Writing an Essay about Someone Who Inspires or you Admire

Published by Josh Jasen at September 24, 2024

Writing an essay about someone is not the easiest subject to write. One should write it in such a way that it talks of a person or two while at the same time it relates to how it applies to his or her opinion on a certain topic.

The good news is we are here to empower you with the correct skills. That is whether it is writing an essay of gratitude towards a family member. Or, someone who helped you get through school. And lastly, an influential figure in the world that inspired who you are today. Let’s get started.

Why are some People a Good Topic for an Essay

1. Personal Relations

Whatever the case, the more information you have about the relationship, the better your essay will be.

You may write about the relationship between you and the person you are writing about. Maybe it is a romantic relationship, a business relationship, or a friendship. Maybe it’s a family member, or maybe you have never met this person.

You should also try to explain what makes this person stand out from others in their field, or their life (or both): how do they compare to other people? What makes them so special?

2. Your Experience with them

Some people are just so fascinating that you could write a whole essay about them. Others are just average, or boring, and make for a poor essay topic. You need to be able to look at life objectively and see what makes good writing material and what does not.

Start by developing an idea about the person you want to write about — maybe it is someone you know well, or maybe it is someone you do not know very well but have observed from afar. The more details you can observe about a person, the better “material” they will be for your essay.

3. Their Achievements

You can write an essay about someone who has had a positive impact on your life. Also, you can use this essay as an opportunity to reflect on how that person has helped you grow and mature as a person.

Some people may have trouble writing about themselves. So, if you know someone who fits that description, you could offer to write the essay for them. This is also a great opportunity for adults to reminisce about their childhood, and think about all of the people who helped them get where they are today.

If you choose to write about someone from your childhood, keep in mind that it’s a good idea to do some research on that person before starting your essay. As such, you can get a better sense of who they are and what makes them unique.

4. Their Failures

The best essays often feature topics that may initially seem negative. Such include topics such as coping with loss, enduring a difficult challenge, hoping for a better future, or dealing with the darker aspects of life.

In your essay, you must present yourself as someone who loves to learn, can think critically, and has a passion for things—anything.

5. Their Jobs

When you write a profile essay about someone with an interesting job, you can focus on what they do, how they got into it, and why they like the job. You can also focus on how they help others and how their job makes them feel.

Those people whose jobs serve the general public in some fashion are good candidates for profile essays. This includes doctors, nurses, teachers, police officers, and firemen, but also mechanics, janitors, housekeepers, and even waitresses.

The reason is that these people are doing something that affects at least a few of us daily. They have chosen a career or profession that most of us will need at one time or another in our lives.

6. Famous People or Stars

The first thing to think about when choosing a person to write about is why they are relevant to your course or subject. For example, writing about the historical figures of World War 2 is likely a good choice if you are in a history class, but it would not fit well in a biology class.

Once you find someone who fits into the curriculum, then you need to find someone who is interesting enough that many people will want to read what you wrote about them.

This means that most famous people are good choices because they have been written about so much that there is a lot of research available on their lives and deeds.

However, if you know something interesting about an obscure person, then they can also be good choices.

How to Write an Essay about Someone

Explain the Person you are writing about

Choose someone who you have interests in. It makes it easy for you to get more material on the subject since you love talking about the person and sharing their stories with other people. The person should be someone whose actions and beliefs have always been so informative to you, and they influence what you do and how you think.

The person should be someone who has had a significant influence on your life.

If you can’t meet the person, then research as much as possible about them before writing the essay. Start by asking questions from people who know them well.

Craft Your Thesis about the Person

Decide on your thesis statement. A thesis statement is a one- to two-sentence statement that presents the main idea and makes an assertion about your issue. You may have a longer thesis for much longer essays, but one to two sentences is a good general guideline.

And, remember, in an argumentative essay, the assertion you present in your thesis is going to be particularly important. When you make your assertion in your thesis, it should be clear and direct.

If your assertion is going to be controversial from some quarters, you want to make sure that it’s something that you can support with the evidence that you’ve included in your essay.

Write your arguments about him/her

Writing an essay about someone requires one to write about someone who you probably know or who you have a strong feeling about or who inspires you.

The feelings that you have towards such a person are the ones that will color your observation. Note that your observation should be specific like describing the physical features of the person, their personality, character, or any other aspect about them.

Cite and Reference

When writing an essay about someone, you need to cite and reference properly. This shows your tutor that you have a good understanding of academic writing and can use the proper methods when citing and referencing sources.

What do you think about the person?

My side?

The person described in the essay should be a strong, brave, and intelligent person.

Other people’s side

He has a reputation as an author that is more than a bit exaggerated. He does write well and he does write quickly (most people can’t do both), but he’s no Hemingway or Orwell. His work is usually quite good, though, and he certainly knows his subject matter.

The person is very humble and nice to talk with. She can handle pressure. She is good at her work and very punctual.

7 Examples of Essay Issues about People

The effects of social media on people’s lives
The value of friendship in people’s lives
How people can nurture their friendships
The impact of religion on family life
The role that ethics play in society
The importance of upbringing in shaping character
The effects of technology on kids’ lives

Josh Jasen

When not handling complex essays and academic writing tasks, Josh is busy advising students on how to pass assignments. In spare time, he loves playing football or walking with his dog around the park.