An essay is usually an essay that reflects the author's own argumentation - but the definition is vague and overlaps with that of an article, newspaper, pamphlet, and story. Essays are traditionally classified as formal and informal. Formal essays are characterized by "serious intention, dignity, logical organization, length", while informal essays are characterized by "the personal element (self-declaration, individual tastes, and experiences, confidential manner), humor, elegant style, expansive structure, unconventionality or novelty of subject", etc.
The essays are often used as literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of everyday life, memories, and reflections of the author. Almost all modern essays are written in prose, but works in verse have been called essays (e.g. An Essay on Criticism and An Essay on the Man by Alessandro Papa). Although brevity often defines an essay, voluminous works like John Locke's An Essay on Human Understanding and Thomas Malthus' An Essay on the Principle of Population are counterexamples.
In some countries (e.g. the United States and Canada) essays have become an important part of formal education. Secondary school students learn structured essay formats to improve their writing skills; universities often use admissions essays to select candidates; and in the humanities and social sciences, essays are often used as a means of assessing students' performance in final examinations.
The concept of the "essay" has spread to other media in addition to writing. A film essay is a Film that often incorporates documentary styles and focuses more on the development of a topic or idea. A photo essay deals with a topic with a series of related photos, which can be accompanied by text or captions.
