{"id":6680,"date":"2018-09-10T17:00:57","date_gmt":"2018-09-11T00:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/?post_type=essay-writing-blog&p=6680"},"modified":"2018-06-20T13:11:52","modified_gmt":"2018-06-20T20:11:52","slug":"what-is-a-discursive-essay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/what-is-a-discursive-essay\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is a Discursive Essay, and How Do You Write a Good One?"},"content":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve completed at least a few writing courses in your day and have written your share of essays. But just when you think you\u2019ve written every possible type of paper, BAM! You\u2019re hit with a new type of essay: the discursive essay.<\/p>\n

With the word \u201ccurse\u201d seemingly smack dab in the middle of the name, cursing might be exactly what you feel like doing when you think about learning how to write a whole new type of essay.<\/p>\n

I get it. There are tons of different types of essays<\/a>, and you feel like you\u2019ve written every one of them. Learning yet another writing style may not be how you want to spend your time. But trust me, learning how to write a discursive essay isn\u2019t that bad. Really.<\/p>\n

Before we move on, though, just in case you\u2019re feeling a little stressed, take a deep breath, and if you need to, get the cursing out of the way now.<\/p>\n

Ready? Let\u2019s get to work learning how to write a good discursive essay. We’ll start with diving into the question you need to know the answer to before getting started: what is a discursive essay?<\/p>\n

What Is a Discursive Essay?<\/h2>\n

A discursive essay has a pretty simple definition and one goal–to be balanced and objective. Two key elements it’s important to get right are the tone and organization. Let’s get into those, and answer the question that brought you here: what is a discursive essay?<\/p>\n

A one-sentence definition<\/h3>\n

A discursive essay presents both sides of an argument, then states your stance.<\/p>\n

The goal<\/h3>\n

The goal of a discursive essay is to present a balanced and objective<\/a> analysis of both sides of the argument. (Keep in mind that, in some cases, you may need to examine three or more positions as topics may be more nuanced than basic for-or-against arguments.)<\/p>\n

Tone<\/h3>\n

The discursive essay is a formal essay<\/a> that requires a formal tone<\/a>. This means that you\u2019ll write in third person point of view<\/a> to evaluate arguments and express your opinion.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll also need to use formal word choices<\/a> to keep the tone of your essay in check.<\/p>\n

In other words, don\u2019t <\/b>write this:<\/p>\n

Instead, do write <\/b>this:<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
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In a discursive essay, a balanced tone is crucial.<\/a><\/div>\n

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

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In a discursive essay, a balanced tone is crucial. Don\u2019t include positive, leading statements for one side of the argument, while including snarky, sarcastic comments for the other side.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what I mean. Let\u2019s say you feel that professors\u2019 comments written in red ink cause stress for students.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t try to slant your comments in favor of your opinion by writing something like this: <\/b><\/p>\n

This sentence clearly tries to slant readers\u2019 opinion by using the phrases \u201cill-informed\u201d and \u201canyone with common sense.\u201d (These phrases not only try to slant opinion but also may very well offend readers, which is certainly not <\/i>a goal of the essay.)<\/p>\n

An objective statement written in a formal tone might look like this:<\/b><\/p>\n

\n\t\t
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Stuck on Your Essay?<\/div>\n\t\t\t
Check out thousands of example essays.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\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<\/blockquote>\n

Organization<\/h3>\n

A discursive essay is organized like most essays, with a clear introduction<\/a> and concise thesis statement<\/a>, body paragraphs<\/a>, and conclusion<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As in any essay, there are specific strategies you should use to develop these components. Here are a few tips for writing your discursive essay.<\/p>\n