Sure, I had one or two excellent topic ideas, but after that, I had to dig a little deeper to think of more creative and interesting options.

Why am I telling you this? 

I want to remind you that even those of us who write about writing can struggle to get the creative juices flowing.

So if you’re frustrated because you can’t think of anything “good” to write about for your Death of a Salesman analysis essay, don’t let it get you down. It happens to the best of us.

The good news is that I’ve worked through my initial writer’s block and have included 10 Death of a Salesman essay topics to inspire your upcoming essay.

Don’t Pick a Topic Until You Know These Three Things

I know you’re eager to get rolling on your essay, but before you select a topic, make sure you know these three things:

Know your essay options

Review your assignment guidelines, and make sure you know what type of essay you’re allowed to write.

Should you write a compare and contrast essay, a persuasive essay, or another type of literary analysis?

Know your limits

You will, of course, need to know your own limits regarding personal time constraints, but knowing your limits also refers to word limits. 

If you’re writing a short essay, you’ll definitely need to make every word count because you have a limited space in which to create an effective analysis. A longer essay, on the other hand, will allow you space to develop a more complex analysis. 

In other words, don’t write a detailed 3,000-word essay when the assignment calls for no more than 750 words.

Know whether you need to complete research

An essay that requires research can be a lot more time-consuming than an essay that requires only evidence from the book or play. Knowing whether you’ll need research sources will help you budget your time accordingly.

Once you know these three key points, you’re ready to select a topic for your Death of a Salesman essay.

10 Death of a Salesman Essay Topics for an Interesting Analysis

Topic #1: The American Dream in Death of a Salesman

The American Dream is the most prominent of the Death of a Salesman themes. Willy Loman has hopes and dreams for his life, but he never seems to be able to make them come true. He fails to live his American Dream.

• Explain how the theme of the American Dream is carried throughout Death of a Salesman
• Compare the theme of the American Dream as it is portrayed in Death of a Salesman to how it is portrayed in another piece of literature, such as The Great Gatsby.

Check out this example essay in our database for inspiration: The Pursuit of the American Dream by Jay Gatsby and Willy Loman in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller.

Topic #2: Willy Loman as a tragic hero

Willy Loman fits the bill for a tragic hero because he possesses the flaw of ambition. He wants more out of life than he has and believes he should live a better life.

• Argue that Willy Loman meets the definition of a classic tragic hero.

Topic #3: Character analysis of Death of a Salesman

Many essays include elements of character analysis as part of a larger essay, but consider a character analysis as the entire focus of your essay. 

Remember: It’s fine to analyze a major character like Willy Loman, but don’t overlook the importance of minor Death of a Salesman characters.

• Analyze Willy’s neighbor, Charley, and his role as a neighbor and friend to Willy. Consider Charley’s success and lifestyle. How do they compare to Willy’s?  

Topic #4: Symbolism in Death of a Salesman

Two key symbols in Death of a Salesman are seeds (representing both growth and failure) and diamonds (representing the material wealth Willy cannot seem to achieve).

• Explain how seeds symbolize Willy’s hopes for the future. (Take a look at this example essay to read one writer’s analysis of symbolism.)

Topic #5: Language and tone in Death of a Salesman

An author’s use of word choice and tone in a piece can speak volumes. This is particularly evident in the word choice and tone of individual characters. Consider how a character’s words shape his or her personality and contribute to the story.

• Analyze the language used by Arthur Miller in Death of a Salesman.

Topic #6: Setting in Death of a Salesman

Setting can affect a variety of elements in a story, including characters’ personalities, character interactions, mood, and plot. Here are a few ways you could approach analyzing a Death of a Salesman setting:

• Examine the contrasting locations in Death of a Salesman and the effect they have on the play.
• Death of a Salesman is set in Brooklyn. How might this play be different if Willy Loman and his family lived in the Midwest or Alaska?

Topic #7: Conflict in Death of a Salesman

A story isn’t a story without some type of conflict.

In literature, the most common types of conflict are those listed below:

• character vs. character 
• character vs. society
• character vs. nature
• character vs. technology 
• character vs. supernatural
• character vs. self
• character vs. fate

Death of a Salesman is filled with conflicts of self (Willy Loman’s internal struggles), conflicts between characters (Willy’s conflict with his son, Biff), and conflicts with society (Willy’s inability to achieve his dreams).

• Examine Willy Loman’s internal struggles and how they affect his attitude, his ambitions, and his ultimate destiny.

Topic #8: The role of women in Death of a Salesman

While some literature contains vibrant leading roles for women, Death of a Salesman is certainly not one of them. Willy Loman’s wife is nothing more than a stock character, seemingly included only to fulfill the role of dutiful wife.

• Analyze the role of women in Death of a Salesman and how their roles shape more prominent characters in the play.

Looking for essay examples that discuss what roles women play in Death of a Salesman? Check out these essays:

• Female Characters in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
• A Comparison of the Similarities and Differences in the Use and Representation of Women in Othello, Death of a Salesman, and The Taming of the Shrew

Topic #9: Family relationships in Death of a Salesman

Willy Loman has his share of internal conflicts, but the play also revolves around an ongoing conflict with his son, Biff.

• Analyze the relationship between Willy and Biff, arguing that Wily’s own failed expectations of himself (and thus unrealistic expectations of his son) are a key cause of the strife between father and son.

Topic #10: The definition of self in Death of a Salesman

Throughout the play, Willy Loman defines himself as a failure as a salesman, as a father, and as a husband. It is this attitude and definition of self that shapes his character and his decisions.

• Explain how Willy Loman’s definition of himself shapes his character and his fate.
• Consider how you might compare your definition of yourself to how Willy Loman defines his own character.

Shape Your Ideas Into an Essay

Once you’ve decided on a topic for your essay, whether it’s one of the 10 Death of a Salesman essay topics from above or something else, mold your ideas into a work of art.

Begin by shaping your ideas through prewriting and outlining. After you’ve put your ideas into place, create a rough draft.

Remember, revising and editing are important steps in the writing process too, so make sure to leave time to complete both.

Looking for a few extra bits of writing advice to make your essay amazing? Read 20 Ways to Improve Your Academic Writing.

If you have a first (or even fifth draft) of your paper but feel that it’s still a little rough around the edges, use our student editing service to help smooth out the rough spots. We’ve edited tens of thousands of essays and would love to help you polish your piece to perfection.

Stuck on Your Analytical Essay?

Check Out These Example Analytical Essays

Yes! Show me examples.

So when you walk into class and your professor says you’re going to do something new today, your heart starts beating faster, and it feels like there are butterflies in your stomach.

Then, your instructor pops the question—”Will you write a proposal essay?

You might not think you’re ready to take the plunge into proposal essays just yet, but don’t get cold feet! This type of essay can be super easy (and also pretty fun) to write.

All you need is the right topic.

The right topic involves planning, research, and passion. Below, I’ll show you how to choose the right topic and give you some example proposal essay topics that you can either use as is or use as inspiration to come up with your own topic.

But First, What Is a Proposal Essay?

Before you try to find that perfect topic from the sea of potential proposal essay topics (and certainly before you try to write one), it’s important to understand exactly what a proposal essay is.

Simply put, a proposal essay identifies a problem and suggests a solution to that problem. It’s a type of argumentative essay, but with a slightly different format and more research.

Proposal essays are common in business, but also if you’re in business or in science.

Typically, these types of essays are not a timed, in-class writing assignment where you’re trying to beat the clock. Instead, they require more time and research in order to formulate arguments and find supporting evidence.

Ultimately, your goal is to persuade the reader that your proposal is not only viable but one worth pursuing. For a more in-depth overview, check out this awesome SlideShare.

What to Consider When Selecting Proposal Essay Topics

The number of different proposal essay topics out there is pretty vast, so naturally, the essays themselves will differ. However, here are a few common components (and some dos and don’ts!) to consider when you’re narrowing down proposal essay topics to find the perfect match.

Choose something that interests you

For many types of essays, you can fake it till you make it. But for proposal essays, it will be a huge advantage for you to select a topic you actually care about. You’re most likely going to be spending a significant portion of time researching and writing this essay.

It’ll be much more enjoyable if you have some passion for the subject matter. Your reader will be able to tell too. Passion comes through in writing—picking a proposal essay topic that’s interesting to you makes your essay more interesting to the reader.

DON’T: Write about how to get your hair untangled or an effective way to clean a litter box. These topics are boring—and much too simple.

DO: Write about something that could influence you or someone you know. If you have siblings in grade school, write about education. For example, how can children get a good physical education in elementary school?

Spend a lot of time on social media? Use your time productively while you’re there, and mine social media for a topic that interests you.

Choose a proposal essay topic that has support

As I said before, you’re going to be doing a lot of research in order to write your essay properly, so it helps if the topic already has existing literature.

Choosing a proposal essay topic that has both supporting and dissenting research is usually best. Then you can choose which side of the argument you want to tackle.

DON’T: Write about something that’s purely opinion with no facts to back it up. For example, how to make the most out of your Saturday afternoon is not a good topic (although we all know the answer is “sleeping in and watching cartoons”).

DO: Choose a topic with some big, juicy facts you can sink your teeth into. For example, how to fund more educational television like Sesame Street, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and the Magic School Bus lets you still talk about television, but in a structured, fact-based way.

Bonus Tip: When you’re researching, make sure to take good notes. Include the bibliographic information and the page number you found the information on. This will make citations much easier, especially if you’re referencing books and articles from the library.

Pick something that’s actually an argument

Because proposal essays are a type of argumentative essay, you want to be sure the essay is worthy of an argument. Choosing a topic that is too one-sided is, frankly, really boring and doesn’t serve your purpose well.

When writing your essay, you’ll want to address opposing viewpoints. That way you can present a well-rounded proposal. This lets your reader know you have considered all sides of a given topic and have constructed the best proposal given all the variables at work.

You’ll be able to tell if an argument has one side because you won’t actually be able to write a proposal essay about it. It would turn into either a process essay or an argumentative essay (and not a very good one, at that).

DON’T: Choose something like how to make a delicious grilled cheese sandwich. Sure, everyone has a slightly different way of doing it, but it turns into a process essay, not a proposal. Plus, choosing between different grilled cheese methods doesn’t really count as a problem that needs a proposed solution.

DO: Pick something like the ways that farmers and corporations improve the lives of dairy cows. That’s a problem that needs a solution—and it’s a much better topic for your proposal essay.

Consider your audience

Remember, proposal essays serve a purpose outside of academia. So even if you’re writing this for a class and only your teacher will see it, pretend like there’s a more realistic reader who will be deciding whether your proposal is worth investing time and resources into.

Understanding your audience not only makes the writing process easier but also helps you choose the right topic from the many possible proposal essay topics.

DON’T: Choose a topic with an audience you’re not comfortable with. For example, if your audience is a group of academics but you’re terrible at academic writing, it might be best to choose a different topic.

DO: Pick a topic that has an audience you can relate to. For instance, if you’re passionate about and good at writing about social issues, and your audience is a group of volunteer workers, choosing a proposal essay topic about society might be in your best interest.

30 Proposal Essay Topics That Are Easy and Fun to Write

Now that you have an idea about what a proposal essay is and how to choose the right topic to write your own essay, here are some examples of proposal essay topics.

You can write about these topics as is, modify them, or simply use them to get you in the right mindset to come up with your own topic.

Education proposal topics

1. What can be done to create a more well-rounded curriculum for middle and high school students?

2. How can teachers improve sex education courses?

3. In what ways can foreign language courses be improved?

4. How should students be graded?

5. How can schools better understand and accommodate different learning styles?

Government proposal topics

1. How can the government better handle illegal immigration?

2. What should be done to lower the national debt?

3. What could be done to make the electoral system more effective?

4. How can the government make programs such as welfare, Medicaid, and Social Security more effective?

5. How can state and federal governments lower the incarceration rate?

Parenting proposal topics

1. How can parents raise their children to have a sense of humility as opposed to entitlement?

2. What is the most effective way to discipline a child?

3. How can parents encourage their children to be more active in extracurricular activities?

4. What is the most effective way for parents to teach their children about money?

5. How can parents teach children to be independent?

Science proposal topics

1. What can the average person do to combat global climate change? What can the government do?

2. What should be done to increase the funding for cancer research?

3. How can parents, teachers, and society at large encourage more children to pursue an education in science?

4. How can educational television shows about science receive more funding and airtime?

5. How can educators encourage more women to enter STEM fields?

Society proposal topics

1. In what ways can we reduce childhood obesity?

2. How can the government or society as a whole reduce homelessness in the United States?

3. What would be an effective program to curb illegal drug use?

4. How can we promote more compassionate behavior within US society?

5. What can the United States do to better care for the elderly?

Technology proposal topics

1. How can people reduce their reliance on technology?

2. How can parents and teachers effectively help eliminate cyberbullying?

3. How should children be taught about responsible internet use?

4. In what ways can companies and consumers keep sensitive information more secure online?

5. In what ways can we use technology to create a better learning environment?

Hopefully, one of these proposal essay topics catches your eye. If not, feel free to make up your own topic based off something you care about solving.

Did you notice that most of the topics listed above start with “How can…” and “In what way…”? Let these words guide your own topic selection if you don’t choose one of the above examples. The phrases will lead you to a great proposal essay.

If you choose a topic, write about it, and are left wondering if it’s any good, send it to one of the Kibin editors. We will review your essay and give you suggestions on how to strengthen your argument.

Good luck with your proposal!

Editor’s note: This post was originally published on June 6, 2016, but has been updated with fresh information and additional topic ideas. 

Would free passes seal the deal?

If you’re a big fan of waterparks, you’d probably jump at the chance for free passes. Those of you who aren’t fans might not be so easily convinced. I’d have to work much harder to persuade you to spend a day at the park.

While my ability to convince you to visit a waterpark could be a fine topic for a persuasive essay, it’s not one of those topics that creates much of an impact in the grand social consciousness of the planet.

So if you’re assigned to (or just want to) write a persuasive essay about a topic that makes an impact, writing about things like why someone should visit a waterpark isn’t going to have quite the effect you’re looking for.

If you’re looking for ideas that might be a little more socially conscious, try one of the 33 persuasive essay ideas below on for size.

But first…

The Persuasive Essay: A Quick Refresher

Before we talk topics, let’s dip our toes in the water, splash around a bit, and pause for a quick persuasive essay refresher.

It’s pretty easy to figure out that the goal of a persuasive essay is to persuade someone.

Like with any writing, though, there are tips and tricks that can help you write a fantastic essay, such as using appeals (like ethos, pathos, and logos) and avoiding logical fallacies.

To learn more about the finer points of the persuasive essay, read these posts:

• What Is a Persuasive Essay, and How Can You Make Yours Good?
• How to Write a Persuasive Essay That’s Convincing
• Persuasive Essay Writing Made Simple (Infographic)

Feeling refreshed? Good. Let’s dive into finding a meaningful topic for your persuasive essay.

33 Persuasive Essay Ideas That Make an Impact

An important component of any essay is the audience. You want to keep your audience in mind as you write and include evidence that will be most convincing to your specific audience.

For instance, if you want to take a day off work, it’s easy to spout off a list of reasons that you deserve a day off. Your friend probably feels the same way about days off, so if you’re trying to persuade her, it won’t take much to make a convincing case.

Convincing your boss (who just happens to be your dad), on the other hand, is an entirely different story. You’ll need to come up with a totally different list of reasons that you need the day off if you want to convince him.

With the importance of audience in mind, I’ve grouped this list of persuasive essay ideas by target audience.

Remember, though: you can easily switch audiences, or you can write about any of the topics for a general audience as well.

For added inspiration, I’ve also linked these persuasive essay ideas to related essays in our essay library.

9 topics to persuade teachers and school administrators

#1: Eliminate gendered dress codes

Many feel that females are dress-coded more frequently than males and are often subjected to stricter dress-code requirements because codes are more apt to mention female attire (such as jewelry, skirts, heels, or low-cut shirts). Persuade school administrators to revise the school dress code to make it equal for everyone.

#2: Improve the school’s recycling program and educate students about recycling

One of the best ways to educate students is to get them involved. Convince school officials that students need to be better informed about the benefits of recycling and need to actively participate in the program.

#3: Offer healthier options for school meals

While pizza, burgers, and chicken nuggets are popular among students, many argue that schools don’t do enough to promote healthy eating. Persuade administrators to include healthier options—such as salads, whole grains, and vegetarian meals—on the menu.

#4: Allow students to use phones in class

If your school allows smartphones but one teacher insists on no phones in class, persuade him or her that having your phone is necessary for safety and explain how it can assist with coursework.

#5: Start school at a later time

Do a little research, and present the administration with clear, authoritative evidence as to why a later start time will benefit students’ health and grades.

#6: Eliminate the requirement of community service

Many feel that required community service is beneficial for both the community and students. However, you might take the opposite approach. You could argue that requiring community service is actually the wrong approach as students volunteer because they’re forced, rather than because they want to help.

#7: Strengthen or eliminate internet filters in high schools

While some internet filters may be necessary for those in elementary and middle school, you might argue that high school students already have access to the internet on their phones or other devices. Thus, internet filters are wasteful and don’t serve their intended purpose of protecting students.

On the other hand, you may argue that stronger filters need to be in place to keep students safe from cyberbullying and to keep them focused on school.

#8: Allow or prohibit guns on school campuses

If your school is considering arming teachers, convince your administration that only armed security or police should carry guns.

If, on the other hand, you believe that additional guns equal additional protection, persuade officials to train teachers and permit them to carry guns.

#9: Offer increased opportunities for bilingual education

Explain the benefits of bilingual education and how it can improve the community and enhance students’ learning experiences to persuade school administrators to offer additional language-learning opportunities.

7 topics to persuade peers

#1: Don’t start vaping

Persuade your friends that vaping is dangerous and can actually lead to people smoking.

#2: Register to vote (and actually vote)

Persuade your friends that one vote really can make a difference. You might even include historical evidence to help explain why voting is their civic duty.

#3: Participate in volunteer activities

Volunteering doesn’t have to feel like required drudgery (like cleaning your room when you were a kid). Convince your friends that helping others can be a rewarding experience.

#4: Suggest a cruelty-free product

If your friend or girlfriend is a makeup diva, explain that animals are used as test subjects for many products and that cruelty-free makeup can be a better alternative.

#5: Enjoy a screen-free day

Persuade your friends that a screen-free day can reduce stress and explain how socializing in person is actually important to our well-being. (Offer examples of what they can do instead of stare at a screen if they’re addicted to their phones.)

#6: Limit social media exposure

Explain how social media can be harmful and can often make people less social to persuade your friends to cut back on their Instagram binges.

#7: Become an organ donor

Though people don’t like to think of the end of their own lives, illustrate how becoming an organ donor can save the lives of eight others.

5 topics to persuade government officials

#1: Argue for a livable wage (increase in minimum wage)

Offer solid evidence to government officials to persuade them that minimum wage must be increased in order for it to be a livable wage.

#2: Offer additional financial aid (and reduce student loan debt)

Explain how loan debt is crushing students and how increased financial aid is necessary to alleviate this burden.

#3: Do more to support renewable energy

Convince local politicians to support proposals to increase funding for renewable energy. (Support your case with articles that illustrate the negative impact of global climate change.)

#4: Regulate prescription drug prices

This would be a good time to bust out your interview skills and present real-life examples of people who are affected by the high cost of prescription drugs. For more accessible health supplements and medicine, check this post explaining how delta 8 is safe.

#5: Improve health care/mental health care for veterans

Here’s another perfect opportunity to conduct interviews to help illustrate the need for improved care for veterans as you can illustrate the problems by sharing veterans’ stories.

7 topics to persuade your community

#1: Develop a community garden

To help convince your audience of the value of a community garden, try comparing and contrasting both the costs and nutritional values of junk food and home-grown vegetables.

#2: Organize community policing

Convince your neighbors that community policing is beneficial for the entire community and can also help improve relations between police and citizens.

#3: Help to deter speeders in your neighborhood

Including solid statistics of how many pedestrians are injured or killed while walking in their own neighborhoods can help people see the dangers of their driving habits.

#4: Start a local clean-up program

Take the time to research other local clean-up programs, and then draft a plan for your own community clean-up day or regular clean-up program. This can go a long way in convincing readers of the viability and importance of a program.

#5: Require childhood vaccinations

Appealing to parents’ love for their children can help convince your audience of the importance of childhood vaccinations. Be careful, though, not to rely entirely on emotional appeals. You’ll also need credible sources to support your claims.

#6: Take steps to prevent cyberbullying

Some parents may not be aware of what their children are doing online. By presenting specific examples of websites, social media sites, and apps that can contribute to bullying, parents can become better educated and take action to prevent cyberbullying.

#7: Offer additional health education programs in the community

You may need to do a little legwork here, but by gathering resources of healthcare providers willing to work with communities, you may be able to convince others to join your cause and establish community-wide health programs.

5 topics to persuade corporations or local businesses

#1: Stop using plastic bags

Persuade a local business to stop using plastic bags. Support your argument with information about pollution, and suggest alternatives to plastic bags.

#2: Improve the working environment to improve workers’ health, happiness, and productivity

You might write this essay directly to your boss (or future boss). Consider what specific aspects of your work environment could be improved, such as equipment, safety, vacation time, dress codes, etc.

#3: Use more locally sourced foods in area restaurants

Convince one or more local restaurants of the benefits of including more locally sourced foods on their menus. Include the contact information of local growers (with their permission, of course) to help persuade restaurant owners.

#4: Provide additional family-leave time

This might be another essay that could be addressed directly to your employer. Your discussion might include not only maternal leave but also paternal leave.

#5: Reduce food waste at local restaurants

Convince restaurant owners that reducing food waste not only saves them money but also helps the planet. (You might also consider providing contact information to local charities who accept fresh food.)

From Essay Ideas to Completed Essay

Found the perfect persuasive essay idea, and ready to call it a day? While you could simply lounge poolside and hope your paper writes itself, the harsh reality is that you’ll need to write the paper sooner or later.

Once you’re ready to put your ideas into an actual essay, take a look at these helpful posts to get you started:

• 6 Prewriting Strategies to Get Your Essay Rolling
• How to Create a Persuasive Essay Outline
• 30 Persuasive Thesis Statement Examples That Are…Persuasive

Worried that your essay isn’t persuasive enough? Thinking that your audience won’t be convinced by your arguments? Get help from a professional editor.

We’re available 24/7 to help you with any step of the writing process.

Stuck on Your Persuasive Essay?

check out these example essays

Yes! Show me examples.

You want your profile to stand out among potential dates, so you carefully select your best staged candid shots and choose your words carefully to describe your scintillating personality and dynamic sense of humor.

You’re well aware that how you construct your profile determines whether someone swipes right or swipes left.

Writing a college admission essay is kinda like creating a dating profile.

You need to carefully choose your essay topic, one that showcases your amazing self.

After all, the college admission essay could make all the difference in whether essay readers swipe right or swipe left to decide whether you’re in or out.

So let’s get those admission officers to swipe right and move you that much closer to being admitted to the college of your choice.

Keep reading to learn how to come up with college essay ideas that will make your essay stand out.

What Is a College Essay?

A college admission essay is part narrative essay and part reflective essay.

In a college essay, you need to tell a story (as you would in a narrative essay), and you need to reflect on your experiences (as you would in a reflective essay).

A college essay, however, is slightly different than those essay types because you need to keep two key points in mind:

1. Purpose. The purpose of a college essay is to showcase yourself as a mature, hardworking, responsible, and involved individual. The purpose of the essay is to help you get into a college. Thus, an essay that reflects on why it wasn’t the best idea to binge-watch your favorite series all night instead of studying for your chemistry exam isn’t the best topic choice for this essay.

2. Audience. College admission officers (and possibly college faculty) will be reading your essay. Your audience is made up of professionals who are looking for professionalism in your essay, so things like academic voice and proper grammar and punctuation really do matter (perhaps even more so than in essays written for a class).

Looking for the finer points of what goes into a college essay? Read these posts:

• Personal Statement Advice: Here’s What the Admissions Experts Have to Say
• 10 Common Types of College Essay Prompts—and How to Crush Them
• How to Start a Personal Statement the Right Way
• 11 Secrets to Good College Essays

How to Come Up With College Essay Ideas That Stand Out

Remember, your audience reads volumes worth of college essays every year, so you don’t want to write a bland essay about a boring topic. You want your essay to stand out. You want it to showcase your individuality and convince readers that you belong at the college.

One of the best ways to come up with a college essay idea is to spend lots of time brainstorming ideas until you finally find one that works for you.

Keep in mind that this brainstorming activity isn’t one that you can complete in five minutes. You’ll need at least a day or two to contemplate ideas and form your thoughts.

With that in mind, let’s come up with a topic idea that stands out.

To find the perfect topic for your essay, read through the list below, and jot down potential ideas.

College essay ideas about characters, animals, and people in your life

Celebrities and fictional characters

• Did you idolize a celebrity or fictional character in your childhood? Have you tried to model your life after her/him at any point in your life?
• Did you try to learn from her/him and avoid mistakes she/he has made?
• How have the actions or words of a celebrity or fictional character shaped some aspect of your personality?

Animals

• Did you have a pet as child? What did you learn from your pet?
• Did owning a pet alter your relationships with other people?
• Would you consider your pet your best friend? Why might you consider an animal a better friend than a person?
• Has your service animal or emotional support animal changed your life?

Family

• Think about your mom, dad, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. How has one of your family members influenced you?
• Did she/he teach you a specific valuable lesson or shape your character in some way?
• Did she/he teach you important life skills?
• Do you wish you wouldn’t have listened to someone’s advice?
• Did you inherit your wicked sense of humor, empathetic nature, or love of music from a family member?
• Have you tried to learn from the mistakes of your family members so that you won’t make the same mistakes or follow the same path?
• What one piece of advice would you like to give your younger self?

Friends, significant others, teachers, and mentors

• Did a friend help you through a difficult time or offer words of wisdom that you’ll never forget?
• Did your so-called friend try to lead you in the wrong direction? How did you handle the situation?
• Has a significant other helped you see the world from a new perspective?
• Do you wish you had never met or dated a significant other? What did you learn from a negative dating experience?
• Did a teacher encourage or challenge you in unexpected ways?
• Did you have a mentor (such as a clergy member, Big Brother/Big Sister, or other mentor) who changed your attitude or changed your outlook on life?

What is one thing you wish one of these people knew about you? How does this aspect shape you and your perspectives, beliefs, and relationships with others?

College essay ideas about important experiences and moments in your life

Work and volunteer experiences

• What’s the most important lesson you learned at your first job?
• What one mistake did you make at a job that you’re happy you made?
• How did volunteering change your relationship with others or with the community?
• Do any of the people at work or at the places where you volunteer motivate or inspire you? What about in a previous job?
• How has your current job prepared you for a career in your chosen field?

Emotional moments

• What was the scariest, happiest, saddest, funniest, most embarrassing, or loneliest moment of your life?
• How did this moment shape you?
• What did you learn from this moment? Was it all positive, all negative, or both positive and negative?
• How did you handle the situation, or how did you cope with the outcome?

Decision-making moments

• Have you made spur-of-the-moment decisions that have impacted your life (either positively or negatively)?
• Have you made reasoned, well thought-out decisions? What was the outcome?
• Do you regret any important decisions you’ve made?
• Have you made seemingly insignificant decisions that made a big impact in your life?

Would you want to relive any of these moments? Would you like to relive them more than once? If you could change them, would you?

College essay ideas about the possessions in your life

Memories and mementos

• Do you have one or more treasured possessions that help ground you or remind you of someone, some thing, or a special event?
• Do you have any family heirlooms that speak to your family history?
• Did you collect any souvenirs or mementos from an event or vacation that are important to you in some way?
• Have you saved a letter written by a loved one? What meaning does the letter hold?
• Do you have a special family photo (old or new) that you treasure? What does the picture mean to you?

Personality and character

• How do your clothing choices, hair style, or jewelry display your personality?
• Do any of these objects have a deeper connection to your culture or heritage?
• Do you have any tattoos that reflect a personal memory or that are dedicated to someone?

Why are these objects so important to you? How can an object influence who you are and who you become?

Turn Your Ideas Into a College Essay

Now that you’ve read through the list above and have a handful of potential ideas for your college essay, begin brainstorming the stories you could tell.

You might realize that what sounded like a great idea quickly falls flat, and you have very little to say about the topic. That’s okay. Set it aside, and work through the remaining ideas on your list.

When you reach the topic that you feel you could write pages and pages about, you know you’re moving in the right direction. When you reach the topic that moves you and realize it’s a story that only you can tell, you know you’ve found the perfect idea for your college essay.

Remember: You’re not just telling a story about someone or about what happened.

The goal is to reflect on what you’ve learned and how the person, object, or event shaped you. Don’t try to embellish or make up a story that you think sounds good. Be honest, thoughtful, and genuine in your reflection. Your sincerity will be evident in your writing, and you’ll end up with a more powerful essay.

Additional resources

Looking for a few additional tips? Use these resources to help shape your ideas into a college essay:

• Use This Reflective Essay Outline to Get Your Paper Started
• What Is a Hook Sentence? (Infographic)
• Concise Writing: How to Writer a Strong Essay With Fewer Words
• Why Eliminating Wordiness Is So Important for Your Essay
• How to Revise an Essay and Make It Better Than Ever

Looking for additional writing inspiration? Take a look at these example college essays:

• My Desire to Specialize in Family Medicine
• Being Determined to Take My Leadership Skills Further
• The Lessons I’ve Learned From Getting Stuck in a Closet
• Sophomore Year as the Lowest Point of My Life

Can’t come up with any more ideas? Feeling like your essay is falling short of the amazing essay you know it could be? We’ve been editing college essays since 2011—let a Kibin editor help.

Your next speech is due within days, and you imagine yourself standing in front of the class, shaking uncontrollably, and suddenly unable to remember anything you’re supposed to say.

Your professor seems even more intimidating than usual. He stares at you over the top of his reading glasses, his eyes burning a hole through your soul.

This isn’t going to end well. You fumble through a few hastily scribbled note cards and begin to speak. Your assigned seven-minute speech runs barely four as the words fly from your mouth at record pace.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

If you start with a strong speech topic that you’re actually excited to talk about and spend enough time planning, things can go a lot more smoothly.

While I certainly can’t promise that by planning you won’t feel your heart pounding out of your chest as you approach the podium, I can help you find an interesting topic for your persuasive speech. I can also help you feel more confident about the information you’ll be delivering.

Let’s begin by finding a topic for your persuasive speech.

49 Persuasive Speech Topics

I’ve divided this list of 49 topics into seven categories. I’ve also included links to sample persuasive speech outlines, persuasive essays, and argumentative essays to give you a few ideas of how you might develop ideas for your persuasive speech.

Persuasive speech topics about technology

1. Can virtual currency replace central banking systems?
2. Should parents monitor their children’s online activity?
3. Does technology benefit education?
4. Should children spend less time on electronic devices?
5. Can smartphones create an addiction to technology?
6. Does technology harm one’s mental health?
7. Are law enforcement cameras an invasion of privacy?

Persuasive speech topics about health, community, and well-being

1. Are college students facing increasing amounts of stress?
2. Should people consider organ donation?
3. Is service-based learning important?
4. Should health awareness strategies be implemented in communities?
5. Does genetically modified food cause health problems?
6. Should fast food be banned from public schools?
7. Should junk food be taxed?

Persuasive speech topics about animals

1. Are pitbulls a misunderstood dog breed?
2. Should people purchase products tested on animals?
3. Should people be required to spay and neuter their pets?
4. Is animal testing necessary in medical research?
5. Should students be allowed to bring pets to college?
6. Do animals have souls?
7. Should animals be kept in zoos?

Persuasive speech topics about the environment

1. Should people use less plastic in their daily lives?
2. Is food waste harming humans and the environment?
3. Does it really matter if people litter occasionally?
4. Should the government do more to support renewable energy?
5. Is the meat industry ruining the environment?
6. Does the automobile industry need to be more environmentally friendly?
7. Is overpopulation harming the environment?

Persuasive speech topics about politics

1. Does one person’s vote make a difference?
2. Does the rhetoric used by politicians actually convince voters?
3. Should the Electoral College be abolished?
4. Does religion influence political ideology?
5. Why are American politics so polarized?
6. Should voting be compulsory in the United States?
7. Are campaign finance reforms necessary?

Persuasive speech topics about education

1. Do private schools offer a better education than public schools?
2. Are core classes (like speech and English) an important component of a college education?
3. Should college be tuition-free?
4. Are college students sleep deprived?
5. Should homework be required in elementary schools?
6. Should sex education be taught in schools?
7. Is a college education necessary?

Persuasive speech topics that are a little off the beaten path

1. Can a good manicure or a good haircut change your life?
2. Is it important take a vacation with your significant other before deciding to marry him/her?
3. Can autocorrect ruin your relationship?
4. Should you ever go on a blind date?
5. Are our pets smarter than us?
6. Do you deserve an A in the class?
7. Should yoga pants only be worn to yoga class?

5 Quick Tips for Planning and Writing a Persuasive Speech

Once you’ve found the perfect topic for your persuasive speech, it’s time to start planning.

I know it can be tempting to wing it, but trust me, if you actually plan your speech, you’ll not only feel less nervous about speaking in front of the class but also be more likely to get a better grade. (And who doesn’t want that, right?)

With that in mind, take a look at these five tips to help you plan your persuasive speech.

Know whether you need to include research

While some assignments may allow you to deliver a persuasive speech using only your opinions as evidence, others will require you to use credible sources as evidence. (If you’re not sure, check your assignment guidelines.)

Know your time limit

You’ll need a heckuva lot more content for a ten-minute speech than you will for a three-minute speech, so plan accordingly.

Outline your ideas

Even though you likely won’t write your speech word for word, don’t underestimate the power of a solid outline. In some cases, your prof will let you use an outline when you deliver your speech, so a strong outline will make delivering your speech that much easier.

Prepare visuals

Before you actually start planning any type of visuals, make sure you know what types of visuals are allowed (or required). Can you get away with a colorful poster board? Should you bring props? Are you required to create a slideshow?

No matter what type of visuals you create, make sure they’re clear, specific, and complete. (If you’d like a few tips on preparing slideshows, check out this link.)

Practice, practice, practice

Once you have your research, outline, and visuals complete, it’s time to rehearse your speech.

Yes, it really is important to practice. You wouldn’t think of stepping foot on the football or soccer field without practicing, so why would you present a speech without practicing?

Practicing your speech can help you see where information doesn’t flow smoothly or where your arguments may be weak or illogical. It can also help you work on timing. (Remember, you sometimes talk more quickly when you’re nervous, so even though you may think you have seven minutes worth of content, you may end up with only five.)

Worried that you don’t have an audience? Ask a friend, roommate, your mom, your significant other, or even your cat to be your audience.

If you’d prefer to practice without an audience, deliver your speech in front of a mirror or set up your phone and record your practice runs.

Recording yourself can help you work on your content as well as your delivery because you can see whether you fidget nervously, look down at your notes too much, or mumble through the entire speech.

Afraid No One Will Want to Listen?

By now you should have a great topic that you want to talk about, but maybe you’re still worried that no one will want to listen to what you have to say.

Polish up your outline or your speech draft, and let one of the experts at Kibin make sure you’re on the right track. We’ll provide honest feedback about your persuasive abilities and help you make sure your audience will be on the edge of their seats.

Stuck on Your Persuasive Essay?

check out these example essays

Yes! Show me examples.

I stress the word “good” here because it’s pretty easy to think of a topic like gun control when you’re watching a cop show, but what do you do if your ideas stop there? What do you do if your prof insists that you write about something more original than the tired old topics he’s read about for the past two decades?

Don’t despair quite yet. If you’ve been handed an assignment sheet with a long list of prohibited topics, here are 13 that won’t bore you (or your prof) to death.

13 Sociology Research Topics That Won’t Bore You to Death

Anyone who has ever written an essay knows that, sometimes, finding the right topic for your paper can be one of the hardest parts of writing an essay. That’s why I’ve provided you with 13 sociology research topics to help you find the perfect fit.

I’ve included broad topics in the list below, along with a brief discussion of subtopics to help you narrow your focus (depending on your purpose and/or goals of the paper).

I’ve also included a few essay tips and links to example essays on sociology research topics, so you can see how other writers have approached the subjects.

Body modification

Are you covered in tattoos? Do you have multiple piercings? If so, you most likely see these body modifications as a positive form of self-expression. Others, however, still frown upon such modifications and see them as deviant behavior.

If you’re writing about the positive aspects of body modification, you might be interested in reading Body Modification as a Means of Self-Expression for inspiration.

If you want to research body modification and potential negative aspects, take a look at Why Employers Wouldn’t Hire Applicants With Tattoos and Piercings.

Or if you’re writing about this social issue in a history class or from a purely historical perspective? You might also consider researching the history of body modifications across the world or in one specific country or culture.

Aging and the elderly

If you’re a young person driving on the roads, you might think that “old people” have no business driving. But do older drivers really cause more accidents, or are teens more likely to be involved in accidents?

You could also approach the topic of aging and the elderly from another angle and research nursing home care, shortages of nurses, or concerns of adult children as caregivers.

If you’re specifically interested in researching aging from the perspective of the elderly, take a look at The Concept of Successful Aging and What It Entails.

Gender roles and norms

In the 1950s, men were expected to work, and women were expected to stay home and take care of the home and children. How much have these roles changed today? What aspects of these gender roles are still present today?

Interested in an example essay? Read A Comparison of the Past and Present Roles of Women in Society.

Family dynamics

The definition of family has changed drastically over the years—no longer is a traditional nuclear family the norm. Thus, a research paper about family dynamics might include a historical overview of how families have changed or a discussion of how family dynamics differ between cultures.

Looking for a few examples? Take a look at these:

• A Report on Family of Origin Through Family System Boundaries
• A Review of the Impact of Social Change in the Family

Community studies

Community studies is just that—the study of various aspects of a community.

Not sure how to approach this topic? Here are two example essays for inspiration:

• The Different Characteristics of a Sustainable Community
• How Community-Oriented Policing Builds Stronger Communities

Thinking about writing about sustainable communities, community policing, or another related topic but aren’t sure where to start? Check out 5 Best Resources to Help With Writing a Research Paper.

Prison systems and issues

Prison overcrowding (especially due to longer drug sentences) has been in the news lately. But if you want another angle on this topic, try safety in prisons (for both employees and prisoners), varied security measures, prisoner education, recidivism, or the use of isolation and its impact on the prisoner.

Social norms and deviance

Ever grab a few things at a convenience store and automatically stand patiently in line behind the person in front of you? Ever eat at a fast food restaurant and throw away your trash before you leave?

If so, you’ve followed the unwritten social norms of American society.

Your paper about this topic might discuss a variety of social norms or perhaps how social norms become part of our lives.

Work-life balance

If you work so much that you’re struggling to find time for your friends, family, and yourself, you’re struggling with work-life balance.

But don’t think that work-life balance only affects one age group and only people in the United States. It can affect all ages across the world.

Looking for a few ideas to help get the creative juices flowing? Read these sample essays:

• Understanding the Challenging Phenomenon of Work-Family Balance in Canada
• The Complex Working Relationship of the Millennials in the Workplace

Have you found a few sources for your paper, but aren’t sure they’re credible? Learn how to apply the CRAAP test to your essay sources.

Materialism in society

I bet on at least one occasion you’ve bought something that you really didn’t need. Maybe you bought a pair of shoes, a phone, or a video game system just because you wanted the latest and greatest model.

Of course, you’re not the only person who has done this, so think about how materialism affects not only your personal budget but also the economy in general.

Looking for an example essay about the topic? Read The Impact of Poverty, Materialism and Greed on the Global Environment and Society.

Keep in mind that many sociology research topics, including materialism, are also prominent in literature. If you want to incorporate a bit of literary analysis or comparison and contrast into your research paper, consider how the topics are portrayed in novels, short stories, or poems.

Take a look at An Analysis of American Materialism in The Great Gatsby to read more about materialism in The Great Gatsby.

Volunteering

A research paper about volunteering could focus on the requirements of student volunteers, how volunteering might help citizens and the community, or why people volunteer.

Take a look at this sample essay to see one perspective on volunteering: Give a Hand and Save a Life Through Volunteer Work.

Role models

Is your mom or dad a role model to you? Have you ever thought of a celebrity or an athlete as a role model? Should kids model their lives after celebrities? Are athletes appropriate role models?

Whether you write about cartoon characters or real-life heroes as role models, take a look at these two essays to see what others have to say about the subject:

• Are Disney Princesses Positive Role Models for Children?
• Stories of Holocaust Survivors

Subculture and counterculture

The list of subcultures is long, so you have plenty of groups to choose from if you’re writing about this topic.

Once you’ve settled on a subculture, you’ll need to decide what you want to say about it. Do you want to research the history of the culture, its influence on society, or its place within the mainstream culture? Do you want to examine how and why people become part of subcultures or deviant cultures?

If you’re not sure of an angle, check out The Identity Crisis of Teenagers and the Hipster Subculture for ideas.

Sexual orientation

Remember, your prof wants you to write about a unique sociology research topic. Researching same-sex marriage or adoption rights might be on the list of not-so-original topics.

Instead, try researching the severe penalties for homosexuality in Africa or the Middle East. If you’d like to focus on concerns in the United States, you might examine discrimination in the workforce or transgender individuals in public spaces, such as locker rooms and restrooms.

If you want to write about sexual orientation from a religious point of view, you might consider a history of homosexuality. Or you could look at how gender is viewed within the church.

To see an example essay about this topic, take a look at The Ostracism of Homosexuality by the Church Throughout History.

Need Even More Topic Ideas?

I get it. Sometimes, not even one of 13 super-awesome sociology research topics I’ve included here will grab your attention.

If you’re still in need of a topic that speaks to you—one that you care about and can really sink your teeth into—check out these posts for help:

• 7 Awesome Secrets for Choosing More Interesting Essay Topics
• 4 Ways to Mine Social Media for Better Topics to Write About
• 13 Surprising Sources of Inspiration for Writing

Still feeling bored with your topic choice and not quite sure it will hold your audience’s attention? Let us review your essay and help you spice up your ideas.

Happy writing!

Without a clear idea of where you should be driving (or for that matter, where you should be stopping), you’ll end up driving around aimlessly. It would be a grand understatement to say that you’d be a less-than-effective bus driver.

Trying to write an essay without a topic is sort of like being a bus driver without having a designated route. You’re moving forward without any clear sense of direction. And if you don’t have a topic to write about, there’s no way you can write an effective essay.

So if you’re in the market for a little help choosing a topic—specifically for an exemplification essay—here are 30 topics to help get you rolling.

30 Exemplification Essay Topics for an Excellent Essay

As you review these sample topics, keep in mind that you’re writing an exemplification essay, which is a lot like an argumentative essay.

That means that you’ll need to choose an arguable topic (one that you can objectively and logically discuss with evidence from credible sources).

You’ll also need to examine both sides of the issue.

I’ve divided this list of exemplification essay topics into five categories to help you find the most appropriate topic for your paper. I’ve also linked each of the topics to an example essay, so make sure to review the essays for even more writing inspiration.

Exemplification essay topics about the media

#1: Product placement in television or film

Is product placement simply another avenue for corporations to increase awareness of their products? Does a screen filled with advertised products detract from the viewing experience?

#2: Media and body image

Does the media create and promote unrealistic body images for both males and females? Do newer campaigns designed to show images free of digital editing make a difference in body image?

#3: Violence on television and its effect on children

Does watching violence on television cause children to become more aggressive? Does viewing violence desensitize kids to violence? Can viewing some forms of violence be educational?

#4: Social media and the impact on relationships

Does social media create an easy way to maintain relationships, or is it more likely to create problems, such as isolation, insecurity, and FOMO?

#5: Sexism in video games

Do sexist images in video games change males’ opinions of females, or are these video games a harmless form of entertainment?

#6: Music censorship

Does censoring music violate freedom of speech? Do music labels help parents decide whether their children should listen to some types of music? Should radio stations refuse to play potentially offensive songs, or have their concerns of being politically correct gone too far?

Exemplification essay topics about technology

#1: Safety of self-driving cars

Are self-driving cars really safe? Should they be allowed on all roads or limited to specific roadways? Are self-driving delivery vehicles the wave of the future?

#2: Smartphone addiction

Is smartphone addiction a real addiction? If so, are addicts more likely to be male or female? Are they more likely to belong to any specific age group? If people are addicted to their phones, how are they and/or society affected?

#3: Automation and the workforce

Has automation harmed the workforce or the economy? Does automation put manufacturing employees out of work, or is it an opportunity for people to retrain and learn additional skills?

#4: Security cameras and privacy

Are security cameras an invasion of privacy? Do cameras serve as effective security, or are they just another way for authorities to control citizens?

(If you want to integrate a bit of literary analysis into your paper, this topic presents the perfect opportunity to discuss dystopian literature and government control.)

#5: Technology’s impact on academic dishonesty

Having a smartphone by our sides at all times means we can Google anything and look up an answer. But does this powerful technology mean that students are more likely to cheat? Does technology assist students and deepen their understanding of topics, or does it mean that students are more likely to plagiarize?

#6: The impact of artificial intelligence

Does artificial intelligence improve society by freeing people from boring or physically demanding tasks, or will robots eventually become human-like and take over the world?

(If you think robots will someday rule the world, this is another opportunity to show off your knowledge of dystopian literature and explain how it just might happen.)

Exemplification essay topics about health and wellness

#1: Banning junk food in schools

Should schools ban all junk food from school menus? Should vending machines be stocked with only healthy snacks? Should kids (especially high school students) be allowed to decide whether they wish to consume junk food?

#2: Human genetic engineering

Is genetic engineering a medical breakthrough that will allow doctors to prevent disease, pain, and suffering? Or is genetic engineering too dangerous? Is it playing God?

#3: Pharmaceutical companies and their role in the opioid epidemic

Are individuals to blame for their own addiction to opioids, or do doctors and the pharmaceutical industry share the blame due to the over-prescribing of drugs?

#4: Impact of social media on mental health

Does social media improve mental health because it allows people to connect with each other and build strong relationships? Can social media cause isolation and loneliness? Does social media harm mental health because people become obsessed with their own online image?

#5: Does money buy happiness?

If you won the lottery, would all your troubles disappear? What if you got a job that paid $100,000 per year? Would that be enough to make you happy? Can money buy happiness, or does having more money simply cover up problems and create an entirely new set of problems?

#6: Eating disorders and student athletes

Do high schools and colleges pressure student athletes into having the perfect athletic bodies? Do they cause students to develop eating disorders? Does the fault lie with students? Do they expect too much of themselves?

Exemplification essay topics about the environment

#1: Bottled water industry

Is the bottled water industry promoting a healthier lifestyle by making clean drinking water easily accessible, or are plastic bottles causing irreparable harm to the environment? Should companies be forced to create more eco-friendly bottles?

#2: Wind farms and wind power

Is wind power the solution to the world’s dependence on fossil fuels? Are wind farms an eyesore? Is it safe to live near wind farms?

#3: Impact of food waste

Is food waste contributing to a food shortage and/or a hunger crisis? Should restaurants and grocery stores be mandated to donate any unused, yet safe food products?

#4: Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food

Do GMOs create higher crop yields and a healthier food supply, or are they a root cause of increased allergies and other illnesses?

#5: Packaging materials

Is excessive packaging unnecessarily contributing to pollution? Can individuals do more to recycle this packaging? Should companies be mandated to reduce or improve packaging?

#6: Veganism

Does living a vegan lifestyle create a healthier planet? Can people maintain a healthy diet as vegans?

Exemplification essay topics about politics and law enforcement

#1: The impact of fake news

Can fake news sway political elections? Should news outlets do more to prevent fake stories from spreading? Should people be more aware of social issues and complete additional research before simply believing everything they read?

#2: Decriminalizing drugs

Do long drug sentences unfairly target minorities? Should drugs, such as marijuana, be legalized? Would decriminalization of drugs create fewer offenders, or would it create more addicts?

#3: Police misconduct

Is police brutality widespread? Do police disproportionately harass and/or arrest minorities? Are allegations of police misconduct sensationalized by the media?

#4: Campaign finance laws

Should there be limits on the amount of money that individuals or corporations can contribute to candidates? Should donors be allowed to remain anonymous? Will changing the existing laws create more partisan politics?

#5: Immigration and border security

Should America do more to welcome immigrants? Is a border wall necessary to protect U.S. citizens?

#6: Mandatory minimum sentencing

Is mandatory minimum sentencing a way to deter crime and reduce repeat offenders, or does it unfairly target the poor and minorities?

Time to Get Rolling and Write Your Paper

Now that you (hopefully) have zeroed in on one of these exemplification essay topics for your essay, it’s time to get rolling and put pen to paper.

If you’re in need of a few tips to help you get started, read these posts:

• 6 Prewriting Strategies to Get Your Essay Rolling
• 7 Essay Outline Templates to Get Your Essay Going
• How to Use Graphic Organizers for Writing Better Essays

Finished your draft but not sure your essay is even close to excellent? Let a Kibin editor review your paper to make sure you’re on the road to success.

“R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Find out what it means to me
R-E-S-P-E-C-T / Take care, TCB”
          —“Respect” by Aretha Franklin

“I am woman, hear me roar
In numbers too big to ignore
And I know too much to go back an’ pretend
‘Cause I’ve heard it all before
And I’ve been down there on the floor
No one’s ever gonna keep me down again”
          —”I Am Woman” by Helen Reddy

These lyrics, from three of the most quintessential female empowerment anthems in history, represent the strength and resilience of women.

A catchy tune and awesome lyrics drive home the message of empowerment, but how do you capture that same fierce message in an academic essay? How do you write an empowering essay on women without sounding dry and boring and without rehashing an encyclopedia version of a biography?

Try one of these 15 fierce topics.

15 Fierce Topics for an Empowering Essay on Women

Let me start by saying that one way to approach an essay on women is to pick a random woman from history and start writing. You can research all there is to know about her or perhaps focus on one key aspect of her accomplishments.

While this type of research paper can be effective, there are plenty of other, more original ways to approach this type of assignment.

Here are 15 topic ideas to get you started on an empowering essay on women. (I’ve linked to a few example essays too, so make sure to check them out for added inspiration.)

Compare and contrast essay topics

A compare and contrast essay requires you to identify similarities and/or differences between topics, such as comparing Taylor Swift to Ariana Grande.

But writing a compare and contrast essay doesn’t simply mean that you’ll list points of comparison. You need to have a central focus, something that ties your comparisons together.

Want to learn more about compare and contrast essay writing? Check out Compare and Contrast Essay Tips From a Kibin Editor.

#1: Leadership styles of women vs. leadership styles of men

Consider focusing on both strengths and weakness of each leadership style. If you don’t want to focus on a specific leadership style, you might focus on two female leaders, such as corporate CEOs, heads of countries, etc.

#2: Compare women’s roles in society through various time periods

You might focus on women’s roles in love, marriage, politics, films, or employment.

#3: Compare Olympic or professional female athletes

Try comparing female athletes on the basis of training styles, awards, or playing strategies.

#4: Compare directing styles of two female film directors

Consider Kathryn Bigelow, Sofia Coppola, and Nora Ephron to start.

#5: Compare and contrast female literary characters

Not sure where to start? Perhaps begin with Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter and Jane Eyre. (Need a refresher course on writing literary analysis essays? Read How to Write a Literary Analysis That Works.)

Reflective essay topics

The goal of a reflective essay is to consider how a person, event, or experience affected you. The goal isn’t to simply tell a story like you would in a narrative essay, but to examine the situation and explain how someone or some event shaped you.

#6: Reflect on one singular, yet simple moment with your mom

The event itself doesn’t have to be grand, but the impact it had on you should be evident in your essay. For instance, you might reflect on a childhood experience of seeing your mother help a stranger find her car in a parking lot. Examine how this one small act of kindness impacted your attitude toward helping others.

#7: Reflect on the influence of a female celebrity

Did Beyonce’s words strike a chord with you? Did Maya Angelou’s poems or speeches change you forever? If so, you might have the perfect angle for your essay.

#8: Explain how one chance meeting with a woman affected you

A chance meeting may only last a few moments, but it might change your life forever. For instance, did you strike up a conversation with a woman at the train station, and did her story inspire you to change your own life? Did you meet a woman in a shelter who changed your views of society?

#9: Write about a teacher who inspired you

A female teacher may have inspired you to great things, such as trying to save the world, or your teacher may have inspired you in other smaller, yet equally important ways. For example, maybe a teacher convinced you to try broccoli, and that one experience caused you to become a food critic, a chef, or maybe even a teacher yourself.

#10: Reflect on your own awesome self

If your assignment guidelines allow it, you might write about your own female empowerment story or how you work to inspire others. As Helen Reddy would sing, “I am woman, hear me roar.”

As Helen Reddy would sing, ‘I am woman, hear me roar’
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Argumentative/persuasive essay topics

Argumentative essays and persuasive essays have the same goal: to convince your audience. While a persuasive essay might allow you to write in first person point of view and use personal examples to support your claims, an argumentative essay is more likely to require you to use evidence from sources to support your assertions.

#11: Female heroines as role models

Consider how female heroines in films (either past or present) are role models for young girls. Are all heroines created equal? Do some roles still stereotype women?

#12: Girls run the world

Though it’s said to be a man’s world, you might argue that it is women who are actually in charge. Need evidence? Just ask Beyonce.

#13: Female empowerment through fashion

Does your outfit ever make you feel sexy or empowered? How do men view that same outfit? Consider whether fashion choices—such as high heels, dresses, or hairstyles—empower or sexualize women.

#14: The influence of women’s suffrage

What was the most important outcome of history.

#15: Religion’s influence on female empowerment

How have various religions restricted females, preventing empowerment? Can you argue that a specific religion has encouraged female empowerment?

Hear Me Roar

With a few essay tips, some sample papers, and a topic for your empowering essay on women, you should be ready to roar and let your voice be heard.

If you’ve finished a draft but feel like your essay isn’t quite up to par, check out these posts to help make sure your paper stands out:

• Authoritative Voice: How to Write Like You Mean It
• Concise Writing: How to Write a Strong Essay in Fewer Words
• Essay Formatting Survival Guide (Infographic)
• How to Revise an Essay and Make It Better Than Ever

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Those three little words can wreak havoc on anyone.

Should you say, “I love you”? What if the person doesn’t love you back? What do you do if someone says “I love you”? Do you have to say the same? What if you’re in the friend zone and you want to tell the other person? Should you?

Will those simple words create a lifelong love affair, or will they ruin the friendship forever?

So many agonizing questions. So many emotions.

Thankfully, you don’t have to deal with any of that right now. Your only task is to write about love, not actually worry about the messy process of being in love.

Though writing about love can be just as messy (and sometimes just as painful) as being in love, I’m here to ease the pain by providing a few tips on how to write an essay about love.

I’ve also included topic ideas to get you started with an awesome essay (which will hopefully ensure you don’t end up broken-hearted when you get your essay back).

Tips for Writing an Essay About Love

If you’re writing an essay about love, it can be easy to just write gushing, flowery prose about someone you love, but these types of papers can turn into a long, rambling, cheesy mess.

To avoid this pitfall, follow the two important tips below.

Don’t be too sappy or too bitter

If you’re in love, everything can seem dreamy. It can feel like walking on air, like floating with the clouds, as sweet as strawberry cotton candy.

If you’ve just fallen out of love (or if someone has just fallen out of love with you), it can be quite the opposite. It’s more like wallowing in a muddy pit of self-pity, like you’re enveloped in despair, like you’ll never climb out of the abyss that is your broken heart.

Yeah. It can be pretty melodramatic.

But you’ll sound more than a little sappy or bitter if you write about love in this way.

So how can you write about love if you don’t write about every gut-wrenching feeling you’ve ever had? Try looking at things a little more objectively.

No matter how awesome your new love is, no one is perfect. Include, or even focus on, something a little less sappy and a little less positive, like how your love’s habit of always checking Instagram at lunch drives you insane.

Writing about these characteristics makes your love a little more human and your relationship a little more realistic.

If you absolutely can’t write about your love (or former love) without spilling out every emotion, you might consider another angle for your essay about love.

Write about something other than romantic love

If your assignment states that you absolutely must write about romantic love, well then you must. But if your assignment guidelines are a little more open, then consider writing about another type of love.

Think back to when you were a child and how much you loved your teddy bear, truck, or blanket. Think about how you loved a superhero so much that you actually wanted to become that superhero.

Did your favorite toy help you through some tough childhood days? Did your superhero teach you something or even help shape you as an adult?

Consider the love you have for your parents, grandparents, siblings, or friends. Sure, sometimes these relationships can be love-hate relationships, but they certainly impact you and shape your views on the world.

And of course, what about the love you have for your pets? Pets are often considered family members (and, let’s face it, are sometimes even more lovable than actual family members).

The point here is that the topic of love is wide-reaching, so look for unique ways to approach the subject.

Stuck? Can’t think of anything original? Keep reading for a few topic ideas organized by essay type.

Love is wide-reaching, so look for unique ways to approach the subject.
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Topic Ideas for an Essay About Love

This list includes three different essay types and topic ideas for each type of essay. Keep in mind that many of these topics can work for a number of different types of papers, so feel free to rework the ideas to fit your assignment.

If you’re in need of even more inspiration, I’ve also linked to a few example papers.

Argumentative/persuasive essay topic ideas

When writing an argumentative essay or persuasive essay, your goal is to convince your audience. You might convince them through use of personal examples or use evidence from sources (depending on assignment requirements).

Here are a few topics to consider:

• Is love a real emotion or merely a chemical reaction?
• Are people happier when they’re in love?
• Is being in love worth the trials and tribulations that come with it?
• Can arranged marriages ultimately become love marriages?
• Do teen romances affect future romantic relationships?

Descriptive essay topic ideas

Descriptive essays, of course, describe something or someone. Descriptive essays usually don’t focus on visuals alone, though. They include additional senses, and if you’re describing a person, you’ll likely describe personality and character traits.

Read How to Write a Descriptive Essay That Is Expressive and What Is Descriptive Writing, and How Can It Improve Your Essay? to learn more about writing a great descriptive essay.

Here are few options for things you could describe:

• The love of your life: Move beyond physical description. Consider describing traits like her generosity, her kindness, or her quirky sense of humor.
• What it feels like to be in love.
• Your ideal love: Does your ideal love meet a specific physical description? Should your ideal love have specific personality characteristics? Are there traits that he or she should definitely not possess?
• Your first love: Here, you might consider writing about how much you loved a toy as a child, the time you were in love with a celebrity, or your actual first crush or relationship.
• How you viewed love as a child: You might consider how media influenced your views or how your parents’ relationship affected your views or your own relationships.

Literary analysis essay topic ideas

When you write a literary analysis, you need to do more than write about the plot. You need to take apart the literature and analyze it, bit by bit, to see what it all means.

In need of a quick refresher on writing an effective literary analysis? Check out How to Write a Literary Analysis That Works and 15 Literary Terms You Need to Know to Write Better Essays.

Here are a few topic ideas:

• Explain various types of love portrayed in Romeo and Juliet.
• Compare and contrast how different characters experience love. (See the example essay Women’s Experiences of Love in Tess of the D’Urbervilles and Wuthering Heights to see how one writer tackles the topic.)
• Analyze the Romantic Era and love poetry.
• Examine both love and jealousy in Othello.
• Analyze love in dystopian literature.

Bonus tip: If you’re writing a compare and contrast essay, you might compare your love to someone in literature or compare your relationship to a famous literary couple.

An Everlasting Love

I’m sure there are at least of few of you who haven’t exactly fallen in love with writing essays and don’t love spending hours crafting the perfect phrase.

If you don’t, that’s quite all right.

Check out 5 Hacks to Make Writing an Essay Way More Fun. Hopefully, these tips will help get you through essay writing, so you can at least love the grade you get on your assignment.

Finished your essay but still aren’t in love with the finished product? Send your paper to the editors at Kibin. We love words, writing, and most of all, helping students craft the best essays possible.

That’s a lot of expository essay writing! If you’re going to be writing this type of essay over and over again, you need to understand how to write a good one.

But that’s not my purpose here. My goal for this post is to give you a quick overview of the expository essay and provide you with 30 expository essay topics for an outstanding paper.

If you need to know more about writing an awesome expository essay, check out Expository Advice From a Kibin Editor. Need help outlining? Check out this article.

If you need a few minutes to read the links above before choosing your expository essay topic, go ahead. I’ll wait.

Cue the Muzak:

Finished reading the links? Have a better understanding of the expository essay? Then before we dive into those expository essay topics, let’s move on to a quick summary to remind you of the key points in an expository essay.

The Expository Essay: A Brief Overview

• Expository essays take many forms, including how-to (or process), classification, definition, cause and effect, and compare and contrast essays.

• An expository essay explains a topic in a clear, specific, and logical manner.

• The goal when writing an expository essay is to inform readers without including your own personal bias or opinion.

• An expository essay examines a topic, evaluates the supporting evidence, and asserts an argument. Be sure to pick a topic that you can argue or somehow take a stance on.

• Expository essays are not research-based argument essays or persuasive essays.

• Expository essays generally do not require outside research.

• Your prof might ask you to write an expository essay as an exam or in-class writing assignment. So you’ll need to be able to write quickly and with little preparation.

30 Expository Essay Topics for an Outstanding Paper

To write an outstanding paper, you need to start with an outstanding topic.
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To write an outstanding paper, you need to start with an outstanding topic.

Here are 30 expository essay topics to get you started.

#1. How to eat healthy while living on a college student’s budget

Waiting for mom or dad to transfer money into your account or living off your part-time gig at the bookstore might leave your pockets and your stomach empty. What tips and tricks can you offer readers to help them survive on a budget?

#2. How can bullying in schools be prevented?

You might start this essay with a short discussion of why kids bully (or cyberbully) and how bullying in schools affects kids. Then explain what kids, parents, and teachers can do to prevent bullying.

#4. What effect does technology have on relationships?

Have you ever dated someone who spent more time on Facebook or texting than talking to you? Would you rather chat online or text people instead of actually talking to them in person? If so, you may have a good start to your expository essay.

Interested in writing about technology but not too keen on the relationship angle? Take a look at the following articles for added inspiration:

• 20 Technology Addiction Articles to Support Your Essay
• 10 Sources on the Advantages and Disadvantages of Technology to Support Your Essay

#5. How to treat severe allergic reactions

This type of essay might compare treatments and evaluate which one is best for specific allergies or groups of people.

#6. Do aliens really exist?

Have you ever seen mysterious lights in the sky? Have aliens taken you to the mothership? Maybe you can finally prove that aliens exist!

#7. Why is there an increase in depression in the United States?

Many people point to the added pressures of daily life as a leading cause of depression. In this essay, you might focus on how increased stress from school, work, and personal relationships can lead to depression.

#8. What does it mean to have a genius IQ?

Do you think you’re smarter than all your friends? Maybe you even think you’re a bonafide genius! How might such a high IQ have a positive or negative impact on one’s life or relationships?

#9. Explain the benefits and drawbacks of teen curfews

Sure, moms and dads usually demand that their teens come home at a specific time, but should cities be allowed to do the same? Your essay might explain how curfews help or harm cities or teens.

#10. How do video games affect children?

Many people automatically think that video games harm children, but your essay might take the opposite approach and focus on how video games can help children learn or even improve social skills.

#11. What are the positive and negative aspects of materialism?

Do you love your cell phone? What about your new heels? If you absolutely cannot live without your most prized possessions, this might be a perfect topic for you.

#12. Explain how the internet has had a positive effect on communication

Face it, your life wouldn’t be the same without the internet. What would become of the world if Facebook or Instagram no longer existed? Focus your essay on how these types of communication have positively affected the way we interact with others.

#13. Explain how to be a happy camper

If sitting by a bonfire is your thing, you might write about how to set up the perfect campsite. If you feel the phrase “happy camper” simply means being happy, you might write about how readers can organize their lives and become happy campers.

#14. How to plan a killer party

I really don’t think this one needs any explanation, does it?

#15. Explain the causes and effects of impulse buying

For those of us who have ever made an impulse buy and immediately regretted it, writing about why we buy and how we feel afterward might actually be better than retail therapy.

#16. Why do couples break up?

The list of reasons that couples split is almost endless, but your essay might focus on one or two of the most popular, such as infidelity or money problems.

#17. How to choose the perfect pet

While an iguana might be the perfect pet for your roommate, it might be far from ideal for you. Your essay could examine personality types, lifestyles, and budgets to decide how to choose the perfect pet.

#18. Explain why working while attending college can be beneficial

An obvious benefit to any job is money. (We all need money to survive, right?) Working part-time while going to school can also help develop skills that will benefit you in future jobs and can help build a strong resume.

#19. How does doping in sports harm not only the athlete but also the reputation of the sport?

High school athletes, professional athletes, and even Olympians have been caught doping. How and why do athletes risk their health for sports? How does doping change the way people view a sport and its athletes?

#20. Does multitasking help or hinder students’ academic performance?

Most of us are guilty of trying to do too many things at once. But if students balance their tasks effectively, can they actually accomplish more through multitasking?

#21. How to plan a vacation

Vacation planning means you’ll need to consider time, budget, location, and travel companions. You might want to try to fit all of these points into a paper, or you could focus on only one of these aspects of planning.

#22. Define friendship

Is a friend someone who will stand by you through thick and thin? What qualities do friends possess? Can Facebook friends by true friends? What makes a BFF different than other friends? Can you be friends with your parents?

#23. Compare and contrast parenting styles

Whether you address permissive, authoritarian, authoritative, or uninvolved parenting, there are positive and negative aspects to each. (If you’re writing a shorter paper, don’t try to compare all four styles. Narrow your focus to just two.)

#24. How to break a bad habit or addiction

This topic is broad, so you can narrow your focus to something silly or something serious. Maybe you want to write about a small and harmless habit like leaving your dirty socks on the floor. Perhaps you want to focus on steps to break a harmful addiction to alcohol, tobacco, or another drug.

#25. Compare and contrast two types of employees or two types of bosses

If you’re comparing employee types, you might start by looking at the people you work with. (If you’re not employed, try observing employees at a restaurant.) Employees might be helpful, lazy, eager to please, or apathetic.

If you’re comparing bosses, you might consider management styles, how bosses treat customers, and how they treat employees.

#26. How to throw a card

Knowing a cool card trick can make you the life of the party. If you have a few tricks up your sleeve, explain how to perform one.

Need a video to help with the visuals?

#27. Compare and contrast religions

There’s a lot of possible ground to cover in any religion, so before you begin, decide your focus. You might consider examining religious holidays and celebrations, moral values, or gender roles.

#28. How to actually listen to people

Ever accused your boyfriend or girlfriend of not listening to you? Has someone accused you of not listening?

If so, you may have some insights into how to actually tell people the proper way to listen. (Or if you’re one of those people who doesn’t do such a great job at listening, you might write about how to seem like you’re listening.)

#29. Compare and contrast two historical figures

Comparing two people can be challenging, so it’s crucial to decide your basis of comparison before beginning. For instance, if you’re comparing two political figures, you might examine their ideologies or their roles in a specific conflict, war, or political movement.

Need help tackling historical topics? Check out these posts:

• How to Start a History Essay Without Boring Your Readers to Death
• How to Write a History Paper That Will Go Down in History

#30. Define happiness

The term “happiness” is pretty broad and can mean so many different things to people. Some are happy sitting on a crowded beach, while others want to be hiking on an isolated trail in a forest.

Does money make people happy? Does a career? Can someone else complete you?

After You’ve Written a Draft on Your Outstanding Expository Essay Topic

Don’t forget that writing just one draft of a paper doesn’t always mean that you’ve written an outstanding essay (even if you do have a genius IQ).

Leave yourself enough time to take a look at your paper to see whether you’ve covered the basics.

For instance, is your paper formatted correctly? Do you have an effective thesis statement? Do you use sufficient evidence and examples to support your point? Are you persuasive enough?

Have you read, re-read, and revised so much that you can no longer tell whether your paper is worth submitting to your professor? Why not let a Kibin editor help with revision?

Good luck!

Stuck on Your Expository Essay?

Check out these example expository essays.

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