Melvilles Spouter Inn

Some of the best descriptive essayexamples can be found among the writings of the greatest authors. Consider a chapter in Moby-Dick by Herman Melville: every chapter of that book is like a mini-descriptive essay. Look at the way Melville uses description to create atmospheric effect in the first line of Chapter 3: The Spouter Inn from Moby-Dick: Entering that gable-ended Spouter-Inn, you found yourself in a wide, low, straggling entry with old-fashioned wainscots, reminding one of the bulwarks of some condemned old craft. Melville uses words like condemned to convey a sense of foreboding and doom, and the adjectives wide, low, straggling produce a claustrophobic effect on the readerone that pulls him in with force. Melville also uses consonance, assonance and alliteration to make the words flow more enjoyably and give the description a kind of musical quality. Go to any chapter in Moby-Dick and you will find a master novelist using this format at virtually every turn, which makes the perfect example.

From Oates to Kingston

Nordquist (2017) provides numerous descriptive essay examples from a variety of authors, ranging from Joyce Carol Oates to Maxine Hong Kingston. These examples are worth a look and can help you visualize the possibilities that are open to you, whether you seek to describe a person, place, thing or experience. Read these examples and consider which approach would best be suited for your subject.

Hawthornes Description of Abe Lincoln

What are some other good descriptive essay examples? How about Nathaniel Hawthornes essay on shaking hands with President Lincoln during the madness of the Civil War? Hawthorne supported the Northern cause but confessed to not understanding what the war was about and even wrote It would be too great an absurdity to spend all our Northern strength, for the next generation, in holding on to a people who insist on being let loose. In order to better understand the situation, Hawthorne traveled south to do what any good writer should dosee with his own eyes. Hawthorne and his publisher headed to Washington prior to the Second Battle of Bull Run to get a look at the war up close. While there, a delegation had arrived to present the president with a giftand Hawthorne was invited to join them in the presentation and meet Lincoln in the White House. It was just the sort of opportunity Hawthorne had been looking for. He arrived at the pre-arranged time and waited with the others for Abe Lincoln to come, shake hands and accept his gift.

Hawthornes description of Lincoln was so vivid and unabashed that The Atlantic Monthly refused to publish it. Instead, it was edited out and the rest of the description of Hawthornes visit to the Capitol was printed for readers, with the missing section filled in by the editors, who stated

We are compelled to omit two or three pages, in which the author describes the interview, and gives his idea of the personal appearance and deportment of the President. The sketch appears to have been written in a benign spirit, and perhaps conveys a not inaccurate impression of its august subject; but it lacksreverence,and it pains us to see a gentleman of ripe age, and who has spent years under the corrective influence of foreign institutions, falling into the characteristic and most ominous fault of Young America (Atlantic editors, 1862).

Hawthorne was, of course, upsetand he grumbled, What a terrible thing it is to try and let off a little bit of truth into this miserable humbug of a world! (Carlson, 2011). The truth Hawthorne had meant to establish was simply thisa description of his Commander-in-Chief: the way he walked, talked, looked, and expressed himself through his eyes. It was an honest and accurate descriptionneither flattering nor derisive but true: complete with both the presidents shortcomings and the presidents more admirable traits, such as his ability to show wisdom and affection in a wrinkle in his face. The publication said it lacked reverence and therefore was unfit for public consumption. But of course for us today it just makes us want to read what Hawthorne wrote all the more! So what was his description of Lincoln? Carlson (2011) fills us in with a glimpse at the missing sectionshere is how Hawthorne described President Lincoln (whom he called Uncle Abe) upon seeing him up close for the... He had shabby slippers on his feet. His hair was black, still Unmixed with gray, stiff, somewhat bushy, and had apparently been acquainted with neither brush nor comb that morning, after the disarrangement of the pillow; and as to a nightcap, Uncle Abe probably knows nothing of such effeminacies .... The whole physiognomy is as coarse a one as you would meet anywhere in the length and breadth of the States; but, withal, it is redeemed, illuminated, softened, and brightened, by a kindly though serious look out of his eyes, and an expression of homely sagacity, that seems weighted with rich results of village experience.
Here was an authentic vision of the president: an astute description of a man unlike others in appearance in nearly every waytall, lanky, awkward, yet not without some wisdom and sense. Lets look at some of the ways in which Hawthorne paints Lincoln so effectively that it frightened The Atlantic into editing it out!

Lincolns attire is described firstwhich makes sense: after all, the way a man presents himself to the world is most evident in the manner that he clothes himself. A vagrant is easily distinguishable from a gentleman by the garments that garb him. So it is with the presidentthe august dignitary, whom Hawthorne no doubt expected to see in finer threads and with more consideration for his appearance that was evident. Hawthornes first descriptive word is rustya word that carries both denotative and connotative meaning. Denotatively, rusty refers to something that is old, brittle, eaten through, corroded, exposed too long to the elements. Connotatively, rusty conveys a sense of carelessness, neglect, disregard, and a lack of use. To say that Lincolns black frock-coat is rusty is to suggest that the presidents appearance is not in top form to say the least. Hawthorne moves on to Lincolns pants, calling them unbrushedmeaning, they are wrinkled and unkempt: the president has taken no care to tend to his accoutrements but has rather felt all right within himself to wear the same pair of pants day in and day out without concern for wearing them out. Instead of saying that Lincolns suit was worn out, however, Hawthorne says this: it was worn so faithfully that the suit had adapted itself to the curves and angularities of his figure. Hawthornes eyes then reach Lincolns feet where he finds that the president is not wearing shoes but rather shabby slippers. The portrait thus far is of a man who seems to be unaware of the dignity of his office, of his person, of his place, and of his general appearance. For a publication seeking to support the president in all his aims, perhaps it is no wonder that The Atlantic chose to edit out this description!

Hawthorne then sends his eyes up to the top of Lincolns frame and describes the mans head of hairblack, still unmixed with grayindicating that the signs of wisdom and old age had yet to show themselves in the hairs on head. Hawthorne goes on to comment on the appearance of the hair by way of personificationgiving the reader the impression that the hair was like a person who had acquaintances and that, unfortunately, the hair had not met Mr. Bruh or Mr. Comb that morning after the disarrangement of the pillow. This is a humorous aside from Hawthorne that gives to the reader the impression that the president has just entered the room to greet the visiting delegation with bed headi.e., as though he has just rolled out of bed and perhaps even had slept in his clothes. Hawthorne does not tell us this but rather shows us this through his use of imagery and other literary devices.

Having identified a number of negative aspects of the presidents appearance, Hawthorne now moves on to saying something nice about Lincolns looks: he notes the illuminated, softened, and brightened aspect of the presidents kindly but serious eyes. Hawthorne describes it as an expression of homely sagacity, that seems weighted with rich results of village experience. The compliment is somewhat backhanded: homely sagacity means unattractive wisdomas though the depth of Lincolns knowledge and understanding is not reflected well in his face, which is still far from appealing in many ways. And Hawthorne continues the backhanded compliment with the qualification of Lincolns wisdom as being formed by the rich results of village experiencemeaning that Lincoln is really just a country bumpkinexactly as his clothes and manners suggest. Yet, in spite of these details, Hawthorne retains some respect for the…