[College Essay
Writing, Reading, & Analysis Skills:]
___Competency 1:
Write essays that use a thesis to establish control over
content; supply relevant and adequate supporting details; employ the
organizational strategies of effective beginnings, transitions, and endings;
and conform to standard edited English.
Comments:
___Competency 2:
Achieve Competency 1 under time constraints (during the WR 121 final exam),
while conforming to expectations of an assigned topic and of edited English
appropriate for timed writing.
Comments:
___Competency 3:
Demonstrate the ability to use a variety of expository essay
patterns, such as definition, classification, analysis, problem-solution, and
comparison-contrast.
Comments:
___Competency 4:
Employ observation; personal experience; active, responsive
reading as the basis for essay content.
Comments:
___Competency 5:
Employ the responsible use of sources (without plagiarizing) as
the basis for essay content.
Comments:
___Competency 6:
Demonstrate, in an essay, a sustained style employing
rhetorically effective tone, persona, diction, idiom, and syntax.
Comments:
___Competency 7:
Use critical reading and writing to analyze and synthesize
ideas in an academic writing sample, identifying rhetorical patterns, major
assertions, and supporting details.
Comments:
[Teamwork, Self-Assessment, Revision &
Editing Skills:]
___Competency 8:
Complete appropriate written critical peer reviews of student
essay drafts, including suggestions for revision and editing.
Comments:
___Competency 9:
Complete at least one (formal or informal) written review of
the student's own writing strengths and weaknesses, including effective
self-prescriptions for improvement.
Comments:
[Writing
Process Skills:]
___Competency 10:
Demonstrate,
monitor, and articulate the complete idiosyncratic process that the individual
writer uses to complete an essay, including such steps as invention, thesis
formation, organization, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading.
Comments:
[Communication
& Rhetorical Analysis Skills]
___Competency 11:
Demonstrate an awareness of a variety of purposes and audiences.
Comments:
List here any other course learning goals of
your own:
Exercise #1
(What can we discover about ourselves through writing and reading?)
a. What Is an Essay? Respond in
writing based on your past experience reading and writing "essays."
b. Select at least two passages from
the Week #1 Dreams reading assignment (restated below) that stimulate
you to react, think, question, free associate, disagree. Quote each
passage, give the page numbers where the passages are found, and write out
your responses to the passages (and be sure to explain why you chose each
passage).
Week #1 Reading Assignment from Dreams:
(a) "To the Student," pp. xxix-xxxi;
(b) Ch. 1: "Discovering Ourselves in Writing," pp. 1-10
(c) Ch. 2: "Discovering Ourselves in Reading," pp. 66-71
Exercise #2
1. Read from Dreams Chs. 1
& 2 (as agreed upon in class during
Week #1)
(a) King, "The Symbolic Language of
Dreams," pp. 37-44
(b) An additional Ch. 1 reading of your choice
(c) Wright, "The Library Card," pp. 74-78
(d) An additional Ch. 2 reading of your choice
2. Ex. #2: For any two
of the above four readings:
(a) Summarize/List main ideas and/or
interpret main messages/themes
(b) Write your (personal and/or critical) responses (you may wish to respond
to one or more of the "Questions" that follow the selected
readings)
Recommended: Try to account for your responses by identifying what in
the readings you are reacting to (cite passage & page number) and why
you are responding as you are.
Exercise #3
1. Read (then
re-read) from Dreams Ch. 3:
(a) [Introduction] "Memories from Childhood," pp. 111-117
(b) Two selections of your choice from Ch. 3 "Readings"
section
Recommended Procedure:
·
To help you identify and analyze narrative techniques, use
the Ch. 3 introduction (pp. 111-117) and the "Questions for
Discussion" following each of your two selected readings.
·
Proceed by re-reading and identifying features or passages of the
selected readings that you think represent necessary, effective and/or striking techniques
used to tell the stories.
2.
Ex. #3: Identify & Analyze Narrative (Storytelling) Techniques in the two
Ch. 3 readings that you have selected.
(a) Choose two or three features/passages from
each of your two readings that you would like to discuss in Exercise #3.
(b) Cite (summarize,
paraphrase, and/or quote) those chosen features or
passages in your two selected Ch. 3 readings, accompanying your citations
with page numbers (and paragraph numbers if applicable) so that we can
locate your citations.
(c) Then analyze (comment on) each citation: Describe the narrative
technique used as best you can, and explain why you think that
it is worthy of examination--with attention to why it enhances the
effectiveness of the reading, what WR 121 writers could learn from it,
and/or how we might apply this technique to our own writing.
Essay #1: Literacy
Narrative
[on separate webpage] - URL: http://www.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/wr121/essay1.htm
Exercise #4
1. Read (then
re-read) from Dreams Ch. 4:
(a) [Introduction] "Dreams, Myths,
& Fairy Tales," pp. 170-175
(b) "Portfolio of Creation Myths," pp. 198-202
(c) Groban's "Two Myths, pp.
221-223
2.
Ex. #4: Outline (chart, or list)
similarities and differences among the creation myths (Tip:
Use Questions, p. 202, to help you.)
“The
Four Functions of Mythology”
by Joseph Campbell (1904-1987),
from Myths, Dreams, and Religion (1970)
Summary
(with examples) by Cora Agatucci
1.
Mystical Function.
To
reconcile human “consciousness with the preconditions of its own
existence”: that is, to redeem
“human consciousness from its sense of guilt in life.” “In mythological
terms: we have tasted the fruit of the wonder-tree of the knowledge of good
and evil, and have lost our animal innocence.”
Different cultures have developed different ways of coping with the
“brutal bloody facts of life.” In
the traditions of Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the basic
myth is that an originally good creation has been corrupted by a fall, but
ultimate world domination by a single, true religion will restore the pristine
state of the original good creation. (185-186).
2.
Cosmological Function. To develop a totalizing cosmology of the universe that
encompasses all things “as parts of a single great holy picture, . . . . all
opening back to mystery” (186)—a “sense of an ideal harmony resting on a
dark dimension of wonder” (188).
3.
Social Function.
To
validate and maintain “some specific social order, authorizing its moral
code” (186).
Examples: In the
Bible, a personal god who created the world is the same god who has authored
the Ten Commandments, a moral code by which believers are to live.
: In India, “the basic
idea of creation is not the act of a personal god, but rather of a universe
that has been in being and will be in being forever (only waxing and waning,
appearing and disappearing, in cycles ever renewed).”
Within this cosmology, the caste system is traditionally regarded as
part of the order of nature (186).
4.
Psychological Function
(which Campbell sees as the root and support for the first three functions).
To
shape individuals “to the aims and ideals of their various social groups,
bearing them on from birth to death through the course of a human life”
(186). All mythologies and their
rituals, according to Campbell, are structured to help humankind address or
control some psychological problems common to “the very biology of our
species.” Example:
Psychological problems created by reaching puberty and undergoing the
necessary cultural passage from childhood into adulthood, from childhood
dependency into adult responsibility appropriate to one’s social role—a
kind of second birth. Another
passage that creates psychological problems for us is brought on by aging, the
loss of youth, crossing from the “prime of life” into declining powers of
older age, that ultimately lead “back to nature and on through the last dark
door” (188).
Quotations
are taken from Rpt in Dreams and Inward Journeys,
ed. Marjorie Ford and Jon Ford, 4th ed. (New York: Longman, 2001),
pp. 184-189
Cora’s Post
script: Narrative Storytelling
Every culture seems to create stories (narratives) as a
way of knowing and making sense of the world.
Not all stories and myths are sacred, of course, yet secular stories
still serve key cultural functions as they are passed from generation to
generation: e.g. to explain,
entertain, teach, transmit or challenge cultural history, values, beliefs,
wisdom, ethics, behavior codes, perceptions of the world, etc.
"…it is only
the story that can continue beyond the war and the warrior.
It is the story that outlives the sound of war-drums and the exploits of
brave fighters.
It is the story...that saves our progeny from blundering like blind beggars
into the spikes of the cactus fence.
The story is our escort; without it, we are blind.
Does the blind man own his escort? No, neither do we the story;
rather it is the story that owns us and directs us.”
--Chinua Achebe, Anthills of the Savannah (1987)
"I will tell you something about stories....They aren't just
entertainment...
They are all we have...to fight off illness and death.
You don't have anything if you don't have the stories."
--Leslie Marmon Silko, epigraph to Ceremony (1977)
Week #4
See Fall 2001 WR 121 Course Plan
for Deadlines
Comparison
– Contrast Organizational Structure
Common Bases (or Points) for
Comparison-Contrast Analysis
In the case of
the “Portfolio of Creation Myths” (Dreams pp. 198-202)—the
topic of Ex. #4, the “Questions for Discussion” (p. 202)
suggest some common bases (or points) for comparing/contrasting the creation
stories. Cora’s handout, a
summary of Joseph Campbell’s “Four Functions of Mythology” offers
another set of categories that could be used to analyze
similarities/differences among myths and other stories; and/or to classify
myths and stories according to the function(s) they serve.
Similarly, Bruno Bettelheim’s “Fairy Tales and the Existential
Predicament” (pp. 203-207) presents his theory of the functions of fairy
tales (see also “Questions for Discussion,” p. 207)—which could be
applied to analyzing the “Four Versions of Cinderella” (pp.
208-220).
**********
Joshua Grogan’s “Two Myths”
(Dreams pp. 221-223) is an example of a comparison-contrast essay.
Grogan’s essay is organized in Point-by-Point Structure
(alternating between Subjects). In Paragraph 1 (p. 221), Grogan:
P.S.
**Can you locate Grogan’s Thesis?**
There is another way to organize comparison-contrast essays.
If Grogan had used Subject-by-Subject Structure, the outline of
the body of his essay would look like the following.
2. Subject-by-Subject Structure
Introduction (para. 1)
Body:
Subject
A: Bible’s Genesis
Point 1:
gender relations: view of women (para. 2)
Point 2:
environment: view of nature (para. 3)
Point 3:
man’s relationship to God (para. 4)
Subject
B: Yao myth “Chameleon
Finds”
Point 1: gender relations: view of women (para.
5)
Point 2: environment: view of nature (para.
6)
Point 3: man’s relationship to God (para.
7)
Conclusion (para. 8)
Exercise #5
1. Read from Dreams Ch. 4:
(a) Bettelheim's "Fairy Tales and the Existential
Predicament," pp. 203- 207
(b) "Four Versions of Cinderella," pp. 208-220
(c) Scheps's "Cinderella: Politically Incorrect?," pp.
224-228
2. Ex. 5: Summarize (or
Outline) Main Ideas in Bettelheim's essay
(Tip: Use Questions #1 -
#5, p. 207, to help you.)
Exercise
#6 (slightly modified):
Identify evaluation
criteria, judgments, & supporting evidence you find in two of the
following:
(a) Grobin, "Two Myths," pp. 221-223
(b) Scheps, "Cinderella: Politically Incorrect?" pp. 224-228
(c) Bettelheim's essay
Structuring
& Developing Evaluation Essays
Evaluation essays are a kind of
argument because a key, audience-centered purpose is to persuade your readers
to accept your (positive, negative, or mixed) evaluation of the subject(s) as
reasonable and persuasive.
1.
Thesis: This part is usually easy because, by definition, an
Evaluation Essay evaluates —that is, the thesis expresses an opinion that
passes judgment (positive, negative, or mixed) upon the
subject(s) under discussion.
(Evaluation of a single subject:)
The Victorian Café is a great place to have
breakfast in Bend.
Oscar and
Lucinda is a film well worth seeing.
An evaluation essay can also be a comparison/contrast
essay when the thesis evaluates two subjects in relation to each
other (e.g.. Subject A is better--or worse--than Subject B.
Or Subject A is better in some ways but worse in other ways than
Subject B.)
(Evaluation of two subjects:)
The
Westside Café and Colors both serve good food at affordable prices, but if
you dislike long waits and noisy crowds, Colors is a better place than the
Westside Café to have breakfast on a winter morning in Bend.
For people
who like unusual love stories and great acting, Oscar and Lucinda is a
better film than Titanic.
2.
Supporting Reasons based on clear Evaluation Criteria: A complete
thesis for an evaluation essay must also preview good reasons to
support the thesis judgment on the Subject(s): in other words, you need a “because”
clause to support your thesis judgment. These
supporting reasons should be based on clear, explicit evaluation criteria
appropriate to judging the subject(s) being evaluated and likely to be
accepted as valid by readers. Supporting
reasons and appropriate evaluation criteria are proposed in the following
thesis statements:
The
Westside Café and Colors both serve good food at affordable prices,
but if you dislike long waits and noisy crowds, Colors is a
better place than the Westside Café to have breakfast on a winter morning in
Bend.
For people
who like unusual love stories, great acting, and beautiful
atmospheric cinematography, Oscar and Lucinda is well
worth the price of admission.
3.
Evaluation Criteria for judging Subject(s), as stated above, should be:
4.
Organizing and Developing an Evaluation Essay
Evaluation criteria should be used
to organize the body of an evaluation essay.
If you are comparing/contrasting two Subjects in order to evaluate
them, you should use one of the two structures previously introduced: a. Point-by-Point or b. Subject-by-Subject.
In this case, your evaluation criteria
= your Points.
To
develop your evaluation essay fully and persuasively, you need to apply
your evaluation criteria and then show, through well-selected examples from
the Subject(s) under discussion, that the Subject(s) do (or do not) meet your
stated evaluation criteria.
Each body paragraph offers a topic
sentence that passes judgment on the Subject using the Point (evaluation
criterion) being developed in that paragraph.
(For
example:)
Both
the Westside Café and Colors serve good, hearty breakfasts at affordable
prices under $10.00 per person.
The
love story dramatized in Oscar and Lucinda is unusual and interesting
both because of the offbeat leading characters and the surprising plot twists
their story takes.
Then, taken together, the body
paragraph topic sentence judgments and supporting development must be
consistent with the overall Thesis/Central Judgment on the Subject(s).
Week #5
See Fall 2001 WR 121 Course Plan
for Deadlines
1. Analyze
and evaluate:
2. Write your Response to
(and/or questions about) Cora's evaluation, grading, and/or revision
requirements.
3. List areas of your essay
writing skills that you now target for improvement, and briefly explain how
you plan to improve those targeted areas.
Deadlines:
See WR 121
Course Plan
Preliminary
Outline should be as detailed as you can
make it, and must include (1)
Tentative Thesis; (2) Main supporting points (make them complete
statements); (3) Specific examples you will use to support your points.
Essay Length
& Manuscript Format : Same as for Essay #1.
GENRE:
What you write must be an ESSAY.
ESSAY
TOPIC IS YOUR CHOICE.
NOTE
WELL: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO
WRITE ABOUT OR INCLUDE ANY CITATIONS FROM DREAMS OR ANY OTHER OUTSIDE
SOURCES. HOWEVER, IF YOU DO, YOU
MUST AVOID PLAGIARISM: follow the
directions and models for citing sources and preparing a Works Cited page
given in Essay #1 directions handout.
EXPOSITORY
ESSAY PATTERN: You must use at
least one of the following expository essay patterns to structure and/or
develop your essay (see also WR 121 Course Competency #3, in WR 121 Syllabus).
And remember . . .
YOUR
ESSAY MUST HAVE A THESIS!!
1. ANALYSIS of a single subject.
Example Topics:
Analyze a myth or
fairy tale, breaking it down into a limited number of its characteristics
and/or functions that you deem significant to discuss.
Use your analysis to reveal the cultural/social values underlying the
myth or fairy tale.
NOTE: You may use a myth
or fairy tale given in our textbook. Or
choose another one that you are familiar with (but note that you may need to
include a summary of the story for uninformed readers in your WR 121
audience!) You can use relevant
points for analysis suggested by class exercises and discussion (e.g. see
“Questions for Discussion” in our textbook), functions suggested by Campbell
(see Cora’s summary handout), and/or by
Bettelheim. Or you can develop
analytical points and/or functions of your own.
Analyze the
characteristics of a modern hero/ine (e.g. a Jedi knight from the Star Wars
films or Madonna or Michael Jordan or your mother or
. . . your choice). Use
your analysis to demonstrate the sources of this hero/ine’s appeal and/or
why this hero/ine is (or is not) worthy of admiration and emulation.
2. COMPARISON and/or CONTRAST ANALYSIS of
two subjects.
Example Topics:
A food prepared in a particular way often
suggests much about its culture of origin. Compare and/or contrast two
characteristic dishes from two cultures with which you are familiar.
Write
an extended comparison and/or contrast of two myths or fairy tales, using points
(or bases) of comparison/contrast that you deem significant.
You might use your comparative analysis of stories from different
cultures to speculate on significant differences in cross-cultural values and
beliefs that inform these stories. Or
you might focus on similarities in the two stories to speculate on common
functions or human needs served.
Compare
and/or contrast human behavior with the behavior of a particular kind of
(non-human) animal. You will need
to develop a limited number of categories of behavior that provide points (or
bases) for comparison. Be sure that
you use your comparison and/or contrast analysis of similarities and/or
differences in behaviors to make a thesis point.
3. EVALUATION of a single subject.
Example Topics:
Evaluate a game, a
public service, a popular magazine, a favorite book, an internet provider, a
college course, or….your choice. Be
sure to establish and apply a set of significant evaluation criteria that are
appropriate and relevant to the subject being evaluated, and likely to be
accepted as valid by your audience.
Demonstrate that
Bruno Bettelheim would approve of young children reading The Brothers Grimms’
version of Cinderella, “Aschenputtel” (Dreams 208-214).
Support your thesis by identifying a limited number of key criteria
that Bettelheim presents in his essay “Fairy Tales and the Existential
Predicament” (Dreams 203-207), and demonstrating that
“Aschenputtel” meets these evaluation criteria.
4. EVALUATION of two subjects (using
Comparison and/or Contrast Analysis)
Example Topic:
Evaluate
two different parenting strategies or styles you have observed or experienced.
Use your analysis to demonstrate that one way of parenting is better than
the other, or that each parenting style has its advantages and disadvantages.
Go to Assignments
(2) for Weeks # 6 - 10
See Fall 2001 WR 121 Course Plan
for Deadlines
Fall
2001 WR 121 Syllabus
| Course
Plan | Links:
Writer Resources |
Assignments will be
webposted after they are discussed in class
Assignments (1) | Essay #1
| Assignments (2)
Example Student
Writing - Fall 2001
Cora's WR
121 Home Page | Past
Student Writing | Humanities
Dept Web: Writing
Home Page
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Assignments (1) ~ Fall 2001
URL of this webpage:
http://www.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/wr121/assignments.htm
Last Updated: 26 July 2003
This webpage is maintained by Cora
Agatucci, Professor of English,
Humanities Department, Central
Oregon Community College
I welcome comments: cagatucci@cocc.edu
© Cora Agatucci, 1997-2001
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