What is thematic essay writing?
Essay writing at an academic level is both a challenging and rewarding experience, and while several types of academic essays exist, one of the specific ones is thematic essay writing. This type of essay is substantially different from other forms of essays because it involves a deep exploration and portrayal of themes that are presented in literary works of art. Producing a high-quality thematic essay can be a challenge because it involves developing strong analytical skills, but this comprehensive guide will take you through all the steps required to produce an excellent thematic essay that meets all the requirements.
Steps to writing a good thematic essay
Identify the central theme and subject
The first step to thematic essay writing that will make or break the rest of the essay is the identification and development of a central theme and subject. Identifying a theme establishes the links that will be used to bring all the ideas together. Choosing a central theme is not straightforward but the following are some tips that you can utilize to help you establish a theme:
1. Summarise the literature. The core of any literature usually reveals the message that the author is trying to bring out. By going through the literature while thinking about the picture the author is trying to paint, it should be easier to find the theme.
2. Choose the main subject. Once you have recognized the theme, you should select a subject which is usually a narrowed down version of the theme i.e. the subject is the general version while the theme elaborates on the subject.
3. Critically think about your subject. This will help you unearth more details about your theme which may not be obvious and you will be able to identify the overall significance of the literature.
Analyse the prompt
After identifying the theme, the next stage of the essay writing process which is normally more difficult than identifying a central theme is analyzing the given prompt. It is vital to go over the prompt several times to get a better understanding of what is required of you. The tasks to be completed are usually one of an explanation, a description, a discussion, or highlighting the author’s aims. Analysing the prompt is crucial in the essay writing progression because it will help you identify the literary devices which you will use when writing, and you can then work on the structure of your thematic essay.
Outline your essay writing
As with any form of writing, a plan outlining your structure will make for a robust essay. There are general rules that should be adhered to for thematic essays in order to produce the appropriate work.
Plan to write at least five paragraphs and nothing shorter. Decide on the structure of your essay so that you end up with enough paragraphs that show that you understand the central theme and the prompt requirements. Your essay should have a structure that has an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The essay should also have a thematic statement which addresses the main subject.
Write the essay
Once you are armed with your outline and you have your central theme, it is time to write the essay. The introduction must introduce the subject clearly to interest the reader but without giving away too much, each body paragraph should focus on presenting a literary device and explaining the logic to the reader, and the conclusion will summarise all the arguments you bring up in your essay.
Proofread everything to be certain
One of the worst mistakes you can make after completing the essay writing, and particularly thematic essay writing is skipping the proofreading. After writing your essay you will probably be exhausted but proofread your work a couple of times and you will well be on your way to an outstanding thematic essay writing journey.