O rehearsal it is a opinionated text in which ideas, criticisms, reflections and personal impressions are exposed, carrying out an assessment on a certain topic.
The essay problematizes some questions about a certain subject, focused by the author's opinion and usually presents original conclusions.
Unlike narrative and descriptive texts, the essay presupposes a deeper interpretation and analysis of a topic.
Thus, the essay is an argumentative and expository discursive genre that implies the act of rehearse.
In other words, it presents attempts at critical and subjective reflection (personal point of view) in a natural flow of ideas, which is very much in demand in the school and academic environment.
Origin
The term essay was first used in the 16th century by the French philosopher and humanist Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) with the publication of his work “LesEssais” (The Essays), in 1580.
Literary Essay and Academic Essay
The academic or scientific essay is theoretical and often philosophical. In such a way, it has a foundation based on investigations and collection of information on a topic.
Although they are based on theories, they can present a more unpretentious language, which sometimes borders on a more poetic and literary language.
In general, the essays are texts in prose, with didactic content, being less formal and flexible. They are classified into two types: literary (or informal) essay and scientific (or formal) essay.
Thus, the literary (or artistic) essay may not present a scientific basis, that is, it proposes a more subjective reflection by the author, displaying a more informal or colloquial language.
The scientific essay is based on theories and presents a more cultured language, devoid of slang or connotative expressions.
In addition to them, the expression "photographic essay" is widely used, where a model poses for a photographer.
In addition, the term rehearsal can mean the staging of actors in a play, before the final presentation.
To learn more, read also: Formal and Informal Language.
Features
The main characteristics of the essay text genre are:
- simple language
- concise texts
- personal judgment
- subjective reflections
- Presentation and defense of ideas
- originality and creativity
- Critical and problematic text
- varied themes
Structure: How to Make an Essay?
Usually the essays do not follow a fixed structure (free form), which propose individual freedom in the search for an original thought.
They are short, non-systematized texts of an intimate, free and dialogic character, which do not have a defined style.
As for the use of formalities, this will depend on the interlocutors, that is, the readers and the target audience, be it the teacher of a discipline, an academic magazine, a newspaper, among others.
However, it must contain clarity of ideas and still follow the standard norms of the language. Below is the structure of the academic essay:
- Theme: different from the title, the theme is the subject that will be explored and discussed by the essayist.
- Title: usually the essays have a title, which are related to the topic to be addressed.
- Text Body: part of the analysis and development of the text. Note that they follow the standard structure of essay texts, with introduction, development and conclusion. In the introduction, the author presents the theme that will be rehearsed. In development, he deepens his research, diverse perspectives and reflections on the subject, where the main tool is the arguments. Finally, in the conclusion, the essayist finishes off the theme, concluding in a more original and creative way.
- Bibliography: most of the essays are theoretical texts, which present a bibliography at the end of the text, that is, the texts that were necessary for consultation during its development. The bibliography appears in alphabetical order following the standards of the ABNT (Brazilian Association of Technical Standards)
- Attachments: although not very common, they can also contain attachments (images, photos, tables, graphs) which appear at the end, below the bibliographies.
To complement your research see also the articles:
- Textual genres
- The Argumentation
- Essay-Argumentative Text
