In the minds of ESL exam candidates, e ssay writing is one of the most daunting tasks they are required to complete, regardless of the level of the exam, the administering body or the ease with which they themselves use the language. The same applies to students who are asked to write an essay by their teachers at school. In the previous sample essays posted on the blog, the main point I stress is the need to become acquainted with this form of writing (as opposed to writing a letter, review or report, for instance), to get a feel of what authorial voice is and how to organize and progressively express the arguments you wish to make in a coherent manner. Unfortunately, the best way to prepare for exam writing or learn how to write good essays for school is to read as many essays from as many sources as possible, then write as
This is the last part of the overview to Carol Ann Duffy's poem "Havisham" which covers stanzas three and four of the poem in terms of content , namely: the puce curses, power of words and degeneration to an animal state, t he i ncubus image and vampirism, the white veil, wedding cake, honeymoon, red balloon and necrophili c thoughts and final stutter presen t in a poem that comes full c ircle through the choice of words used at the begin ning of each stanza . P art 1 g a ve a brief biography, discusse d the poem's structure (meter and rhymes), the sounds present in the poem and analyze d the persona of Miss Havisham (what is known about her from Great Expectations and how Duffy treats her case). P a rt 2 dealt with various points present in sta nzas 1 and 2 (enjambment , inability to escape, the notions of time and ageing, Miss Havisham's homicidal thoughts, green pebbl es, ropes on the back o f her hands, the conc ept of the spinster, the ...