Defining the concept of happiness.

This essay should define a concept which your readers may or may not be familiar, and it should further explain how this concept might affect a person’s daily life. The purpose of this essay is to explain a concept to a foreign exchange student who may not be familiar with a term in English. Make sure to consider what knowledge your audience may or may not already have about the concept and what their preconceived attitudes may be toward it. Make sure your essay’s purpose clearly expresses your explanation of the topic, providing logical and coherent reasoning and use of examples.

You need to begin your essay by mapping out for your reader (in your introduction) your MAIN IDEA: your thesis. This will tell the reader (a) which concept you have chosen and (b) what about the concept you will explain. Your essay should be thesis-centered, with your thesis being one (maybe two) sentence(s) long. It should clearly frame and justify your interpretation for the chosen concept.

Avoid attempting to define the concept by the concept

You have a specific audience for this essay: a foreign-exchange student in your college English class. She is educated and wants to read an academic essay about the concept you have chosen. She may be unfamiliar with your customs, beliefs, and ideals. As such, you will need to (a) identify the concept, (b) provide a clear, logical organization, and (c) include appropriate explanation, comparisons, and examples.
You do not need to use outside sources for this essay. This essay should not be based on someone else’s ideas. The reader wants to know what YOU think about the concept. However, you may incorporate a secondary source if you wish, but you must use MLA formatting. Since this is a FORMAL essay:
Avoid using informal language (slang, curse words, etc.)
Avoid 2nd person pronouns (you)
Avoid contractions (can’t, won’t, I’m, etc.)
If you elect to use a secondary source, you MUST cite that source correctly in-text and on your Works Cited page.

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