How to Write the “Why ________?” Essay

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Trying to answer the “Why _____?” essay is like telling your significant other (SO) why you love them; in both cases, you need to give specific, unique reasons. Let’s get started!

How do I say it?

Let’s say that you loved your SO because of his or her hair (for the sake of your relationship, I hope you have other reasons!). I’m going to pose four simple — lacking all detail that this type of essay requires — responses, and point out the thinking behind each statement.

Luscious red hair is something I admire in my SO; no one else has that but you.

This statement gets everything done: it points out what you like about your SO, “Luscious red hair”, while explaining why it matters, “[it’s] something I admire . . . no one else has that but you.” Although it’s lackluster, it’s functional—it’s also something to work with! Let’s look at an incomplete statement:

You have luscious red hair.

Sure, it mentions something about your SO that you like, but it doesn’t explain why it matters to you. Your SO sees his or her hair everyday! He or she does not need someone else to tell him or her what he or she has. You have to go further than that.