Not all texts are for entertainment. Many texts are written to inform a reader about topic. These are called edifying texts.
edify (verb): to inform or teach someone in a way that improves their mind or character
Edifying texts convey information and endeavor to teach or persuade more than they entertain. While storytelling is rarely seen in schools outside of the humanities, all education uses edifying texts. These texts can be mapped using a stair step graph as each idea has to build upon what has already been established to reach a higher level of insight. There are three subcategories of edifiers: expository texts, rhetorical texts, and functional texts.
Expository texts: Edify to provide knowledge
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Say you want to know more about a topic-- let's choose giraffes. You want to discover more about giraffes: what they eat, where they live, how long they live, and how tall they become. You would reach for an expository text, which are texts are meant to objectively inform a reader on a topic. Note the word objectively in the definition: expository texts revolve around facts, which are provably true statements. The only goal of an expository text is to provide facts. An dictionary can provide the definition and etymology of the word giraffe. An encyclopedia can provide general information on giraffes. An atlas could show where giraffes live. A scientific report shows studies and results about giraffes, such as how poaching is affecting giraffe population. An objective news article can show current events that have happened with events, such as if a ring of giraffe poachers is caught. Legal books provide information about what is allowable regarding giraffes, such as giraffe hunting laws. Even certain religious text that outline rules for followers (not mythology) are expository; Leviticus, for example, lists giraffes as kosher for Jewish consumption.
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Rhetorical texts: Edify to persuade
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After exploring expository texts, you learn that giraffes are often hunted for food, both by native tribes that have done so for centuries and by poachers who sell the meat illegally. You know the nutritionally content of giraffe meat from a scientific report and that it is legal to eat (so long as the meat is legally procured). But you wonder: is it okay to eat a giraffe? While expository texts are purely factual, whether something should be done or is right or wrong is in the realm of opinions, which are personal beliefs. If you want to know the opinions others hold on a topic, you will need a rhetorical text, which are texts are meant to subjectively persuade a reader on how he or she should feel about a topic. At the base of every rhetorical text is an argument the writer is trying to win. In our example, the argument is giraffes are okay to eat vs. giraffes should not be eaten. The rhetorical text starts with a thesis, which a statement on what side of the argument the text falls on, and then has to prove its point using both facts and reasoning to interpret what the facts mean. A blog post by a vegan may argue the thesis of eating giraffes constitutes animal cruelty and should be stopped. An interview with local tribes could show that tribes depend on giraffe meat to survive so they must be able to be eaten. A speech by a politician could have the thesis that giraffe eating encourages poaching and thus should be stopped. A Yelp review of a restaurant that serves giraffe could have the thesis that giraffe is delicious and you need to try some. An advertisement for PETA may have the thesis that giraffe meat is murder, while an ad for Giraffe Steaks International may have the thesis of giraffe is great for a low fat, high vitamin diet. Whenever an opinion is expressed, the text is rhetoric.
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Functional texts: Edify for a practical purpose
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So you've read enough rhetorical texts and you are now convinced that it is not only okay to eat a giraffe, but that you also want to eat a giraffe. You can't just get giraffe at the local grocery store, so to figure out how to get your giraffe steak, you need functional texts, which provide step by step instructions on how to accomplish a goal. A post on a Kenyan government website will tell you how to apply for a hunting license in their country so you can get your giraffe. You apply for a safari club using a resume and by providing letters of recommendation (these are examples of metiers, which are functional texts needed to apply for a school or job). A YouTube video tells you how to dress on safari and the inoculations required to keep from dying. The flight attendant's speech and brochure in the seat on your flight let's you know how to survive if your plane crashes. Your language guidebook gives you Swahili translations when you need them as well as proper etiquette for a hunt. When your Jeep breaks down in the middle of the safari, the repair manual helps you fix the problem. Once you have your giraffe, you need a recipe to know how it should be properly cooked.
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...Wait. What about essays?
An essay is a short (under 3,000 words) objective edifying text (note: an essay longer than 3,000 words is called a thesis paper). There can be expository essays and functional essays, though most essays are rhetorical and make an argument. One of the most popular academic essays is a textual analysis essay, where the author reads a text and makes an argument about how the text should be interpreted. Another popular essay type is the historical research essay, which provides facts about a historical figure or event and argues over its importance. Another common essay is the scientific research essay, where the author conducts an experiment and reports the results-- here, the argument is that the findings show certain causes, variables, and effects to be correlated or unrelated. The social essay maybe the most important essay outside of academia, as it argues that people in a society should believe something, do something, or stop something (some popular social essay formats are news editorials and political speeches). Yet for many high school students, one essay is paramount above the others: the college application essay. These links will help you write and format the perfect essay.