How to Write a Descriptive Essay about Fear

Fear is peculiar topic to write about. On the one hand, one thinks that it is supposed to be easy – after all, no one can truthfully say that he has never experienced fear in his life. On the other hand, it turns out to be really, really difficult once you actually try to write something – what is fear? How to characterize it? How does one write about it? When you write a descriptive essay about fear you are supposed to give a clear-cut, easy-to-understand definition of the subject. It doesn’t mean that your definition should be primitive – nothing of the kind. ‘Simple’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘simplistic’, just like ‘convoluted’ doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with ‘smart’. Remember that definition is supposed to define something, not to make it even less understandable for a reader. If possible, avoid overly complex constructions, which don’t add anything to the topic. Don’t try to look cleverer and more sophisticated than you are – if you overuse scientific terminology it indicates the fact that you try to hide your own incompetence behind the shield of words. But don’t fall into the opposite extreme – if you put your thoughts into the words more appropriate for a Middle School student it doesn’t showca se your intellect in a favorable way as well. However, it is only one take on how you may and are supposed to write an essay about fear. You shouldn’t forget that first of all, descriptive essay as a genre of writing presupposes that you should give a detailed and colorful recounting of something – in this case, a concept or, probably, an experience. If you can strengthen the quality of your description by introducing your own memory of dealing with fear, you will probably make your work much more interesting and personal than if you simply recount some other person’s opinion on what the fear is. Remember – there are very few cases when personal touch doesn’t do your work a world of good. Your tutor (professor, teacher, committee, underline as necessary) has to read dozens of similar essays every time he checks the homework, and he is certain to be tired of reading the same things over and over again. Even if your essay is generally well-written, in case you write some commonplace truths it wouldn’t be very exciting reading. And vice versa – even if your writing is somewhat on the poor side, introducing some unique elements, descriptions of personal experience and recollections of your own impression when encountering something terribly frightening may save your grade. You needn’t necessarily have a near-death experience in your past. Every person can remember a situation in which he had been frightened out of his wits – just write about it, and a good grade is as good as yours.

John Locke Human Knowledge And Ideas - 1993 Words

In this paper, I want to examine how philosophers, especially John Locke from his book Essay Concerning Human Understanding, understand human knowledge and ideas. We have all had experience of being unsure or mistaken about something: you think it s Wednesday when it is actually Thursday; you wonder whether he was wearing a red shirt or yellow yesterday. Sceptics argue that it is impossible to be certain about anything, arguing that if we can be deceived about such simple things, who can say that we are not mistaken more often than we think? On the other side of the discussion, various groups of philosophers have tried to prove that certainty is possible. Questions have been raised with regard to what is knowledge and can it be defined? What might have made us doubt our knowledge? Is it possible to justify our knowledge with experience? Some hold that certain principles and ideas were innate as they are present in all human minds. For instance, Descartes claims that mathematics is â€Å"certain and indubitable.† He stated that â€Å"whether I am awake or asleep, two plus three makes five, and a square has only four sides. † The point also holds for other ideas, such as the idea of God that he exists, is good and all-powerful. Yet Descartes view is questionable: if mathematical ideas were innate, wouldn t we already know the answers to complicated sums? Wouldn t math study be unnecessary, as such knowledge is born with us? If ideas such as God exists are innate, why doesn tShow MoreRelatedEssay on John Locke: Illuminating Path to Life, Liberty, and Property642 Words   |  3 Pagesprominent man by the name of Thomas Jefferson, were greatly influenced by the Enlightenment’s most profound philosopher, John Locke. Since the beginning of Enlightenment to the 21st century, Locke’s ideas have been behind countless innovators, philosophers, and politicians; including our very own Founding Fathers. 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Cask of Amontillado Effect free essay sample

The setting of Poe’s grim tale, â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado,† is dark and eerie, intended to horrify, traumatize, and create unfathomable tension. The most horrific aspect of the Italian locale is the dark, claustrophobic feel of the catacombs in which the story takes place. However, this effect becomes more prominent due to the contrast apparent in the setting within the first pages of the tale. â€Å"Carnival season,† in which Montresor, the murderer, first encounters his â€Å"friend,† Fortunato, is a season of celebration and â€Å"warmth. Because of the festivities, Fortunato is dressed in â€Å"motley,† with â€Å"tight-fitting parti-striped dress† and a â€Å"conical cap and bells. † From the first encounter, Fortunato is fashioned as the light-hearted fool of the piece, which contrasts greatly with his bitter demise. In addition, â€Å"carnival season† directly precedes the forgiveness of sins, indicating the Montreso r means to â€Å"punish with impunity† and extract a gruesome â€Å"revenge† upon Fortunato, in the hope that his sins will be forgiven the following day. We will write a custom essay sample on Cask of Amontillado Effect or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The catacombs, the location in which a majority of the tale unfolds, are used to create an air of apprehension. These catacombs, which lay underneath the city, are â€Å"insufferably damp† and â€Å"encrusted with nitre,† a mineral that Fortunato appears to be allergic to. This is brought to attention in that his â€Å"cough† appears to worsen with the nitre’s accumulation. As the pair descends through the vaults, suspense grows with the increasing depth, intoxication, and nitre growth. The â€Å"two flambeaux† the men carry show the increasing â€Å"foulness of the air† as they descend. At the entrance of the catacombs, the torches blaze, but soon begin to â€Å"rather glow than flame† and eventually become naught but â€Å"feeble rays† that are unable to â€Å"pry into the depth† of the recesses. Even as the flames, which represent life and vivacity, begin to die, the â€Å"rheum of intoxication† accumulates. Already drunk, Fortunato enters the vaults â€Å"unsteady† and witless. As the setting moves deeper into the vaults, Fortunato’s intoxication increases, and with it, the reader’s apprehension, until he â€Å"stood stupidly bewildered,† too intoxicated to prevent his own demise. The reader then experiences horror at Fortunato’s fate, doomed to be sealed within walls where â€Å"[he] cannot help but feel the nitre. † Even with the knowledge of Fortunato’s ill fortune, apprehension and revulsion continue to amass until the crux of the story, which occurs at â€Å"midnight† when Montresor’s task â€Å"was drawing to a close. † Midnight is often represented in literature as the witching hour, a moment in time in which good is unable to prevail. That moment brings with it a sudden, horrifying realization that Fortunato cannot escape and will die. The verbal and dramatic irony present throughout â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† allows greatly for the creation of effect through horror, trauma, and tension. Edgar Allan Poe wrote in his review of Hawthorne’s Twice Told Tales that every aspect of a short story must contribute to effect. In â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado,† Poe utilizes setting, narration, and irony to construct an effect of moral shock, horror, and suspense. The dark, eerie setting of the catacombs, in combination with the detestable narrator, Montresor, and the abundant irony, involves the readers emotionally in the text by terrifying and traumatizing them. As each new event in the tale is presented, the reader becomes increasingly engrossed by the effect and is loath to be interrupted because of this emotional fascination. â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† is the quintessence of Poe’s literary aspirations to achieve the unity of effect within every aspect of a piece of literature, combining setting, narration, and irony to create a clearly shocking, horrifying, and suspenseful air that pervades the entire work.