An Illustration Essay: the Essence, the Topics, and How to Cope with Them All

Essays, due to their variability and flexibility, are among the favorite means of independent learning in schools of all levels. Besides encouraging students to conduct independent research, form their opinions, and expose them on paper, essays help train specific skills and operations. Those four or five main essay types have lots of particular subtypes. Thus, should the teacher want to direct the students towards some particular feature – there will always be one specific essay type.

The illustration essay is an academic research paper explaining an idea or event with the help of examples. The term “illustration” usually relates to visual images. An essay uses verbal means of impact, but it also has to present a picture. In this case, this picture will be imaginable. You create it using words, so your audience would “see” it.

Also Read: Essay Topics For College Students: a Full Collection

The foundation of the illustration essay is an example. People accept the things they see themselves better. By providing persuasive examples and trustworthy details, you interpret the idea and convince your audience in your rightness. 

Examining the Illustration Essay Structure

An illustration essay, like any other essay kind, obeys the three-part structure. It has the Introduction part, the Body part, and the Conclusion part. All these parts should meet specific requirements for their structures and contents.

• Introduction. The opening section of your essay is relatively small. If you write a standard college essay, it should take one or two paragraphs. However, this modest-size part should be informative. First of all, this part contains the “hook” – the first sentence. The role of the “hook” is to catch the audience’s attention and engage it emotionally. The most common means are interesting facts, anecdotes, striking stats details, questions, or quotes. Then, you introduce the topic of your essay and explain why it is essential. Also, the Introduction part provides the necessary background information to the audience. At the end of this section, you present the thesis statement.
• Body section. It is the most substantial part of the text that takes 75-80% of the entire essay. Here, you expose your opinion and illustrate it with examples. You elaborate on this part according to the thesis statement and the outline. As a rule, the college illustrative essay’s Body consists of three paragraphs dedicated to the examples. You present the statement and then offer your evidence to prove it – one section is for one statement. It is crucial to keep the logical order of ideas and link them to ensure the smooth and whole text flow. There should be a “plotline” related to the thesis statement. It must be evident for the readers/listeners to follow it. 
• Conclusion. It is the bottom line of the illustrative essay. Stress your main ideas, but use different words. It would be perfect to summarize your work and transfer it to a bigger perspective. For instance, mention how this essay’s findings can serve for essential research on the topic. Finally, you need an impressive ending sentence to get emotional reactions from your audience. Such means as questions or jokes help the essays’ conclusions, as they leave the public engaged and positive about your work.

The Question of the Topic Choice: How to Choose Right

No matter which essay you have to make, it starts with the topic choice. Sometimes, you have a collection of predefined topics to choose from. In other cases, you can formulate the question yourself. In all cases, the right theme is your ace to play for the best grade.

Also Read: Guideline To Composing An Expository Essay

The illustration essay specificity is that you must select and present high-quality evidence and examples. Thus, you need to conduct an in-depth investigation of the topic. In all cases, the best factor to assure this quality is your genuine personal interest. When you feel engaged about the issue, you can share your feelings with the audience and be more creative and convincing.  

There are, of course, other criteria to consider when you choose the topic as well: 

• You should apply two opinions about the subject. An illustration essay is relative to an argumentative essay. So, you always need to keep an alternative point of view on your mind. It means that you need a topic which you can argue about with other people. There is no use to try the point where all people have the same meanings. 
• You should be able to prove the topic by evidence. An illustrative essay requires definite evidence and facts. It is impossible to rely on logical reasoning only. You need examples from the daily lives and your personal experience. Also, think about the evidence that relates to your audience. If you make sure that your readers/listeners could pass similar experiences, you might count on their emotional responses.
• You need to ensure that the topic is relevant. You can be an expert on the specified subject yourself, but it won’t help if your audience is not prepared. The reader should have knowledge about the issues to understand and evaluate your point of view. Also, people should care about the topic. When you select examples to illustrate your ideas, they should represent those cases that are familiar and meaningful to everyone. Then, your audience can identify themselves in those situations.

Some Suggestions for the Illustration Essay Applicable Topics

While choosing the topic for your essay, you have no restrictions. Of course, you should take care about the criteria of relevance and provability. Still, select any idea you wish to explore. You could appeal to social and political events, or focus on some practical daily issues. The topic can be both serious or humorous. It is up to you. Provided that you feel engaged and can prove your thesis statement – choose any topic you like. 

For instance, you might make use of the following “global” suggestions: 

1. How the fast-food culture correlates with public health.
2. Does one need a college education to succeed? 
3. How does the social network culture affect business ethics?
4. The impact of technologies on people’s behavior. 
5. The role of healthcare availability for society. 
6. How can distant education replace traditional college education?
7. The impact of violence on TV on real-life problems.
8. The role of religions in a person’s growth. 
9. The role of cultural intertwining in social development. 
10. How does digital communication affect social?

If you prefer sticking to more down-to-Earth topics, you might think of the following ideas:

1. The best students’ practices to learn the subject. 
2. The essential things to consider for the college choice.
3. The college expenses and the best practices to cope with them.
4. The most suitable food choices for a healthy lifestyle.
5. The best cafe to spend free time with friends. 
6. How to deal with an annoying colleague and fix the problematic issues in communication.
7. Describe the barista’s profession and its primary challenges.
8. Why is it essential to be a team?
9. Explain the hockey rules. 
10. The best practical method of fitting sports and classes into the college day. 

The Writing Tips for Easier Work

Any performance’s success is determined by the preparation. It goes for essay writing too. The better you prepare, the easier the task becomes. Writing itself can take a minor part of the work.

Thus, when you start the illustration essay task, follow the pattern: 

• Examine the topic thoroughly and put all the exciting ideas down. Analyze them, and select those ones that appeal to you best of all. It becomes the foundation of your paper. Then, proceed to the investigation. Pay attention to the sources you use – they have to be reliable and unbiased. Should you apply to your experience or other people’s experiences by running surveys and interviews, ensure you get reliable data.  
• Note all examples you got with the researches. Sort them and choose the most obvious and convincing ones. Stress the examples that you witnessed yourself – they are the most influential. At the same time, ensure that they aren’t banal or overused. Your goal is to pick examples that will appeal to your audience, be sharp, vivid, and even striking. They must produce an impression and trigger any person.
• Outline the essay! It is the most helpful method for any essay writing. By making a thorough, detailed plan of an illustrative essay, you decide what to write and which examples to use and where. An outline is the opportunity to adjust every detail and reference, and “see” the full essay before writing it. With an appropriate sketch, writing becomes a simple mechanical work.
• Pay attention to the paragraphs’ structures in the Body part. The paragraph should start with the sentence claiming the central idea of this section. Then, you provide the opposing views, if needed, and the supports. End the paragraph with a mini-conclusion. After it – add a transition to the next section.
• Revise your illustration essay after completion. Note that it is not the best practice to start revising right after you put the final period. You are tired then, and your eye misses many issues. Put the work aside and give yourself some rest. In an ideal case, leave it overnight. If it is impossible – let yourself rest for an hour minimum. Then, reread the paper again and track all issues. 
• Consider language choices. Most college essays are rather short, requiring you to be concise. Every word must be meaningful in this context. Your language should be vivid. Avoid overused general terms. Instead, focus on the synonyms highlighting the necessary shades of meanings. Get rid of everything that does not work for the thesis statement support. Also, make use of transition words, as they make the structure and narrative smoother. 

The right topic choice and diligent preparations help you to compose your illustration essay in the best way. If you had an experience of writing other related essay types, like argumentative or cause-and-effect, you should not face any difficulties with the illustration essay.

Still, if you feel you won’t be able to complete the job yourself this time or need excellent performance guarantees, you can order the illustration essay writing. In fact, you can order any essay writing by the skilled and experienced author. Our writing partners will be glad to assist you in this matter. So, tell us what to do – and we’ll compose an exclusive and polished essay on your demand!