Copyright © MeDougal Lite! ne Name. ee — Date _ = Homeless (page 101) Literary Analysis SkillBuilder Characteristics of an Essay ‘An essay isa short piece of writing on a single subject. it may express an author's opinion, inform or entertain a reader, or describe an event. Personal essays, which express the author's opinion, are often told from the fist person point of view and have an informal structure—that is, they may not use a strict main idea-supporting detail arrangement and complete sentences, Use the chart below to find examples of the charactetistics of an essay found in “Homeless” ern ranks penne First-person point of view Purpose Loose structure Personal style Contains writer's thoughts and feelings Untt ONE LEARNING FROMEXPERENCE $7