meaning of illustration in essay

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

Feeling Overwhelmed with Writing AN ILLUSTRATION ESSAY on Your Own?

Simply send us your paper requirements, choose a writer and we’ll get it done fast.

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!

Do You Need an Extra Help With Your ILLUSTRATION ESSAY?

Adress to our professionals and get qualified help asap!

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/ 5 Top Tips for Succeeding at University
Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 50 Durable Goods Examples
Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 100 Consumer Goods Examples
Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 30 Globalization Pros and Cons

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.

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That's our Job!

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 legit essay writing 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.

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That’s our Job!

Keep reading

Illustration Essay

Learn How to Craft An Effective Illustration Essay

Published on: Jun 13, 2022

Last updated on: Feb 9, 2024

Illustration Essay Definition

An illustration essay is a piece of writing that uses examples to support a thesis statement or main idea. It is also known as an exemplification essay because it provides specific instances that demonstrate or " exemplify " the writer's point.

Importance of Illustration Essay

An illustration essay is important because it:

Helps the reader understand abstract or complex concepts by providing concrete examples.
Makes arguments more convincing by providing evidence to support them.
Enhances the reader's engagement by using relatable and vivid examples .
Demonstrates the writer's ability to think critically and organize ideas effectively.
Develops the writer's research and writing skills by requiring them to find and analyze relevant examples.

Enhance your understanding of illustration essays with this informative video!

How to Write an Illustration Essay?

Writing an illustration essay can be a challenging task, but by following these steps, you can create a well-organized and effective essay.

Step 1: Select a Compelling Topic

Start an illustration essay by choosing a topic that is interesting, relevant, and has ample examples to support your thesis.
Ensure the topic aligns with the purpose of illustrationâto clarify, explain, or prove a point.

Step 2: Conduct Research and Gather Examples

Find relevant and credible sources that support your topic. Use a variety of sources, including books, academic journals, and online articles, to gather information.
Collect a variety of examples that support your thesis. These could be personal experiences, historical events, case studies, or research findings.
Ensure each example is relevant and directly contributes to the understanding of your main point.

Step 3: Define Your Thesis

Clearly state the main argument or point you want to illustrate in your essay.
Your illustration essay thesis statement should provide a roadmap for the reader, indicating the specific aspects you will illustrate.

Here is an illustration essay thesis example:

Step 4: Create your Illustration Essay Outline

Organize your ideas and examples into an outline that includes an introduction , body paragraphs, and a conclusion. This will help you stay focused and ensure that your essay flows logically.

Here's a basic illustration essay outline template:

Step 5: Write the Introduction

Start your introductory paragraph with a strong thesis statement that clearly states your main argument or point. Use an attention-grabbing hook to engage your reader and provide background information to set the stage for your examples.

Step 6: Develop Body Paragraphs

In each body paragraph, present a specific example that supports your thesis statement. Use transitions to connect your examples and show how they relate to your main argument.

Step 7: Write the Conclusion

Summarize your main points and restate your thesis statement in a new and compelling way. End your conclusion with a memorable final thought that leaves a lasting impression on your reader.

Step 8: Final Review

Conduct a final review to ensure that your essay effectively communicates your main point through well-supported examples.
Make any final adjustments to enhance overall coherence and effectiveness.

By following these steps, you can write an effective illustration essay that engages your reader and showcases your point of view.

Types of Illustration Essay

Each type of illustration essay brings its own strengths and nuances. This allows writers to choose the approach that best suits their topic and the message they want to convey.

Single Example

These essays deeply explore one example to vividly illustrate and substantiate the main point. By focusing on a specific subject matter, they engage the reader in the writing process, ensuring the audience considers the writer's perspective.

Multiple Examples

Utilizing various examples, these essays provide a comprehensive view of the subject matter. By incorporating empirical data, they strengthen the writer's argument, making it more compelling for the reader.

Personal Experience

Relying on personal anecdotes, these essays connect the subject matter to the writer's life. This personal touch in the writing process ensures readers consider the writer's point more deeply.

Historical Illustration Essay

Drawing from historical events, these essays provide context and depth to the subject matter. By linking the past to the present, they engage the audience and the reader will consider your point.

Analyze specific cases or scenarios in detail. Examines real-life situations to illustrate broader trends or patterns.

Process Illustration Essays

Illustrates a step-by-step process to explain a concept or phenomenon. Break down complex procedures into manageable examples for clarity.

Research-Based Illustration Essays

Incorporates findings from academic research as supporting examples. Leverages scholarly studies and data to strengthen the essay's credibility.

Comparative Illustration Essays

Compares and contrasts multiple examples to highlight differences or similarities. Emphasizes the relationship between various instances to support the thesis.

Contemporary Issue

Addresses current events or societal issues through relevant examples. Connects the essay's message to contemporary concerns for relevance.

Analogical Illustration Essays

Uses analogies to illustrate complex ideas or relationships. Draws parallels between familiar situations and the topic to enhance understanding.

Literary Illustration Essays

Utilizes examples from literature, such as novels or poems, to support the argument. Analyzes literary works to illustrate broader themes or concepts.

Visual Illustration Essays

Incorporates visual examples, such as charts, graphs, or images, to enhance understanding. Appeals to visual learners and provides a different dimension to the illustrative process.

Transition Words for Illustration Essay

Transition words or phrases are crucial in an illustration essay as they help to connect ideas, providing a smooth flow of information for the reader. Here are some transition words that can be useful in an illustration essay:

For example
For instance
Specifically
In particular
To illustrate
As an illustration
In other words
In this case
As evidence

These transition words can be used to introduce examples, provide specific details, give evidence, and clarify ideas in an illustration essay. Remember to use them appropriately and effectively to enhance the coherence and clarity of your essay.

Illustration Essay Topics Ideas

Here is a list of illustration essay ideas to get you inspired:

Illustrate the Impact of Social Media on Interpersonal Relationships.
Explore the Benefits of Regular Exercise on Mental Health.
Illustrate the Role of Technology in Shaping Education Today.
Illustrate How Cultural Diversity Enriches Workplace Environments.
Illustrate the Influence of Positive Parental Involvement on Academic Success.
Explore the Effects of Climate Change on Global Biodiversity.
Illustrate the Evolution of Online Shopping and Its Impact on Traditional Retail.
Illustrate How Reading Fiction Enhances Empathy and Emotional Intelligence.
Illustrate the Importance of Financial Literacy in Personal Finance.
Examine the Positive Effects of Volunteering on Personal Well-being.

Check our blog on illustration essay topics for college, university, and highschool to get inspired for your next assignment!

Illustration Essay Examples

Looking for free illustration essay examples for college? Check out our selection of well-crafted illustration essays and get insight into this type of writing:

The History of The Civil Rights Movement

The Impact of Social Media on Society

The Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation

Tips for Writing an Illustration Essay

Here are extra pointers to enhance your illustration essay:

Clarity in Examples: Choose vivid, diverse examples that directly relate to your thesis for clarity and impact.
Detailed Explanations: Provide in-depth explanations for each example to establish its relevance and support.
Varied Examples: Utilize different types of examples (personal, historical, data-driven) to enrich your argument.
Thesis Clarity: Ensure your thesis is clear and specific, guiding the selection and presentation of your examples.
Transitions: Use smooth transitions between examples and paragraphs for a cohesive and logical flow.
Engagement: Connect with the reader by making examples relatable and showing their relevance to real-life situations.
Revision: Review and revise thoroughly for coherence, relevance, and effective illustration of your main point.

Wrapping Up!

We hope this guide has helped you understand the basics of writing an effective illustration essay. We have covered the purpose, types, and how to write an illustration essay step-by-step.

By following our guidelines and tips, you can craft a compelling essay that effectively illustrates your point. Remember to choose a relevant topic, use vivid examples, and organize your essay properly.

Looking for professional assistance with your illustration essay? Contact CollegeEssay.org today! Avail custom essay writing assistance 24/7 with all of your academic needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should an illustration essay be.

The length can vary, but a typical illustration essay is around 500-800 words, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.

How does an illustration essay differ from story writing?

In story writing, the focus is on narrative and plot development, often with characters and a storyline. Illustration essays, on the other hand, emphasize the use of examples to clarify and support a specific point.

Do all body paragraphs need examples in an illustration essay?

Yes, each body paragraph in an illustration essay should present a specific example that supports the thesis, providing detailed explanations and analysis.

Caleb S. (Literature, Reflective Essay)

Caleb S. has extensive experience in writing and holds a Masters from Oxford University. He takes great satisfaction in helping students exceed their academic goals. Caleb always puts the needs of his clients first and is dedicated to providing quality service.

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That’s our Job!

Keep reading

Legal & Policies

Privacy Policy
Cookies Policy
Terms of Use
Refunds & Cancellations
Our Writers
Success Stories
Our Guarantees
Affiliate Program
Referral Program
AI Essay Writer

Disclaimer: All client orders are completed by our team of highly qualified human writers. The essays and papers provided by us are not to be used for submission but rather as learning models only.

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.

Stuck with your essay task? No more struggle! HandMade Writing is the best essay writing service available on the market. Try it out.

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 […]

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

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.

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.

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

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.

Writing an Illustration Essay

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.

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

Share This Book

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

43 Illustration

[Author removed at request of original publisher]

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.

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.

Tip : You never want to insult your readers’ intelligence by over-explaining 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 is called order of importance .

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 10.1 Transition Words and Phrases for Expressing Time

Table 10.2 Phrases of Illustration

Tip : 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 a sample illustration essay below that takes the form of a letter:

Letter to the City

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

On a separate sheet of paper, write a five-paragraph illustration essay. You can choose one of the topics from Exercise 1 or Exercise 2 or 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.

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.

Illustration Copyright © 2020 by [Author removed at request of original publisher] is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book

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

Use our free Readability checker

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 Illustration Essay: Guide on Painting with Words

Table of contents

1 Understanding the Basics
2.1 Useful Tips for Effective Research
2.2 Types of Illustration Essay Examples
3 Creating Illustration Essay Outline
4 Writing An Engaging Introduction
5 Crafting Compelling Body Paragraphs
6 Using Examples Effectively
7 Writing a Strong Conclusion
8 Editing and Proofreading
9 Mastering Illustration Essays – Concluding Thoughts

Imagine this, you are asked to write an essay, and instead of the usual plain text, you get to paint a vivid picture with words. That is precisely what an illustration essay is all about—it is your chance to bring your ideas to life, to make your reader see, feel, and understand your point with clarity and color.

However, these kinds of essays are not everyone’s cup of tea. Many students find them tricky, and that is completely understandable. Weaving real-life examples into writing can seem challenging, but stress no more because, in this article, we will break it all down to make it as easy as a breeze.

We will walk you through the process, helping you master the art of illustration essay writing.

Here is a preview of what lies ahead in this article:

After reading this article, you will understand the illustration essay definition and its key characteristics.
We examine the significance of comprehensive research and provide a list of illustration essay topics.
Also, the article presents an outline for structuring an illustration essay. You will learn how to craft an engaging introduction and structure body paragraphs using the PIE format.

Understanding the Basics

Let’s start by unraveling the concept of an illustrative essay – it is a bit like picking up a paintbrush, but instead of colors, you have words at your disposal. Illustrative writing is all about doing more than just sharing facts. It is about making your point come to life. You can do that by weaving vivid examples and anecdotes into your writing. It is like turning a dull black-and-white photo into a vibrant, colorful masterpiece. Are you wondering what the result is going to be? Clarity and engagement hook your readers.

Many students are often unfamiliar with the key characteristics of an illustration essay. Do you fall into this category? In this article, we have got everything covered for you. The writing process of a five-paragraph essay is all about using compelling and relevant examples to support your thesis. These examples should not only clarify your point but also captivate your audience. The essay should be easy to follow, with a logical flow from one idea to the next.

But here is the fun part: illustration essays are incredibly versatile. You can write about a wide range of topics, and that’s where the creativity kicks in. If you are unable to find your perfect topic, here are a few inspiring illustration essay ideas to get you started:

The Impact of Social Media on Real-Life Relationships
The Art of Mastering Time Management
The Journey of Overcoming a Fear
The Significance of Healthy Eating Habits
A Day in the Life of a Firefighter
The Evolution of Technology in Education
The Role of Music in Shaping Our Emotions
Navigating the World of Online Dating
The Process of Learning a New Language
The Influence of Art on Society
The Power of Random Acts of Kindness
The Impact of Climate Change on Wildlife
The Magic of Exploring a New Culture
The Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurship
The World of Fashion: Trends and Influence

So, whether you are looking to highlight the impact of social media or explore the art of time management, an illustration essay lets you tell your story with a colorful array of examples. It is your chance to paint a clear and captivating picture with words. Therefore, don’t hesitate to give it a try and start illustrating your ideas today.

Research and Gathering Examples

Research and gathering examples are the most crucial aspects of writing an illustration essay. Getting them right is like laying the groundwork for a great illustration essay. It is simply the secret ingredient that turns your essay into a captivating and informative masterpiece. Therefore, it is recommended to keep digging until you find the best illustration essay examples, and your essay is bound to shine.

Useful Tips for Effective Research

While many students are familiar with the fact that thorough research is the backbone of illustration essay writing, they often struggle to do it. To help you do effective research for your illustration essay, here are a few valuable tips you must consider following:

Hit the Books: Start with your friendly neighborhood library. Books are like treasure troves of knowledge. They are not just filled with facts and figures but also rich with anecdotes and stories.
Go Digital: Consider the internet your best friend when writing an illustrative essay. However, not all websites are worth scrolling through to collect evidence. You should only use credible sources like educational institutions, government sites, and well-known publications.
Interview Experts: Talking to experts in the field can dig up unique and real-life examples you will not find elsewhere.

Types of Illustration Essay Examples

Let’s shed some light on different types of illustrative examples you can use in your essay:

Anecdotes: These are short, engaging stories that can captivate your readers and help them relate to your point.
Statistics: These numbers add a layer of credibility and impact to your essay.
Facts: Verifiable facts are like building blocks for your argument, providing a strong foundation for your essay.
Quotes: These are wise words from authoritative figures that can reinforce your point.

It is worth remembering that the key here is relevance. The examples you use in your essay should serve as a “supporting argument” for your thesis statement , ensuring your point is crystal clear to the reader.

Creating Illustration Essay Outline

To write an illustration essay, you need to craft a common essay outline for it. It will act as a blueprint, the skeleton for your essay that holds everything together. While many might think of it as a bunch of headings and subheadings, it is definitely more than that. It will be your guide to effectively illustrate your points.

To help you write an excellent illustration essay, here is an outline structure for an illustration essay recommended by professional writers:

Introduction (hook, background information, and thesis statement)
Body Paragraph 1 (Topic sentence, illustration, and explanation)
Body Paragraph 2 and so on (Topic sentence, illustration, and explanation)
Conclusion (Restate thesis, summary of examples, and closing thoughts)

This recommended structure of an illustration essay outline ensures a well-organized and coherent essay that effectively supports your thesis statement with relevant examples. It provides a clear roadmap for your essay’s content, making it easier for readers to follow your argument.

Writing An Engaging Introduction

The introduction’s primary role is to grab the reader’s attention and generate enough interest to encourage them to continue reading. If the introduction fails to engage the reader, there is a higher chance that they will stop reading the essay. It is like an essay’s “make or break” moment.

That’s why it is crucial to use attention-grabbing techniques to draw the reader in from the beginning. An effective introductory paragraph sets the stage for a successful essay by capturing the reader’s interest and curiosity, making them eager to explore the rest of the content.

Here are a few techniques you must use to make your illustration essay’s introduction engaging:

Start with a story: Begin with a short, vivid anecdote, a real-life scenario, or an example of personal interests related to your topic. It will immediately draw your reader in and make your essay relatable.
Pose a question: Ask a thought-provoking question related to your thesis. It will make your readers think and be curious about what your essay has to say.
Use a Surprising Fact: Shock your readers with an exciting and unexpected fact or statistic. It can be a powerful way to increase their interest.
Share a Relevant Quote: A well-chosen quote from a relevant figure can add depth and authority to your introduction.
Present Your Thesis Statement: After the powerful hook, clearly state your thesis statement. It will give your readers a rough outline of your essay.

Crafting Compelling Body Paragraphs

Think of these paragraphs as the heart of an illustration essay, where you bring your topic to life with real-life examples and evidence. However, only a few students can pull this crucial part right. If you find this tricky too, you can get help from a professional writing service – PapersOwl . Many experienced writers with top-notch writing skills can finish the work for you quickly. Just say, “ Write an academic essay ,” and let our writers do wonders.

However, if you want to write a good illustration essay, we are here to help you. Crafting compelling body paragraphs is a no-brainer, especially when you know the proper structure. In an illustration essay, each body paragraph should follow a clear and organized structure. This structure is often referred to as “PIE” (Point-Illustration-Explanation). Here is how to do it:

Point: Start each paragraph with a clear and concise topic sentence that presents the main point or idea you want to illustrate. It is where you tell your reader what to expect in the paragraph.
Illustration: After introducing your point, provide a specific example that supports or illustrates that point. It can be an anecdote, a fact, a statistic, or a quote. Your example should be relevant and directly related to your topic.
Explanation: Following the example, explain how it supports your point. Break down the example, analyze it, and clarify the connection between the example and your thesis. It is where you demonstrate to your reader how the illustration reinforces your argument.

It is worth remembering that smooth transitioning is key to a good illustration essay. Without smooth transitions, your essay becomes a disjointed puzzle, leaving readers frustrated and your argument lost in the confusion. While following the PIE structure ensures well-structured body parts of an essay , transition words are the bridge that gracefully guides your reader from one paragraph to the next.

Using Examples Effectively

In an illustration essay, the effective use of examples is the secret sauce that brings your ideas to life and makes your argument compelling. Now, you might be wondering how to ensure the effective use of examples. The process begins with selecting and incorporating examples into your essay. Whether you are writing a sample illustration essay or an illustration paper, it is all about choosing real-life instances, anecdotes, facts, statistics, or quotes that relate directly to your thesis.

Also, you must ensure that you don’t just drop examples into your essay and move on. Take your time to analyze and explain each example in the context of your thesis. Break it down for your reader. What does the example illustrate? How does it relate to your main points? It is crucial because it connects the dots for your readers, showing them how the example supports your argument.

Moreover, when using examples, you must focus on two key points: clarity and relevance. Your examples should be crystal clear and easy for your reader to understand. Avoid vague examples that might confuse your audience. Each example must be relevant to your thesis and the point you are trying to make. Irrelevant examples can derail your argument and leave readers scratching their heads.

Remember, the power of an illustration essay lies in the strength of your examples. Choose them carefully, explain them thoroughly, and ensure they are clear and relevant.

Writing a Strong Conclusion

Writing a strong conclusion for your illustration essay or exemplification paper is like putting the final brushstroke on a masterpiece. It is the last chance to leave a lasting impression on your reader. Therefore, when writing an illustration essay, make sure to end it with a strong conclusion.

Not sure how to do that? Here are a few tips you must follow for a strong conclusion:

Summarize Your Points: Summarize the primary points and examples you have presented throughout your essay.
Restate Your Thesis: Restating your thesis is essential. However, do not copy and paste it from your introduction. Instead, rephrase it engagingly.
Leave a Lasting Thought: Leave your reader with a thought-provoking or memorable thesis statement. It can be a call to action, a reflection on the broader significance of your topic, or a compelling idea related to your thesis.
Avoid New Information: Don’t introduce new examples or information in your conclusion.

Editing and Proofreading

Editing and proofreading your illustration essay is like giving it a polished finish, ensuring that your ideas shine through with clarity. Here are some quick tips for the final steps in perfecting your essay:

Read aloud: Read your essay aloud to yourself, as it will help you catch awkward sentences and errors and understand how the essay flows.
Check for clarity: Make sure your examples and explanations are crystal clear.
Consistency: Ensure consistency in your writing style, verb tense, and formatting throughout the essay.
Spell Check: Run a spell check to catch any glaring typos or spelling errors.
Grammar Check: Use a grammar checker to identify grammar and punctuation mistakes.

You will refine your essay and make it a polished piece by self-editing and proofreading. The final touch ensures your descriptive nature and the writer’s point come through clearly.

Mastering Illustration Essays – Concluding Thoughts

In conclusion, mastering the writing process for crafting an engaging illustration essay involves selecting impactful examples, explaining them effectively, and maintaining clarity. By following the PIE method and dedicating time to thorough editing, you are definitely on your way to writing persuasive illustration essays. Embrace the process, and let your creativity shine as you share your unique perspective, educate your readers, and make a lasting impact. With these insights, you are ready to embark on your journey to write an academic essay confidently. Happy writing!

Readers also enjoyed

WHY WAIT? PLACE AN ORDER RIGHT NOW!

Just fill out the form, press the button, and have no worries!

We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy.

How To Write An Illustration Essay

Essay Writing Guides

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!

Academic Writing Guides
Citation Guides
Essay Samples
Essay Topics
Research Paper Topics
Research Paper Writing Guides
Study Tips and Tricks

Featured articles

Strategies for Writing a Great Problem Solution Essay

Composing an assignment on a problem and solution essay topic allows you to demonstrate your ability to resolve human challenges. It helps you understand human problems and how to be a part of the solution instead of allocating blame and pointing fingers. So, how do you compose a great problem solutions essay? This post has […]

Author: Marina Kean

Your Complete Guide to Writing a Compelling Leadership Essay

True leadership lies at the heart of human well-being and success. Every positive step humanity ever took required great and responsible leadership. Therefore, people have studied leadership for many edges to unravel its different underlying factors. But how do you write a great essay that demonstrates your grasp of this sacred call? This post shares […]

Module 5: Illustration/Example Essay

Introduction to 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.

Module Outcomes

After successfully completing this module, you should be able to:

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

Illustration/Example

Kirk Fontenot

Student Learning Outcomes

Characterize the purpose of the illustration/example essay
Determine the best structure for the illustration/example essay
Compose an illustration/example essay

Introduction to Illustration/Example

To illustrate means to show or demonstrate something clearly. An effective illustration essay clearly demonstrates and supports a point using examples and 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.

Illustration/example writing simply means using specific examples to illustrate your point. Every essay has a point called the thesis statement . The thesis statement is the point you’re trying to make, stated clearly in one sentence. The rest of the essay is all about proving that point using different types of evidence.

The key to illustration/example is to use specific examples. General statements don’t make much of an impact on our reader; in other words, they’re boring. No one wants to read a boring essay, so why would you want to write one?

When thinking of examples, don’t try to come up with examples that can apply to everyone and every situation; these are general (i.e., boring) examples. Instead, think of specific, personal, interesting, unique examples.

Here’s an example of general writing that we should avoid:

There’s nothing wrong with this writing grammatically, but it’s boring .

Compare this to more specific writing:

The second example is specific, personal, and more interesting. The writer names specific restaurants and specific foods.

Illustration/example is an important rhetorical mode because specific examples are always a great way to make an essay more interesting, no matter what the writing prompt. In fact, if a rough draft of an essay is ever too short, don’t ever add filler; instead, add specific examples to get to the right length.

To make an essay more interesting, we can add:

Hypothetical examples that we make up
Real-life specific examples from personal experience (when appropriate)
Interesting examples that we read about

In this module, you will develop your skills in illustration/example 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 their 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.
Ask yourself: How much evidence do you need to adequately explain your point? Consider how complex your subject is and how much background your audience may already have.

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 your audience members were information technology (IT) specialists, you would likely use more technical evidence because they would be familiar with the subject.

Keeping your audience in mind 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

case in point for example

for instance in particular

in this case one example/another example

specifically to illustrate

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

Professional Illustration/Example Writing

In “April & Paris,” writer David Sedaris explores the unique impact of animals on the human psyche. Click on the link to view the essay “April & Paris” by David Sedaris or read it below.

April & Paris by David Sedaris

While watching TV one recent evening, I stumbled upon a nature program devoted to the subject of making nature programs. The cameraman’s job was to catch a bird of paradise in full display, so he dug himself a hole, covered it with branches, and sat inside it for three weeks. This was in New Guinea, where the people used to wear sexy loincloths but now stand around in T-shirts reading “I survived the 2002 IPC Corporate Challenge Weekend.” A villager might wear a pair of gym shorts and then add a fanny pack or a sun visor with the name of a riverboat casino stitched onto the brim. I suppose that these things came from a relief organization. Either that or a cruise ship went down and this was what had washed up onshore.

I’ll wager that quite a few sun visors found their way to Southeast Asia after the tsunami. One brutal news story after another, and it went on for weeks. The phone numbers of aid organizations would skitter across the bottom of the TV screen, and I recall thinking that if they wanted serious donations they ought to show a puppy. People I know, people who had never before contributed to charity, emptied their pockets when a cocker spaniel was shown standing on a rooftop after Hurricane Katrina hit, eight months later. “What choice did I have?” they asked. “That poor little thing looked into the camera and penetrated my very soul.”

The eyes of the stranded grandmother, I noted, were not half as piercing. There she was, clinging to a chimney with her bra strap showing, and all anyone did was wonder if she had a dog. “I’d hate to think there’s a Scotty in her house, maybe trapped on the first floor. What’s the number of that canine-rescue agency?”

Saying that this was everyone’s reaction is, of course, an exaggeration. There were cat people, too, and those whose hearts went out to the abandoned reptiles. The sight of an iguana sailing down the street on top of a refrigerator sent a herpetologist friend over the edge. “She seems to be saying, ‘Where’s my master?'” he speculated. “‘Here it is, time for our daily cuddle and I’m stuck on the S.S. Whirlpool!!'”

I’ve often heard that anthropomorphizing an animal is the worst injustice you can do to it. That said, I’m as guilty of it as anyone. In childhood stories, the snail might grab her purse and dash out the door to put money in the meter. The rabbit cries when the blue jay makes fun of her buckteeth. The mouse loves his sister but not that way. They’re just like us! we think.

Certain nature shows only add to this misconception, but that, to me, is why they’re so addictive. Take “Growing Up Camel,” a program my friend Ronnie and I watched one evening. It was set in a small, privately owned zoo somewhere in Massachusetts. The camel in question was named Patsy, and the narrator reminded us several times that she had been born on Super Bowl Sunday. While still an infant (the football stadium probably not even cleared yet), she was taken from her mother. Now she was practically grown, and the narrator announced a reunion: “Today Patsy has reached what may be the biggest milestone in her life—moving back in with her mom.”

In the next segment, the two were reintroduced, and the grumpy old mother chased her daughter around the pen. When the opportunity arose, she bit Patsy on the backside, and pretty hard, it seemed to me. This was the camels not getting along and it wasn’t too terribly different from the way they acted when they did get along.

When the next break approached, the narrator hooked us with “When we continue, a heartbreaking event that will change Patsy’s life forever.”

I’d have put my money on an amputated leg, but it turned out to be nothing that dramatic. What happened was that the mother got bone cancer and died. The veterinarian took it hard, but Patsy didn’t seem to care one way or another, and why would she, really? All her mom ever did was browbeat her and steal her food, so wasn’t she better off on her own?

The zookeepers worried that if Patsy were left alone she would forget how to be a camel, and so they imported some company, a male named Josh and his girlfriend, Josie, who were shipped in from Texas. The final shot was of the three of them, standing in the sunshine and serenely ignoring one another. Ronnie cleared her throat and said, “So that’s what became of the little camel who was born on Super Bowl Sunday.” She turned on the light and looked me in the face. “Are you crying?”

I told her I had an ash in my eye.

“Growing Up Camel” had its merits, but I think I prefer the more serious kind of nature show, the kind that follows its subject through the wild. This could be a forest, a puddle, or a human intestinal tract, it makes no difference. Show me a tiger or show me a tapeworm, and I’ll watch with equal intensity. In this sort of program we see the creature’s world reduced to its basic components: food, safety, and reproduction. It’s a constant chain of desperation and heartache, the gist being that life is hard, and then it ends violently. I know I should watch these things with an air of detachment, but time and again I forget myself. The show will run its course, and afterward I’ll lie on the sofa, shattered by the death of a doda or a guib, one of those four-letter antelope-type things which are forever turning up in my crossword puzzles.

Apart from leaving me spent and depressed, such programs remind me that I am rarely, if ever, alone. If there’s not an insect killing time on the ceiling, there’s surely a mite staring out from the bath towel, or a parasite resting on the banks of my bloodstream. I’m reminded, too, that, however repellent, each of these creatures is fascinating, and worthy of a miniseries.

This was a lesson I learned a few summers back, in Normandy. I was at my desk one afternoon writing a letter when I heard a faint buzzing sound, like a tiny car switching into a higher gear. Curious, I went to the window, and there, in a web, I saw what looked like an angry raisin. It was a trapped fly, and as I bent forward to get a closer look a spider rushed forth, and carried it screaming to a little woven encampment situated between the wall and the window casing. It was like watching someone you hate getting mugged: three seconds of hardcore violence, and when it was over you just wanted it to happen again.

It’s hard to recall having no working knowledge of the Tegenaria duellica, but that’s what I was back then—a greenhorn with a third-rate field guide. All I knew was that this was a spider, a big one, the shape of an unshelled peanut. In color it ranged from russet to dark brown, the shades alternating to form a mottled pattern on the abdomen. I later learned that the Tegenaria can live for up to two years, and that this was an adult female. At that moment, though, as I stood at the window with my mouth hanging open, all I recognized was a profound sense of wonder.

How had I spent so much time in that house and never realized what was going on around me? If the Tegenaria barked or went after my food, I might have picked up on them earlier, but, as it was, they were as quiet and unobtrusive as Amish farmers. Outside mating season, they pretty much stayed put, a far cry from the Carolina wolf spiders I grew up with. Those had been hunters rather than trappers. Big shaggy things the size of a baby’s hand, they roamed the basement of my parents’ house, and evoked from my sisters the prolonged, spine-tingling screams called for in movies when the mummy invades the delicate lady’s dressing room. “Kill it!” they’d yell, and then I’d hear a half-dozen shoes hitting the linoleum, followed by a world atlas or maybe a piano stool—whatever was heavy and close at hand.

I was put off by the wolf spiders as well, but never thought that they were out to get me. For starters, they didn’t seem that organized. Then, too, I figured they had their own lives to lead. This was an attitude I picked up from my father, who squashed nothing that was not directly related to him. “You girls,” he’d say, and no matter how big the thing was he’d scoot it onto a newspaper and release it outside. Come bedtime, I’d knock on my sisters’ door and predict that the spider was now crawling to the top of the house, where he’d take a short breather before heading down the chimney. “I read in the encyclopedia that this particular breed is known for its tracking ability, and that once they’ve pegged their victims almost nothing will stop them. Anyway, good night.”

My sisters would have been horrified by the house in Normandy, as would most people, probably. Even before I joined the American Arachnological Society, the place looked haunted, cobwebs sagging like campaign bunting from the rafters and curtain rods. If one was in my way, I’d knock it down. But that all changed when I discovered that first Tegenaria—April, I called her. After writing her name on an index card and taping it to the wall, I found my interest spreading to her neighbors. The window they lived in was like a tenement building, one household atop another, on either side of the frame. Above April was Marty, and then Curtis and Paula. Across the way were Linda, Russell, Big Chief Tommy, and a sexless little speck of a thing I decided to call Leslie. And this was just one window.

Seeing as I’d already broken the No. 1 rule of a good nature documentary —not to give names to your subjects—I went ahead and broke the next one, which was not to get involved in their lives. “Manipulating,” my boyfriend, Hugh, would call it, but, to my mind, that was a bit too mad scientist. Manipulating is cross-breeding, or setting up death matches with centipedes. What I was doing was simply called feeding.

No Tegenaria, or at least none that I’ve observed, wants anything to do with a dead insect, even a freshly dead one. A spider’s food needs to be alive and struggling, and because our house was overrun, and I had some time on my hands, I decided to help out. In my opinion, the best place to catch flies is against a windowpane. Something about the glass seems to confuse them, and they get even dopier when you come at them with an open jar. Once one was in, I’d screw on the lid and act like I was shaking a cocktail. The little body would slam against the sides, and, as Hugh went progressively Gandhi on me, I’d remind him that these were pests, disease carriers who feasted upon the dead, and then came indoors to dance on our silverware. “I mean, come on,” I said. “You can’t feel sorry for everything.”

The Tegenaria build what I soon learned to call “horizontal sheet webs”—dense trampoline-like structures that are most often triangular, and range in size from that of a folded handkerchief to that of a placemat. Once my prey was good and woozy, I’d unscrew the lid, and tip the jar toward the waiting spider. The fly would drop, and, after lying still for a moment or two, it would begin to twitch and rouse itself, a cartoon drunk coming to after a long night. “What the fuck…?” I imagined it saying. Then it would notice the wings and foreheads of earlier victims. “I’ve got to get out of here.” A whisper of footsteps off in the distance, and just as the fly tasted futility, the monster was upon it.

“And cut!” I would yell.

Watching this spectacle became addictive, and so, in turn, did catching flies. There were days when I’d throw a good three dozen of them to their deaths—this at the expense of everything else I was supposed to be doing. As the spiders moved from healthy to obese, their feet tore holes in their webs. Running became a chore, and I think their legs started chafing. By this point, there was no denying my emotional attachment. There were nights that first summer when I’d get out of bed at 3 A.M. and wander into my office with a flashlight. Everyone would be wide-awake, but it was always April that I singled out. If I thought about her a hundred times a day, it seemed only fair that she thought about me as well. My name, my face: I didn’t expect these things to register, but, in the way that a body feels the warmth of the sun, I fully imagined that she sensed my presence, and missed it when I was away.

“That’s all right,” I’d tell her. “It’s only me.” Often, I’d take out my magnifying glass and stare into the chaos that was her face.

Most people would have found it grotesque, but when you’re in love nothing is so abstract or horrible that it can’t be thought of as cute. It slayed me that she had eight eyes, and that none of them seemed to do her any good. They were more like decoration, really, a splay of beads crowded above her chelicerae. These were what she used to grip her prey, and if you looked at her the right way you could see them as a pair of enormous buckteeth. This made her appear goofy rather than scary, though I’d never have said so in her presence. For a Tegenaria, she was quite attractive, and I was glad to see that Principal Hodges shared my view. He was a freshly molted adult male who travelled from the other side of the room and spent six days inside her inner sanctum. Why Marty or Curtis or Big Chief Tommy didn’t mate with April is a mystery, and I put it on a list beside other nagging questions, such as “What was Jesus like as a teen-ager?” and “Why is it you never see a baby squirrel?”

As the summer progressed, so did the mysteries. Spiders relocated, both male and female, and I started noticing a lot of spare parts—a forsaken leg or palp lying in a web that used to belong to Paula or Philip or the Right Reverend Karen. Someone new would move in, and, as soon as I tacked up a fresh name card, he or she would vacate without notice. What had once seemed like a fine neighborhood quickly became a dangerous one, the tenants all thuggish and transitory. Maybe April was more respected than anyone else in her window unit. Maybe her enemies knew that she was being watched, but, for whatever reason, she was one of the few Tegenaria that managed to stay put and survive. In mid-September, Hugh and I returned to the city and, at the last minute, I decided to buy a plastic terrarium and to take her with me. The “April in Paris” business didn’t occur to me until we were on the train, and I held her container against the window, saying, “Look, the Eiffel Tower!”

Funny the details that slip your notice until it’s too late. The fact, for instance, that we don’t really have flies in Paris, at least not in our apartment. Back in Normandy, catching prey had been a breeze. I could do it barefoot and in my pajamas, but now I was forced to go outside and lurk around the trash cans in the Luxembourg Gardens. Someone would toss in a disposable diaper and I’d stand a few feet from the bin, and wait for the scent to be picked up. Then there’d be the sneak attack, the clattering jar, the little spell of cursing and foot stomping. Had the flies been gathered on a windowpane, I would have enjoyed the last laugh, but out in the open, and with an audience of French people noting my every failure, my beautiful hobby became a chore.

I’d been telling myself for months that April needed me, though of course she didn’t. An adequate amount of prey stumbled into her web and she caught it quite capably on her own—in Normandy, anyway. Now, though, trapped inside a terrarium in a fourth-floor apartment, she honestly did need me, and the responsibility weighed a ton. Tegenaria can go without eating for three months, but whenever I returned home empty-handed I could feel her little spider judgement seeping from the plastic box. The face that had once seemed goofy was now haughty and expectant. “Hmm,” I imagined her saying. “I guess I had you figured all wrong.”

In early October, the weather turned cool. Then the rains came and, overnight, every fly in Paris packed up and left town. April hadn’t eaten in more than a week when, just by chance, I happened upon a pet store and learned that it sold live crickets, blunt little black ones that looked like bolts with legs. I bought a chirping boxful and felt very proud of myself until the next morning, when I learned something that no nature show ever told me: crickets stink. They reek. Rather than dirty diapers or spoiled meat—something definite you can put your finger on—they smell like an inclination: cruelty, maybe, or hatred.

No amount of incense or air freshener could diminish the stench. Any attempt only made it worse, and it was this more than anything that led me back to Normandy. April and I took the train in late October, and I released her into her old home. I guess I thought that she would move back in, but in our absence her web had fallen to ruin. One corner had come unmoored and its ragged, fly-speckled edge drooped like a filthy petticoat onto the window ledge. “I’m pretty sure it can be fixed,” I told her, but before I could elaborate, or even say goodbye, she took off running. And I never saw her again.

There have been other Tegenaria since then, a new population every summer, and though I still feed them and monitor their comings and goings, it’s with a growing but not unpleasant distance, an understanding that spiders, unlike mammals, do only what they’re supposed to do. Whatever drives the likes of April is private and severe, and my attempts to humanize it only moved me further from its majesty. I still can’t resist the fly catching, but in terms of naming and relocating I’ve backed off considerably, though Hugh would say not enough.

I suppose there’s a place in everyone’s heart that’s reserved for another species. My own is covered in cobwebs rather than dog or cat hair, and, because of this, people assume it doesn’t exist. It does, though, and I felt it ache when Katrina hit. The TV was on, the grandmother signalled from her rooftop, and I found myself wondering, with something akin to panic, if there were any spiders in her house.

Discussion Questions (Part I & Part II)

What is the author’s primary thesis or theme? In other words, what is the point Sedaris is making?
List some specific examples provided by the author to illustrate the point.
Does the essay use “multiple” examples (a series of brief examples to illustrate or assert the thesis) or “extended” examples (longer examples explained through multiple sentences or paragraphs)?

This essay also connects back to the previous chapter on d efinition . Remember, definition is a rhetorical mode that explains or defines an unfamiliar term in such a way that your audience can gain a clearer understanding.

Go back to the essay and look for the term “anthropomorphizing.”

Based on context clues, what does the term mean?
How does the writer’s use of specific examples contribute to the definition?
List examples of denotation (the literal meaning) and connotation (the feeling or attitude) of the term.

Student Illustration/Example Writing

Letter to the city.

To: Lakeview Department of Transportation

From: A Concerned Citizen

A Concerned Citizen

Discussion Questions

What is the thesis of the essay? Where is it found?
List one specific example that the writer cites to illustrate their point.
Do the examples used in the essay successfully illustrate the point the writer is making?
Point out (a) a personal example and (b) an example found through research in this essay.
Describe a hypothetical example that you could add to the writer’s letter that would further illustrate the point.

Think back to a time when you won an argument by providing a specific example to prove your point. Use freewriting to describe that argument and the example you cited, then write a brief outline of an illustration/example essay.

Illustration
Thesis statement
Transition words
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.

Reflective Response

Now that you have read the chapter and written an illustration/example essay, describe ways in which using specific examples can be valuable in personal, academic, and professional writing.

Additional Chapter Sources

To show or demonstrate something clearly

An essay which clearly demonstrates and supports a point using examples and evidence

Available facts or information

The Thesis Statement expresses the overall point and main ideas that will be discussed in the body. It usually appears as the last sentence of the introduction and is usually one sentence.

Transition words and phrases are used to link together different ideas in your text.

The literal and explicit definition of a word

The feelings or attitudes that make up the extended definition of a word

Share This Book

Illustration

Writing for Success

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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

On a separate sheet of paper, write a five-paragraph illustration essay. You can choose one of the topics from “Exercise 1” or “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.

Share This Book

Feedback/errata.

Comments are closed.

school Campus Bookshelves
menu_book Bookshelves
perm_media Learning Objects
login Login
how_to_reg Request Instructor Account
hub Instructor Commons
Download Page (PDF)
Download Full Book (PDF)
Periodic Table
Physics Constants
Scientific Calculator
Reference & Cite
Tools expand_more
Readability

selected template will load here

This action is not available.

2.1: Introduction to Illustration/Example Essay

Last updated
Save as PDF
Page ID 22594

Illustration/Example

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

Module Outcomes

After successfully completing this module, you should be able to:

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

marquette.edu //
Contacts //
A-Z Index //
Give to Marquette

Marquette.edu // Career Center // Resources //

Properly Write Your Degree

The correct way to communicate your degree to employers and others is by using the following formats:

Degree - This is the academic degree you are receiving. Your major is in addition to the degree; it can be added to the phrase or written separately. Include the full name of your degree, major(s), minor(s), emphases, and certificates on your resume.

Double Majors - You will not be receiving two bachelor's degrees if you double major. Your primary major determines the degree (Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science). If you're not fully sure which of your majors is primary, check CheckMarq or call the registrar's office.

Example: Primary Major: Psychology ; Secondary Major: Marketing

Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology & Marketing

Primary Major: Marketing ; Secondary Major: Psychology

Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing & Psychology

In a letter, you may shorten your degree by writing it this way:

In May 20XX, I will graduate with my Bachelor's degree in International Affairs.
In December 20XX, I will graduate with my Master's degree in Counseling Education.

Not sure which degree you are graduating with? Here is a list of Undergraduate Majors and corresponding degrees:

College of Arts & Sciences
College of Business Administration
College of Communication
College of Education
College of Engineering
College of Health Sciences
College of Nursing

Student meets for an appointment at the Career Center

Online Resources
Handouts and Guides
College/Major Specific Resources
Grad Program Specific Resources
Diverse Population Resource s
Affinity Group Resources
Schedule an Appointment
Major/Career Exploration
Internship/Job Search
Graduate/Professional School
Year of Service
Resume and Cover Letter Writing

Login to Handshake
Getting Started with Handshake
Handshake Support for Students
Handshake Support for Alumni
Handshake Information for Employers

CONNECT WITH US

PROBLEM WITH THIS WEBPAGE? Report an accessibility problem

To report another problem, please contact [email protected]

Marquette University Holthusen Hall, First Floor Milwaukee, WI 53233 Phone: (414) 288-7423

Campus contacts
Search marquette.edu

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

15.3 Illustration Essay

Learning objective.

Read an example of the illustration rhetorical mode.

Letter to the City

To: Lakeview Department of Transportation

From: A Concerned Citizen

A Concerned Citizen

Online Illustration Essay Alternatives

Lewis Thomas provides several illustrative examples in On Natural Death :

http://thefloatinglibrary.com/2009/03/05/on-natural-death-lewis-thomas

Jessica Bennett, a senior writer for Newsweek , offers an example of an illustration essay when she presents The Flip Side of Internet Fame :

http://www.newsweek.com/2008/02/21/the-flip-side-of-internet-fame.html

Report: Iran’s Attack Complicates Efforts to Condition U.S. Military Aid to Israel

Create an FP account to save articles to read later and in the FP mobile app.

ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER? LOGIN

World Brief

Editors’ Picks
Africa Brief

China Brief

Latin America Brief

South Asia Brief

Situation report.

Flash Points
War in Ukraine
Israel and Hamas
U.S.-China competition
Biden's foreign policy
Trade and economics
Artificial intelligence
Asia & the Pacific
Middle East & Africa

The New Idea of India

Iran’s attack on israel—what happens next, ones and tooze, foreign policy live.

Spring 2024 Issue

Print Archive

FP Analytics

In-depth Special Reports
Issue Briefs
Power Maps and Interactive Microsites
FP Simulations & PeaceGames
Graphics Database

Her Power 2024

The atlantic & pacific forum, principles of humanity under pressure, fp global health forum 2024, fp @ unga79.

By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.

Your guide to the most important world stories of the day

Essential analysis of the stories shaping geopolitics on the continent

The latest news, analysis, and data from the country each week

Weekly update on what’s driving U.S. national security policy

Evening roundup with our editors’ favorite stories of the day

One-stop digest of politics, economics, and culture

Weekly update on developments in India and its neighbors

A curated selection of our very best long reads

Iran’s Attack Complicates Efforts to Condition U.S. Military Aid to Israel

Calls to curb u.s. support for israel’s war in gaza over the humanitarian crisis risk being upended by israel’s pressing security needs..

United States
Amy Mackinnon

The Iranian attack on Israel over the weekend is likely to complicate efforts by progressives in Washington to condition certain types of military aid to Israel over the spiraling humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Gaza.

In a letter sent on Sunday night, more than 100 Republicans and Democrats urged Mike Johnson, the speaker of the U.S.House of Representatives, to hold a vote on a multibillion-dollar military aid package for Israel as soon as Monday evening.

The $95 billion dollar bill, which also includes military aid for Ukraine as well as Taiwan, was passed by the Senate in February and contains $14 billion in security assistance for Israel. It has since stalled in the House over Republican reservations about providing further military aid to Ukraine.

Overnight on Saturday, Tehran launched a volley of more than 300 drones and missiles in an unprecedented attack on Israel, which came in response to an Israeli airstrike on the Syrian capital, Damascus, at the beginning of April, which killed seven senior commanders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Israeli officials said that 99 percent of the drones and missiles launched from Iran were successfully intercepted, with an injured 7-year-old girl being the only known casualty.

After decades of shadow war across the Middle East and beyond, the attack marks the first time that Tehran has struck Israel directly and risks pushing an already volatile region to the brink.

Amid a nesting doll of regional wars, Iran’s attack underscored the grave threats to Israel’s security even as it wages its own unsparing war in Gaza, and it will complicate—if perhaps only temporarily—the political calculus for those looking to curtail U.S. military aid to Israel.

Before Saturday’s attack, a growing chorus of Democrats and progressives in Washington were calling for the Biden administration to subject U.S. security assistance to greater scrutiny in the wake of an Israeli strike on a World Central Kitchen aid convoy that killed seven humanitarian aid workers.

In the wake of the strike, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has a long record of strongly supporting Israel, joined 39 Democratic lawmakers in signing a letter to the Biden administration calling for arms transfers to Israel to be withheld until a full investigation is conducted. The letter also described the recent U.S. transfer to Israel of 2,000-lb. bombs, which are capable of destroying a whole city block, as “unjustifiable” in light of the “ever-worsening humanitarian crisis.”

Pelosi—along with two other House Democrats who joined the letter calling for a rethink of U.S. military aid to Israel, Reps. Sara Jacobs and Jahana Hayes—also signed Sunday’s missive to Speaker Mike Johnson calling for a vote on the multibillion-dollar supplemental aid package to Israel.

A spokesperson for Pelosi described the former speaker’s position as “fully consistent,” adding, “ She signed the April 5 letter to call for a pause on offensive weapons transfers until there was an independent investigation into the attack on the World Central Kitchen heroes, steps the Administration has taken and is taking. So it’s fully compatible with the April 14 letter urging the House to take up and pass the Senate supplemental.”

Spokespeople for Jacobs and Hayes did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Netanyahu Wants War With Iran. Biden Can Prevent It.

Past U.S. presidents rejected Israel’s push to strike Tehran, but Biden is falling into his trap.

3 Ways Israel Could Respond to Iran

Israeli leaders have vowed to counterattack, but how they do so could jeopardize international support.

America Fueled the Fire in the Middle East

Israel is in growing danger—but the responsibility lies more in Washington than in Tehran.

Calls to condition military aid to Israel may only be temporarily dampened, said Matt Duss, a former foreign-policy advisor to U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders who now leads the Center for International Policy, a progressive think tank in Washington.

“This is a position that has been gaining support in the party for a long time, one now supported by a majority of Democratic voters,” he said in a message to Foreign Policy. “The Gaza catastrophe has made it more salient, but it’s not just about Gaza, it’s about whether we’re actually going to enforce our own laws governing military aid.”

Israel’s strike on the World Central Kitchen convoy, which an Israel Defense Forces investigation found to be a “ serious violation ” of its procedures, appeared to be a tipping point for U.S. President Joe Biden, who, in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a few days after the strike, said that his administration’s policy going forward would be determined by Israel’s efforts to mitigate civilian harm and humanitarian suffering. Yet administration officials have not publicly outlined how their policy might change should Israel fail to satisfy U.S. demands—a fact that seems to be causing frustration among some Democrats.

“I haven’t seen any more definition as to what policy changes would be made,” Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who has been increasingly outspoken about the need to condition the sale of offensive weapons to Israel, said last week before the Iranian attack occurred.

Regarded by Washington as a highly strategic democratic partner in the Middle East, Israel has been the No. 1 recipient of U.S. security assistance since World War II.

The majority of the military aid provided to Israel each year is foreign military financing to the tune of $3.3 billion , under a 10-year memorandum of understanding—the third of its kind—that the Obama administration signed in 2016. A further $500 million is allocated to funding Israel’s multilayered missile defense programs, such as the Iron Dome and Arrow, which were integral in fending off the onslaught of Iranian missiles and drones over the weekend.

While there have been increasing calls to condition the transfer of offensive weapons to Israel, support for missile defense remains widespread, as the country has faced continual rocket attacks from Hezbollah in Lebanon since the Hamas attack that started the current war on Oct. 7, 2023 .

“Politically, Iron Dome funding is never going to be on the table, and I understand that—that is a very popular provision,” said Ari Tolany, the director of the Security Assistance Monitor at the Center for International Policy.

Biden, a longtime staunch supporter of Israel, is unlikely to put any significant restrictions on security assistance to the country, reiterating his “ironclad” commitment to its security in light of the attacks by Iran.

But those advocating for the administration to bring greater pressure to bear on the Israeli government point to a number of steps that the administration could take to help curb the toll exacted on civilians in Gaza without undermining Israel’s defensive capabilities. One is to use the Humanitarian Aid Corridor Act, which calls on the president to halt arms sales to a country known to be holding up U.S. humanitarian assistance.

“It does seem that the Netanyahu government has been in violation of the terms of the humanitarian aid corridors act,” said Van Hollen, who said the State Department’s reasoning for not invoking the act in briefings to senators was “completely unsatisfactory” and based on a “cramped” reading of the law.

Presidents can override the law if they find a pressing need to continue to supply military aid, as then-President Bill Clinton did in the 1990s when he waived restrictions on Turkey despite that country’s obstruction of humanitarian aid to Armenia. Doing so allows the president to publicly call out aid obstructions while maintaining weapons supplies.

Continuing to supply Israel with military aid while it throttles humanitarian assistance into Gaza without invoking the act at all “sends a clear political signal that Israel’s conduct in both Gaza and the West Bank is not a red line,” Tolany said.

Another step that the administration could take would be to limit the transfer of certain offensive munitions to Israel, such as the 2,000-lb. so-called “bunker buster” bombs, hundreds of which have been used in Gaza.

“If we stop replacing them for a time, with the understanding that if a war broke out with Hezbollah things could change, the Israeli targeting decisions would change,” said a Senate aide who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Though U.S. law includes extensive provisions to pause military aid to a country or military unit on humanitarian and human rights grounds, it offers significant latitude to the executive branch, said the Senate aide.

For arms transfers worth more than $25 million, the administration must formally notify Congress of the sale—although the administration has approved more than 100 separate sales of lethal aid in packages that fall below the threshold required to notify lawmakers.

An informal notification process ahead of an arms transfer is intended to give the four leaders of the House and Senate foreign relations committees the opportunity to quietly raise any concerns about the deal—without their objections spilling into the public eye.

Lawmakers have used this process as an opportunity to extract concessions or secure greater oversight, Tolany said. This can significantly delay but not scupper a deal entirely.

To fully block an arms transfer, it would require a resolution of disapproval passed by the House and Senate and a supermajority of support to override a likely presidential veto—something that no Congress has ever managed to do for an military aid arms transfer.

“It takes just a huge amount for Congress to overrule the president’s will,” the Senate aide said.

There is precedent for a U.S. president to withhold military aid to Israel. In the early 1980s, President Ronald Reagan placed a temporary hold on the export of F-16 fighter jets and cluster munitions to Israel over its conduct during the war in Lebanon. In 1991, Secretary of State James Baker threatened to withhold $10 billion in U.S. loan guarantees to help Israel resettle Jews from the former Soviet Union if it continued to build settlements in the occupied territories.

And last year, the Biden administration blocked the transfer of almost 30,000 rifles intended for use by the Israeli police over concerns that they could fall into the hands of extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

Critics have argued that Israel is not held to the same standard as other countries when it comes to scrutinizing the involvement of U.S. military aid in human rights abuses. For most recipients of U.S. security assistance, military or security service units that receive the aid are screened in a process known as Leahy vetting and prohibited from receiving U.S. support if there is “credible information” they have been involved in human rights abuses.

For countries that receive significant amounts of aid—Ukraine, Israel, and Egypt—the secretary of state provides the countries with lists of military units that are prohibited from receiving the aid, while an internal State Department forum monitors for any allegations of human rights violations. Since 2020, more than a dozen incidents of alleged abuses by Israeli forces have been reviewed by the State Department, according to the Guardian , but none have been upheld.

“It’s not that the laws aren’t there, it’s just that there is no willingness to enforce them,” said Josh Paul, a former senior State Department official who resigned from the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs in late October over U.S. military assistance to Israel.

Amy Mackinnon is a national security and intelligence reporter at Foreign Policy . Twitter: @ak_mack

Join the Conversation

Commenting on this and other recent articles is just one benefit of a Foreign Policy subscription.

Already a subscriber? Log In .

Subscribe Subscribe

View Comments

Join the conversation on this and other recent Foreign Policy articles when you subscribe now.

Not your account? Log out

Please follow our comment guidelines , stay on topic, and be civil, courteous, and respectful of others’ beliefs.

Change your username:

I agree to abide by FP’s comment guidelines . (Required)

Confirm your username to get started.

The default username below has been generated using the first name and last initial on your FP subscriber account. Usernames may be updated at any time and must not contain inappropriate or offensive language.

Sign up for Editors' Picks

A curated selection of fp’s must-read stories..

You’re on the list! More ways to stay updated on global news:

World Leaders Urge Restraint as Israel Mulls Iran Response

Why israel-iran war is a lifeline for netanyahu, editors’ picks.

1 3 Ways Israel Could Respond to Iran
2 How Will Israel Respond to the Iranian Attack?
3 The New Idea of India
4 Why Israel-Iran War Is a Lifeline for Netanyahu
5 Netanyahu Wants War With Iran. Biden Can Prevent It.
6 Who’s Afraid of the Global South?

Israel's War Cabinet Debates Responses to Iran's Attack

Iran attack: 3 ways israel could respond, israel-iran: how war helps netanyahu, more from foreign policy, israel is facing an iraq-like quagmire.

Six months in, there’s still no plan for after the war, U.S. officials say.

NATO Doesn’t Have Enough Troops

For the first time in decades, NATO has a plan to fight Russia. Now it just needs the forces to do it.

Biden’s ‘Coalitions of the Willing’ Foreign-Policy Doctrine

The latest flurry of U.S. diplomacy shows how the president is all about “minilateralism.”

Narendra Modi’s reign is producing a less liberal but more assured nation.

How Will Israel Respond to the Iranian Attack?

Washington’s failed africa policy needs a reset.

FP’s flagship evening newsletter guiding you through the most important world stories of the day, written by Alexandra Sharp . Delivered weekdays.

What is the difference between a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse?

It almost time! Millions of Americans across the country Monday are preparing to witness the once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse as it passes over portions of Mexico, the United States and Canada.

It's a sight to behold and people have now long been eagerly awaiting what will be their only chance until 2044 to witness totality, whereby the moon will completely block the sun's disc, ushering in uncharacteristic darkness.

That being said, many are curious on what makes the solar eclipse special and how is it different from a lunar eclipse.

The total solar eclipse is today: Get the latest forecast and everything you need to know

What is an eclipse?

An eclipse occurs when any celestial object like a moon or a planet passes between two other bodies, obscuring the view of objects like the sun, according to NASA .

What is a solar eclipse?

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon comes in between the Earth and the sun, blocking its light from reaching our planet, leading to a period of darkness lasting several minutes. The resulting "totality," whereby observers can see the outermost layer of the sun's atmosphere, known as the corona, presents a spectacular sight for viewers and confuses animals – causing nocturnal creatures to stir and bird and insects to fall silent.

Partial eclipses, when some part of the sun remains visible, are the most common, making total eclipses a rare sight.

What is a lunar eclipse?

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon and the sun are on exact opposite sides of Earth. When this happens, Earth blocks the sunlight that normally reaches the moon. Instead of that sunlight hitting the moon’s surface, Earth's shadow falls on it.

Lunar eclipses are often also referred to the "blood moon" because when the Earth's shadow covers the moon, it often produces a red color. The coloration happens because a bit of reddish sunlight still reaches the moon's surface, even though it's in Earth's shadow.

Difference between lunar eclipse and solar eclipse

The major difference between the two eclipses is in the positioning of the sun, the moon and the Earth and the longevity of the phenomenon, according to NASA.

A lunar eclipse can last for a few hours, while a solar eclipse lasts only a few minutes. Solar eclipses also rarely occur, while lunar eclipses are comparatively more frequent. While at least two partial lunar eclipses happen every year, total lunar eclipses are still rare, says NASA.

Another major difference between the two is that for lunar eclipses, no special glasses or gizmos are needed to view the spectacle and one can directly stare at the moon. However, for solar eclipses, it is pertinent to wear proper viewing glasses and take the necessary safety precautions because the powerful rays of the sun can burn and damage your retinas.

Contributing: Eric Lagatta, Doyle Rice, USA TODAY

Ozempic Hurts the Fight Against Eating Disorders

Weight Loss Drugs As US Prescriptions Skyrocket

I t’s impossible to escape the soaring popularity of Ozempic and similar drugs these days—daily headlines, celebrity “success” stories, and apparent ease in procuring prescriptions (even Costco sells them now) abound. But the cumulative effect of all of this has many experts in the eating disorder field worried about how this might affect their patients. This makes sense—even for those without eating disorders, these drugs can feel both triggering and enticing. After all, research tells us about 90% of women are dissatisfied with their bodies. This sounds like a quick fix.

Then, I started hearing reports—first anecdotal, then published —that some doctors were prescribing weight loss drugs like Ozempic to their patients with eating disorders. As in, to help treat them.

As a journalist who has extensively researched the harms of eating disorders and the barriers to recovery—and as a woman who had suffered from eating disorders on and off for much of my own life—I thought I must have misunderstood. Yes, we as a society are in the midst of Ozempic Fever—and by “fever,” I’m referring to excitement, rather than a possible side effect of the drug (which it is). Researchers are continuing to find new potential applications for these drugs, initially developed to treat type 2 diabetes. In March, the FDA approved a new indication for the weight-loss drug Wegovy (which has the same active ingredient as Ozempic), allowing it to be used as a treatment to reduce the risk for heart attack and stroke. Ozempic, a diabetes drug, used off-label for weight loss, is also being studied to treat anxiety and depression , polycystic ovary syndrome, substance abuse, Alzheimer’s , and now—eating disorders.

Read More: Ozempic Exposed the Cracks in the Body Positivity Movement

It’s early days and research hasn’t yet caught up with the enthusiasm. But our cultural misunderstanding of eating disorders, even by well-meaning practitioners, could exacerbate the illnesses for those who suffer from them—and have dire consequences.

The new class of weight loss drugs mimics the body’s GLP-1 hormone , stimulating insulin production, and lowering blood sugar levels, helpful to those with type 2 diabetes. The drugs also curb appetite and slow the speed that food moves into the small intestine—you feel full more quickly and eat less. Many patients without eating disorders who take these drugs, have reported a reduction of “food noise” in their minds—referring to obsessive thoughts and preoccupation with food. (Though, as philosopher Kate Manne wisely posited in a recent New York Times piece , isn’t “food noise,” simply, hunger?)

For folks suffering from binge eating disorder (BED) or bulimia nervosa (BN), a drug that decreases appetite may seem to make sense. Both illnesses are characterized by eating large amounts of food, eating until uncomfortably full, and feeling distress around that (bulimia is distinguished by purging after a binge).

Binge eating often emerges as part of a cycle of restriction—dieting, fasting, or eliminating entire food groups—like carbs, for example. “Many people struggling with BED view the binge episodes as the problem and the restriction as something to strive for,” said Alexis Conason, a psychologist specializing in the treatment of binge eating disorder. “When people with BED take a GLP-1 medication that dampens their appetite, many are excited that they can be ‘better’ at restriction and consume very little throughout the day.” Subsequently, Conason adds, there is a dangerous potential for BED to then morph into anorexia, starving oneself with possibly life-threatening complications.

Eating disorders are complex illnesses that aren’t yet fully understood, even by experts in the field. Underneath the behaviors around food is often an intricate web of trauma, anxiety, and even genetic predisposition, all set against the backdrop of a culture that prizes thinness . Low weight is frequently (incorrectly) conflated with good health, and people in larger bodies are often subjected to bullying, negative stereotypes, and discrimination in the workplace .

Read More: Ozempic Gets the Oprah Treatment in a New TV Special

Emerging research strongly supports that for many, eating disorders are brain-based illnesses and in most cases, there exists a co-morbidity like anxiety, mood disorders, or substance abuse.

“GLP-1’s can’t help someone deal with their stress, anxiety, [and] trauma-history,” said psychologist Cynthia Bulik, one of the world’s leading eating disorder researchers, and Founding Director of the University of North Carolina Center of Excellence of Eating Disorders. “All of that background distress—fundamental distress that might be driving the BED in the first place—is temporarily bypassed by removing the desire to eat.”

Nearly 30 million Americans will have an eating disorder in their lifetime, but only about 6% of those are medically diagnosed as “underweight,” according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. This means that a person may exhibit all of the diagnostic hallmarks of anorexia, for example, extreme restriction and even malnourishment, but still present as average weight or even overweight. They may even be told by a physician to lose weight, despite the fact that they are already going to dangerous extremes to chase that “goal.”

“We tend to think that everyone in a larger body with an eating disorder must have BED and everyone in a smaller body must have anorexia, but this couldn’t be further from the truth,” said Conason. “So many people with BED seek help in weight loss settings instead of seeking eating disorder treatment; many view the problem as their weight and think they need more help sticking to their diet” when in reality, an end to the restriction would more likely regulate their eating.

It’s much easier to get weight loss treatment than help for an eating disorder. There is no standard of care for eating disorders in this country and treatment is unregulated. While there are some promising, evidenced-based treatments (cognitive behavioral therapy for adults, and family-based treatment for children and teens), they don’t work for everyone. If a person is fortunate to be diagnosed and receive adequate treatment, relapses are common and full recovery can be elusive.

Further, these drugs are often intended to be taken for a person’s entire life. “When they go off the drug, or can’t access it due to supply problems, the urge to binge comes right back and they have not developed any psychological (or) behavioral skills to manage the urge,” Bulik told me. Just like with a diet, any lost weight will likely be regained when a person stops taking the drugs. Weight fluctuations, themselves ,may increase a person’s risk of chronic illnesses like type 2 diabetes, according to multiple studies.

“The focus on weight and erasing the desire to eat could indeed do harm,” cautioned Bulik. “The potential for abuse is high and will become higher with new preparations that don’t require an injection … Remember, these drugs are ‘for life.’ Stop them, and everything comes rushing back.”

The long-term side effects of GLP-1’s are not yet known. But the harms of eating disorders are: eating disorders have one of the highest mortality rates of any mental illness (second only to opioid overdose). People with eating disorders are more likely to attempt suicide, and during COVID-19, emergency room visits and inpatient admissions for eating disorders at pediatric hospitals skyrocketed, particularly for young women. According to the CDC, emergency room visits for 12-17 year old girls who suffer from eating disorders doubled during the pandemic. Those numbers, as shown by recent studies , have not returned to pre-pandemic levels.

An even greater concern is that the gaps in comprehensive care for eating disorders invite experimental, potentially harmful treatments and leave patients vulnerable. GLP-1’s may seem like a short-term “fix,” but they won’t graze the deeper issues nor will they diminish the eating disorder crisis in this country. And it is a crisis—every year, eating disorders cost the U.S. more than $65 billion .

I know too well that if a doctor advises their patient with an eating disorder “here’s something to make you eat less” most patients would happily oblige. That’s part of the pathology of the illness. It’s the eating disorder talking. Ideally, it wouldn’t be your doctor’s voice, too.

More Must-Reads From TIME

Dua Lipa Manifested All of This
Exclusive: Google Workers Revolt Over $1.2 Billion Contract With Israel
Stop Looking for Your Forever Home
The Sympathizer Counters 50 Years of Hollywood Vietnam War Narratives
The Bliss of Seeing the Eclipse From Cleveland
Hormonal Birth Control Doesn’t Deserve Its Bad Reputation
The Best TV Shows to Watch on Peacock
Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time

Share full article

Supported by

Guest Essay

What Worries Me Most About a Trump Presidency

A 3D-modeled illustration of Donald Trump, with his head cut out of frame, speaking at a podium with a presidential seal on the front. Dollars bills and gold coins are spilling from his suit pockets, and he is surrounded by stacks of cash and sacks of money with dollar signs on the front.

By Caroline Fredrickson

Ms. Fredrickson is an adviser at the Open Markets Institute, a senior fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice and a visiting professor of law at Georgetown University.

There are almost daily headlines now describing what Donald Trump would do if elected: the mass deportations, the pardons handed out to his friends and golf buddies, the Justice Department settling scores and waging personal vendettas. The former president has even promised violence if the election goes against him, warning that it could be a “ blood bath .”

But as worrying as these prospects are, they are far from the biggest threats he poses. What we should fear most is Mr. Trump transforming our government into a modern-day Tammany Hall, installing a kleptocratic leadership that will be difficult if not impossible to dislodge.

I do not discount the possibility of state-sponsored violence, and I worry deeply about the politicization of the civil service . But those are, for the most part, threats and theories, and while they need to be taken seriously, people should be paying more attention to a far more likely reality: that Mr. Trump would spend much of his time in office enriching himself. He failed spectacularly as an insurrectionist and as a disrupter of the civil service, and his clownish and chaotic style may well lead to failure again — but he has succeeded time and time again in the art of the steal. If his grift continues into a second term, it will not only contribute to the fraying trust Americans have in their institutions, but also impair our ability to lead the world through a series of escalating crises.

Recall how Mr. Trump operated in his first term. Not only did he keep his stake in more than a hundred businesses, he made it a practice to visit his properties around the country, forcing taxpayers to pay for rooms and amenities at Trump hotels for the Secret Service and other staff members who accompanied him — money that went straight into his bank accounts and those of his business partners. Those interested in currying favor with the president, from foreign governments to would-be government contractors, knew to spend money at his hotels and golf clubs. According to internal Trump hotel documents, T-Mobile executives spent over $195,000 at the Trump Washington Hotel after announcing a planned merger with Sprint in April 2018. Two years later, the merger was approved.

Government, like fish, rots from the head down. Mr. Trump’s example freed up cabinet members to award huge contracts to their friends, business associates and political allies, while others ran their departments like personal fiefs. After the State Department’s inspector general was fired , Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s use of official trips for clandestine meetings with conservative donors and allegations that his family misused staff members for tasks like walking his dog, picking up his wife from the airport and fetching his takeout came to light. And, in addition to being accused of improperly accepting gifts from those seeking influence, several other cabinet members were alleged to have used government funds for private travel . These may seem like banal infractions, but taken together, they are a reflection of who Mr. Trump is and how he governs.

Throughout his life, through Trump-branded wine, chocolate bars, sneakers, NFTs, ties, MAGA paraphernalia, a $59.99 Bible (of all things ) and, most recently, his Truth Social meme stock ploy, he has shown an unstoppable drive to enrich himself at all costs. He sees politics, like business, as a zero-sum game in which he wins only if someone else loses. These are the instincts that drive corruption, kleptocracy and grift. And, if past is prologue, we’re looking at a much more damaging sequel.

In a second term, Mr. Trump will have more freedom and power to undertake grift. He has already vowed to use pardons to protect supporters and possibly even himself from efforts to curb corruption (which may explain the nonchalance with which his son-in-law Jared Kushner has greeted criticism about the conflicts of interest raised by his recent real estate investments in Serbia and Albania, as well as the Saudi, Qatari and Emirati investments in his wealth fund). And he and his political advisers are building a deep bench of committed and loyal employees who could corrode and potentially destroy mechanisms of accountability in government, paving the way for kleptocratic leaders to entrench themselves in the bureaucracy where many would be able to remain past Mr. Trump’s term. And the mere presence of a phalanx of unquestioning lieutenants in the civil service will ensure that other civil servants fear retribution for objecting to the self-enrichment.

Naturally, I worry about other things, too, particularly the possibility of political violence. Mr. Trump could well claim he has won the election no matter the vote count and call on his supporters to rise up to ensure his takeover. Even before the votes are cast, his supporters are threatening election officials, judicial officials and state legislators, trying to intimidate them into either helping Mr. Trump or stepping aside to be replaced by Trumpists.

But legal, law enforcement and security obstacles are still in place to slow down or stop these efforts. We must remember that this time around, President Biden will still be president, able to control the military and federal law enforcement, and Congress has amended the outdated and vague Electoral Count Act to make it much harder for Mr. Trump’s congressional allies to contest a Trump loss in the electoral college or on Capitol Hill.

No such guardrails exist to curb Trumpian corruption. The Supreme Court, itself corrupt , has made it virtually impossible to prosecute even the most blatant corruption by government officials.

In a kleptocracy, corruption is a feature, not a bug, where politicians apply the law inconsistently , favoring friends and punishing enemies. By controlling government assets and handing them out to friends and family — and dangling possibilities in front of would-be supporters — as well as using politically motivated prosecutions, kleptocrats cement their control of government and disempower opponents. We need only recall Russia’s erstwhile effort to create a democracy: It quickly drained away into the pockets of Vladimir Putin and his oligarchs, leading to the hopelessness and acquiescence of Russian citizens once they realized they could no longer change their situation through democratic means.

Now we face that danger at home. If Mr. Trump wins, America will have a leader invested in his own personal power, both financial and punitive, and supported by a much more capable team. When lucrative contracts are handed out to Trumpist loyalists regardless of merit and dissident voices are targeted and silenced, America’s leadership on the global stage will dissolve when it’s needed most.

The consequences will echo for generations if we lack the ability and the will to attack problems like climate change, mass migration, a new space race and multiple wars. Nothing of substance will be done, Mr. Trump’s cronies will continue to act with impunity, and millions of Americans — already worried that elites are held to a different standard than regular people are — will lose even more confidence in their government, convinced that everyone in Washington is out for himself.

This combination of passivity on the one hand and impunity on the other could be fatal for our democracy. This is the true danger Mr. Trump poses.

Caroline Fredrickson is an adviser at the Open Markets Institute, a senior fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice and a visiting professor of law at Georgetown University.

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 .

IMAGES

How to Write an Illustration Essay : Complete Guide
Illustration Essay: Guide to Writing an Excellent Piece of Work
Illustration Essay Writing Tips: The Complete Guide, Format, And Sample
How To Write An Illustration Essay
How to Write an Illustration Essay : Complete Guide
What Is an Illustration Essay? Definition, Instructions & Example

VIDEO

How to make a vector illustration by tracing an image
picture with Deep meaning illustration picture motivational quotes Sad reality of world #sad #status
Illustration Essay Review
Illustration Essay Writing Help Online
Deep meaning illustration about life #shorts #realityoflife #deepstatus
Illustrate Meaning

COMMENTS

Definition, Tips & Examples for Illustration Essay
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 ...
Illustration Essays: Definitions, Templates and Examples
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.".
Illustration Essay: Definition, Topics, Examples and Tips
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.
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 ...
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 ...
What is an Illustration Essay?
Illustration Essay Definition. An illustration essay is a piece of writing that uses examples to support a thesis statement or main idea. It is also known as an exemplification essay because it provides specific instances that demonstrate or " exemplify " the writer's point.
Illustration Essay: Topics, Tips and the Outline
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".
Illustration
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.
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. The controlling idea of an essay is called a thesis. A writer can use different types of evidence to support his or her thesis.
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.. The controlling idea of an essay is called a thesis.A writer can use different types of evidence to support his or her thesis.
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 Essay Guide: Tips & Outline & Examples
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.
How to Write an Illustration Essay: Tips on Illustrative Writing
Illustration: After introducing your point, provide a specific example that supports or illustrates that point. It can be an anecdote, a fact, a statistic, or a quote. Your example should be relevant and directly related to your topic. Explanation: Following the example, explain how it supports your point.
Illustration Essay: Guide to Writing an Excellent Piece of Work
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.
5.1: Introduction to Illustration/Example Essay
Illustration/Example. To illustrate means to show or demonstrate something clearly. An effective illustration essay clearly 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.
Illustration Essay Guide: Tips for Successful Writing
Definition of Illustration Essay 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.
Introduction to 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.
What Is an Illustration Essay and How Can You Write a Good One?
An illustration is a picture or drawing, but in this case, it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with actual images. "For illustration purposes only" means that examples are being presented to highlight or explain a topic. The same is true for an illustration essay. Its purpose is to use evidence to demonstrate a point or prove that ...
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 ...
Illustration
Illustration in writing is the use of words to show, represent, or demonstrate an idea, point, or concept by using examples, images, or vivid clarifying information. In other words, illustration means to shed light on something, which is what the word's etymology indicates: illustration is from the Latin lustrare, "to shine light on.".
Illustration
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.
2.1: Introduction to 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.
Properly Write Your Degree
The correct way to communicate your degree to employers and others is by using the following formats: Degree - This is the academic degree you are receiving. Your major is in addition to the degree; it can be added to the phrase or written separately. Include the full name of your degree, major (s), minor (s), emphases, and certificates on your ...
15.3 Illustration Essay
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.
Daniel Kahneman was a master of teasing questions
Choose the second and nobody dies with a one-third probability. Teasing questions came easily to Kahneman, even in his sleep, according to "The Undoing Project", a book by Michael Lewis. Some ...
Iran's Attack Complicates Efforts to Condition U.S. Military Aid to
A photo illustration shows a crowd of people filling the face of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The New Idea of India Narendra Modi's reign is producing a less liberal but more assured ...
Opinion
The Supreme Court reputedly has a long-awaited conservative majority committed to enforcing the meaning of the Constitution as it was understood when it was adopted. This commitment to originalist ...
Solar vs. lunar eclipse: The different types of eclipses, explained
The major difference between the two eclipses is in the positioning of the sun, the moon and the Earth and the longevity of the phenomenon, according to NASA. A lunar eclipse can last for a few ...
Ozempic Hurts the Fight Against Eating Disorders
April 16, 2024 7:00 AM EDT. Kazdin is a writer, performer, four-time Emmy Award winning television journalist, and author of What's Eating Us: Women, Food, and the Epidemic of Body Anxiety. I t ...
Opinion
What we should fear most is Mr. Trump transforming our government into a modern-day Tammany Hall, installing a kleptocratic leadership that will be difficult if not impossible to dislodge. I do ...

How to Write an Illustration Essay: Quick and Easy Guide

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

Illustration Essay Definition

How to Write an Illustration Essay: Steps To Begin

Why Write Illustration Essay: Purpose and Importance

Main Tips For Writing

Topics for Illustration Essay: Choose The Best One

Feeling Overwhelmed with Writing AN ILLUSTRATION ESSAY on Your Own?

Illustration Essay Examples

Do You Need an Extra Help With Your ILLUSTRATION ESSAY?

Related Articles

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:

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

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

Illustration Essay Definition

Purpose of Writing an Illustration Essay

How to Write an Illustration Essay?

Illustration Essay Outline

Free Illustration Essay Examples

Transition Words for Illustration Essay

Illustration Essay Topics

Illustration Essay Writing Tips

Keep reading

Learn How to Craft An Effective Illustration Essay

Illustration Essay Definition

Importance of Illustration Essay

How to Write an Illustration Essay?

Step 1: Select a Compelling Topic

Step 2: Conduct Research and Gather Examples

Step 3: Define Your Thesis

Step 4: Create your Illustration Essay Outline

Step 5: Write the Introduction

Step 6: Develop Body Paragraphs

Step 7: Write the Conclusion

Step 8: Final Review

Types of Illustration Essay

Single Example

Multiple Examples

Personal Experience

Historical Illustration Essay

Process Illustration Essays

Research-Based Illustration Essays

Comparative Illustration Essays

Contemporary Issue

Analogical Illustration Essays

Literary Illustration Essays

Visual Illustration Essays

Transition Words for Illustration Essay

Illustration Essay Topics Ideas

Illustration Essay Examples

Tips for Writing an Illustration Essay

Frequently Asked Questions

How does an illustration essay differ from story writing?

Do all body paragraphs need examples in an illustration essay?

Keep reading

How To Write an Illustration Essay?

How to write an Illustration Essay?

Introduction

Body Paragraphs

Tips from our writers – free takeaways!

Outline Example

Illustration Essay Sample