Characteristics of Expository Essays

I chose to read the “Cochlear Implant” essay and the “How to Clean a Fish” essay. The characteristics that make these essays expository are that they both use evidence, examples and facts to inform the reader about his or her topic. The “How to Clean a Fish” essay uses the informative process. This essay explains correct ways to clean a fish and what to avoid when cleaning. This process is most effective for this essay because he is showing the best ways to clean a fish to readers that may never had cleaned a fish before. Had the author used another way to organize his essay such as topic, he would be writing more about cleaning a fish and not about how to clean it.

The type of organization used in the “Cochlear Implant” essay is topic. This essay explains what a cochlear implant is, the difference between this and hearing aids, and what would qualify you for this type of surgery. Had the author written in another type of expository essay such as persuasive, it would have been more personal. Writing the way he did leaves the readers mind open for opinion and that’s what I think the author was trying to achieve. I don’t think the author was trying convince anyone to get this surgery but rather show the effectiveness of getting this surgery.

The two essays are similar in that they both use evidence and facts to prove their point. The two essays are both informative and are un-biased. They are different because one essay is showing how to do something and the other is speaking about the topic.