Definition Essay - Academic Mode

Definition Essay
A definition essay is a type of essay that defines a term, concept, or idea. However, the difference between a simple definition and a definition essay is that a simple definition is a literal definition, while a definition essay. covers all connotative and denotative definitions of a term. A definition essay introduces the term, concept, or idea being defined, presents clear and specific information about the term, and uses examples to clarify it.

Writing an effective thesis statement for a definition essay
A The thesis statement is the heart of an essay. The same is true of a definition essay in which the thesis statement plays a key role in defining the term. The introduction just provides a good hook and background information. Like all five-paragraph essay thesis statements, a definition essay thesis statement has three main pieces of evidence that relate to the definition of the term, idea, or concept being defined; however, it only keeps the topic limited to definition by structure, function, or analysis.

Difference between a definition and a definition essay
Words, ideas, and concepts have various connotative meanings in different contexts. A concept in one text can be completely different from the concept used in another text. In order to explain this meticulously, various definitions are collected and analyzed. Definitions are also based on structure and analysis as well as functions. When these definitions apply according to their role in different contexts, it is called a definition essay. A definition is just a simple statement about a term, but a definition essay is a discussion of multiple definitions of the same term.

Examples of definition essays in the literature
Example 1: An argument against happiness (by Marc Gellman for Newsweek)
“Why can bad people be happy ? The reason for this is that happiness in the sense of our culture has only become a synonym for pleasure and everyone can feel joy. A good meal, a winning team, a fabulous vacation can make even the greatest criminal as happy as the noblest hero. The problem is the connection between happiness and pleasure. Feeling good has no natural connection with good. But it does so in the teachings of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as in the good and decent lives of those who do not find their life guidance in the traditions of ancient wisdom. For all these people, happiness is linked to goodness, not pleasure. ”

This paragraph defines what happiness is. While it is not a complete definition essay, it is part of a definition essay. Just check out how happiness is defined and crafted in different ways.

Example # 2: Beliefs about Families (by Mary Pipher)
“Families are the people who care if you have a cold, are fighting with your partner or training a new puppy. Family members use magnets to attach newspaper clippings to your bowling equipment on the refrigerator door. They keep your drawings and homemade pottery. They like to hear stories from when you were young. They will help you canning tomatoes or change the oil in your car. They are the people who visit you in the hospital, talk to you when you call with "a dark night of the soul", and lend you money to pay the rent if you lose your job. Whether they do or not are biologically related, the people who do these things are members of the family. “

This is a paragraph from Mary Pipher's essay that defines various things about families. This is an example of how definitions are further elaborated in a definition essay.

Example # 3: The Barrio (by Robert Ramirez)
“The barrio is proximity. From the family's residential unit, family relationships extend to immediate neighbors, down the block, around the corner, and to all parts of the barrio. The feeling of family, a rare and precious feeling permeates and explains people's inability to walk. The barrio is this attitude that manifests itself in the faces of the people, in the faces of their houses and in the happiness of their gardens. “

This is a paragraph from the essay by Robert Ramirez, in which he defines Barrio families living close together. The paragraph shows a look at one type of definition of an essay.

Definition essay function
A definition essay tends to define a term and resolve or resolve a dispute. Readers, when reading a definition essay, find themselves making distinctions between the different definitions of a term. It presents a complete picture of the different uses of the same term in different contexts, making readers aware of all contextual interpretations.