{"id":4243,"date":"2017-01-18T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-01-19T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/?p=4243"},"modified":"2020-08-02T06:43:59","modified_gmt":"2020-08-02T13:43:59","slug":"write-exploratory-essay-worth-exploring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/write-exploratory-essay-worth-exploring\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write an Exploratory Essay Worth Exploring"},"content":{"rendered":"

Travel. Adventure. Exploration. There’s so much to learn out there for those who go looking for it. Andr\u00e9 Gide once wrote:<\/p>\n

\u201cMan cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Of course, nowadays it\u2019s a little less romantic. We \u201close sight of the shore\u201d after putting our seat backs and tray tables in their full upright positions and assuring the flight attendant that our portable electronic devices are set to \u201cairplane\u201d mode.<\/p>\n

And of course by the time we \u201cdiscover new oceans,\u201d we have already learned pretty much everything there is to know about that \u201cocean\u201d from Wikipedia.<\/p>\n

A little less romantic indeed, but you know what Ralph Waldo Emerson said:<\/p>\n

\u201cLife is a journey, not a destination.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So who cares if you\u2019ve already decided everything you\u2019ll do on your trip based on Yelp reviews before you\u2019ve even taken off. It\u2019s about the journey, not the destination!<\/p>\n

Side note: How many cheesy travel quotes do you think I can cram into this intro? I\u2019ll tell you what, allow me one more and I promise to stop:<\/p>\n

I had to throw these quotes in here because they’re quite relevant to the idea of writing an exploratory essay, which is really what we’re going to talk about today.<\/p>\n

An exploratory essay is all about pushing away from the shore of the known to discover something new. And unlike other essays, the exploratory essay is less about the destination than your journey to get there.<\/p>\n

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An exploratory essay is all about pushing away from the shore of the known to discover something new. <\/a><\/div>\n

Click To Tweet<\/a><\/p>\n

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And last but not least, the whole idea of an exploratory essay is to go exploring, learn something new, gain a new perspective, and then come back to the place where you started. Then you write about your journey.<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s go on a journey together to discover how to write an exploratory essay worth exploring.<\/p>\n

What Is an Exploratory Essay, and How Is It Different Than an Argumentative Essay?<\/h2>\n\t
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Stuck on Your Expository Essay?<\/div>\n\t\t\t
Get inspired. Write your essay faster.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tYes! Show Me Examples.<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

The most popularly assigned essay is the argumentative essay<\/a>. A whole lot of ink has been spilled on this topic<\/a> here at the Kibin Blog, so I\u2019m not going to spend much time explaining it today.<\/p>\n

For our purposes, you need to know that an argumentative essay includes an argument in the form of a thesis. It’s written to persuade the readers of said argument. An exploratory essay does no such thing.<\/p>\n

Instead, the purpose of an exploratory essay is to explore a topic. (Clearly whoever came up with the names of these essays was the straightforward type.)<\/p>\n

The idea is to find a topic that piques your interest, develop questions related to that topic, research those questions, and then share your findings (and process) with your reader.<\/p>\n

The point isn\u2019t to argue a point or even find a definitive answer to your questions. Instead, you follow the research, wherever it may take you.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s kind of like the difference between a business trip and a spur-of-the-moment vacation to a place of interest. The first has a clear purpose from the beginning and may require various forms of arguing and convincing along the way, depending on your profession. The second, however, is fueled by curiosity and often unfurls in unforeseen ways.<\/p>\n

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An exploratory essay is like a last-minute vacation to an interesting locale, fueled by curiosity.<\/a><\/div>\n

Click To Tweet<\/a><\/p>\n

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Moreover, the exploratory essay often is a bit more personal and introspective than the argumentative essay.<\/p>\n

Whereas the writing in an argumentative essay should steadfastly stick to third person<\/a> so as to add credence to your arguments, part of the \u201cexploration\u201d in an exploratory essay is focused on the writer’s personal journey of discovery related to the essay topic.<\/p>\n

This means that exploratory essays will sometimes require a first-person account of your research and thinking process.<\/p>\n

Choosing Your Destination<\/h2>\n

Choosing a topic for exploratory essays<\/a> is similar to choosing where to take a trip. This often starts with an important question: What topic (or destination) interests me?<\/p>\n

Much like when planning a trip, it doesn\u2019t hurt to do a bit of preliminary research before making a final decision. I suggest that you come up with a list of various topics and then look into each a bit to see if they will work well for an exploratory essay.<\/p>\n

There are certain aspects to topics for exploratory essays<\/a> that will make them worth exploring. Here are a few questions to think about when deciding on a topic:<\/p>\n

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  1. Are there multiple ways to look at this topic?<\/b> Although you will not be making an argument in your paper, it’s best if you present a topic that other people will be motivated to talk and argue about.<\/li>\n
  2. Will I be able to take a neutral position and have an objective tone?<\/b> If the topic is something that causes your blood to boil because you’re so passionately for or against one side, you will probably find it hard to objectively present each side in your paper.<\/li>\n
  3. Is there plenty of potential when it comes to research?<\/b> The backbone of your exploratory essay will be the research you do. If your preliminary research on a topic proves difficult, you may want to go in a different direction.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    If, in the end, you still have a few different topics that sufficiently satisfy each of the above questions, I suggest you return to the very first question I presented above: What topic interests me the most? <\/i><\/p>\n

    It’s incredibly important when tackling a research-heavy essay<\/a> that you have a high level of interest in the topic at hand.<\/p>\n

    An uninspiring vacation destination will always suffice if there\u2019s a beach and a bar. But you\u2019re going to be a lot happier diving into that research if it\u2019s on a topic that piques your curiosity.<\/p>\n

    Exploring<\/h2>\n

    My mother is a beautiful and intelligent human being. In a lot of ways, we’re quite similar (Zing!). However, we’re very different travelers.<\/p>\n

    My mother\u2019s travel itineraries are the stuff of legends (and high stress levels). Every meal, sightseeing stop, and bathroom break is seemingly planned in advance. I, on the other hand, rarely plan anything beyond my port of entry.<\/p>\n

    In that sense, my dear old mom is like the argumentative essay, not just because her unbending itinerary often leads to arguments, but because she knows what she’s looking for in advance.<\/p>\n

    On the other hand, as the explorer of the family, I’m more like the exploratory essay. I have a general idea of what I\u2019m interested in checking out, but I\u2019m open to letting the journey progress organically.<\/p>\n

    Because you’re likely to be researching a controversial topic for your exploration essay, you should have a good idea of the competing schools of thought related to it. These opinions and the questions that arise from them are not only a great point from which to begin your research, but they will often form your essay outline<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    The goal isn\u2019t really to find cut-and-dry answers to these questions, but to simply explore them. While doing this, it’s extremely important that you document your entire process. That includes what resources you used and how, when, and why you used them.<\/p>\n

    Think of it like a travel journal. It may seem a bit tedious in the moment, but it will be an incredible resource in the future. In the case of your exploratory essay, your research journal will be needed in the very near future.<\/p>\n

    Writing about Your Journey<\/h2>\n

    As T. S. Eliot\u2019s quote informed us way up there in that seemingly cheesy introduction, writing an exploration essay starts after you\u2019ve finished your exploring and returned to the beginning with a new perspective.<\/p>\n

    This means returning to the original issue and the related questions. Then you present your findings on the matter, including how exactly you came up with your findings.<\/p>\n

    Think of it kind of like writing a travel blog. You\u2019ve been on your trip, had your experiences, and hopefully, learned something along the way. Now it\u2019s time to write about your journey.<\/p>\n

    This is where your handy travel\/research journal will come in handy. It will make it much easier to write about your process, experience, and findings.<\/p>\n

    As you start putting together your essay<\/a>, think about these essential parts:<\/p>\n