The best way of adding depth to an essay

hi,
i dont know if this is in the right spot, so sorry if it causes confuesion. What i would like to ask is how i can add more depth to my essays, im not to sure on the best way of doing so.
thank you

.. a little cold in the beginning, but then its fun...really...and there is the deep side, depends how far you wish to go... On adding depth, think deep, everybody can help finding the best words to say it....

.. whatcha got on your mind ??

What type of essay? A research essay? Do more research. An argumentative essay? Deal with the opposing side of the issue, rather than just presenting your own arguments. You can literally go argument, counter argument, counter counter argument, and so on, in layers, until you have added as much depth as you'd like to your essay. An analytical essay? Ask yourself questions about things you have said in your analysis. Go back and look at things that did quite satisfy you and ask why the point you were making seemed a bit off.

If you provide more information about what sort of essay you want to write, and possibly what sort of topic you are planning to deal with, we could help you more easily. If you have a draft done, so much the better -- post it here and you'll get all sorts of feedback.

Yes, it depends on how you think of the word "depth." It could mean the profound philosophical significance behind Gibran's poetry. It could be thoroughness in analysis of some piece of art. It could be an argument with deep roots in its premise, logic, and support.

Your writing could go deep in the sense that you practiacally hypnotize the reader with an attention grabber in the beginning -- and RHYTHMIC words.

What are you writing right now?

thank you all for your replies.
im not actually writing an essay at the moment, its just all the essays i have written this year the main point i always get told to improve on is the depth of my essays

When teachers say "depth," they mean analysis. You should challenge them to articulate themselves better, like they challenge you. They should add depth to their feedback, instead of being so general.

What they want is hard to explain. A superficial essay just tells about a book or film or whatever you are writing about. A deep essay says something unique, something that others might even disagree with, something particular to you -- and it shows that you are being affected by the subject.

As an example of superficial and deep writing, read a few movie reviews online. Some reviews just tell about the movie, while others challenge it, critique it, consider the implications. You can tell what is deep.

Kevin's feedback is right on the money, but I also wanted to add that you could take a peak at Sean's write-ups if you haven't already.

Although your teacher was probably referring to "analysis," it always helps to construct your essay in a vivid manner as well. If you're interested in adding some "depth" to your essays and improving the impact it has on the reader, Sean's write-ups will really help with that.

Here is one that's easy to start with and will make just about any essay sound a lot better: http://www.essayforum.com/13_6143_0.html

I also get criticized for not adding enough depth in my essays, writing flowery language that glosses over the subject title. Sometimes this can be elusive to the beginner. What more exactly is required? and what if what you're writing is all you know?

Practice chunking down. Make a list of everything you know about the subject in random order. Then go back to those points and make another list adding sub points to each point and so on. You should end up with a bullet list of everything you know about a particular subject.
I find this works well with most types of essays.

Try it and see if it helps.

Hey, that is a great idea. So, you add depth by adding subtopics.