Process - "The Spider and the Wasp" by Alexander Petrunkevitch
This sample is an example of good writing because the style is perfectly fitted to the content. Beginning by introducing and explaining every possible piece of relevant data in a thorough and scientific way fits appropriately into the deductive structure of the essay. What is especially brilliant is the way that each piece of underlying data contributing to our understanding of the main process (the actual encounter between the tarantula and digger wasp), like the nature of the tarantula's tactile responses and the wasp's reproductive cycles, is its own smaller process. Each of these processes is described succintly with frequent but short pauses which provide vital information, such as "the eyesight of tarantulas is poor"; the main process itself then requires less explanation. The overall effect is akin to a good mystery novel: the scene is set, and all of the necessary evidence is presented, but some facts do not seem entirely relevant until the crucial moment when the curtains are drawn away and the truth glares the reader in the face. In the essay, the presentation of many sub-processes beforehand is useful, because at the "climax" of the essay (when the interaction between the animals is described), all of the (at first seemingly unrelated) details, like the tarantula's breeding and living conditions ("deep cylindrical burrows"), collapse into one perfectly clear, yet mysterious whole: the wasp is optimally engineered to destroy the tarantula. It can even take its sweet time getting the job done perfectly. But how the tarantula is deceived can't be told, even from direct observation of the phenomenon and a researched understanding of all the parts involved. As the essay is informative, surely the author's purpose is to educate, intrigue and entertain the audience in this way. Developing the essay by processes fits the content very well because of the way processes combine to inform and excite the reader. All of the processes are detailed effectively; each is developed chronologically, and interrupted only for immediately relevant information. Combining form and function in this way makes for an extremely effective essay.
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Okay, you've nailed this down tight. Your analysis and reference to the criteria is spot on. For improvement, shift to matters of style because content is not an issue. For example, look at all the sentences that begin with "The". You need to inject more transitions and vary those beginnings to create more interest in the writing. A simple trick on the surface, but it can be challenging to not start any two sentences in the same paragraph with the same word. Good work on this.
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