What Is A Profile or Observation Essay?
A profile essay can be written on many different subjects: people, organizations, memorable places, or even an event. It is usually a human-interest story, meaning most of us can learn something useful and interesting about our culture or society, who is shaping it, and how. This type of essay aims to vividly describe the selected subject, giving factual information to the reader. This essay allows the writer to do “field work” by interviewing people (officially or not—see our examples) and visiting the place they are going to profile. Think of Mr. Rogers going to the crayon factory to see how crayons are made. This type of essay allows the writer to “explore” their preconceptions about the subject nand compare them with what they learned.
A profile is an article about someone or something unique, based on original research: interviews, or direct observation.
For a profile, you get to play Clark Kent or Lois Lane or whatever “investigative” self you’d like to imagine. Go study something and then come back and tell us about it.
You are supposed to be a neutral observer / interviewer on this assignment—very much like a reporter, an investigator, or a scientist.
Profiling or observing a Walmart or Target will not work. The reader already understands that setting.
Try something like this:
Study parenting styles at a pediatrician’s office or sporting event
Birdwatching
Watch Ants (Patterns?)
Emergency Room (How do sick or injured patients interact when under duress?)
Daycare or Classroom (Study how children learn to share–or not)
Community Group, Small Business, or Organization (Effects after pandemic? Seasonal changes? Do their marketing or promotional ideas work?)
These are a just a few ideas.
Please have topics approved before starting this essay.
If you’re doing people, skip grandma and little Tommy, unless grandma jumps out of airplanes or six-year-old Tommy’s favorite subject is the stock market. THAT’s interesting!
This is not a biography of a person. Your reader is not interested in reading someone’s life story. Keep the person you are interviewing IN CONTEXT with the place, event, or environment they are working, living, or playing in. Try to keep the topic / place / person relevant to writing in the sciences (psychology, nursing, health, nature, etc.).
Please write at least two full pages for this essay, with at least five full paragraphs. The essay is to be no longer than 3 full pages. There are NO skipped lines anywhere in the essay for any reason.
Let us know what your assumptions are before interviewing the subject(s) and in the conclusion let us know if those perceptions have changed by visiting this subject.
Decide how you are going to fit into the narrative by letting the reader know why you are going and what you see/hear/smell/feel etc. while you are there.
Include any dialogue or quotes from the people around the setting.
Decide who your audience is and how to suit their needs as readers (are they to learn something from you or just be entertained by something odd?).
Keep your tense consistent. Pick past or present, stick to one.
Proofread this essay many times before submitting your draft or revision, and try to have fun with this one. Be as descriptive as possible of all people, sounds, sights, and sensory experiences, and be sure to remember that we need to see images in our heads as well.
If you complete this essay correctly, you will be SHOWING your reader rather than just TELLING them why your topic choice is worthy of their time and concern.
Please ask questions in the discussion board so that each student benefits from it, and the answer to it. Your question might be someone else’s!
Be creative and have fun with this one, if the topic is appropriate.
