Assignment Descriptions

Assignment Descriptions
You’ll need these details to work on each essay. We’ll always talk about the essays in class—how they connect to our reading themes, what writing tricks we’ve noticed that would be useful, how to get started, etc. But you should always read and re-read the descriptions so that you know exactly how to be successful on the assignment.

Formal Essays
(Please note that the description for Formal Essay #3 (In-class Essay) will be distributed at the end of the term, as it is the Final of the class.)

#1: Definition Essay

A definition essay attempts to answer one of the following questions: 1. What does ____ mean? 2. What is the special/true nature of ____? 3. What other, less obvious, meaning(s) does ____ have?

Your job is to think of some of the words (themes, concepts) that have come up in our readings and discussions. Everything fits into our class theme; consider Hattie Carroll (in the Bob Dylan song), the author of the blog “Baghdad Burning,” the author of the blog “A Soldier’s Thoughts,” Barbara Ehrenreich’s experience in various jobs (Nickel and Dimed), and Stephen Elliott’s struggles as a homeless teenager in Chicago (“Where I Slept”). What are the words we use to talk about individual struggles against “systems”? Well, for one, we use the words “individual” and “system.” We also use “alienation” and “disenfranchisement.” What, would you say, are the definitions of these words? Also, how would you support that definition with evidence? Have you seen examples of these themes in your personal life, at school, at work, in the news, in history, on TV? What other words occur to you?

This essay, like any essay, is built on its thesis. In this case, you have a very specific format to follow for your thesis. You are going to choose a word (any of the above or any that connect to our theme) to define, and your essay will support or illustrate that definition. The definition statement itself is the thesis, and it MUST follow the guidelines below (see #2).

1. Consider your word. What do you want to say about it? What is your purpose? To inform? To persuade? To entertain? This will determine your tone.
2. Formulate your thesis; this is the definition. Your word is your “term.” For the term, you must consider “class” and “characteristics.” Remember that this is where a lot of your power is—in the kind of thing you say the term is (class), and the details you want to emphasize (characteristics). Here are some generic examples, unrelated to our theme: term=peregrine falcon, class=an endangered bird, characteristic=fastest flyer, or term=happiness, class=a goal, characteristic=hard to achieve, or term=children, class=small humans, characteristic=very loud. Do you see how it works?
3. Your next step is to turn those components into a clear thesis statement. You should consider our discussions on sentence structure and style. How will you pack a lot of punch? Example from above: Happiness, a goal, is hard to achieve. I put the three parts into a sentence that has a subject, verb, and expresses a complete thought. Here’s another: Children are small humans who are know to be very loud. Can you see the components?
4. Write an effective introduction. Lead us to your statement. Do you need to give a little background? Set a scene? Explain how your definition is better than the dictionary definition?
5. Support your thesis with one clear example or many small examples. You can use observations, stories, interviews, comparison & contrast . . . and certainly any of the writing tricks you’ve collected in your RRs.
6. Don’t forget about denotation vs. connotation.
7. Don’t be afraid of controversial or “loaded” words.
8. Consider how meanings change over time, for individuals or groups.
9. Avoid circular definitions.
10. Get rid of superfluous material.

Checklist:
-4 complete pages, double-spaced
-Title (not just the word itself)
-A term that somehow connects to our class theme
-A thesis statement that has all three components (term, class, characteristic(s)) and is a grammatically correct sentence
-Evidence for your thesis that avoids repetition or empty statements

(Hey! Something good to know for future writing projects outside of 101: creating a definition is a useful tool in argumentation and might also be used as one small part of a larger paper.)

Align your work with the rubric:
• Definition Essay FD is worth 20 points.
• The thesis accounts for 7 points (6-7 excellent, 5 good, 3-4 adequate, 1-2 inadequate).
• Development accounts for 5 points (5 excellent, 3-4 good, 2 adequate, 1 adequate).
• Organization accounts for 4 points (4 excellent, 3 good, 2 adequate, 1 inadequate).
• Written conventions account for 4 points. On this essay, our main concern is avoiding errors that interfere with meaning. Your goal is to proofread for your own errors, keeping things clear and under control. You should have no more than four errors that interfere with meaning; for each one beyond that, you’ll be deducted one point. As we go, you will have to be more and more mindful of what issues we have covered in class.
• Style will not be graded on this essay.

Notes from our syllabus:
RD1: Due in class (should be 2 complete pages; 20 points for bringing it and participating in Peer Review)
RD2: Due to me in hard copy (should be 3 complete pages; 10 points for following guidelines and submitting it for review)
FD: Due to me in hard copy (4 complete pages; graded according to our rubric and worth 20 points)

#2: Narrative Connections Essay

For this essay, you need to do some self-reflection and some creative thinking. At this point, we have looked at examples of “the individual versus the system” in non-fiction blogs, in songs, in journalism, in literature, in film, in TV, and in multimedia texts. So (!) you should be able to think of LOTS of different examples of this struggle in lots of people’s lives. Good. Now, think of your own experiences and/or observations. Have you ever experienced an instance of fighting against a system? Have your parents? Have your friends? Have you witnessed racist or sexist systems? Have you seen individuals struggle with poverty? Have you observed news stories that reveal negative systems in our society?

Got it? Good. First, tell the story. Second, consider how it connects to one or more of the texts we have looked at.

Again: What is an example (that you have experienced/seen/heard about) of an individual fighting against a system? And: How does it connect to one or more of our class examples?

Your job is to tell the story and to connect it to other things we have examined. You might want to consider what even bigger “systems” are in place. Also, how do stories help us to understand the world and this pattern?

Narratives tell either one big story or several smaller, connected stories.

1. Identify the narrative conflict. The conflict gives the story meaning. What happened?
2. Provide the details that explain the conflict. Who? How? Why? Also, what details make the story come to life? Don’t forget about dramatic license.
3. Think about what text this story is connected to. How? Also, the connection that you see is probably a thesis of sorts.
4. You might not have one clear thesis statement . . . but you definitely must have a thesis. What idea guides your narration and your connection?
5. Consider your narrative sequence; will you use chronological order, flashback, flash-forward, mixed-up chronology? Why will you use that particular sequence? How will you keep your verb tense consistent?
6. What POV will you use and why? Do POV choices help you to make the story more meaningful?
7. Don’t forget to use descriptive writing tricks that you’ve picked up in your RRs.

Checklist:
-5 complete pages, double-spaced
-Title
-A story, a connection to one or more texts
-Consistent POV & verb tense
-A thesis that guides the essay, not necessarily in the form of one sentence

Align your work with the rubric:
• Narrative Connections Essay FD is worth 30 points.
• The thesis/focus accounts for 9 points (7-9 excellent, 5-6 good, 4 adequate, 1-3 inadequate).
• Development accounts for 9 points (7-9 excellent, 5-6 good, 4 adequate, 1-3 inadequate).
• Organization accounts for 5 points (5 excellent, 3-4 good, 2 adequate, 1 adequate).
• Written conventions account for 5 points. If you make more than two errors from the list we have generated in class discussions, or if you have over three errors that interfere with meaning, you will lose points per error.
• Style accounts for just 2 points. You get 2 points for excellent/good style and 1 for adequate style. Inadequate style gets no points.

Notes from our syllabus:
RD1: Due in class (should be 3 complete pages; 20 points)
RD2: Due to me in hard copy (should be 4 complete pages; 10 points for following guidelines and submitting it for review)
FD: Due to me in hard copy (5 complete pages; graded according to our rubric and worth 30 points)

Creative Essays

#1: Observation & Description from an Alien’s perspective

We’re taking our cue from Craig Raine and his “Martian Sends a Postcard Home” poem. First of all, this fits with our theme; an outsider’s perspective on human behavior shows us how one (non-human) individual perceives our system(s). Secondly, Raine uses a wonderful figurative language to make his observations (more on that in a second).

So, your job is to choose something to observe—something ordinary, something strange, something social, something domestic, something with other humans, something with animals, something with children, something with nature or machines . . . something you can look at for a good 30 minutes and then write about for 4 pages.

Here’s the catch: you must play the part of “individual versus system.” You must observe this thing as if you are not human; your descriptions should employ the figurative language tricks we have picked up from Raine and our RRs (also, we’ll have a lot class time devoted to figurative language exercises). There might be times, in the essay, in which you have to break back into your normal, human voice and explain yourself and how it was to observe and then describe. That’s fine, but focus on writing descriptions from an alien’s perspective.

You can use the double-entry chart I give you in class while conducting your observation. You will need to look over your notes and consider what will be your thesis. There should be one, clear sentence that is your thesis. What overall impression do you want the reader to have? You should use your introduction to present your thesis. Then, the body of your essay can be devoted to supporting it with details and descriptions. Seriously consider your method of organization, based on our class discussions. Also consider all the terminology under figurative language: metaphor, simile, personification, kennings. And don’t forget about the role of sensory description. How would an alien have sensory experiences? Finally, and oh-so-importantly, avoid clichés; they’re boring, and aliens would not use them.

Checklist:
-A good topic/location
-An observation chart that is attached to your FD
-A thesis statement
-An organizational pattern
-Use of figurative language and sensory details

Align your work with the rubric:
• Observation/Description FD is worth 40 points.
• The thesis accounts for 10 points (9-10 excellent, 7-8 good, 4-6 adequate, 1-3 inadequate).
• Development accounts for 10 points (9-10 excellent, 7-8 good, 4-6 adequate, 1-3 inadequate).
• Organization accounts for 10 points (9-10 excellent, 7-8 good, 4-6 adequate, 1-3 inadequate).
• Written conventions are an issue on this essay, but will be graded only in a punitive sense. At this point, you should know our class list of grammatical and mechanical errors, and you should apply that knowledge to your own proofreading. If you have repetitive errors from our list or errors that consistently interfere with meaning, you will lose 5 points.
• Style accounts for 10 points (9-10 excellent, 7-8 good, 4-6 adequate, 1-3 inadequate).

Notes from our syllabus:
RD: Due in class (should be 2 complete pages; 10 points)
FD: Due to me in hard copy (3-4 complete pages; graded according to our rubric and worth 30 points)

#2: Satire: Fake Newspaper Story

By now, your thinking about “the individual vs. system” should have led you to the belief that some things in this society could use a little reform; some things are unfair, and some things need to be fixed.

Picking up on the tradition of Jonathan Swift (remember? “A Modest Proposal”?), the Onion creates fake news, often relying on “Satire” as the writing trick and the writing goal. Remember? Satire is Ridicule for Reform.

Alright . . . what makes you mad? What has to be fixed? What societal trend, pattern, problem, obsession can you point to and make fun of? And, how can you make fun of it in such a way as to suggest that we look seriously at this problem?

Using the Onion examples (from the website, from the list of headlines), compose your own fake news article that uses satire. Remember that the news story is fictional, but based on something in reality. Make it something you care about, something about which you have a definite opinion. It doesn’t have to be about an individual vs. a system, but it will probably reveal something about some sort of system you have observed.

You should also review the real news articles (from nytimes.com) that you’ve already read. How are they written? How are they organized? How will you use those “real” tricks to write your own “fake” news?

Finally, consider “implied thesis.” Since you want this to sound like a regular news article, you won’t have a clear thesis sentence. Most likely, your thesis is the way you want the reader to feel about the topic. The reader should be able to see your joke, to get the “punch line,” to see what injustice or bad pattern you are pointing at. Remember, as always, that I can meet with you to help you with ideas and structure.

Checklist:
-What’s the societal problem you are addressing?
-Do you have a headline that helps “frame” your idea?
-Do you use conventions of regular news articles—quotes, facts, background, dates?
-Do you want to incorporate any images?

Align your work with the rubric:
• Satire FD is worth 20 points.
• The thesis accounts for 10 points (9-10 excellent, 7-8 good, 4-6 adequate, 1-3 inadequate).
• Development accounts for 4 points (4 excellent, 3 good, 2 adequate, 1 inadequate).
• Organization will not be graded.
• Written conventions account for 2 points. If you make more than two errors from the most recent list we have generated in class discussions, or if you have more than two errors that interfere with meaning, you will lose points.
• Style accounts for 4 points (4 excellent, 3 good, 2 adequate, 1 inadequate).

Notes from our syllabus:
FD: Post on the blog for others’ comments and to be graded.