illustrative essay is

How to Write an Illustration Essay: Quick and Easy Guide

Writing an illustration essay involves more than just adding a few pictures. While it may seem simple, creating an effective illustrative essay requires time and a strong understanding of the topic. By using guides and examples, students can easily master this type of writing. To learn how to craft a standout illustration essay, check out this article for the definition, suggested topics, and step-by-step guidelines.

What is Illustration Essay

An illustration essay is a type of written composition that uses examples to explain a particular concept or idea. These essays often include visuals and other illustrations to help clarify the topic.

Like other essays, an illustration essay begins with a thesis statement that introduces the main theme and provides a preview of what readers can expect. The essay then presents a series of examples to support the thesis. 

The purpose of an illustration essay is to use enough examples to demonstrate a point the writer wants to make. Unlike argumentative essays, it doesn't aim to persuade the audience to adopt a specific viewpoint. Instead, it helps the audience understand the topic through detailed examples. Illustration essays can be used for various purposes, such as describing the benefits of a community garden, explaining the impact of a new technology in education, or illustrating the importance of recycling programs.

Phrases of Illustration

When writing an illustration essay, using specific phrases can help to clearly present your examples and reinforce your points. Here are some useful phrases from our essay writer for illustrating your ideas:

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Illustration Essay Checklist

To write a comprehensive, clear, and well-structured illustration essay, use this checklist to ensure your essay effectively conveys your main idea through relevant and detailed examples.

How to Write an Illustration Essay in 6 Steps

Learning how to write an illustration essay can be straightforward and impactful by following these steps prepared by our essay writing service :

Step 1: Select a Topic  

If you have the freedom to pick your topic, select one that you are genuinely interested in. Your enthusiasm for the subject will come through in your writing, making it more engaging for your readers. Think about subjects that you find intriguing or have a strong opinion about. This passion will help you stay motivated throughout the writing process and make the research feel less like a chore. Additionally, a topic that interests you will likely interest your readers as well, making your essay more impactful.

Step 2: Research  

Before you start writing, gather ample information from reliable sources. Embrace research as your foundation; it's essential for providing accurate and detailed examples in your essay. Use credible platforms such as Oxford Academic and Google Scholar to find scholarly articles, books, and other reputable sources. Take notes and organize your findings to easily reference them when writing your essay. Thorough research ensures that your examples are well-supported and enhances the credibility of your writing. The more comprehensive your research, the stronger your academic essay will be.

Step 3: Write an Outline  

Creating an outline is a crucial step that helps organize your thoughts and structure your essay. Your outline should include an introductory paragraph, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

• Introduction : Start with an introduction that presents your topic, provides necessary background information, and states the significance of the topic. Conclude the introduction with a clear thesis statement that outlines the main idea of your essay.
• Body Paragraphs : Plan each body paragraph to focus on a single example or idea that supports your thesis. Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence, followed by detailed examples and explanations. Use transitional phrases to ensure a smooth flow between paragraphs and maintain coherence throughout the essay.
• Conclusion : Conclude your essay by restating the thesis in a new way, summarizing the main points discussed in the body paragraphs, and providing a final thought or statement that wraps up your essay.

Step 4: Write Your Ideas  

With your outline in place, start writing your essay by expanding on each point. Transform your main ideas into full paragraphs, making sure each paragraph clearly presents one example and supports it with detailed evidence. Write in a clear and concise manner, avoiding unnecessary jargon or overly complex sentences. Each paragraph should build on the previous one, creating a cohesive and logically organized essay. Make sure your writing is engaging and that your examples effectively illustrate your points.

Step 5: Review  

After completing your essay, take the time to review and edit it thoroughly. Read through your essay at least twice to catch any grammatical, structural, or contextual errors. Check that your examples are clear and well-supported, and ensure that your essay flows logically from one point to the next. Make sure your writing is free of plagiarism by properly citing all sources. Editing is a crucial step that can greatly improve the clarity and quality of your essay, so don’t rush this process.

Step 6: Enjoy Your Perfect Essay  

By following these steps, you should have a well-organized and effective illustration essay. Take a moment to appreciate your hard work and the finished product. Remember, writing can be a smooth and rewarding process when you approach it methodically and with attention to detail. 

Illustration Essay Outline

Before starting your illustrative essay, it's essential to prepare an outline. A simple way to do this is to write a 5-sentence outline, with each sentence briefly describing the focus of each paragraph. This will help you organize your main ideas and develop them further.

Here are the key parts your illustration essay outline should include:

Illustration Essay Topics

When beginning the writing process, choosing a compelling topic is the first step. Here is a list of illustration essay topics to inspire you. Feel free to select one from the list to craft an engaging and informative illustration essay.

• Illustrate the daily routine of a remote worker and the challenges they face.
• Describe the process of training a service dog and its impact on individuals with disabilities.
• Explain the benefits of mindfulness meditation for reducing stress and improving mental health.
• Detail the steps involved in organizing a successful community clean-up event.
• Illustrate the effects of a balanced diet on overall health and well-being.
• Explain how a public library can serve as a community hub and support lifelong learning.
• Describe the process of starting a small business and the challenges entrepreneurs encounter.
• Illustrate the importance of voting in local elections and how it impacts the community.
• Explain the role of social workers in supporting vulnerable populations and provide examples from real-life scenarios.
• Detail the impact of volunteer work on both the volunteers and the community they serve.

Illustration Essay Example

Looking at our well-written illustration essay example can help you understand this writing style better. Use the clear example below to improve your own writing skills.

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

Types of Illustrative Example

There are many effective methods to enhance your illustrative writing. Here are some of the best ways to present evidence:

• Drawing from personal experiences
• Referring to historical events or current facts
• Comparing different objects
• Using findings from scientific research
• Including numbers and data

Let's take a closer look at using personal experience as an example. You'll need enough details to fill your body paragraphs with vivid examples from your own experiences. Here are some useful methods to get inspired:

• Personal Observation : Investigate a specific object related to your topic. Describe any event, situation, location, or person you have observed and share your thoughts. When detailing your observational experiences, include sensory expressions to help your audience visualize the situation as if they were witnessing it themselves. For example, describe a quiet morning in a park, noting the soft rustle of leaves, the crisp smell of the morning air, and the sight of early joggers.
• Personal Memories : Draw from your own life to support your main argument. Reflect on meaningful life lessons or recent experiences that are significant to you. Describe these memories vividly, allowing your readers to understand the situation as you perceived it. For instance, recall a challenging project at work, explaining how the pressure, collaboration with colleagues, and eventual success taught you valuable lessons about perseverance and teamwork.
• Interviews : Conduct face-to-face conversations with experts related to your topic. These individuals can share insightful examples that can make your writing stand out. Prepare thoroughly by researching and listing your questions before the interview. For example, if writing about sustainable living, interview an environmental scientist or activist who can provide firsthand accounts of effective sustainability practices and their impact on the community.

Final Words

To conclude, by choosing interesting examples, doing your research, and explaining them clearly, your illustration essay can become a great piece of work. Let your creativity flow, add vivid stories, and take a journey where ideas grow and understanding deepens.

If you find it hard, buy essay from our creative writers. They will bring your essay to life with engaging examples that inspire readers, leaving them interested and wanting more!

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What are Some Good Illustration Essay Topics?

What are the characteristics of an illustrative essay, how do you write an illustration essay.

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

• Updated existing sections
• Added new topics, example, FAQs
• Added section on types and phrases for illustrative essays
• Illustration Essay. (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2024, from https://www.dbu.edu/writing-center/_documents/quick-reference-flyers/specific-assignments/illustration-essay.pdf  
• ‌Publisher, A. removed at request of original. (2015, October 27). 10.2 Illustration. Open.lib.umn.edu; University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing edition, 2015. This edition adapted from a work originally produced in 2010 by a publisher who has requested that it not receive attribution. https://open.lib.umn.edu/writingforsuccess/chapter/10-2-illustration/  

Illustration Essays: Definitions, Templates and Examples

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]

Learn about our Editorial Process

I’m a university professor, and in this article, I’m going to show you exactly how to write an illustration 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) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 25 Number Games for Kids (Free and Easy)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 25 Word Games for Kids (Free and Easy)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 25 Outdoor Games for Kids
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 50 Incentives to Give to Students

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Illustration Essay

Learn How to Craft An Effective Illustration Essay

Published on: Jun 13, 2022

Last updated on: Jul 23, 2024

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Best Illustration Essay Topics - A List of 260+ Ideas

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Have you ever wanted to bring a topic to life with vivid details and examples? If so, then the illustration essay may be the perfect writing assignment for you! 

This type of essay allows you to paint a picture with words and show your readers exactly what you mean. 

In this blog, we'll explore illustration essays and how they can captivate an audience by using vivid examples and anecdotes. Whether you're a student or a professional, this guide will provide you with practical tips on crafting an engaging and effective illustration essay.

So, get set to amplify your imagination and take your writing game to the next level!

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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 illustration - to 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. 

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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.

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How To Write an Illustration Essay?

12 May, 2020

8 minutes read

Author:  Tomas White

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

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

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

How to write an Illustration Essay?

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

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

Introduction

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

• Interesting facts
• Relevant statistics
• Rhetorical question
• Personal anecdote

Related post: How to write an Essay Introduction

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

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

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

Body Paragraphs

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

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

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

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

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

Tips from our writers – free takeaways!

Transition words.

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

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

Outline Example

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

Check out this no-frills outline:

Illustration Essay Sample

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

Drawing the line (figuratively)

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

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

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

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

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

What Is an Illustration Essay: Definition

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

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

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

Step 1. Choose a Topic for Your Illustration Essay

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

Step 2. Conduct a Research for an Illustration Essay

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

Step 3. Create an Illustration Essay Outline

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

Step 4. Create Good Introduction for Illustration Essay

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

Step 5. Write a Strong Illustration Essay Thesis

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

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

Step 6. Create Body for Your Illustration Essay

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

Step 7. Conclude Your Illustration Essay

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

Step 8. Proofreading Your Illustration Essay

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

Illustration Essay Examples

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

An Illustration Essay: Final Thoughts

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

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

Frequently Asked Questions About Illustrative Essay

1. how many paragraphs should an illustration essay have.

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

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

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

2. What is an illustrated essay?

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

3. What is the purpose of illustration?

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

4. Is an illustration a drawing?

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

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Home ➔ How to Write an Essay ➔ Illustration Essay

Illustration Essay Guide

In the expansive landscape of academic writing, illustration essays hold a unique position due to their particular emphasis on vivid examples and illustrations. These essays serve a crucial function: to provide readers with a rich, intricate understanding of a concept or idea, using examples as the primary mode of clarification and explanation.

The power of an illustrative essay lies in its capacity to bring abstract ideas to life, using concrete instances that breathe life into academic or theoretical concepts. Just as an artist uses a palette of colors to create an intricate painting, writers of illustration essays employ a spectrum of examples to elaborate, elucidate, and, indeed, “illustrate” their chosen subject.

The artistry in crafting illustration essays is in selecting and presenting these examples. The challenge lies not just in finding the right examples but in utilizing them to build an engaging, cogent narrative that adds depth and texture to the reader’s comprehension. This delicate dance of narrative construction and example deployment lies at the heart of every successful illustrative essay.

This guide sheds light on the nuances of how to write an illustration essay, offering expert insights into selecting topics, structuring arguments, and choosing the most fitting examples. With careful consideration of these elements, any writer can master the art of the illustrative essay and deliver impactful, persuasive content that is engaging and enlightening.

The Basics of Illustration Essays

Illustration essays are like a puzzle. They take a main idea or statement and then use different pieces – examples – to show a full and clear picture of that idea.

The first thing to understand is what these essays are meant to do. They aim to explain an idea or clarify a point by using examples. These examples are the heart of the essay. They take a reader from a vague understanding of a subject to a clear and detailed view.

An essential part of these essays is the quality of the examples used. They need to be relevant, clear, and precise. They must match the main idea closely and add detail to it. Also, it’s important to explain each example and link it back to the main idea. This will make sure the reader understands why the example is important.

Finally, a good illustration essay doesn’t jump from one idea to another. It’s well-organized, and each paragraph flows smoothly into the next. The essay starts with an introduction that states the main idea. Then, it uses body paragraphs to give examples and explain them. Lastly, it ends with a conclusion that reminds the reader of the main idea and summarizes the points.

This guide will show how to create such an essay, step by step, in an easy-to-follow way.

Choosing a Topic for Your Illustration Essay

Choosing a topic for your essay is like picking a destination for your journey. It will determine your path and the sights you’ll see along the way. But how do you choose a good topic for your illustration essay?

• First, pick something that you’re interested in. Writing is always easier when you’re excited about your subject. If you’re passionate about a topic, you’re more likely to put in the effort to find great examples and write a compelling essay.
• Second, ensure your topic is broad enough to find many examples but not so broad that it’s overwhelming. If your topic is too narrow, you might struggle to find enough examples to fill your essay. On the other hand, if it’s too broad, you might find yourself drowning in too much information.
• Third, consider your audience. Who will be reading your essay? What are they interested in? What kind of examples will they understand and connect with? For example, if you’re writing for a science class, you might choose a topic related to a scientific concept. If you’re writing for a general audience, you might pick a topic related to everyday life or current events.
• Lastly, make sure your topic can be explained clearly through examples. Remember, the goal of an illustration essay is to use examples to make a point or explain an idea. If your topic can’t be illustrated well with examples, it might not be the right choice for this type of essay.

Take your time when choosing your topic. It’s the first step in your essay writing journey, and a well-chosen topic can set you on the path to a great illustration essay.

Here are some examples of illustration essay topic ideas:

• The Influence of Technology on Our Daily Lives: You could illustrate this topic with examples of how different technologies have made life more convenient, changed people’s communication, or created new opportunities for work and education.
• The Impact of Global Warming on Our Planet: This topic could be illustrated with examples of changing weather patterns, rising sea levels, or the effect on wildlife populations.
• The Role of Social Media in Modern Society: Examples could include how social media has changed how we communicate, the influence on politics, or the impact on mental health.
• How Music Affects Mood and Emotion: You could use examples of different genres of music, the physiological effects of music, or personal experiences with music.
• The Benefits of Physical Exercise for Mental Health: Examples might include the science behind exercise and mental health, personal testimonials, or case studies.
• The Importance of Art Education in Schools: This could be illustrated with examples of how art education fosters creativity, enhances academic performance, or contributes to emotional well-being.
• The Effect of Healthy Eating on Personal Well-being: Illustrate this topic with examples of the benefits of a balanced diet, the connection between food and mood, or the impact on physical health.
• The Consequences of Procrastination on Academic Performance: Use examples of how procrastination can lead to stress, lower grades, or missed opportunities.
• The Impact of Volunteering on Community Development: You could illustrate this with examples of successful community projects, personal growth experiences from volunteering, or the social benefits of volunteer work.
• The Influence of Literature on Empathy and Understanding: Examples could include how certain books foster empathy, personal experiences with literature, or studies about the effects of reading on emotional intelligence.

How to Write an Illustration Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide

Now that you’ve chosen your topic, it’s time to start writing your illustration essay. Don’t worry if you’ve never written one before or if you’re feeling a bit unsure. Just follow these steps, and you’ll be well on your way.

• Understand Your Assignment : Before you start writing, make sure you understand your assignment. How long should your essay be? What’s the deadline? Are there any special instructions you need to follow?
• Do Your Research : Next, start researching your topic. Look for clear, specific examples that you can use in your essay. Remember, your examples are the core of your essay, so choose them carefully.
• Brainstorm Ideas and Create a Thesis Statement : Now, start brainstorming. What’s the main point you want to make in your essay? This will be your thesis statement. It should be clear, focused, and supported by your examples.
• Outline Your Essay : Once you have your thesis statement, you can start outlining your essay. An essay typically includes an introduction (with your thesis statement), body paragraphs (each with a different example), and a conclusion.
• Write Your Essay : Now, it’s time to write. Start with a strong introduction to catch your reader’s attention. Then, write your body paragraphs, explaining each example and how it supports your thesis. Finally, summarize your essay with a conclusion reinforcing your main point.
• Review and Edit : Lastly, always review and edit your work. Look for spelling or grammar errors, check that your essay flows well, and ensure you’ve fully supported your thesis with strong, clear examples.

Remember, writing is a process. Don’t rush. Take your time to find great examples, organize your thoughts, and craft your essay. With patience and practice, you can write an excellent illustration essay.

Structuring Your Illustration Essay

The structure of your essay plays a key role in guiding your reader through the argument you’re making. A well-structured essay is easier to understand and more enjoyable to read. Here’s a simple guide on how to structure your illustration essay:

• Introduction : This is where you introduce your topic and present your thesis statement. Start with a hook – a compelling fact, a quote, or a question – to catch your reader’s attention. Then provide some background information about your topic. Finish with your thesis statement, which should clearly state the main idea of your essay.
• Body Paragraphs : Each body paragraph should focus on one example supporting your thesis. Start with a topic sentence that introduces the example you’ll discuss. Then, describe the example in detail and explain how it supports your thesis. Make sure to provide enough detail so your reader can understand the example and see why it’s relevant.
• Conclusion : This is where you wrap up your essay. Restate your thesis statement and summarize the main points you’ve made in your body paragraphs. Don’t introduce any new information here – remind your reader of what you’ve already discussed. Finally, end with a concluding sentence that brings closure to your essay.

Remember, the structure of your essay should help your reader understand your argument. Make sure each part of your essay connects to the next, so your essay flows smoothly from one point to the next. With careful planning and organization, you can create a well-structured illustration essay that effectively communicates your ideas.

Illustration Essay Outline Example

Let’s take “The Impact of Global Warming on Our Planet” as the topic. Here’s an outline for such an illustration essay:

I. Introduction

• Brief explanation of global warming.
• Thesis statement : Global warming significantly impacts our planet, as manifested through changing weather patterns, rising sea levels, and effects on wildlife populations.

II. Changing Weather Patterns

• Explanation of how global warming impacts weather patterns.
• Example 1: Increased frequency and intensity of heat waves.
• Example 2: More frequent and severe hurricanes and storms.
• How these changes impact human societies and natural ecosystems.

III. Rising Sea Levels

• Explanation of how global warming contributes to rising sea levels.
• Example 1: Melting ice caps in the Arctic.
• Example 2: Loss of land in low-lying countries like Maldives and Bangladesh.
• Implications for coastal cities and human displacement.

IV. Effects on Wildlife Populations

• Explanation of how global warming affects wildlife.
• Example 1: The impact on polar bears due to the loss of sea ice habitats.
• Example 2: Coral reef bleaching due to warmer ocean temperatures.
• Discussing the risk of species extinction and loss of biodiversity.

V. Conclusion

• Restatement of the thesis and summary of the main points.
• Discussion of the broader implications of global warming.
• Closing statement on the need for urgent action to mitigate the impacts of global warming.

Developing Strong Illustrative Examples

The strength of your illustration essay lies mainly in the examples you choose. They are the pillars that uphold your argument and provide the detail and depth that make your essay compelling. Here are some tips for developing strong illustrative examples:

• Relevance : Each example you use should be directly relevant to your thesis statement. It should clearly illustrate the point you are trying to make. If an example doesn’t strongly support your argument, it’s probably best to leave it out.
• Detail : An effective example provides sufficient detail. Rather than making broad, generic statements, delve into the specifics. This will provide your reader with a more vivid understanding of your argument.
• Variety : Use a range of different types of examples. These could be personal anecdotes, historical examples, case studies, hypothetical scenarios, or others. Variety not only makes your essay more interesting but also strengthens your argument by demonstrating that your point holds true in different contexts.
• Explanation : After presenting each example, explain how it supports your thesis. Don’t assume that the connection will be obvious to your reader. Be explicit about how each example illustrates your point.
• Balance : While your essay should be rich in examples, avoid overdoing it. Your essay should still have a clear and coherent structure; too many examples can make it feel disjointed or confusing. Aim for a balanced essay that uses examples effectively but maintains a clear and logical flow.

Remember, the examples you choose are the backbone of your illustration essay. You can create a persuasive, compelling essay by selecting relevant, detailed examples and explaining how they support your thesis.

Refining and Polishing Your Illustration Essay

The final stage in writing your illustration essay involves revising and refining your work. This isn’t just about catching typos and fixing grammar mistakes. It’s about improving the overall quality of your essay, making sure your argument is clear, and ensuring your examples are compelling. Here’s how to go about it:

• Proofread : Start by checking for spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors. These can distract from your argument and make your essay difficult to read.
• Review your argument : Re-read your essay to make sure your argument is clear and logical. Make sure each paragraph contributes to your thesis and that your examples effectively illustrate your points.
• Check your examples : Look at each of your examples. Are they relevant, detailed, and varied? Do they effectively support your thesis? If not, you might need to find new examples.
• Ensure clarity : Make sure your essay is clear and easy to understand. Avoid jargon or complex language. Remember, the goal is to communicate your ideas as clearly as possible.
• Seek feedback : Ask a friend, family member, or teacher to read your essay. They can provide valuable feedback and may notice things that you’ve overlooked.
• Revise : Use the feedback you receive and your own critical review to revise your essay. This might involve reordering paragraphs, adding or removing information, or rewriting sections of your essay.

Refining and polishing your essay might take time, but it’s an essential step in ensuring your essay is the best it can be. With careful revision, your illustration essay will not only be error-free, but it will also be clear, persuasive, and engaging.

Utilizing Transitions in Your Illustration Essay

Transitions are the glue that holds your essay together, allowing your ideas and examples to flow seamlessly from one to the next. They guide your reader through your argument, making your essay easier to understand and more enjoyable to read. Here’s how to effectively utilize transitions in your illustration essay:

• Between Sections : Use transitions to move smoothly between the introduction, each body paragraph, and the conclusion. Phrases like “to begin with,” “in conclusion,” or “finally” can signal to your reader that you’re moving from one section to another.
• Within Paragraphs : Within each paragraph, transitions can help guide your reader through your argument. Use phrases like “for example,” “in other words,” or “specifically” to introduce your examples, and phrases like “therefore,” “thus,” or “as a result” to show the implications of these examples.
• Between Paragraphs : Transitions between paragraphs can help your essay flow smoothly from one point to the next. Phrases like “in addition,” “on the other hand,” or “similarly” can help create these connections.
• Transitional Sentences : Sometimes, a single word or phrase isn’t enough. In these cases, you can use a transitional sentence to move from one idea to the next. These sentences can summarize the point you’ve just made and hint at the point you’re about to make.

Remember, transitions should guide your reader, not confuse them. Don’t overuse transitions or use them unnecessarily. Be sure that each transition adds clarity and smoothness to your essay. With the right transitions, your illustration essay will flow smoothly from beginning to end, making it easier for your reader to follow your argument and appreciate your ideas.

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Good Illustration Essay Topics & Ideas for Your Help

An illustration essay is one of the most interesting essay assignments that you will get in your college and university life. It is a unique style of writing and very different from other types of academic essays. 

A deep understanding of what exactly an illustration essay is and how to write a perfect one is important for success with this kind of work.

If you are new to illustration essays and don’t know how to start, our blog is here to help!

In this blog, you will find out how to write an illustration essay. You will also get a list of illustration essay ideas and samples to help you get started. 

So let’s dive in!

Tough Essay Due? Hire Tough Writers!

• 1. Illustration Essay Definition
• 2. How to Write an Illustration Essay?
• 3. Illustration Essay Outline
• 4. Free Illustration Essay Examples
• 5. Illustration Essay Topics 
• 6. Illustration Essay Writing 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. An exemplification/illustration essay employs various examples, anecdotes, or scenarios to provide clarity and support for the chosen topic. 

Purpose of Writing an Illustration Essay 

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

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

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

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

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

How to Write an Illustration Essay?

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

1. Choose a Topic 

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

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

3. Creating an Outline

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

4. Introduction & Thesis Statement

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

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

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

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

Here is an illustration essay thesis example:

5. Body Paragraphs

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

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

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

6. Conclusion 

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

7. Add References 

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

8. Proofread 

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

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Illustration Essay Outline

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

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

Illustration Essay Outline Example

Free Illustration Essay Examples

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

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

Illustration Essay on Social Media

Example Illustration Essay on Smoking

Illustration Essay Sample

Illustration Essay Examples Pdf

Illustration Essay Examples For College

Illustration Essay Introduction Examples

Transition Words for Illustration Essay 

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

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

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

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

Illustration Essay Topics 

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

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

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

Illustration Essay Writing Tips

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

• Define the Focus of Your Illustration Essay:

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

• Use Illustrative Examples:

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

• Check for Clarity:

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

• Use Credible Sources:

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

• Proofread Carefully:

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

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

To conclude,

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

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

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

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Keep reading

101 Of Writing An Illustrative Essay

Students are often asked to write an illustration essay as an exercise before writing an elaborate thesis on the same topic in the future. The whole point of writing illustrative essays is to find and savour the joy of discovering something unique about an already existing issue. And that is precisely what makes the whole process so much more cumbersome.

But writing illustration essays is important.  Now, why is that?

Illustration essays compel you to find a fresh perspective about something generic and dig deep to come up with supportive arguments. As a result, you learn a lot about the research process of finding and assembling relevant materials for future academic endeavours. Moreover, when you learn to illustrate ideas formally in the theoretical structure, you learn to think critically – a skill that helps you put your point in debates and disputes.

The task may sound complex but can be made simpler once you know the basics of writing an illustrative essay. On that note, let us understand how to write an illustration essay, starting with the fundamentals.

What is an Illustration Essay?

An illustration essay, aka an exemplification essay, primarily consists of informative writing to demonstrate the existence of a particular thing using empirical data. You do not have to discover something novel. Instead, you have to offer a fresh view of the same thing using vivid examples. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• The primary focus of an illustration essay is not on the topic but on the examples that you use to illustrate the issue.
• The main motive would be to demonstrate in such a manner that a reader can imagine the setting and the situation.
• You must use examples from real-life experiences, situations and people to explain your findings.

Now, if you want to write a successful illustration essay and boost your GPA, we have a comprehensive guide awaiting you. Read on for some fantastic tricks from the best essay writers at Essaygator.com , along with outlines, topics, examples and more.

How to Write an Illustration Essay? Basic Structure

Like a generic essay, an illustration essay starts with an introduction, flows into the body paragraphs, and ends with an impactful conclusion. What sets the essay structure apart from other types of essays is the nuances of each part.

Here is a complete breakdown of what an illustration essay’s outline should look like.

1. The introduction:

2. the body paragraphs.

Every paragraph must have the following components:

• A topic sentence that introduces the supportive argument for the section in question
• Background sentences that illustrate the argument for the paragraph with examples
• The research sentence that quotes evidence and data to justify the background sentences
• The analysis that explains how the idea of the paragraph is related to the topic
• A transitional sentence to wrap up one paragraph and move onto the next smoothly

3. The conclusion

If you think you need more assistance in writing any of the parts of an illustrative essay, feel free to contact the brilliant essay writers of Essaygator.com.

We have also shared a few tips and tricks with you in the next segment.

Tips for Writing an Illustration Essay

Choose a good topic.

Consider the attention span of your readers and go for a topic that arouses curiosity among the audience for your essay.   Search for a controversial article, or a quote from a book. Pay attention to what happens around you, and you will have several things to write about.

Dig deep to research

Go beyond the traditional sources of newspapers, books and articles to make your examples more realistic and diverse. Dive deep into the vibrant world of social media. Read and watch what people say about the issue on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or Twitter.

Keep it short

Usually, you will find the word count for the essay in the requirements. However, if you have no such limitation, do not go beyond five body paragraphs or three pages, whichever is shorter. And, if you feel you do not have enough examples, cut it short.

Use clear examples

An illustrative essay should not make the reader go too much into symbolism. Therefore, make sure to use examples that are vivid and straightforward. You can also use shocking and realistic examples that trigger emotions within a reader and make an impression on them.

Always work with an outline.

An illustration essay must be informative, meaning you will have to deal with several arguments, ideas and facts. So, create an outline right in the beginning to figure out how to fit the most-relevant examples or ideas.

Proofread and edit

First, read the essay out loud to detect areas where the tone affects the flow of your writing. Then, use a grammar checking tool to trace and edit grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors. Also, make sure to check whether there are any plagiarism issues in your essay.

If you need help with proofreading and editing your illustration essay, you can also hire the experts at Essaygator.com for professional assistance.

Illustrative Essay Example with the Outline

The structural nuances may differ as per the topic or the number of examples and arguments you want to include. Irrespective of such factors, you can use this illustration essay example as a template to write your piece.

The essay topic that we have chosen is  –

How to select a good college?

Introduction:  Your choice of college impacts your career’s future in several ways. You must choose a good program from a good college that suits your skills to achieve career success.

Paragraph I:  The focus should be on one’s academic goals.

Example 1: In hindsight, it will be easier to shortlist suitable educational establishments with one's academic goals.

Example 2: When one knows the academic goals they want to achieve, they also understand what they want to do as a career in the long run.

Paragraph II:  Seek suggestions from reliable sources.

Example 1: You can ask your school seniors who study in a college you have shortlisted about the pros and cons of the institution.

Example 2: Getting insights from college insiders can help you make a better choice.

Paragraph III:  Attend a college fair.

Example 1: It is better to communicate with real people to find out the truth instead of relying on online rankings or advertising brochures.

Example 2: A college fair gives you the taste of the real-life experience and atmosphere.

Conclusion:  Selecting a college is a major decision – one that solidifies the foundation of your future. When you know what to focus on, you will be able to make a list of the most suitable colleges for you.

You can check out more examples of illustration essays on the website of Essaygator.com or hire our writers for personalized assistance.

20 Illustration Essay Topics for an A-grade Paper

Choosing a good essay topic means half the battle is won. To that end, here is an illustration essay topic’s list ideas for consideration.

• What are the most significant challenges that a student faces throughout their academic lives?
• How to stay connected with your friends after college life is over?
• How to stop bullying and peer pressure in high school and college proactively?
• A proper budget plan for college students living on campus based on real-life experiences.
• Illustrate how you adjusted to a new college with examples.
• A step-by-step guide on learning how to swim with examples
• How to prepare for an interview and get a job in New York?
• An ordinary day from the life of a waiter
• How to turn your hobby into a profitable side-hustle?
• How to choose the right profession as per your skills?
• How can a college-goer balance part-time work and studying?
• How does technology affect the latest generation?
• Use examples to prove that global warming and climate change are real.
• Explain how an individual’s lifestyle and background affect their decision-making strategies.
• How can bonds of love friendship change a person’s life? Explain with real-life experiences.
• A plan for society to help helpless and homeless people.
• How can procrastination affect the academic performance of students?
• Why should every student find time for sports and leisure activities every day?
• Why should students question what they are taught in the classroom?
• Use your college-going experience to state ways to stay motivated during the final year in college.

Writing an illustrative essay should not be as challenging as it was with this guide. Bookmark this guide for easy access to the step-by-step guidelines, outline and topics.

However, if you need more assistance, do not hesitate to fall back on the essay writers of Essaygator.com.

Get Help with Your Illustration Essay at Essaygator.com

Take help from the best essay writers at Essaygator.com to write a vivid illustration essay. We have a strong team of the best essay experts with a minimum experience of seven years.

When you seek essay writing help from us, you get to enjoy the following perks as well:

• On-time delivery, every time
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• Free access to samples

To place an order with us, call us or drop us an email, and we will get back to you immediately. So, hire us and see your academic performance shoot through the sky.

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Illustration Essay

Last updated on: May 25, 2024

Quick Steps to Write a Great Illustration Essay

By: Dorothy M.

Reviewed By: Jacklyn H.

Published on: Mar 22, 2023

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

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

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

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

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

On this Page

Illustration Essay Definition

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

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

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

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

How to Write an Illustration Essay?

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

1. Choose a Topic

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

2. Conduct Some Research

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

3. Create an Outline

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

4. Write an Introduction

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

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

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

5. Write the Thesis Statement

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

6. Body Paragraphs

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

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

Each paragraph should have adequate evidence to prove your point.

7. Conclusion

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

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

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

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

8. Proofread

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

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

Illustration Essay Outline

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

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

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Transition Words for Illustration Essay

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

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

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

Free Illustration Essay Example

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

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

Check out these essay samples:

Illustration Essay About Family

Illustration Essay Examples pdf

Illustration Essay on Social Media

How to Write an Exemplification Illustration Essay

Good Illustration Essay Topics

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

Here are some possible topics for an illustration essay:

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

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Illustration Essay Writing Tips

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

Choose a Topic That You Are Familiar With

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

Make a List of Examples

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

Choose the Most Effective Example

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

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

Write a Clear Thesis Statement

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

Use Transitions Between Paragraphs

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

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

Create a Vivid Description

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

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

However, if you feel stuck on what to write about or how best to organize your thoughts, we can help! 

MyPerfectPaper.net is a professional paper writing service that can help you with any type of writing task. We offer all sorts of writing services, including custom essay writing like illustration essays, narrative essays, etc.

So, to relieve the burden of writing, simply reach out and say, “ write my paper online ,” and our skilled team will handle the rest with professionalism and expertise.

For those on the lookout for a quicker solution, we'll solve your worries. Our essay generator is a robust tool trained to generate impactful essays in short time. Give it a shot today! 

Frequently Asked Questions

What three parts make up an illustration paragraph.

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

What's the difference between illustration and description?

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

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

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How to write an illustration essay – Full Guide 

• Euphresia Kwamboka
• June 21, 2022
• How To's

Here's What We'll Cover

When you’re assigned an illustration essay, it can be intimidating. But don’t worry – it’s actually a lot of fun! This guide will walk you through everything you need to know on how to write a great illustration essay. First, we will discuss what exactly an illustration essay is. Then, we’ll go over the steps for writing a successful one. Finally, we’ll provide some helpful tips and resources to make the process easier . Let’s get started!

What Is An Illustration Essay?

An illustration essay is a type of writing that uses examples to describe, explain, or support a point. Students can do this essay in several ways: using specific details, experiences, facts, statistics, and examples. As its name suggests, an illustration essay provides readers with illustrations or images that help explain an idea or support an argument. 

When writing this essay, choosing your examples and using them to support your thesis is essential. In addition, you will need to ensure that your illustrations are clear and concise so that readers can easily understand how they relate to your main point. 

A-List of Unique Examples of Illustration Essay Topics

Tips on how to choose a good illustration essay topic .

Choosing a topic is one of the first things you do when you have been tasked to write an essay. Here are important things you need to consider when picking an essay topic .

• Pick a topic that you can adequately illustrate. In other words, it should be possible to provide a sufficient number of examples to support the main points of your essay.
• Settle on a topic that will interest the reader. An illustration essay is more than just a list of examples; it should also tell a story or make an argument. As such, choosing a topic that will engage the reader on some level is crucial.
• Pick a topic that you are familiar with. This will make it easier to provide clear and concise examples.
• Choose a topic that is timely and relevant to your audience.

Here are some topic ideas for consideration:

• The cost of college tuition and how it has changed over time.
• The competition between private and public colleges.
• The pressure to choose a “practical” major.
• The importance of extracurricular activities in the college admissions process.
• The difficulty of balancing work and school commitments.
• What is your favorite illustration from a children’s book? Write an illustration essay about it.
• Explicate how social media has changed the way we communicate with one another
• the significance of music in our lives
• The advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad.
• The impact of social media on the college experience.
• How has technology changed the way we learn? Write an illustration essay about it. 
• “Rome was not built in a day.” Write an illustration essay exploring this proverb in depth. 
• The impact of first impressions: write an illustration  essay examining how first impressions are made and why they matter
• The difference between online and traditional college courses.
• The difficulty of getting into a top college.

Illustration Essay Structure and Outline Sample Template 

A basic illustration essay consists of five paragraphs . The first paragraph is the introduction, which contains the thesis statement. The following three paragraphs are the body of the essay, each containing one or more examples supporting the thesis statement. Finally, the fifth paragraph is the conclusion, which restates the thesis and summarises the essay’s main points.

If you’re having trouble coming up with the structure for your illustration essay, or if you’re simply short on ideas, consider using this template. This template provides a structure for your essay and how to organise all the ideas you have.

illustration essay outline template and Free Sample

Illustration essay outline template.

Illustration Essay Outline Example

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Write an Illustration Essay

Here is the step-by-step guide that you can follow for writing an excellent illustration essay.

1. Planning 

The key to writing a successful illustration essay is planning. Without a clear plan, you can easily get lost when writing your essay without a clear plan. Planning involves listing the tasks you will do when writing your essay and creating schedules to avoid missing your deadline.

2. Choosing a Topic 

It’s no secret that choosing a good topic is the key to writing a successful essay. After all, how can you illustrate your point if you don’t have a good topic? Ensure the topic you pick is manageable, researchable and interesting. 

3. Research and Material gathering

One of the most important aspects of writing an illustration essay is conducting research and gathering material. This can be a challenge, especially if you’re unsure how to start. Here are a few tips to help you research and gather material for your essay:

First, take some time to brainstorm ideas. What topics or ideas do you want to illustrate? Once you have a general idea, start doing some research. Look for articles, books, and other sources to help you learn more about your topic. As you read, take notes on key points and concepts you want to include in your essay.

Next, start collecting examples. These could be real-life examples, such as personal experience s or events you’ve witnessed. Or, they could be fictional examples, such as stories or hypothetical situations. If you’re having trouble finding examples, try brainstorming different ways to illustrate your main points. For instance, if you’re trying to illustrate the concept of love, you might brainstorm examples that show how love can be painful, beautiful, or both.

4. Creating an Outline 

Creating an outline will make the writing process more manageable. Ensure your outline has the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion, and write briefly and add the ideas you would add in each section.

5. Write the Introduction and Thesis Statement 

The introduction is the first paragraph of your essay. The length of your paragraph will depend on the complexity of your topic and how much information you have gathered. 

The essay introduction should begin with a hook statement followed by factual background information. 

The last sentence of the introductory paragraph is the thesis statement. Your thesis statement should reflect your point of view. It is a one-sentence statement that tells the main point of the essay.

Illustration Essay Introduction Example

6. Write the Body Paragraphs 

The body paragraphs provide more details about your essay topics and expand the thesis statement.

Each body paragraph should begin with a topic sentence followed by strong supporting evidence and an example.

The stronger the evidence, the more interesting and convincing your essay. Ensure 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, from important to least important or from least important to the most important.

Illustration Essay Body Paragraphs Example

7. Write the Conclusion for your Essay

When writing the conclusion, the first thing to do is reiterate the thesis statement. And then, give a summary of the whole article and emphasise the importance of your argument. Ensure to leave the reader with something to think about.

Illustration Essay Conclusion Example

8. Reference and Format Your Essay 

When writing an illustration essay, it is important to reference and format your paper correctly . Depending on the citation style that you are using, the format of your paper will vary. However, there are some general guidelines that you can follow. 

First, ensure that all sources are cited correctly throughout your paper. Each time you use a quote or statistic from another source, you should include a citation. 

Second, create a list of all the sources you used at the end of your illustration essay. This is typically called a bibliography, or works cited page.

 Finally, make sure that your paper is formatted correctly. This includes choosing the right font and margins and using headings and subheadings to organise your information. 

9. Proofread and Polish Your Essay 

Proofreading and polishing your illustration essay is an important step in writing. By taking the time to error-check your work, you can be sure that your essay will be clear and concise. Here are some tips on how to proofread and polish your illustration essay:

1. Read your essay aloud. This will help you catch errors that you might otherwise miss.

2. Use a spell checker. It will help you identify any typos or misspellings.

3. Have someone else read your essay. Another set of eyes can often spot errors that you have missed.

4. Take your time. Rushing through the proofreading process is more likely to result in mistakes.

Tips to Consider When Writing an Illustration Essay 

Here are things to consider while writing an illustration essay :

Avoid undebatable illustration topics

If you choose an undebatable topic for your essay, you will not be able to persuade your reader to see your point of view. Instead, you will simply be reiterating what they already know. For instance, everyone knows that the sky is blue, so there is no need to write an illustration essay about it. Instead, focus on choosing a topic that will allow you to illustrate a new idea or perspective. This way, you will be able to engage your reader and expand their understanding of the topic at hand.

Use Reliable Sources 

To choose appropriate examples and evidence for your essay, you must rely on credible sources. This means choosing sources that are trustworthy and authoritative.

Build a powerful thesis statement. 

An illustration essay is a type of argumentative writing, so your thesis must make a clear argument that you will support with examples. Building a solid thesis statement will make it easier for you to write a clear and effective essay.

Use Specific Examples 

Using specific examples to illustrate your point is important when writing an illustration essay. This directs the reader’s attention to your central idea and helps to make your argument more convincing. In addition, using concrete, rather than general, examples makes your writing more exciting and inviting to read. Therefore, when choosing examples to include in your essay, be specific and resonate with your readers . Doing so will ensure that your essay is both informative and engaging.

By following the simple guide we’ve outlined for you and using our sample illustration essay, you can write an A-grade paper yourself. Illustration essays are a fun way to share your original ideas with the world, and with a bit of practice, you can make yours shine. We hope this guide has been helpful and wish you luck on your upcoming illustration essay assignment!

Illustration Essay Example

What It Takes to Successfully Balance College Athletics and Schoolwork

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

From a general perspective, the daily life of a college athlete is usually very busy and routine-oriented. Unlike an ordinary student who only focuses on their academic performance, an ambitious college athlete can by no chance settle for just a passing grade, neither will he/she be contented with emerging in the third position in athletic competition. The ambition is usually to emerge as the best on both fronts. To achieve this, the student-athlete ought to maintain a delicate balance between schoolwork and college athletics. This requires the student to always bear in mind that schoolwork is the main reason they are in college, set their priorities right, and always be ready to ask for help.

To begin with, to balance college athletics and schoolwork, student must understand that schoolwork is the main reason they are in college. While athletics may be a hobby, schoolwork is often the key purpose of students enrolling in college. In fact, in most cases, the students focus on their areas of study after college. It is also important to understand that if the goal is to become a professional player, student-athletes have to maintain a certain GPA. Therefore, to ensure that the school time is productive and impactful in the life of the student, studies should be given priority.

Additionally, the student has to set their priorities right. As mentioned above, excelling in both studies and athletics requires a delicate balance. This means that the student has to sometimes sacrifice other things such as social events for practice or a game. Here, planning the schedule ahead of time can help the student optimize their time for optimal performance.

Nonetheless, the student should not be afraid to ask for help. Sometimes, even with advance planning, things can get out of hand. For instance, the test timetable may collude with the practice schedule set by the coach. What the student should understand is that the professor and the coach understand how demanding college can be. Therefore, approaching either of them in advance and asking for extra support can come a long way, thereby enhancing the student’s balance between athletics and schoolwork.

In conclusion, college life for a student-athlete can be very demanding. This is because the student is expected to perform exemplary in both schoolwork and athletics, both of which requires time and devotion. As discussed above, to balance the two, the student ought to bear in mind that schoolwork is the main reason they are in college, set their priorities right, and always be ready to ask for help.

How many paragraphs should an illustration essay have?

The number of paragraphs in an illustration essay varies depending on the length of the essay and the number of examples used to illustrate the main point. A shorter essay may only have one or two body paragraphs, while a longer essay may have three or more.

How different is an illustration essay from other essays?

An illustration essay is a type of argumentative essay that uses examples to support its thesis. However, unlike other essays, an illustration essay does not rely solely on logic and reasoning to make its case. Instead, it uses concrete, specific examples to illustrate the point it is trying to make.

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What Is an Illustration Essay: Topics, Examples, and Useful Writing Tips

An illustration essay is another genre of an academic essay. This article explains what an illustration essay is, it describes several Illustration essay topics and illustration essay examples, it illustrates the manner in which you can write an illustrative essay, and finally, it describes several example types you can use to support an illustration thesis.

What is an Illustration Essay?

An illustration essay, or illustrative essay, is an essay in which the writer tries to evoke a picture, an illustration, in the mind of the reader. By evoking a picture in the mind of the reader the message of the illustrative essay has a powerful effect on the reader. The illustration essay contains examples of situations, people, or objects which help the reader have a deeper understanding of the respective topic.

Illustration essay topics and examples

In this subsection we compiled several illustration essay examples and illustration essay topics in order to help you understand the process of writing an illustrative essay.

- Use general and specific sports terms in order to illustrate the manner of swimming, diving, and other tricks that can be achieved in water in Olympic swimming.

- Describe and explain the ways in which stage dancing and stage acting differ from high school cheerleading. Write for and against arguments and decide which one of them is a higher art.

- Argue why some football team which you like is underrated.

- Argue why some basketball team which you dislike is overrated.

• Academic Life

- Describe the stages in which a university applicant needs to take when writing an essay for university entrance in order to join his/her desired educational institution.

- Illustrate your first year at university and how you managed to survive it by writing various tips from your own personal experience.

- Describe and explain, from your own personal experience, how to flirt with the opposite gender in order to escape the "friend zone".

• Work and Career

- Illustrate the manner in which scientists conduct research. Describe in detail every step the scientists take when doing research.

- Explain the job of the HR manager. Use instances from your own personal experience with HR managers.

- Describe how a chef from a fancy restaurant cooks the dish of the day. Explain all the steps he takes to cook the respective dish.

The list of illustrative essay topics and free illustration essay examples above can give you a general picture of the manner in which you should write an illustration essay. Next, we will explain the steps which you should take in order to write an illustration essay.

How to Write an Illustration Essay?

Having studied the examples of illustration essay you should have a better idea of what an illustration essay is. Now it is time to go through the steps of writing an illustrative essay.

• Step 1: Pinpoint the main topic of your illustrative essay. After having done this, write a thesis statement which will be powerful enough to bedazzle the reader. Be clear with the choice of topic, for this will help your reader to easily understand the topic of the essay. Choose at least three points in order to explain the significance of your illustration thesis.
• Step 2: Make sure to include information in your introduction about what you will write in the essay, list the reasons for your choice of topic, and give a brief preview to the reader of what follows further in the essay. In other words, briefly describe the outline of your essay. Your first body paragraph should start with a topic sentence which will serve as a hook to the reader, so that you have his/her attention throughout the essay. There are various kinds of hooks, such as metaphors, jokes, quotes, facts, and so on.
• Step 3: Each next paragraph you write should directly follow the outline from the introduction. Write a paragraph for each of the reasons you listed in the introduction. This way your essay will be cohesive and coherent, which will increase its readability.
• Step 4: List and describe three reasons for your choice of topic. Support those reasons with relevant evidence from your research. Your conclusion should serve as a brief summary of your essay. Avoid stating a claim in your conclusion which has not appeared anywhere in the essay, because this way your essay will not be as cohesive.
• Step 5: Check your entire essay for mistakes, such as grammar and spelling mistakes, punctuation mistakes, and plagiarism mistakes. Make sure to always do editing and proofreading after you write any kind of essay.

Example Types You Can Use to Support an Illustration Thesis

You can use various types of examples in order to support your illustration thesis. One illustrative essay example can be written by using personal observation as a method. Another illustration essay example can be written by using the interview method. Read on to see the various example types you can use in order to support your illustration thesis.

• Personal Observation

When using the personal observation method, you should make sure to observe various different locations which are relevant to your topic. Write everything down, and include descriptions of your impressions gained through each of your five senses.

The interview method requires face-to-face conversations with professionals in the field related to your essay topic. These professionals can help you by providing deeper insight into your topic. Before conducting interviews with professionals, make sure to have a questionnaire prepared in advance so that your interview is structured.

• Personal Experience

You can use the personal experience method to write your illustration essay, as well. This includes writing about your life experiences connected to the topic of your choice, as well as sensory impressions and impressions from other people described from your own point of view.

Various types of media can be helpful in choosing the topic of your essay and supporting your essay thesis. Media types such as books, audios, videos, articles, images, social media, and so on are abundant with information, and as such, can be used as an inspiration for your illustrative essay.

If you take into consideration the above information and writing tips, you will be able to easily write an illustrative essay. Bear these tips in mind next time you are faced with the task of writing an illustration essay.

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Mastering the art of writing an illustrative essay.

Welcome to the ultimate guide that will equip you with the knowledge and skills to craft a compelling illustrative essay. An illustrative essay is a type of writing that aims to provide vivid examples and descriptions to support a specific point or argument. Whether you’re a student looking to improve your writing skills or a writer seeking to captivate your audience, this guide is tailored to enhance your understanding and proficiency in illustrative essay writing.

In this comprehensive guide, we will dive into the essence of an illustrative essay, explore effective strategies for selecting and presenting examples, and analyze real-life samples to grasp the art of crafting a successful illustrative essay. By the end of this guide, you will not only know how to write an illustrative essay but also master the techniques to engage and persuade your readers through the power of illustrative writing.

Understanding the Illustrative Essay Genre

An illustrative essay is a form of writing that aims to illustrate a particular topic or idea with examples, anecdotes, and detailed descriptions. Unlike other types of essays that focus on arguing a point or persuading the reader, the illustrative essay seeks to inform and clarify by providing concrete examples that help the reader understand the topic more clearly.

The key to a successful illustrative essay is choosing the right topic and selecting relevant examples that effectively support and illustrate the main idea. By using vivid descriptions, specific details, and engaging anecdotes, the writer can paint a clear and vivid picture in the reader’s mind, making the topic more relatable and easier to understand.

When writing an illustrative essay, it’s essential to structure your essay in a way that makes the examples and explanations flow logically and cohesively. Start with a strong thesis statement that clearly articulates the main idea or argument of the essay, and then use each paragraph to explore a specific example or aspect of the topic that supports the thesis.

Ultimately, the goal of an illustrative essay is to provide the reader with a deeper understanding of a topic or idea by using concrete examples and illustrations. By mastering the art of selecting and presenting relevant examples effectively, you can craft a compelling and informative essay that engages and enlightens your audience.

Choosing a Captivating Topic

One of the most crucial steps in writing an illustrative essay is selecting a captivating topic. The topic you choose will determine the direction and focus of your essay, so it’s important to choose wisely. Here are some tips to help you choose a topic that will engage your readers:

1. Select a topic that interests you: When you are passionate about a subject, your enthusiasm will shine through in your writing. Choose a topic that you are genuinely curious about or have a personal connection to.

2. Consider your audience: Think about who will be reading your essay and choose a topic that will resonate with them. Consider what will be relevant, relatable, and interesting to your target audience.

3. Find a unique angle: Look for a fresh perspective or a unique angle on a familiar topic. Avoid clichéd or overused ideas and strive to present a fresh take on the subject.

4. Conduct research: Before finalizing your topic, do some preliminary research to ensure there is enough information available to support your essay. Make sure you have access to relevant sources and materials to back up your points.

By following these tips, you can choose a captivating topic that will make your illustrative essay engaging and compelling to your readers.

Crafting a Strong Thesis Statement

Before you start writing your illustrative essay, it’s crucial to develop a strong thesis statement that will guide your writing and shape the content of your essay. A thesis statement is a concise declaration of the main point or argument you will be making in your essay. It should be clear, focused, and specific to ensure that your essay has a clear direction and purpose. Here are some tips for crafting a strong thesis statement:

• Be specific: Your thesis statement should clearly state the main point or argument of your essay. Avoid vague or broad statements that lack precision.
• Be concise: Your thesis statement should be brief and to the point. Avoid lengthy and convoluted sentences that may confuse the reader.
• Be arguable: Your thesis statement should present an argument that can be debated or challenged. Avoid stating facts or opinions that are universally accepted.
• Be relevant: Your thesis statement should be relevant to the topic of your essay and reflect the central idea you want to convey.

By following these guidelines, you can create a strong thesis statement that will help you effectively communicate your main point and engage your readers throughout your illustrative essay.

Gathering Relevant Examples

When writing an illustrative essay, the key to effectively conveying your point is to provide relevant examples that support your main idea. Before you start writing, it’s essential to gather a variety of examples that are clear, vivid, and specific. Here are some tips on how to gather relevant examples for your illustrative essay:

By following these steps, you can gather relevant examples that strengthen your illustrative essay and help you effectively communicate your ideas to your readers.

Structuring Your Essay Effectively

When writing an illustrative essay, it is essential to structure your content effectively to ensure clarity and coherence. Here are some key tips to help you organize your essay:

Introduction:

Start your essay with an engaging introduction that grabs the reader’s attention and provides a brief overview of the topic you will be discussing. Include a thesis statement that clearly states the main point you will be illustrating in your essay.

Body paragraphs:

Organize your body paragraphs logically, moving from one idea to the next in a clear and coherent manner. Each paragraph should focus on a single point or example that supports your thesis statement. Use transitions to connect your ideas and ensure smooth flow between paragraphs.

Illustrative examples:

Support your arguments with relevant and specific examples that illustrate the points you are making. Use vivid descriptions and details to bring your examples to life and help the reader visualize the concepts you are discussing.

Conclusion:

Wrap up your essay with a strong conclusion that restates your thesis statement and summarizes the key points you have made. Leave the reader with a final thought or reflection that ties everything together and reinforces the main idea of your essay.

By following these guidelines and structuring your illustrative essay effectively, you can create a compelling and persuasive piece of writing that engages your audience and effectively illustrates your ideas.

Adding Vivid Descriptions and Details

One of the key elements of writing an illustrative essay is the use of vivid descriptions and details. Adding rich and detailed descriptions can help bring your topic to life and engage your readers. Here are some tips on how to effectively add vivid descriptions and details to your essay:

• Use sensory language: Incorporate descriptive words that appeal to the senses, such as sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. This can help create a more immersive experience for the reader.
• Paint a picture with words: Paint a vivid picture in the reader’s mind by using descriptive language that evokes images and emotions. Show, don’t tell.
• Include specific details: Add specific details that enhance the reader’s understanding of your topic. This could include relevant facts, statistics, anecdotes, or examples.
• Create a strong sense of place: Describe the setting in detail to transport your readers to the scene of your essay. Use descriptive language to create a strong sense of place and atmosphere.
• Show unique perspectives: Share unique perspectives and insights to make your essay stand out. Use descriptive language to highlight what makes your topic interesting or noteworthy.

Editing and Polishing Your Essay

Once you have finished writing your illustrative essay, it’s essential to carefully edit and polish it to ensure that it is clear, concise, and engaging. Here are some tips to help you improve your essay:

• Proofread: Carefully read through your essay to catch any spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors. It’s helpful to read your essay out loud to identify any awkward phrasing or unclear sentences.
• Check for Consistency: Ensure that your essay maintains a consistent tone, style, and point of view throughout. Make sure your examples support your thesis and are relevant to the topic.
• Clarify and Expand: Review each paragraph to ensure that your ideas are clearly expressed and supported with relevant examples. Add more details or examples where needed to enhance the clarity and depth of your essay.
• Organize Your Ideas: Check the structure of your essay to ensure that your ideas flow logically and smoothly. Consider rearranging paragraphs or sentences to improve the overall coherence of your essay.
• Trim Unnecessary Information: Remove any unnecessary or repetitive information that does not add value to your essay. Keep your writing concise and focused on the main points.
• Solicit Feedback: Consider seeking feedback from peers, instructors, or writing tutors to get constructive criticism on your essay. Use the feedback to make further improvements.

By carefully editing and polishing your illustrative essay, you can enhance its quality and effectiveness, making it more engaging and compelling for your readers.

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Tips and Tricks on How to Write a Decent Illustration Essay

Updated 17 Jun 2024

An illustration essay is a practical exercise before writing your future thesis. People call it as student’s first step to the joy of discovery. This kind of papers encourages them to use fresh ideas when it comes to supportive arguments and to pay more attention to the research process. Illustration essay teaches how to find and assemble relevant materials for writing. It is one of the basic tasks students deal with at college. Let’s figure out some tips that will help you to receive higher grades with the professional help of Edubirdie essay writing service .

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. It is not a discovery of something brand-new, just a summary of experiences by providing vivid examples that clarify the issue. These examples are what makes an illustration essay good.

No focus on sensations or discoveries is required. One has to demonstrate a topic idea through supporting facts so readers can imagine those situations. The explanation of findings with a chain of examples is a must. Use people, situations, experiences that make an issue more related to real life.

Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Illustration Essay

Step 1: Choose a topic. Think about something that bothers you, identify the main object, then write about it. There is a list of illustration essay topics below you may use for inspiration.

Step 2. Conduct some research. Even if you know chosen topic well, still check out the related latest news. You may find useful materials or change your perspective.

Step 3. Write an outline. Note the main points and ideas. Write down as many examples as possible, then pick the best options to illustrate. You will end up with an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.

Step 4. Work on content. Turn your outline into a proper essay. Write a strong thesis. Sum up the same idea in conclusion. Explain the chosen example in each main paragraph.

Step 5. Proofread.  Use plagiarism, grammar check, never submit an essay that is not properly edited. Your idea is the core, but poor grammar, spelling, punctuation, or cohesion spoil it.

Step 6. Final check. Read your final paper once again before submission. Make sure it is interesting for reading and answers questions you touch upon.

How to Find Inspiration and Evidence

There is enough information to look for evidence for your illustration paper. Sometimes information overdose can even make choosing only three or four examples difficult. If you are curious about how to write an illustration essay that will be unputdownable, start with looking for good sources of ideas and evidence.

The biggest source of ideas is the media. Read an article, learn how to write a creative essay , find a quote in a book, check out accounts of celebrities, influencers, friends. Inspiration often comes from everyday life. A walk, a conversation with someone, another supermarket situation can trigger extraordinary ideas. Talk with people, turn on the news, pay attention to what happens around you. 

The research format doesn’t matter. Just use different sources and make examples more diverse. You may search for the ideas for your illustration essay on social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit. Scroll your feed, check what tags are trending. Watch some YouTube videos, movies, TV shows. Look through online newspapers, magazines or articles. books.

Tips for Writing an Illustration Essay

Gather Evidence

If you plan to write a three-paragraph essay, you will need three illustrations. Nevertheless, don’t hesitate to make the list of five or even ten items. When you have more options than necessary, try to choose the most interesting, intriguing, effective ones. It is much better than lacking arguments.

Keep it short

Usually, the essay length is indicated in the requirements. If not, don’t write more than three pages. Don’t try to push in all ideas that come to mind. Choose the most illustrative evidence.

Use specific examples

A reader shouldn’t spend time trying to reveal your symbolism. All examples should be straightforward, vivid, even shocking. They should make an impression on a person, be memorable, trigger an emotional response. Using personal experiences is often a good idea. Examples should be appropriate and targeted at your audience.

Basic Illustration Essay Structure

An illustration essay consists of an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. There are some nuances regarding each part.

The introduction presents your idea. Start with introducing a concept you will write about. Move to the statement – a sentence that summarizes the main idea and is the core part of your introduction. It is a starting point for supporting evidence. The introduction should be catchy. You can use such options to hook the readers’ attention like an inspirational quote, interesting fact, statistics, anecdote or real-life situation.

Body paragraphs explain and illustrate the evidence. An introduction opens a door into a room, and this part is what readers find there. All paragraphs have similar structures and consist of the following components:

• Topic sentence – the main supportive argument of this particular paragraph.
• Background sentence – starts the illustrative part; there can be up to three of them.
• Research sentence – explains the idea in detail by quoting or paraphrasing pieces of evidence.
• Analysis – explains how it is related to your topic and thesis.
• Сonclusion/transition sentence – summarizes an idea and wraps up a paragraph

The conclusion should reiterate the idea from the statement, and usually, it does not feature any new information. Its purpose is to draw the final line by assembling all facts, ideas, etc. stated before. This is a short but important paragraph, the last impression on your work.

Creating an Illustration Essay Outline like a Pro

Topics define some structural nuances, as the number of examples, logical connections, etc. Nevertheless, you need to use this template if you face some difficulties with making an outline or have no ideas at the moment.

Paper topic: How to choose a college.

Introduction: The choice of college influences your future in many ways. You can invest in career success by choosing a place for education properly.

Paragraph I: Focus on your academic goals.

Example 1: It helps to come up with the shortlist of educational establishments.

Example 2: It is the first step to starting a successful career.

Paragraph II: Seek personal recommendations.

Example 1: Older mates who already study in college know about the pros and cons of their colleges.

Example 2: There are some insights only students and professors can share.

Paragraph III: Attend a college fair.

Example 1: Don’t rely on brochures and online rankings too much, there are too many versions of the truth.

Example 2: Feel atmosphere, emerge in experiences.

Conclusion: Choosing a college is not easy. You can avoid mistakes if you know what to focus on when making a list of all places you want to study at.

Read also: Good Exploratory Essay Topics for Choosing The Best One

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25 Great Illustration Essay Ideas That Will Get You An A+

Choosing a proper topic is your key to writing the best illustration essay. It should be something you are familiar with, interested in, bothered about. Timely and relevant topics make finding strong catchy evidence easier. Here are some ideas for consideration.

• Describe the challenges of a student throughout the educational process.
• How to keep in touch with your friends after you graduate / if you study abroad.
• Tell about specific college ritual that exists in your community.
• Ideas on how to plan the budget for students living on campus.
• Tell what you did to adjust to college environment.
• How to prepare for a baseball game. Challenges and struggles of a player.
• Describe rugby as the major sports game in the USA and its difference from other sports.
• Ideas on how to prepare for the first day in a sports team and the first game.
• What is it like to be a professional player in reserve?
• Learning to swim: a step-by-step guide.
• How to get a job in New York and prepare for an interview?
• An ordinary day of a waitress/accountant/marketing manager/janitor.
• Ideas on to turn your hobby into a money-making affair.
• How to choose a profession that is right for you?
• Should a person start working at school/college?

Communities

• Describe the impact gadgets have on children of the latest generation.
• Prove that climate change is real.
• Explain how an individual’s environment models their decision-making strategies.
• The effect of friendship on a person’s life.
• Ideas on society can help the homeless.

Academic life

• How procrastination affects the academic performance of American students.
• Importance of finding time for studying, sports, and leisure.
• Why students should question everything they are taught in the classroom.
• Ideas on how to stay motivated during the student years.
• Describe your professor’s education technique and methods that are the most effective.

Read also: 99+ Evaluation Paper Topics

Ask EduBirdie for Professional Essay Help to Save Your Time

Now you know what is an illustration essay and how to write it. Remember to find balance between the descriptive nature of this assignment and your personal opinion. Do not confuse illustration essay with other similar types. Unlike tasks on critical thinking, an illustration essay is about stating some facts. If compared to a descriptive paper, it requires thesis and conclusion with a strong personal point of view.

If some things are still difficult to figure out or you lack ideas, there is always an opportunity to ask for help at EduBirdie and order an essay. Our top-notch essay writers are ready for challenges. Just fill in an order form, give us your topic, specify the deadlines, and don’t worry about it anymore.

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How to Write an Illustrative Essay to Get an A+ Grade

Many students struggle to write a college essay , but they are even more confused when the time comes to craft an illustrative essay. What the heck is it?

Unlike traditional college papers, illustrative essays are highly specific because they need to follow a carefully established logic and structure. It’s a kind of paper that forces students to support every statement with indisputable evidence, which is a real challenge for young scholars. 

But you shouldn’t fall into despair as we are here to help you learn how to write an illustrative essay to get an A+ grade. Let’s take a look!

What Is an Illustrative Essay?

Before we begin discussing the basics of illustrative essays, we need to explain what it really means. By definition, an illustration is an example or instance that helps make something clear.

This is exactly the purpose of an illustrative essay — to present a given topic in a way that makes it look perfectly clear, logical, and understandable. This type of college paper is also known as an “example essay” because you ought to use real-life examples to support your claims.

What seems to be the point of an illustrative essay? 

Most of the time, students write illustrative essays because they need to prepare their future thesis. During this process, they learn how to research a given topic, collect useful information, and establish correlations between theoretical and practical concepts. This is the core of the best essay writing that will help you with the forthcoming college papers.

Jake Gardner, an essay writer at Dissertation Today , explains that a well-written illustrative essay contains certain characteristics that make it stand out among underperforming papers. Here are some of the most important features:

• Clear and concise style: Essays are short forms that require a clear and actionable tone. You should avoid passive phrases and focus on stating your message directly. 
• Data-driven writing: Evidence is at the root of everything. You cannot craft a meaningful illustrative essay without proven facts and examples.
• Fresh points of view: Of course, one of your main goals should be to write an illustrative paper that provides readers with fresh points of view. 

The Structure of an Illustrative Essay

Typical illustrative essays are relatively short, so try to keep it at three pages unless your mentor says otherwise. However, word count is not the only thing you need to worry about here as it’s also important to stick to the usual format of an illustrative essay.

Generally speaking, illustrative essays follow the traditional structure with a clearly defined introduction, a body part, and a solid conclusion. Let’s see how it works in practice:

Introduction

The opening chapter of your essay is where you present the controlling idea of your work, also known as the thesis. It should give readers a brief overview of your paper and help them figure out the purpose of your essay. 

As always, the body part of your essay is its main component. Your job is to design it cleverly because it’s the only way to prove your point and support the thesis. The body part is where you have to display evidence in order to solidify theoretical arguments. 

There are two basic solutions here, and they differ by the order of importance. The first option is to present the most impressive evidence in the beginning and then move on to the less relevant arguments. On the other hand, you can start slowly and improve gradually by presenting the strongest evidence later. 

Another thing you should keep in mind is that illustrative essays contain at least three or four examples, so you’ll need to make smooth transitions from one point to another. Do it with the so-called transition words as they make it easier to present your claims smoothly and naturally. The most common transition words and phrases are:

• For example
• For instance
• In particular
• Firstly, secondly, thirdly, etc. 
• Besides that

The last chapter is where you repeat the main thesis and make a summary of all statements from the body part. 

6 Tips for Writing a Perfect illustrative Essay

With everything you’ve seen so far, the only thing left to learn is how to write an illustrative essay. Here’s a list of six practical tips for you.

1. Select a topic

The first thing you need to do is to choose a good topic that really matters to you and your readers. This is often something that bothers young scholars — some sort of problem or common social issue. 

2. Start your research

This is probably the most important stage of illustrative essay creation as you’ll have to collect enough evidence to support the thesis. There are all sorts of information resources to consider, including books, websites, newspapers, quotes, public reports, and many more.

3. Create an outline

Now you need to craft a nice outline that gives you a clear overview of the paper. You should come up with a convincing thesis and then try to note as many arguments as possible in the body section. 

4. Write your illustrative essay

With everything you’ve done so far, writing a great illustrative essay should not be a problem. All it takes is to turn your main ideas into short paragraphs and augment each one with the corresponding evidence.

5. Check the paper for spelling and grammar errors

No matter how eloquent or well-designed your essay might be, it won’t earn the highest grade with spelling and grammar mistakes. Always use a tool such as Grammarly , Assignment Help , or Hemingway to proofread the document. 

6. Check your paper once again

Before sending the document, you should read it once again and try to identify possible shortcomings. That way, you can make corrections before sending the final version.

The Bottom Line

Writing an illustrative essay is not easy, but the task is much simpler if you strictly follow the fundamental principles. We showed you how to write an illustrative essay in a few practical steps, but now it’s up to you to prove your research skills and earn that much-needed A+ grade. Good luck!

Piter Bunn is a blogger and essay writer at EssayShark and many other dissertation services. Piter comes from Virginia, where he completed graduate studies in French literature. He is the father of two kids and a passionate traveler.

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Kamala Harris has clearly gotten under Donald Trump's skin

Trump's escalating threats against the vice president are the biggest signs that he is spiraling out of control, by chauncey devega.

A brush with death can change a person. They can choose to become a better person and to count their second chance at life as a blessing, an opportunity to engage in critical self-reflection and a mark of good fortune to be repaid to others. Alternatively, a person can be indifferent to how Fate smiled upon them and to continue living life as they had before. Perhaps the worst outcome is when a person faces their own mortality and sees their luck as a mark of their greatness if not immortality, fueling their egomania and the worst aspects of their personality.

After an attempt on his life several weeks ago in Pennsylvania, Donald Trump chose the third option.

An assassin’s bullet barely missed his head. Trump was supposedly a changed man after such a horrible experience, one who would “unite” the country and “heal” its division and acrimony. Trump, a man who rarely, if ever, attends church, also said that he was blessed by God and protected by an act of divine intervention.  “It was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening. We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness.”

There were members of the news media who, even after nine years of experience with Donald Trump and his lies and demagoguing, uncritically accepted Trump’s declarations that he was now changed for the better. Not surprisingly, some of these public voices also said, at various points during Trump’s first regime, that he was finally “presidential” and was “rising to the demands of the office.” Such public voices have little to no credibility left.

In a Wednesday post on Twitter, Wajahat Ali, who is a columnist at the Daily Beast, directly called out such Trump-enablers in the news media: "Again, every single pundit and reporter who said Trump was a changed man after he survived an assassination please resign. Just leave this profession. Many of you are wealthy or have access to wealth. Go do something else. You're not made for this moment."

Of course, Donald Trump had no intention of becoming a better man. Trump’s charade lasted only a few days before his fascist-religious coronation at the Republican National Convention and his acceptance speech where he reverted to his ugly true form and attacked the Democrats and his other “enemies.”

At a rally in Minnesota last week, Trump reveled in his awfulness like it was a superpower that he had temporarily lost and now has back:

I want to be nice. They all say, ‘I think he’s changed. I think he’s changed since two weeks ago. Something affected him. No, I haven’t changed. Maybe I’ve gotten worse. Because I get angry at the incompetence that I witness every single day.

In all, Donald Trump, because of his temperament, personality and mind is unable to act differently. Trump only knows how to attack. He appears incapable of human empathy or concern for others.

When President Biden decided to pass the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris, Donald Trump only became more enraged and horrible in his speech, threats, and other behavior. It is being reported that Trump has been raging in private, as the momentum, at least for now, appears to have shifted to the Democrats in the upcoming election. Trump’s public statements and other behavior strongly suggest that he is experiencing some type of existential crisis at the thought of having to do political battle against a highly intelligent Black South Asian woman who is also a former prosecutor and attorney general.

Trump’s niece Mary Trump, who is a trained mental health professional, made this observation in a recent essay on her site The Good in Us about her uncle’s apparent state of mind and how he is now “terrified”:

Donald hates being laughed at….Donald also hates women (especially strong women) and minorities, so you can see why current Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris terrifies him to the point of incoherence. He says she’s 'crazy.' His childish nickname for her is 'laughing Kamala' because she feels joy, and joy is something he has never experienced and doesn’t understand. Faced with the reality that he is now running against a vibrant, intelligent, experienced woman who is fully two decades younger than he is, Donald spent Sunday and Monday flailing, trying to find an angle of attack that would stick.

Donald Trump is remarkably honest and transparent in his own devious way. To that point, longtime observers of Trump have concluded his behavior appears to be driven almost completely by the id and his other most core and primal instincts. Because of this dynamic, Donald Trump’s fundraising emails and other communications are a powerful lens, literally, into his state of mind and thinking—as well as the collective psyche and emotions of the MAGA people who are devoted to him.

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Last Friday, Donald Trump sent out the following email to his MAGA people about his rally the next day in Atlanta. Its language and meaning should frighten any person who cares about the present and future of American democracy and the well-being of the country and its people.

24 HOURS UNTIL WE UNLEASH HELL At this time tomorrow, Crooked Kamala’s worst nightmares come true. When I take the rally stage in DEEP BLUE Atlanta to a packed house with THOUSANDS of MAGA Patriots, she won’t be able to hide from the truth any longer: We’re making a BIG play for every city left behind by her DANGEROUSLY LIBERAL AGENDA! STAND WITH TRUMP The silent majority is BACK, and with it comes the END of the tyrannical Biden-Harris regime. TODAY begins America’s liberation from the sick political class that hates our country. So before I step on stage, I’m calling on ALL THE FORGOTTEN MEN AND WOMEN of this once great country to rise up and declare: I WILL ALWAYS STAND WITH TRUMP! STAND WITH TRUMP Tomorrow I step on stage and deliver Open Border Czar Kamala Harris the WORST defeat of her failed political career. But right now all I can think about is Friend! YOUR SUPPORT is the ONLY reason I’m still standing, and your support will be the reason we peacefully TAKE BACK THE WHITE HOUSE TOGETHER! Please, join with me today.  With you by my side, WE WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

The elite agenda-setting American news media, again, has not extensively covered this most recent example of Donald Trump’s rapidly escalating threats and incitements to political violence and mayhem.

On Monday, Donald Trump, the supposedly reformed and peaceful leader who only wants “unity” sent out another email to his MAGA people—this time celebrating his slogan-threat-command to “Fight! Fight! Fight!”

THIS IS A MESSAGE FROM DONALD TRUMP FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. CLAIM TRUMP FIGHT SHIRT This is the shirt you’ve all been waiting for. Seriously. All the others are just knockoffs. I’m releasing a very SPECIAL and very LIMITED run of these while supplies last. So if you want to get your hands on this ONE-OF-A-KIND shirt, order now and my team will ship these to your home ASAP CLAIM TRUMP FIGHT SHIRT Together, we will peacefully take back the White House and Make America Great Again!

Donald Trump’s new “Fight! Fight! Fight!” t-shirt features the now iconic image of him, fist raised in the air in defiance, following the attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania. The t-shirt is black. The image of Trump and the American flag is white. In total, the t-shirt is evocative of the fascist MAGA “no quarter shall be given” flag or a version of the skull worn by the comic book vigilante anti-hero now turned villain the Punisher.

Tuesday morning, Kamala Harris announced that she chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice-presidential pick in the 2024 election. Trump responded with more violent and apocalyptic language, sending out a fundraising email stating that Walz would “unleash hell on Earth.”

Later in the day, Trump would continue with his threatening and menacing emails about Harris (and now Walz), telling his MAGA followers that she will “destroy this country” and “is coming for you next”:

KAMALA HARRIS IS COMING FOR YOU NEXT! Now that Kamala Harris has chosen Tim Walz to be her VP, this ticket is DANGEROUSLY LIBERAL for America. First, she DECIMATED San Francisco as the ORIGINAL MARXIST PROSECUTOR. Then, she LAID WASTE to California as the single most DANGEROUSLY LIBERAL Senator. And as we speak, she’s preparing to finish the job and DESTROY THIS COUNTRY. Crooked Kamala thinks she’s got us on the ropes, but the MAGA revolution is only just getting started.

In total, Trump’s fundraising emails and other communications, again, reflect how and his agents are master propagandists who have a deep understanding of the fears, anxieties and general emotions (which include hopes and dreams) of their MAGA people. Specifically, Trump and his propagandists are using stochastic terrorism and related techniques to emotionally train and condition the MAGA people and his other followers into committing acts of political violence and destruction in the name of “the movement”. This is the logical end goal of Trump’s repeated use of apocalyptic language such as “unleash hell.” That language also has multiple valences and meanings. Yes, Trump is commanding his followers to commit such actions against their shared “enemies.” But he is also telling his followers the lie that Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, and the Democrats and “the Left” are going to unleash hell against them. By that logic, Donald Trump is their only protector and savior—which is why he must be made into a dictator to “save” them from the evil forces that are going to hurt them, their families, and (sacred) communities. In keeping with how radicalization into political extremism usually takes place, the resulting violence against the “enemy” is understood to be defensive and a last option—and therefore legitimate and perhaps even honorable and just—in what is an existential struggle for survival.

Donald Trump’s MAGA people and other cultists are listening to his commands very closely. An apparent Trump follower was recently arrested in Virginia for making repeated threats to kill Kamala Harris and other leading Democrats. Political scientists and other experts in national security and law enforcement have compiled data that shows that there are many thousands of Trump-MAGA followers and other right-wing extremists and malign actors who are willing to commit acts of political violence to remove the Democrats from power and to put Trump and his MAGAfied Republicans in control of the country. These people will be the foot soldiers for a Trump dictatorship and permanent state of emergency that will include massive political violence and “revolution” against “the Left” and the other “enemies” of “MAGA” as outlined by Project 2025, Agenda 47, and elsewhere.

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter , Crash Course.

At last Saturday's rally in Atlanta, Donald Trump made his threats of political violence and destruction against Vice President Harris and the country’s democracy and civil society even more starkly clear. “She was the worst border czar, she was the worst czar in history….Kamala’s radical ideas belong in a San Francisco commune filled with far left freaks, but they do not belong in the White House. They do not belong in the United States of America. This November, Georgia is going to tell Kamala that we will not let her turn America into a communist country.”

What will happen to these “far left freaks”? Will they be deported, put in the Trump regime’s planned concentration camps or will something even worse happen to them? The lack of an answer and specifics by Trump and his propagandists is a signal of the danger.

Trump, echoing his vice-presidential running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who spoke at the same event, went even further in his incendiary threats, basically accusing Harris of being responsible for any crimes—especially murder—committed by an “illegal immigrant” from Latin or South America in this country. Here are Trump’s actual words about the tragic murder of Laken Riley, which took place in Athens, Georgia in February: “Kamala is responsible for the death as though she was standing there watching it herself.”

Donald Trump and his propagandists and other agents are engaging in a highly coordinated messaging campaign to depict Vice President Kamala Harris, like the other leaders of the Democratic Party (and its voters and supporters), as a monster. And what does one usually do with monsters and other horrors? You slay them.

In America, both historically and in the present, such imagery and threats—especially against Black and brown people—all too often are not metaphorical, they are literal.

about this topic

• The familiar traits that trigger Trump's toxic rage against Kamala Harris
• Unpacking Trump's "birther" attack on Kamala Harris: It's even worse than it looks
• GOP gaslighting gets weirder: Why Trump and Vance spread lies about race and gender

Chauncey DeVega is a senior politics writer for Salon. His essays can also be found at  Chaunceydevega.com . He also hosts a weekly podcast,  The Chauncey DeVega Show . Chauncey can be followed on  Twitter  and  Facebook .

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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

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

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

Writing for Success Copyright © 2015 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

• Share full article

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The Evening

Trump says he wants to cut taxes. harris’s plan mirrors biden’s..

Also, Russia is scrambling to halt Ukraine’s surprise offensive. Here’s the latest at the end of Friday.

By Matthew Cullen

For months, Donald Trump has been adding new tax cuts to his list of campaign promises. He says he wants to exempt tips, cut the corporate rate and end the tax on Social Security.

His plans have real political appeal — people tend to love paying lower taxes — but independent analyses suggest that Trump’s plans could add close to $4 trillion over the next decade to the national debt .

It is not yet possible to make a similar estimate for Kamala Harris because she has not yet detailed her own economic policy proposals. But her campaign said today that her plans would be similar to President Biden’s proposals to reduce the deficit by about $3 trillion over the next decade, largely by raising taxes on corporations and high earners.

Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, are campaigning this evening in Arizona .

Trump is holding an event tonight in Montana, where Republicans are looking to unseat a Democratic senator.

Your questions:

We asked readers what they’d like to know about the election, and hundreds of people wrote in with questions for our reporters on the ground. Today, we’re featuring the first question. We gave it to Rebecca Davis O’Brien, who covers national politics.

What’s going on with RFK Jr.? Is there a chance he’ll drop out? Does he take more votes from Harris or Trump? — Seth Knievel, Dallas.

Rebecca: The Kennedy campaign is plowing forward with its expensive effort to get on the ballot in all 50 states . He’s on in 19 states, with others likely to follow.

Support for independent candidates tends to fade as the election draws near, and that has been the case for Kennedy: Independent polling suggests that he is hovering at around 5 percent nationally. President Biden’s departure from the race has also shifted the math: While Kennedy once drew about equally from Biden and Trump, polling now suggests he draws more votes from Trump. When Kennedy is absent from the race, Trump pulls ahead of Harris.

If you’d like your question answered, you can send it to us here .

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