Essay #2 Directions: Description, Observation, and Memory English ...

Essay #2 Directions:
Description, Observation, and Memory
English 101 (Dr. Wheeler's Classes)
Due Date: Three copies of a rough draft are due at the beginning of class on
Monday, September 10, 2012. Your final version is due by 4:30 p.m. on Friday,
September 14, 2012, in a two-pocket folder, as discussed in the “final copies” part of
the instructions.
When we read Maxine Wong’s essay “All American Girl,” we found Wong
struggling to find balance between her family heritage and her modern
identity. She had difficulty coming to terms with her roots and who she
wanted to be, and her memories of the Chinese Institute were her focal point.
To what extent are you in touch with your family heritage? To what extent
(good or bad) has a particular place shaped your identity?
Your task is to write an essay about either a person or a place important to
you. Write an essay encompassing your memories of that person or place.
Describe that subject for your reader, and make the reader understand why it
matters to your own sense of identity, how this subject shaped your current
philosophical outlook on life, how it helped shape you.
Your essay should develop a clear thesis (a one-sentence argument) about
your subject. Feel free to use additional Aristotelian inventiones like narration
or comparison or contrast to develop your thinking, as listed in the C-N
Online handouts for week two.
If you wish, you can gather information by interviewing relatives or
individuals associated with the place—either by telephone, e-mail, or face-toface
discussion. See the end of these directions for sample Works Cited
entries for interviews.
Your essay should probably include the following components:
(1) Description of the person or the place you are writing about—focusing on
both concrete details of appearance appealing to the five senses and more
abstract personality traits you can “show” the reader through selected details.
Use details that make it real. Be creative and vivid!
(2) You might want to narrate in part of your essay a story or event about that
person or place. Chronological order for transitions might prove useful here.
(3) You will want to provide thoughtful discussion about the chosen topic in
your conclusion. You will want to convey to the reader what you have
learned from that person or from that place. What has it taught you? Why
does it matter? Why is it important? Your conclusion should make that clear
to the reader.
Length: This major essay is a typed or word-processed essay of about four to
five full pages of text, not counting any separate Works Cited page. You may
choose only fonts such as Times or Times New Roman at font size 12. Essays
slightly below this page length will be docked a letter grade. Essays that are a
half-page or more short of the length will be given zeros.
Format: Each essay should be typed or word-processed on high quality paper
(no onion-skin paper or semi-transparent bond paper, please). Aim for a
professional appearance. The essay should be written in the Modern
Language Association format (MLA). You might find it useful to peruse
pages 105 onward of The Little Penguin Handbook for a brief overview. You
do not need a separate title page for this assignment.
In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, please include the following
material double-spaced and flush against the left margin--your name, your
teacher's name, the course including either the meeting time in parentheses or
the section number, and the due date (not necessarily the date you finished the
work). If you wish, you may also include the class meeting time in
parentheses after the course and section number for clarity. Here is a generic
example:
Jane Doe
Professor Wheeler
English 101-B (8:00 a.m.)
18 January 2015
After typing this material in the upper left-hand corner of the first page, you
should double-space and center the title of your composition. Be original. Be
memorable. Make your title count. Note that the title of your own
unpublished essay need not be underlined, italicized, or placed within
quotation marks. Follow normal MLA conventions for capitalization.
The body of your essay should be double-spaced and left-margin justified
rather than fully justified (i.e., your right-side margin will be "ragged" rather
than straight). Maintain one-inch margins all around the essay. On every page

including the first, insert a header with your last name and the page number.
By viewing "header" on most word-processors, you can set up your document
to automatically include such a header on each page.
Final Copies: Submit your final copy in a two-pocket folder by 4:30 p.m. In
the right-hand pocket, insert your final draft. In the left-hand pocket, insert
copies of your rough draft used in peer evaluations, the directions (if printed
out) and copies of materials or sources you cited in the paper (if any). You
will add the "evaluating your evaluators" portion in-class on the day the paper
is due.
Formality: This major essay is semi-formal in tone. You may use firstperson
pronouns ("I," "me," and "my") when appropriate, but avoid secondperson
pronouns ("you" and "yours"), excessive contractions, slang, and other
informalities if they do not enhance the work.
TIPS:
1. Thesis: It is your responsibility--even in a descriptive or narrative paper--to create a
thesis--a statement presenting your basic point or argument to the reader in a
clear, concise manner.
2. Grammar: Grammar and neatness count. Because faulty grammar can lead to
miscommunication, and sloppiness detracts from the author’s ethos in the paper,
grammar and neatness are in many ways inseparable from content. Proofread
essays before submission.
3. Staples: I will not accept papers that are not attached together using paper-clips or
staples. Dog-earing copies together is unacceptable.
Some Interview Tips:
(1) Ask open-ended questions using who, what, where, why, and how rather
than questions that require one-word responses. Good strategies might be “tell
me about. . . .” Or “what do you remember about. . . .”
(2) Start with easy questions to make the interviewee comfortable.
(3) Thank interviewees for agreeing to do the interview and talking with you.
(4) If they are interested, offer interviewees a chance to look over what
you’ve written to make sure you haven’t misinterpreted or misrepresented
anything.
Sample MLA Works Cited entries for interviews:
Works Cited
Doe, John. Personal interview. 6 Sept. 2011.
Smithee, Alan. Telephone interview. 6 Sept. 2011.
Wesson, Smith. E-mail interview. 7 Sept. 2011.
4. Proofreading: Since you will probably use a word-processor, remember to use the
spell-checker but also proofread visually. Your paper should be completely free
of spelling errors.
5. Preparation: Start early, rather than churn out inferior thinking on the night before
the draft is due.
6. Inventiones: Make use of pertinent and appropriate invention techniques for the
process of development.
7. Description: Make appropriate use of the five senses (visual, auditory, tactile,
gustatory, olfactory description). Use general description for the sake of
concision when appropriate, but pick certain important elements as places to
pause and deliver specific detail. Remember the cardinal rule: show, don't tell.