Essay III Options:
The task:
Your challenge in this essay is to created a polished 700- to 800-word essay (about three pages) that (1) makes a point (2) about the significance of a story you heard while you were growing up. In other words, if you loved Cinderella as a child, think about what message about life and love that fairy tale was conveying to you. If stories were told about family members or events, explain what morals or behavior patterns those stories might have suggested to you. You may even want to compare or contrast a story from your childhood with the "pigs in heaven" tale in the book in order to show how your culture shares or diverges from the values expressed in that narration.
| CAUTION: | Don't simply REPEAT or TELL a story for this assignment. Remember, your task is to make a point about the effect of that story on the way you saw things as you grew up. Rather than a narrative organization, you might try a thesis/example, comparison/contrast, or cause/effect pattern. |
Your classmates and your instructors
You may find it comfortable to adapt a first-person voice in this essay; try for a friendly tone expressed in language your university audience will find interesting and appropriate. However, if you need more distance between yourself and your subject, you may want to leave the first person pronoun out of your essay altogether .
Helps:
For more help with writing this kind of essay, see the "Exploratory Essay" section of your Rhetoric On-Line software. (Sorry, no direct links are available.)
You might also check out Purdue University's on-line handout on description and class notes on narration.
For examples of essays that focus on description, check out essay in the Scriblerian's expressive section, paying attention to "Al" and "Please Feed the Animals."
For examples of essays that work to prove a point expressed in a thesis statement, check out essays in the Scriblerian's expository section, paying attention to the way the thesis statements in "Nature Can Inspire and Heal," "Cheating," and "Bullies and Their Victims" give those papers direction.
A. Make a list of possible stories you heard as you grew up: Consider:
- Fairy tales
- Favorite stories about friends and family members
- Sayings, proverbs, or cliches often said by members of your family
- Jokes
- Religious stories
B. Circle the one that seems the most significant to you.
C. Write out a paragraph of who told the story and what you think motivated them.
D. Explain what your reaction was to the story then contrasted with now.
E. E-mail the Online group a short summary of the story along with an explanation of why you want to write about the tale you've chosen.
F. Respond to someone else's warm-up exercise. (It doesn't have to be on the same subject.)
G. After you receive your group's comments, rewrite. Then make four copies of your paper for the class's face-to-face rough draft workshop Monday, April 12.
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The task:
Your challenge in this essay is to created a polished 700- to 800-word essay (about three pages) that makes a point about how stereotypes--either those attached to gender or to some other aspect of your life--have affected (1) your expectations of --or relationships with--other people OR (2) your own goals and aspirations.
| CAUTION: | Don't simply REPEAT ideas covered in previous essays if you've already covered this theme in an earlier major paper. |
The audience:
Your classmates and your instructors
You may find it comfortable to adapt a first-person voice in this essay; try for a friendly tone expressed in language your university audience will find interesting and appropriate. However, if you need more distance between yourself and your subject, you may want to leave the first person pronoun out of your essay.
Helps:
For more help with writing this kind of essay, see the "Exploratory Essays" and "Proving a Thesis" sections of your Rhetoric On-Line software. (Sorry, no direct links are available.)
For examples of essays that focus on description, check out essay in the Scriblerian's expressive section, paying attention to "Al" and "Please Feed the Animals."
For examples of essays that work to prove a point expressed in a thesis statement, check out essays in the Scriblerian's expository section, paying attention to the way the thesis statements in "Nature Can Inspire and Heal," "Cheating," and "Bullies and Their Victims" give those papers direction.
- FREEWRITE for three notebook pages about stereotypes other people might hold of a particular gender, ethnic, religious, or political group you belong to AND/OR generalizations you make about people who belong to groups different from yours.
- Circle the most important stereotype you've discovered and write three more pages about the effects of that stereotype on the way you treat other people, the way you treat them, and the goals you set for yourself. Be sure to tell specific stories about times when stereotypical thinking has affected you.
- Look back over your notes and e-mail the Online group some point or idea about the significance of your experience with stereotypical thinking.
- Respond to someone else's warm-up exercise.(It doesn't have to be on the same subject.)
- After you receive your group's comments, rewrite. Then make four copies of your paper for the class's face-to-face rough draft workshop Monday, April 12.
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Considering cultural values: Option C
The task:
Your challenge in this essay to create a polished 700-800 word essay (about 3 pages) that (1) describes customs or defines values shared by your family, ethnic group, or community (2) AND/OR explains what you've learned when your group's customs/values come into conflict with those held by other people. (The essay should explore customs for values unique to the group about which you're writing.)
| CAUTION: | Don't simply tell a story about the custom you're exploring. Rather than a narrative organization, you might try a thesis/example, comparison/contrast, or cause/effect pattern to make a point about why the custom is significant or to show what it demonstrates about your family. |
Your classmates and your instructors
You may find it comfortable to adapt a first-person voice in this essay; try for a friendly tone expressed in language your university audience will find interesting and appropriate. However, if you need more distance between yourself and your subject, you may want to leave the first person pronoun out of your essay altogether.
Helps:
For examples of essays that focus on description, check out essay in the Scriblerian's expressive section, paying attention to "Al" and "Please Feed the Animals."
For examples of essays that work to prove a point expressed in a thesis statement, check out essays in the Scriblerian's expository section, paying attention to the way the thesis statements in "Nature Can Inspire and Heal," "Cheating," and "Bullies and Their Victims" give those papers direction.
For more help with writing this kind of essay, see the "Exploratory Essay" section of your Rhetoric On-Line software. (Sorry, no direct links are available.)
For more help with kick-starting the writing process for this kind of essay, see one or more of the following:
- starting to write
- overcoming writer's block
- coping with anxiety
If you're writing about a CUSTOM:
(See below if you're writing about a VALUE.)
- First freewrite for 10-15 minutes, jotting down everything that comes to mind about this custom.(You may draw from the custom you wrote about in your book study question or choose a new one to explore.)
- Next, look over your notes and then complete these sentences: "I want to write about this custom because..."; "The reason this custom is so important is ..." ; "To me, this custom represents ..."; without this custom, I (or my family or friends) would not ..."
- Now quickly make list of what happens in connection with the tradition; circle the events that you must include to show why the tradition is important; underline any additional items that must be included to make the tradition clear to the reader.
- At this point, e-mail a message to the Online group explaining what points you think you could make by describing the tradition you intend to focus on. Ask group members if they can spot any possible points that you're missing.
- Respond to someone else's warm-up exercise.
- After you receive your group's comments, rewrite. Then make four copies of your paper for the class's face-to-face rough draft workshop Monday, April 12.
- At this point quickly sketch out your rough draft.
If you're writing about a VALUE, consider the meaning of the word you use to refer to it. (For example, you might have chosen such words as honesty, integrity, family values, respect, responsibility.)
Answer the following questions, adopted from a set of discovery questions suggested by author Elizabeth Cowan Neld in her book Writing (328-329).
- How does the dictionary define _____________?
- What do I mean by _______________________?
- What does my group mean by ______________?
- What unique characteristics define___________?
- Does ____________ mean something that it
- didn't years ago? If so, what?
- What other words mean approximately the same
- as ____________?
- What are some concrete examples of ________?
- When is the meaning of _______ misunderstood?
- Why is the meaning of ________ important?
- At this point, quickly sketch out your rough draft, using your notes from above to help you assert a thesis.
- E-mail the Online group, explaining to them the effect your chosen value has had one you and /or your family.
- After you receive your group's comments, revise. Combining insights from this exercise and your earlier book study question, create a rough draft. Bring four copies of that draft to class on Monday, April 12, for a rough draft workshop.
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The task:
Your challenge in this essay is to created a polished 700- to 800-word essay (about three pages) that (1) takes a stand (2) about either of the issues you wrote about in your study questions--talk shows and cross-cultural adoption. If you choose this option, you'll need to follow the suggestions for organizing a persuasive essay discussed on page 39 of your Scott, Foresman Handbook. You'll also need to find at least two sources that will help you inform the reader of the opposing viewpoints on the issue you've chosen.
| CAUTION: | Be sure to do a little research for this paper so you understand the controversy from both sides. You'll notice that the organizational pattern suggested by your text has a built-in consideration of "counterarguments" to your ideas. Also be sure that you have specifics to back up your ideas. |
Your classmates and your instructors
You may find it comfortable to adapt a first-person voice in this essay; try for a friendly tone expressed in language your university audience will find interesting and appropriate. However, if you need more distance between yourself and your subject, you may want to leave the first person pronoun out of your essay.
Helps:
For more help with writing this kind of essay, see the "Persuasive Essay" section of your "Rhetoric On-Line" software. (Sorry, no direct links are available.)
- First write out a statement that explains what idea you want to convince your readers of in connection with the issue you've chosen. It might help to assert that something SHOULD happen in connection with your topic.
- List four reasons you believe as you do.
- Then list what people who disagree with you might say in reaction to your reasons.
- Finally answer their concerns.
- Once you've finished this task, send an e-mail to the Online group asserting your idea and listing your reasons. Ask group members to react to your ideas.
- Respond to one other person's warm-up exercise. (It doesn't have to be on the same topic or book.)
- Write a rough draft of your essay and bring four copies of it to class on Monday, April 12, for our rough draft workshop.
Return to top of document
Return to the Pigs in Heaven Page
E-mail the Instructor