’t need external sources. If it relies on scientific data, the use of sources is inevitable.

Now that your illustration essay is finished, it needs to be edited properly. You should read it once or twice to check it for grammatical, structural, and contextual mistakes. Also, make sure that your essay is devoid of plagiarism. While there are some general rules for an illustration essay outline, your instructor may have some additional instructions for you. Make sure you read your assignment properly not to miss a crucial detail.

An illustration essay should be simple and clear. Otherwise, the reader won’t be able to understand what you are writing about. Complicated topics, massive paragraphs, and overwhelming information can hardly be suitable for an illustration essay.

How to Choose a Topic for an Illustration Essay?

If you struggle to create an excellent illustration essay, you have most likely chosen the wrong topic. It will turn the writing process into torture as you won’t know what to write about and how to write it. When you choose the right subject, you will move in the right direction from the very beginning. So, how can you make the right choice? Here are the instructions to be followed:

Write about your personal interests. You should choose the topics for an illustration essay that correspond to your personal interests. While writing about something you are actually interested in, you become more enthusiastic about the whole creative process. Before you come up with the idea for writing, you should think of the topics you are passionate about.
Focus on the topic simplicity. You should make sure that your topic is convenient for you. If you try to impress the instructor by choosing an overly complicated topic, you shouldn’t do this. Instead of demonstrating your writing skills, you will demonstrate your inability to create a worthy piece of content.
Pay attention to the topic originality . When choosing a topic, you should focus on less common and less generic options. A unique topic has higher chances to catch the reader’s attention and earn you a higher score. Moreover, a unique topic will have more space for discussions, which is always interesting to read.
Consider information availability on the topic. When writing an illustration essay, you need to dig deep into the examples and descriptions related to the topic. Before starting the actual writing process, you need to collect sufficient information. Therefore, it is much easier to cover the topic that is widely discussed in academic and scientific sources.
Stick to essay writing guidelines . While choosing a topic, you should never forget about the initial instructions. If your professor asks you to write about a psychological disorder or discuss a philosophical dilemma, you should stick to this detail. Keep the topic manageable without making it too narrow or too wide.

Choosing the right illustration essay topics has always been a serious challenge, even for experienced writers. A successful topic should match the interests of the audience and have certain value in society. Here are some examples you may use:

How can society support school victims of bullying?
Customers are never wrong. Discuss this popular statement.
Discuss the impact of Tick Tock and Instagram on the young generation.
Describe the best ways to prepare for a college exam.
Write a complete description of a student’s academic duties.

That being said, the variety of topics to discuss is huge. But instead of rushing with the final decision, you should take some time to check the catalogue of options. This is where you shouldn’t underestimate the value of research. With the adequate information on the subject matter, you won’t struggle to create a decent piece of writing.

Illustration Essay Examples

Taking a look at a professional illustration essay sample will let you understand this form of writing. Although you still need to proceed with your individual research, you won’t have to struggle with the right structure and format. Feel free to use the following examples as a reference when writing your own piece of work.

https://quillbot.com/courses/introduction-to-college-level-academic-writing/chapter/writing-for-success-illustrationexample/

Illustration Essay Writing Tips

Knowing how to put your illustration essay ideas together is important for doing a good job with your illustration essay. With the professional writing tips, you will be able to deliver an excellent result. Feel free to check some of them down there:

Do some brainstorming . When you choose a topic or collect examples, you may do some brainstorming. The main point is that there are no bad ideas. When you have a particular idea, you should use every piece of mind. By writing down every idea in your head, you will gain a better understanding of what you want to write about. After all, your ideas build up bases for successful writing. So, if you think that you don’t have time for silly games, you are wrong. Instead of being a time-waster, a method of brainstorming turns out to be a time-saver for you.
Avoid undebatable illustration topics . The importance of the topic choice has been mentioned before. So, you should write about something that is actually suitable for debates. You should be able to find sufficient information on the selected topic.
Conduct a lot of research . Now that you know the topic of your essay, you should conduct thorough research to collect sufficient information. Even if your topic relies on your personal experiences, you should still analyze your background to extract the relevant examples. In other words, you need to find the authentic points that will support the topic.
Rely on credible sources . Although most illustration essays are personable, some of them rely on factual information. This is why you should use respectable scientific and academic literature as a credible source of information. With unreliable sources, you increase your chances to lose some valuable points from your grade. The use of editable sources such as Wikipedia is also a bad idea since they can be edited by everyone. So, when you choose information for your illustration essay, you should double check its authenticity in advance.
Filter out the information. If you spend a lot of time thinking about the topic, you probably have enough to say in your illustration essay. Of course, not all of them can make it into the final draft of your paper because they have a negative impact on the context. By choosing a few strongest examples, you can make your essay more convincing. This way, the final result will be interesting, engaging, and concise.
Focus on the target audience . While you are writing an essay, you should always put yourself in the reader’s place. What information do you want to see in the essay? Is every example clear to you? Do you understand the descriptions that are in the essay? Answer the questions honestly before, during, and after the writing process.
Make every example clear. Find examples to enable a better illustration of the selected topic. The stronger your evidence is, the more seriously the reader will consider your point. This is what will make your essay academically correct. By using strong words in your example, you will make each example sound convincing. Reading a paper that contains unclear pieces of information and mismatched conclusions will irritate the reader. The importance and urgency of the work will automatically become distant. Using evidence effectively can be a hard thing to do, though. Try to collect relevant examples to make sure that they are interrelated. Thus, the reader will never question the use or meaning of any illustrations you will include in your essay.
Edit your paper before submitting it. Before you hand over your illustration essay to the instructor, you should make sure that it is grammatically, structurally, and contextually accurate. For this reason, check your essay more than once to eliminate all the imperfections.

Write My Illustration Essay for Me, Please!

As you can see, writing illustration essays is not such a complicated assignment. However, it may take time to set the balance between its descriptive nature and your personal experience. While you don’t have sufficient skills to perform this kind of work, you may use an illustration essay sample or just order an essay from professional writers. But it still can’t guarantee you an excellent result.

In a situation like this, you can send a “Write my illustration essay for me, please!” request to professional writers. You can find a lot of writing services that know everything about academic writing on the Internet. Regardless of what your academic level is, you will get exceptional and 100% unique content right on time!

Being aware of all the characteristics and peculiarities of illustration essays, our qualified and experienced essay service knows how to take this kind of challenge. For this reason, their professionalism can fulfill the requirements of the most complicated orders. If you are not ready for the illustration kind of work, entrust it to specialists. They will prove their proficiency to you!

Research Paper Writing Guides

Evergreen To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Topics

Illustration/Example Essay

Chapter 2: illustration/example essay, illustration/example.

To illustrate means to show or demonstrate something clearly. An effecti ve illustration essay clearl y demonstrates and supports a point through the use of examples and/or evidence. Ultimately, you want the evidence to help the reader “see” your point, as one would see a good illustration in a magazine or on a website. The stronger your evidence is, the more clearly the reader will consider your point.

In this module, you will develop your skills in illustration/example writing.

Chapter Outcomes

After completing this chapter, you will be able to:

Determine the purpose and structure of the illustration essay.
Successfully write an illustration essay.
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Successful Writing. Provided by : Anonymous. Located at : http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/successful-writing/s14-02-illustration.html . License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Media Companies Are Making a Huge Mistake With AI

News organizations rushing to absolve AI companies of theft are acting against their own interests.

In 2011, I sat in the Guggenheim Museum in New York and watched Rupert Murdoch announce the beginning of a “new digital renaissance” for news. The newspaper mogul was unveiling an iPad-inspired publication called The Daily . “The iPad demands that we completely reimagine our craft,” he said. The Daily shut down the following year, after burning through a reported $40 million.

For as long as I have reported on internet companies, I have watched news leaders try to bend their businesses to the will of Apple, Google, Meta, and more. Chasing tech’s distribution and cash, news firms strike deals to try to ride out the next digital wave. They make concessions to platforms that attempt to take all of the audience (and trust) that great journalism attracts, without ever having to do the complicated and expensive work of the journalism itself. And it never, ever works as planned.

Publishers like News Corp did it with Apple and the iPad, investing huge sums in flashy content that didn’t make them any money but helped Apple sell more hardware. They took payouts from Google to offer their journalism for free through search, only to find that it eroded their subscription businesses. They lined up to produce original video shows for Facebook and to reformat their articles to work well in its new app. Then the social-media company canceled the shows and the app. Many news organizations went out of business.

The Wall Street Journal recently laid off staffers who were part of a Google-funded program to get journalists to post to YouTube channels when the funding for the program dried up . And still, just as the news business is entering a death spiral, these publishers are making all the same mistakes, and more, with AI.

Adrienne LaFrance: The coming humanist renaissance

Publishers are deep in negotiations with tech firms such as OpenAI to sell their journalism as training for the companies’ models. It turns out that accurate, well-written news is one of the most valuable sources for these models, which have been hoovering up humans’ intellectual output without permission. These AI platforms need timely news and facts to get consumers to trust them. And now, facing the threat of lawsuits, they are pursuing business deals to absolve them of the theft. These deals amount to settling without litigation. The publishers willing to roll over this way aren’t just failing to defend their own intellectual property—they are also trading their own hard-earned credibility for a little cash from the companies that are simultaneously undervaluing them and building products quite clearly intended to replace them.

Late last year Axel Springer, the European publisher that owns Politico and Business Insider , sealed a deal with OpenAI reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars over several years. OpenAI has been offering other publishers $1 million to $5 million a year to license their content . News Corp’s new five-year deal with OpenAI is reportedly valued at as much as $250 million in cash and OpenAI credits. Conversations are heating up. As its negotiations with OpenAI failed, The New York Times sued the firm—as did Alden Global Capital, which owns the New York Daily News and the Chicago Tribune . They were brave moves, although I worry that they are likely to end in deals too.

That media companies would rush to do these deals after being so burned by their tech deals of the past is extraordinarily distressing. And these AI partnerships are far worse for publishers. Ten years ago, it was at least plausible to believe that tech companies would become serious about distributing news to consumers. They were building actual products such as Google News. Today’s AI chatbots are so early and make mistakes often. Just this week, Google’s AI suggested you should glue cheese to pizza crust to keep it from slipping off.

OpenAI and others say they are interested in building new models for distributing and crediting news, and many news executives I respect believe them. But it’s hard to see how any AI product built by a tech company would create meaningful new distribution and revenue for news. These companies are using AI to disrupt internet search—to help users find a single answer faster than browsing a few links. So why would anyone want to read a bunch of news articles when an AI could give them the answer, maybe with a tiny footnote crediting the publisher that no user will ever click on?

Companies act in their interest. But OpenAI isn’t even an ordinary business. It’s a nonprofit (with a for-profit arm) that wants to promote general artificial intelligence that benefits humanity—though it can’t quite decide what that means. Even if its executives were ardent believers in the importance of news, helping journalism wouldn’t be on their long-term priority list.

Ross Andersen: Does Sam Altman know what he’s creating?

That’s all before we talk about how to price the news. Ask six publishers how they should be paid by these tech companies, and they will spout off six different ideas. One common idea publishers describe is getting a slice of the tech companies’ revenue based on the percentage of the total training data their publications represent. That’s impossible to track, and there’s no way tech companies would agree to it. Even if they did agree to it, there would be no way to check their calculations—the data sets used for training are vast and inscrutable. And let’s remember that these AI companies are themselves struggling to find a consumer business model. How do you negotiate for a slice of something that doesn’t yet exist?

The news industry finds itself in this dangerous spot, yet again, in part because it lacks a long-term focus and strategic patience. Once-family-owned outlets, such as The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times , have been sold to interested billionaires. Others, like The Wall Street Journal , are beholden to the public markets and face coming generational change among their owners. Television journalism is at the whims of the largest media conglomerates, which are now looking to slice, dice, and sell off their empires at peak market value. Many large media companies are run by executives who want to live to see another quarter, not set up their companies for the next 50 years. At the same time, the industry’s lobbying power is eroding. A recent congressional hearing on the topic of AI and news was overshadowed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson . Tech companies clearly have far more clout than media companies.

Things are about to get worse. Legacy and upstart media alike are bleeding money and talent by the week. More outlets are likely to shut down, while others will end up in the hands of powerful individuals using them for their own agendas (see the former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s activist play for BuzzFeed ).

The long-term solutions are far from clear. But the answer to this moment is painfully obvious. Publishers should be patient and refrain from licensing away their content for relative pennies. They should protect the value of their work, and their archives. They should have the integrity to say no. It’s simply too early to get into bed with the companies that trained their models on professional content without permission and have no compelling case for how they will help build the news business.

Instead of keeping their business-development departments busy, newsrooms should focus on what they do best: making great journalism and serving it up to their readers. Technology companies aren’t in the business of news. And they shouldn’t be. Publishers have to stop looking to them to rescue the news business. We must start saving ourselves.

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Air-Conditioning Gives Us a False Sense of Security

Why heat waves are the harbinger of what’s to come..

By Jeff Goodell

Produced by Jillian Weinberger

The Northern Hemisphere is facing what will likely be another record-setting summer for heat. Parts of California are already under a heat dome with triple digit temperatures this week. In this audio essay, Jeff Goddell, the author of “The Heat Will Kill You First,” argues that air-conditioning has lulled parts of the world into feeling cool and safe as we hurtle toward a warmer future and more blackouts. “We are building a world that has this sword of Damocles hanging over us,” Goddell says.

(A full transcript of this audio essay will be available within 24 hours of publication in the audio player above.)

A photo, toned in blue, of a man wearing a suit and wiping his forehead as if sweating from hot weather.

Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] .

This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Jillian Weinberger. It was edited by Kaari Pitkin and Alison Bruzek. Mixing by Sonia Herrero. Original music by Isaac Jones and Sonia Herrero. Fact-checking by Mary Marge Locker. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , WhatsApp , X and Threads .

COMMENTS

Essential Tips for Writing an Illustration Essay
Engages readers. 3. Showcases knowledge and understanding. 4. Makes the writing process more enjoyable. 5. Availability of examples and evidence. In conclusion, when writing an illustration essay, it is crucial to choose a focused and specific topic that allows for a comprehensive analysis and engages readers. By selecting a subject that aligns ...
Illustration Essay
Illustration is a rhetorical style that uses examples to support the thesis or main idea of a paragraph or essay. Illustration is most often used at the paragraph level to help illustrate or support a point, but you may also encounter illustration essays of various types in your college courses. An illustration essay is structured around the ...
Definition, Tips & Examples for Illustration Essay
The primary objective of illustration essays is to facilitate readers in comprehending a concept or argument with clarity by presenting tangible and illustrative examples and evidence. The examples utilized in this type of paper should be pertinent, vibrant, and precise, enabling readers to understand and visualize the topic being discussed. ...
Illustration Essays: Definitions, Templates and Examples
Learn how to write an illustration essay that describes and explains a topic with examples. Find out the difference between illustrative and argumentative essays, the definition of 'illustrate', and the structure and format of an illustration essay.
Illustration Essay: Definition, Topics, Examples and Tips
5. Body Paragraphs. This body section is typically made up of 3 paragraphs, but the number can be increased depending on the topic. In an illustration essay the body paragraphs should begin with a topic sentence followed by some supporting details and an example.. Make sure to include stronger evidence to support the thesis.
10.2 Illustration
The Purpose of Illustration in Writing. To illustrate means to show or demonstrate something clearly. An effective illustration essay clearly demonstrates and supports a point through the use of evidence.. As you learned in Chapter 9 "Writing Essays: From Start to Finish", the controlling idea of an essay is called a thesis.A writer can use different types of evidence to support his or her ...
How To Write an Illustration Essay?
This paragraph opens the illustration essay. It typically contains anywhere from 5 to 15 sentences; a number of sentences depend upon the density of the topic being explained in the essay. It should begin with a hook - a sentence to gain and keep the reader's attention. Hooks may also be referred to as "attention getters".
2.1 Purpose & Structure of Illustration/Example
The Purpose of Illustrative Writing. To illustrate means to show or demonstrate something clearly. An effective illustration essay, also known as an example essay, clearly demonstrates and supports a point through the use of evidence. The controlling idea of an essay is called a THESIS. A writer can use different types of evidence to support ...
Illustration
An effective illustration essay clearly demonstrates and supports a point through the use of evidence. The controlling idea of an essay is called a thesis, and it should be stated explicitly. A writer can use different types of evidence to support his or her thesis. Using scientific studies, experts in a particular field, statistics, historical ...
Definitive Illustration Essay Guide
Illustration essays are like a puzzle. They take a main idea or statement and then use different pieces - examples - to show a full and clear picture of that idea. The first thing to understand is what these essays are meant to do. They aim to explain an idea or clarify a point by using examples. These examples are the heart of the essay.
Illustration
An effective illustration essay clearly demonstrates and supports a point through the use of evidence. The controlling idea of an essay is called a thesis. A writer can use different types of evidence to support his or her thesis. Using scientific studies, experts in a particular field, statistics, historical events, current events, analogies ...
Illustration Essay: How to Write, 10+ Topics, and Examples
Here is a step-by-step guide to writing a great illustration essay. 1. Choose a Topic. The first step to writing your illustration essay is finding a topic. Make sure you choose something that has plenty of material available for research online and will pique the interest of others reading it as well. 2.
Illustration
Illustration is a rhetorical style that uses examples to support the thesis or main idea of a paragraph or essay. Don't be confused by the word "illustration" as the use of pictures or media. Illustration is most often used at the paragraph level to help support a point, but you may also encounter illustration essays of various types in ...
Writing for Success: Illustration/Example
An effective illustration essay, also known as an example essay, clearly demonstrates and supports a point through the use of evidence. The controlling idea of an essay is called a thesis. A writer can use different types of evidence to support his or her thesis. Using scientific studies, experts in a particular field, statistics, historical ...
Definition and Examples of Illustration in Composition
Examples and Observations of Illustration. "Illustration is the use of examples to make ideas more concrete and to make generalizations more specific and detailed. Examples enable writers not just to tell but to show what they mean. For example, an essay about recently developed alternative sources of energy becomes clear and interesting with ...
Illustration Essay Guide: Tips & Outline & Examples
An illustration essay or an illustrated essay should provide an initial introduction into your research subject for your audience. It is structured around the goal of using examples to make valid points supporting the main ideas of your essay. Such an essay does not typically involve in-depth research but rather makes a broad examination of a ...
Illustration Essay Guide: Tips for Successful Writing
An illustration essay is a kind of informative writing, whose purpose is to demonstrate that particular thing exists and acts in a certain way. An illustration essay is also known as exemplification paper. It means that an author needs to summarize empirical data and include their definition. It is not a discovery of something brand-new, just a ...
Illustration Essay: Guide to Writing an Excellent Piece of Work
Illustration essay writing is crucial for your personal academic development. It creates the necessary basis for dissertation and thesis writing in the future. While writing an illustration essay, you learn how to develop arguments based on thorough research and analysis. By illustrating different points in the academic format, you demonstrate ...
How To Write An Illustration Essay
The illustration essay also known as exemplification, is an essay in wh... Writing the Illustration Essay The video teaches how to write the illustration essay.
Writing for Success: Illustration/Example
The Purpose of Illustration in Writing. To illustrate means to show or demonstrate something clearly. An effective illustration essay, also known as an example essay, clearly demonstrates and supports a point through the use of evidence. The controlling idea of an essay is called a thesis. A writer can use different types of evidence to support ...
How to Write an Illustration Essay
Mastering Illustration Essays: A Step-by-Step Guide for K-12 and College Students. 📚 Unlock the secrets of writing a compelling Illustration Essay with our ...
Chapter 2: Illustration/Example Essay
Illustration/Example. To illustrate means to show or demonstrate something clearly. An effecti ve illustration essay clearl y demonstrates and supports a point through the use of examples and/or evidence. Ultimately, you want the evidence to help the reader "see" your point, as one would see a good illustration in a magazine or on a website ...
How to Put Illustrations in an Essay
A picture is worth a thousand words, and sometimes an illustration is exactly what you need in your paper to drive an argument home and communicate your point succinctly. Avoid using images to pad your essay; make sure the illustration you've chosen serves a rhetorical purpose. Placing pictures according to style ...
AI firms mustn't govern themselves, say ex-members of OpenAI's board
Unfortunately it didn't work. Last November, in an effort to salvage this self-regulatory structure, the OpenAI board dismissed its CEO, Sam Altman. The board's ability to uphold the company ...
Media Companies Are Making a Huge Mistake With AI
Late last year Axel Springer, the European publisher that owns Politico and Business Insider, sealed a deal with OpenAI reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars over several years. OpenAI has ...
Opinion
In this audio essay, Jeff Goddell, the author of "The Heat Will Kill You First," argues that air-conditioning has lulled parts of the world into feeling cool and safe as we hurtle toward a ...

Essay Papers Writing Online

Choose a Focused and Specific Topic

Gather Sufficient Evidence and Examples

Use Clear and Concise Language

Structure Your Essay Properly

Provide Relevant and Interesting Examples

Use Strong Transitions and Cohesion

Revise and Edit for Clarity and Coherence

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Illustration Essays: Definitions, Templates and Examples

1. What is an Illustration Essay?

2. Difference between Illustrative and Argumentative Essays

3. Definition of ‘Illustrate’

Synonyms for ‘Illustrate’

4. How to write an Illustration Essay

2.1 How to write your Introduction

2.2 An example introduction for an illustration essay

2.3 How to write an illustration paragraph (body paragraph)

2.4 Examples of illustrative paragraphs

2.5 How to write a Conclusion for an Illustration Essay

2.6 Example Conclusion for an Illustrative Essay

5. A Template Just for You

7. Illustration Essay Example

Introduction of the Illustration Essay:

Body Paragraphs of the Illustration Essay – Definition and Description:

Body Paragraphs of the Illustration Essay – Explanations and Examples:

Conclusion of the Illustrative Essay:

References:

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How to Write an Illustration Essay: A Complete Guide for Students

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