1. Elements of Non-Fiction
English 521

2. PURPOSE: What an essay attempts to accomplish
When identifying purpose, be sure to state “what” the essay actually narrates, expresses, etc.

3. THESIS:
the central thought or impression the essay gives or sometimes implies about the subject.

4. SUBJECT MATTER:
the thoughts, ideas, and feelings contained in an essay.

5. AUDIENCE:
the audience to which an essay appeals or is directed.

6. VEHICLE:
FORM of writing the author has chosen to convey his or her message ie. letter, article, review, editorial, etc.

7. CONTEXT:
the circumstances ( personal, historical, or social) of the author which influenced the content and form of the essay.
Where the author is coming from, history of the author and his/her experience.

8. STRUCTURE:
method of arrangement of ideas and details in the essay.

10. Style: Diction, Rhetorical Devices, and Sentence Type
DICTION: choice of words in the essay (ie. slang, abstract, concrete, formal, etc.)
RHETORICAL DEVICES: Figures of speech (ie. Metaphors, Similes, Personification, Hyperbole, Rhetorical Questions)
SENTENCE TYPE: ie.short, long, loose, simple, complex, etc.

11. TONE:
overall feeling or attitude expressed by the author toward the subject matter.