• Considering a significant act or ritual (Idea 1)
• Showcasing character (Idea  2)
• Defining an abstraction through a comparison or contrast (Idea 3)

Your challenge in this essay is  to create an interesting polished three-page typed and double-spaced essay that makes a significant point.  The essay should  offer a concrete description or tell a specific story that highlights a process or ritual that you (and/or) your family engage in often. Your essay must make it clear why that process is significant and/or what it represents to you.  Avoid merely listing the  things you do during the holidays or hunting season unless you identify the defining characteristics of those activities and pinpoint why those activities are important and what they say about you, your family, and/or your culture. One possible approach to this essay is to  consider  your description of the activity or ritual as an analogy in which you use the doing of  something to illustrate an abstract concept.

 

Significant activity warm-up

Here's one way of approaching this assignment:

1. In your writer's notebook, freewrite for 10-15 minutes, jotting down everything that comes to mind about the stages of the activity or ritual. Be as descriptive and detailed as possible. Sometimes it helps to think of a particular time you engaged in this activity--NOT just the activity in general.
2. Next, look over your notes and then complete these sentences for EVERY STAGE: "I want to write about this part of the process because..."; "The reason this part of the process is so important is ..." ; "To me, this  state represents or shows..."

 

Showcasing character

Go to character warm-up

The task:

Your challenge in this essay to create a polished  four- to six-page double-spaced and typed essay that makes an interesting point about someone you know well or a relationship in which you've been involved by using a clear academic format. The essay could  analogy, comparison/contrast, descriptive or narrative formats to show your readers the complexities of  the person or the relationship. (You may build upon the material you covered in your book study questions or in-class assignments.) One possible way to approach this assignment would be to compare the character or the relationship to something else (in other words, to make an analogy).

CAUTION:

Don't simply tell a story about the person you're describing without letting us know your main point. You may want to assert a thesis at the start of your essay and  then go on to illustrate your point with description, anecdotes, dialogue and examples.

 

Character warm-up exercise

1. Begin by listing in your notebook significant people in your life: ones you love, hate, have fun with, get in trouble with; people who look out for you, serve as examples to you, go out of their way to do you good (or harm); ones who encourage or frustrate you; ones who stir up mixed emotions.
2. Circle the name of person that you can write a lot about.
3. Begin listing the details that make up that person's physical appearance: most noticeable features, favorite clothing, ways of sitting, moving, talking.
4. Start a new list of that person's favorite possessions.
5. Now list what you think you'd find in that person's trash can.
6. Next jot down two or three recent conversations you've had with your subject.
7. Finally, jot down three or four events that stand out in your mind in connection with your subject, especially in connection with your relationship with him or her.
8. Now you're ready to look over your notes and to decide what dominant impression you want to convey about your subject.
9. Circle the descriptions and event (or events) that will help you create that impression.
    

   Defining an abstraction

   Go to definition warm-up

   The task:

   Your challenge in this essay to create a polished  three-page essay double-spaced that makes an interesting point in a format that includes a clear thesis.  The essay should make it clear why you think that Maclean is right or wrong when he argues that we really cannot help the people we love.  You may draw examples from the book OR from your own experience. You may or may not refer directly to the novel. Use a  definition or comparison/contrast format.

   Alternatively, you might consider Maclean's strong implication that artists are free spirits whose creativity may allow them to become one with nature but may keep them uncomfortable with human society.  Or you may define any term that seems especially important to you right now: education, struggle, poverty, adulthood, fun--or whatever you wish. If you take one of these alternative options, you'll have to use your imagination to make the warm-up exercise below fit your essay topic. You may want to refer to the appendixes at the back of St. Martin's for more ideas on creating comparison/contrast and definition essays.
   

   
   

   CAUTION:

   Don't simply tell a single story about a time you helped someone or someone helped you. Instead, you could define the distinguishing characteristics of "true help." Or you might classify kinds of help or to contrast effective and ineffective sorts of aid.

   
   

 

Abstraction warm-up exercise

1. Freewrite for 10 minutes, jotting down a list of all the times you've tried to help other people or other people have tried to help you.
2. Now sort those incidents into contrasting categories labeled "effective" and "ineffective."

    3.   In a third list try to isolate the characteristics that made what happened fit the "effective" or "ineffective" category. At the end of the list, sum up the point you want to make about such "help."