The Final Evaluation

The Final Evaluation for this class will take place at 9 a.m. (not 8 a.m.) on Friday, May 6th.

If you are come early, you may pick up an evaluation form in the box on Dr. Benton’s office door (HM 316A). After you have filled it out, you may put it along with your final paper in the box on his door. Dr. Benton will be in about 8:30 a.m., if you have any questions.\

As you put the final touches on your paper, I encourage you to keep these images running through your brain:

Assignment 52: Flow!

Only connect.

52.  When you have a rough draft of your paper, underline transitional words and phrases and bold key terms that are repeated.

Assignments 50 and 51: Keep it moving

50.  Spend a minimum of 15 minutes producing a minimum of 150 words relevant to your final paper.

Post it on your blog.

Due:  Midnight on Wednesday, April 20th.

51.  Spend a minimum of 15 minutes producing a minimum of 150 words relevant to your final paper.

Post it on your blog.

Due:  Midnight on Friday, April 22nd.

And remember:  no scheduled class on either of these days except for the FIVE of you who are going to benefit from exchanging drafts on Friday.  You know who you are!  (And so do I.)  One of you should provide me a brief account of your Friday get together:  who came?  how did it go?

Assignment 49: Jump In

Spend a minimum of 15 minutes producing a minimum of 150 words relevant to your final paper.

Post it on your blog.

Due:  Midnight tonight.

A Roundtable Approacheth: April 15th at 10 a.m. in HM 340

ECU Scholars gather to discuss what makes academic writing academic

"What Makes Academic Writing 'Academic'?" (and other questions worth considering):  A Roundtable,
featuring ECU faculty members (from left to right in the photo at left): Chelsea Baker, Jim Hunter, Jennifer McMahon, Houston Mount, and Robin Murphy.

More Questions Worth Considering (feel free to comment by clicking on the button below!):
Preston Marshall:  Does an academic essay need to be persuasive?  I sometimes think that an essay could be interesting without it being there to persuade the reader to any particular view point. I think an essay could just present an idea or be someone giving their opinion on a matter or sharing something interesting. I just wonder if these types of essays fall more into the personal essay category or can an academic essay be just an exploration as well? When I was in high school all of my teachers led me to believe that an essay was there to persuade someone to your view not to just express a view.

"Free Speech" (1943) by Norman Rockwell

Kaylie Blackwell:  What are the best techniques for developing an academic essay?  This question is interesting to me because I have received conflicting advice concerning the development of academic essays. When I was taking Freshman Comp II, we wrote essays that were mainly based on fact rather than opinion. Our final project for that class was to write essay that essentially resembled scholarly journals. We were required to find a minimum of ten references, and we were never allowed to use "I" or even "you." (And don't even get me started on the five-paragraph format I learned in high school.) In [Dr. Benton’s Reading and Writing Advanced Essays] class, we seem to be focusing more on opinion than fact . . . though we can use facts to back up our opinions. Ironically, we are each responding to at least one reference (usually an article) and the words "I" and "you" are permitted. As a result of this conflicting advice, I would really like to know what is universally accepted in developing academic essays.

Laramie Mims:  Which part of an academic essay do you feel should get the most attention or is the most important? I ask this question because I am curious to see which part should be used to hook and keep the reader interested. I realize every part of an academic essay is important, but is there a specific part that you would find most important or deserves the most attention for any reason?

Assignment 45: Make a Work Plan

Annie Oakley hit her targets.

Establish a series of target deadlines that will you get you to a meaningful 8-10 page "They Say/I Say" academic essay by the start of our final at 8 a.m. on Friday, May 6th.

Break your assignment down into many mini-assignments.  For example, you may want to include deadlines for a 50% draft, a rough draft, and feedback conferences (with your favorite readers).  You may want to establish a date for summarizing an essay you want to use as your launching point.

Due:  E-mail your work plan to me, if you haven't already done so, by the start of class on Wednesday, April 13th.

Once you've turned in your work plan, notify me via e-mail every time you hit one of your target goals.  If you miss a goal, send me a new work plan.

Assignment 44: What Makes an Academic Essay "Academic"?

A Scholar (1631) by Rembrandt van Rijn

Send me an original question that we might pose to any professors who agree to attend a roundtable discussion about the general question:  "What makes an an academic essay 'academic'?"  I'll post approved questions here as they come in.  Due:  Thursday, April 14th at 10 a.m..

Assignment 43: Feedback groups

What kind of feedback do you find helpful?

Send me an e-mail letting me know what kind of feedback group you would like to be in.  Are there particular members of the class you would like to get feedback from?  Would you like to exchange work plans?  Would you like to exchange drafts?

Due: before class on Monday, April 11th.

I expect that we will have feedback meetings in class on the next three Fridays: April 15th, April 22nd, and April 29th.

Assignment 42: Get Inspired

Polyhymnia, the Greek Muse of Sacred Poetry

42.  Attend one of the scheduled readings at the Scissortail Creative Writing Festival.  Keep attending readings until you hear something that inspires you.  Then leave a comment (three-sentence minimum) on the ecuscissortail.blogspot.com website describing the reading that inspired you.  Scheduled readings at the Festival continue through 3 p.m. on Saturday.  Your comment is due by midnight on Saturday, April 2nd.

Assignment 41: So What? Who Cares?

Image source

41.  Read Chapter Seven of They Say/I Say: "'So What? Who Cares?'"  (pp. 92-100).  After you have read the chapter, write a paragraph in which you articulate a response to one of the essays you selected for Assignments #37 and #38.  Then write another paragraph in which you answer the question:  "So What?  Who Cares?"  Try to use at least one of the "Templates for Establishing Why Your Claims Matter" on pages 98 and 99.  Post both of these paragraphs on your blog (along with a clever title, of course).


Due before class on Monday, March 29th.

Writing Awards Deadline: April 8

Assignment 40: Skeptics May Object

Naysayer seeds

40.  Read Chapter Six of They Say/I Say:  "'Skeptics May Objec': Planting a Naysayer in Your Text."  (pp. 78-90).  After you have read the chapter, complete a modified version of either exercise one OR exercise two at the end of the chapter.  The modification is this:  plant the naysayer, but you don't have to respond to it (you'll understand this instruction after you've read the chapter).  When you have finished, e-mail it to me and bring a hard copy to class.  Due before class on Friday, March 25th.

Assignment 39: Did I do that?

Serial block quoter

39.  Review an academic essay you have written (the one you have chosen to analyze for this class or another) and e-mail your answers to these questions:
a)  Do you use block quotations in your writing?  If so, do you think some of these block quotations would have been more effective if they has been shortened?  Explain. Include an example if you have one (paste it into the e-mail).

According to the Purdue OWL:

"You should use a block quotation when the quotation extends more than four typed lines on the page. Although they are allowed in any type of writing, you will likely most often use them when quoting from fiction or literature. A block quotation is removed from the main body of your text. Indent one inch from the main margin (the equivalent of two half-inch paragraph indentations) and begin your quote. Maintain double spacing throughout, but you do not need to use quotation marks."

What he meant vs. what they understood

 b) Do you end paragraphs with quotations?  If so, do you think some of these paragraph-ending quotations would have been more effectively integrated into the essay if you had commented on them in some way?  Explain.  Include an example if you have one (paste it into the e-mail.)

Due before class on Wednesday, March 23rd.

Assignment 36: "And Yet"

36. Read Chapter Five of They Say/I Say ("And Yet:  Distinguishing What You Say from What They Say"; pp.68-74).  When you have finished, complete exercise 1 on page 75.  E-mail it to me and bring a hard copy to class.  Due by the start of class on Monday, March 21st Wednesday, March 23rd.

Assignments 37 and 38: Two Points of Departure

Look for two separate essays.  Each should meet a different one of the descriptions provided here:
a) an essay you disagree with;
b) an essay you agree with but can add to in an interesting way;
c) an essay you have mixed feelings about.

Briefly summarize the argument of each essay and state whether you agree with it, disagree with it, or have mixed feelings about it.

37. Post one of these summaries to your blog by midnight on Wednesday, March 23rd.


38. Post the other summary to your blog by the beginning of class on Friday, March 25th.

When choosing your essays, try to find some that you are interested in writing an extended response to.

The Argument Clinic

Assignment 35: "Yes/No/Okay, But"

Bryan Garner

35.  Read Chapter Four of They Say/I Say:  "Yes/No/Okay, But" (55-67) and the handout on Quoting from Garner's Modern American Usage (which I distributed in class; an extra copy is in the box of my office door). After you have read the chapter, complete exercise one on page 67 and e-mail it to me; also bring a hard copy to class (to complete this assignment, you'll need to read one of the essays included in the "Readings" section at the back of the text, either:  "Don't Blame the Eater" by David Zinczenko (195-197), "Hidden Intellectualism" by Gerald Graff (198-205), "Nuclear Waste" by Richard A. Muller (206-213), or "Agonism in the Academy:  Surviving the Argument Culture" by Deborah Tannen (214-220).  Due:  Before class on Friday, March 11th.

Assignment 34: "As He Himself Puts It"

34.  Read Chapter Three of They Say/I Say:  "As He Himself Puts It:  The Art of Quoting" (pp. 42-50).  Then look through the academic essay you have selected to analyze for this class and answer these questions:
a)  Does the essay have an "I say" moment?  If so, copy it down and identify the page on which it appears (it should be no more than a couple of sentences).  If not, explain why not and whether you think it would be stronger if it had one.
b)  Does the essay have a "They say" moment?  If so, copy part of it down and identify the page on which it appears (it should be no more than a couple of sentences).  If not, explain why not and whether you think it would be stronger if it had one.
c)  Does the essay include passage quoted from other texts?   If not, explain why not and whether you think it would be stronger if it did.  If it does, see if you can find an example of one well-framed quote and one poorly framed one.  Cut and paste into an e-mail these respective quotes and the paragraphs they appear in (including, presumably, their frame).

Send all of these to me via e-mail and bring a hard copy print out to class (along with the entire essay from which the examples are taken).  Due before class on Wednesday, March 9th.

Writing is rewriting

Lightning

In today's class, I returned overview comments (and grades) for the personal essays that were turned in February 25th.  If you choose to revise your essay for a higher grade, the deadline is Monday, March 28th.

The revision must be accompanied by a commentary that describes the changes made and changes in the revised draft should be in bold. In order to get a higher grade, the revised draft must be substantially different from the original draft.  And please: don't limit yourself to revising the things I suggested revising.

Click here for 300 inspirational words from Richard Nordquist (and others) on the value of revision (and an explanation of the lightning photo).

Assignments 32: "Her Point Is" and 33 "What Makes Academic Writing Academic?"

32.  Read "Her Point Is:  The Art of Summarizing" (pp. 30-40) of They Say/I Say.  After you have finished reading the chapter, do exercise one on page 40.  E-mail me a copy of both summaries and bring a hard copy of each summary to class on Monday.  We will exchange these summaries in class on Monday.  Due:  Before class on Monday, March 7th.

Scene from Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)

33.  What makes academic writing "academic"?  Is it the topic discussed?  The tone employed?  The use of academic references?  The appeal to rationality and evidence?  Something else?  Share your thoughts in the comment space for this post.  Please read previous answers before weighing in yourself.  Look for common ground or points of difference with your classmates.  Due:  before class on Monday, March 7th. 

Assignment 31: "They Say . . ."

31.  After you have read Chapter One:  "They Say:  Starting with What Others Are Saying" in They Say/I Say (pp. 19-28), complete EITHER exercise 1 or 2 at the end of the chapter and e-mail it to me (in the body of an e-mail, not as an attachment, please). Also, please bring a hard copy to class.  Due before class on Friday, March 4th.

Assignment 30: "Entering the Conversation"

Cartoon by Mark Stivers

30.  After you have read the "Introduction: Entering the Conversation" to They Say/I Say (2nd edition), complete EITHER exercise 1 on page 14 or exercise 2 on page 15. You  choose.  E-mail a copy to me before class and bring a hard copy to class as well.  Due by the start of class on Wednesday, March 2nd.

Assignment 29

29. Read "Introduction: Entering the Conversation" (pp. 1-15) of They Say/I Say (2nd edition) by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein by the beginning of class on Monday, February 28th.

Attention personal essayists . . .

Stupid, eh?  Yeah, I'm Stupid. Stupid like a fox!

Consider minimizing:

1. Everybody's-stupid-except-me rants (unless they are unusually perceptive or funny); 

2. shallow wisdom (a. k.a . pre-fabricated sermonettes);

3. generic identifiers (e.g.:  "the car").

Consider maximizing:

1. Everybody's-stupid-and-so-am-I rants;

2. reflections that convey meaning (but not always clarity) without being tied up with a moral-of-the-story bow; 

3. specific descriptors (e.g.:  "an unwashed '97 blue Taurus with a peeling "I'm a User" bumper sticker in the back window on the driver's side").

Assignments 26, 27, 28

Generic Car

26.  E-mail me a copy of an academic essay you have written.  It could be one you are satisfied with or one you'd like to work on more.  Due before class on Wednesday, February 23rd.

27.  Find a relatively generic phrase or word in one of your five first paragraphs and describe it with greater specific detail.  E-mail me a copy of the original sentence and the revised sentence (or sentences). Bring a hard copy to class.  Due before class on Wednesday, February 23rd.

Specific Car

28.  Develop one of your first five paragraphs in the direction of a full-length essay (minimum:  two paragraphs, but you'll benefit more if you get more a draft out there).  E-mail me a copy and bring a hard copy to class.  Due before class on Wednesday, February 23rd. 

Assignment 25

25. Read any essay in The Art of the Personal Essay that interests you. As you are reading, be on the lookout for a vocabulary word that is new to you. Look up its definition and e-mail it to me along with the sentence where you found it and the title of the essay after you have finished reading the entire essay. Due before class on Monday, February 21st.  Come to class on Monday ready to discuss the essay and the ways that it corresponds with the qualities Lopate attributes to the personal essay in the introduction. Also take note of interesting turns of phrase or turns of thought, effective descriptive passages or intriguing ideas.

Be prepared to identify the essay's positive qualities (even if you don't endorse it).  We'll be playing "the believing game" in class.

You may choose to create a "conversation starter" for this essay.  If so, e-mail it to me before class.  You do not need to print copies for everyone in the class.

Write a full-length personal essay

Picasso at work. Photo: Andre Villers

Your essay should have some of the qualities described by Lopate in his introduction to The Art of the Personal Essay.

How long is "full-length"?  Comparable to the length of the essays in our textbook.  Include a word count at the end.

Bring a hard copy to class and e-mail me a copy as well.

Due by the start of class on Friday, February 25th.

Assignment 24

Hook Turn Sign in Melbourne

24.  Write the first paragraph of five essays you would like to write.  Try to give them titles and openings that will hook a reader's interest.  Consider including an intriguing turn. As you write them, publish them as 5 separate posts on your blog.  When you have written them all, e-mail a copy of all five to me in a single e-mail.  Bring five hard copies to class on the due date. Due by the start of class on Friday, February 18th.

Assignment 23

23. Read "For My Brothers and Sisters in the Failure Business" by Seymour Krim (577-586). As you are reading, be on the lookout for a vocabulary word that is new to you. Look up its definition and e-mail it to me along with the sentence where you found it after you have finished reading the entire essay. Due before class on Wednesday, February16th. Come to class on Wednesday ready to discuss the essay and the ways that it corresponds with the qualities Lopate attributes to the personal essay in the introduction. Also take note of interesting turns of phrase or turns of thought, effective descriptive passages or intriguing ideas.

Paula will be providing a "conversation starter" for this essay.

Assignment 22

Edward Hoagland

22.  Read "The Courage of Turtles" by Edward Hoagland (1968; 657-662).  As you are reading, be on the lookout for a  vocabulary word that is new to you.  Look up its definition and e-mail it to me along with the sentence where you found it after you have finished reading the entire essay.  Due before class on Friday, February 11th.  Come to class on Wednesday ready to discuss the essay and the ways that it corresponds with the qualities Lopate attributes to the personal essay in the introduction.  Also take note of interesting turns of phrase or turns of thought, effective descriptive passages or intriguing ideas.

Chad Large will be providing a "conversation starter" for this essay.

The prime directive

Make it true; make it interesting.

When writing a personal essay, keep these two goals in mind:
a) make it true;*
b) make it interesting.

Useful approaches:
1) tell a story to make a point;
2) hook your readers' interest with a well-crafted title ("On the Pleasure of Hating") and a well-crafted first sentence:  ("Soon after I arrived at Crossgates [not immediately, but after a week or two, just when I seemed to be settling into the routine of school life] I began wetting my bed.");
3) juxtapose unlike things (such as "courage" and "turtles");
4) put a "money word" (examples:  "torture," or "bed wetting") in a dramatic position in your first sentence;
5) use short sentences to draw attention to a particular idea (example:  "My father drank" as an essay starter);
6) position powerful ideas or arresting images at the end or at the beginning of a paragraph;
7) don't use more words than you need;
8) avoid self-righteousness, piety, platitudes and cliches;
9) question your conclusions; think "against" yourself;
10) include specific details to make your images vivid (" . . . at almost every point some filthy detail obtrudes itself. For example, there were the pewter bowls out of which we had our porridge. They had overhanging rims, and under the rims there were accumulations of sour porridge, which could be flaked off in long strips.";
*11) don't settle for easy truths.

Assignments 20 and 21

20.  Read "Under the Influence" by Scott Russell Sanders (1989; 733-745).  As you are reading, be on the lookout for a  vocabulary word that is new to you.  Look up its definition and e-mail it to me along with the sentence where you found it after you have finished reading the entire essay.  Due before class on Wednesday, February 2nd.  Come to class on Wednesday ready to discuss the essay and the ways that it corresponds with the qualities Lopate attributes to the personal essay in the introduction.  Also take note of interesting turns of phrase or turns of thought, effective descriptive passages or intriguing ideas.

21.  Add a new post to your blog.  Due before class on Wednesday, February 2nd.  Possible subjects (relevant to the essays by George Orwell and F. Scott Fitzgerald that we have recently read) include:  "Loss;" "Injustice;" "Suffering;" "He/She/They made me feel small;" "If I were a household object;" "I am of two minds;" "I changed;" "I was a jerk/a coward/a bully;" "They lied to me and I believed them;" "When I was an outsider."  Or anything else that your essay-writing muse brings you.

George Orwell documentary

This is not the real George Orwell; it's an actor playing the part of George Orwell for a 2003 BBC documentary titled "George Orwell:  A Life in Pictures."




Click here to read an interesting essay on Orwell, titled "Such, Such was Eric Blair," which was published in 2009 in the New York Review of Books.

Not YOUR blog

I just came across this "nerdcore hip hop" wrap. I include here in the spirit of giving voice to the opposition (and because I thought it was funny). This does not release you from your obligation to keep it positive in this class!  Click here to read to MC Frontalot's blog.

Assignments 18 and 19

George Orwell (1903-1950)

18.  Read "Such, Such were the Joys" by George Orwell (1952); click here for an online version.  As you are reading, be on the lookout for a  vocabulary word that is new to you.  Look up its definition and e-mail it to me along with the sentence where you found it after you have finished reading the entire essay.  Due before class on Monday, January 31st.  Come to class on Monday ready to discuss the essay and the ways that it corresponds with the qualities Lopate attributes to the personal essay in the introduction.  Also take note of interesting turns of phrase or turns of thought, effective descriptive passages or intriguing ideas.

19.  Write the first line of five original essays that you would like to write.  E-mail them to me.  Also print out five copies and bring them to class.  Due before class on Friday, February 4th 10th (due to weather delay).

Assignment 17

17.  Make a comment on posts made by two classmates, one that you choose at random and one that I assigned to you  in class on Wednesday (Chad on Lisa, Lisa on Preston, Preston on Lindsi, Lindsi on Megan, Megan on Rodney, Rodney on Trevor, Trevor on Brock, Brock on Ryan, Ryan on Joshua, Joshua on Paula, Paula on Cody, Cody on Katie, Katie on Kaylie, Kaylie on Geri, Geri on Laramie, Laramie on Wendi, Wendi on Chad).  Keep it positive.  Mention a turn of phrase or turn of thought you liked in the post, or share a similar (or dissimilar) experience or point of view.  Send me an e-mail letting me know whose posts you have commented on. Due before class on Friday, January 28th.

Assignments 14, 15, and 16

Fitzgerald in the late 1930s

14.  Read "The Crack-Up" by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1936; 520-531).  As you are reading, be on the lookout for a  vocabulary word that is new to you.  Look up its definition and e-mail it to me along with the sentence where you found it after you have finished reading the entire essay.  Due before class on Wednesday, January 26th.  Come to class on Friday ready to discuss the essay and the ways that it corresponds with the qualities Lopate attributes to the personal essay in the introduction.  Also take note of interesting turns of phrase or turns of thought, effective descriptive passages or intriguing ideas.

15.  Add a new post to your blog.  Due:  Before class on Wednesday, January 26th. Possible assignments: a) a memory associated with food; b) any other topic that the essay-writing muse brings to you.

16.  Send me an e-mail letting me know which of your titles your classmates liked the most.  Due:  Before class on Wednesday, January 26th.

Assignments 10, 11, 12, 13

M. F. K. Fisher

10.  Read "Once a Tramp, Always" by M. F. K. Fisher (1968; 546-555).  As you are reading, be on the lookout for a  vocabulary word that is new to you.  Look up its definition and e-mail it to me along with the sentence where you found it after you have finished reading the entire essay.  Due before class on Monday, January 24th.  Come to class on Friday ready to discuss the essay and the ways that it corresponds with the qualities Lopate attributes to the personal essay in the introduction.  Also take note of interesting turns of phrase or turns of thought, effective descriptive passages or intriguing ideas.  We will discuss these in class on Monday (along with your lists of essay titles).

11.  Volunteer to produce a "conversation starter" about one of the essays assigned for class.  This conversation starter should include the following four elements: a) a 2-3 -sentence summary of the essay; b) a list of 2-3 themes, issues, or ideas evident within the text; c) a list of a couple of the qualities evident in the essay (taken from the qualities Lopate attributes to the personal essay in the introduction; d) 2-3 memorable quotes from the text.  Copies should be made for the 18 people who may attend the class and an additional digital copy should be sent to me so that I may add it to the course website.  If you send me the digital copy 24 hours in advance, I can print the photocopies for you.  Everyone should volunteer to do this at least once.  As students volunteer (and complete) this task, I will list their names here:  Rodney (due date: January 25);  Chad Large (due date, February 11); Paula Wiest (February 16).

12.  Add a new post to your blog.  Due:  Before class on Monday, January 25th. Possible assignments: a) "dissect"a friend or close relation (as Hazlitt says he and his posse used to do ("Our mutual acquaintances were considered merely as subjects of conversation an knowledge, not at all of affection. We regarded them no more in our experiments than 'mice in an air-pump:' or like malefactors, they were regularly cut down and given over to the dissecting-knife" [194]);  b)  describe the flaws of others at length and then turn the harsh light on yourself (as Hazlitt does);  c) reflect on Hazlitt's views on the centrality of hatred to religion, patriotism, our literary tastes, or the human experience in general; d) challenge a commonly held piety (as Hazlitt did when he challenged the notion that people treasure old friendships; e) reflect on a broken relationship (as Hazlitt did when recalling old friendships that have soured or dissolved); f) any combination of the above or any other topic that the essay-writing muse brings to you.

13.  Read the first line of every essay in The Art of the Personal Essay.  Identify the five first lines you consider the most intriguing.  Copy them out, send them to me in an e-mail, and bring a print copy to class.  Due:  Friday, January 28th.

Old friendships are like . . .

Drop 50 lbs?  It's too late now. 

". . . meats served up repeatedly, cold, comfortless, and distasteful.  The stomach turns against them."  That's William Hazlitt's view, expressed in "The Pleasure of Hating" (1826).

Other views:  Old friendships are like . .
"the video collection you keep in the garage:  you are nostalgic for them but would still rather watch your new DVDs (Lisa);  "a worn-out, holey sock that used to be comfortable, but now your toe sticks through the end. . . . you keep it in the drawer, though, just in case you run out of your other pairs (Rodney); "spam; and your memory doesn't have a pop-up blocker (Katie)."  And what flashes through your mind when you run into an old friend?  "It's too late to drop 50 lbs. when you're standing in the ring (the boxing ring, that is)."  (Chad)

For another view (?), see the video below.  The song, "Old Friends," was written by Paul Simon (the gentleman on the right in the video) when he was 27 years old (I'm not sure when the video was recorded).  In October of 2011, Mr. Simon will be 70.



Old friends, old friends
Sat on their parkbench like bookends.
A newspaper blown through the grass
falls on the round toes
of the high shoes of the old friends

Old friends, winter companions, the old men,
lost in their overcoats, waiting for the sunset.
The sounds of the city sifting through trees
settles like dust on the shoulders of the old friends.

Can you imagine us years from today,
sharing a parkbench quietly?
How terribly strange to be seventy.

Old friends, memory brushes the same years,
silently sharing the same fears.

Time it was and what a time it was,
a time of innocence,
a time of confidences.
Long ago, it must be;
I have a photograph.
Preserve your memories:
they're all that's left you.

Assignments Seven, Eight and Nine

7.  Read "On the Pleasure of Hating" (1826; 189-198) by William Hazlitt (1778-1830).  As you are reading, be on the lookout for a  vocabulary word that is new to you.  Look up its definition and e-mail it to me after you have finished reading the entire essay.  Due before class on Friday, January 21st. Come to class on Friday ready to discuss the essay and the ways that it corresponds with the qualities Lopate attributes to the personal essay in the introduction.  Also take note of interesting turns of phrase or turns of thought, effective descriptive passages or intriguing ideas.  We will discuss these in class on Friday.

8.  Make a comment on posts made by two classmates, one that you choose at random and one that I assigned to you (Wendi on Katie, Katie on Lisa, Lisa on Megan, Megan on Ryan, Ryan on Kaylie, Kaylie on Rodney, Rodney on Chad, Chad on Paula, Paula on Josh, Josh on Brock, Brock on Trevor, Trevor on Lindsi, Lindsi on Laramie, Laramie on Preston, Preston on Cody, Cody on Geri, Geri on Wendi).  Keep it positive.  Mention a turn of phrase or turn of thought you liked in the post, or share a similar (or dissimilar) experience or point of view.  Send me an e-mail letting me know whose posts you have commented on. Due before class on Friday.

9.  Make a list of the titles of 5 essays you would like to write.  E-mail them to me before class on Monday, January 24th and bring a hard copy with you to class on that day.

Assignments Five and Six

What kind of essayist are you? (Painting by Diana Golledge)

5.  Read the questions associated with the subsections of the Introduction to The Art of the Personal Essay. Use one of them as the point of departure for a new post.  You can either reflect on the reason why your answer to that particular question is "yes."  Or you write a post that illustrates the quality under discussion.  Due before class on Wednesday, January 19th.

6.  Read the titles of all the essays included in The Art of the Personal Essay.  Identify the five that seem most interesting to you.  Send that list to me in an e-mail.  Due before class on Wednesday, January 19th.  Bring a hard copy of the same list to class on Wednesday, January 19th and be prepared to discuss it.

What Kind of Personal Essayist am I?

Ambivalence = Mixed Feelings (Photo by SashaW)

I. The Conversational Element (xxiv-xxv). Am I willing to explore feelings of ambivalence or doubt?

II. Honesty, Confession, and Privacy (xxv-xxvii). Am I open to revealing sensitive details about my private life?

III. The Contractions and Expansions of the Self (xxvii-xxix). Am I open to discussing my personal flaws? Am in interested in revealing my extensive knowledge of a particular subject?

IV. The Role of Contrariety (30-31). Am I interested in articulating an opinion readers are likely disagree with?

"Echo and Narcissus" by John William Waterhouse (1903)

V. The Problem of Egotism (31-32) Do I have a response to those who might accuse me of vanity (for writing about myself, my experiences and opinions)?

VI. Cheek and Irony (32-33). Do I enjoy making fun of people?

"Idleness" by John William Godward (1900)

VII. The Idler Figure (33-35). Do I celebrate idleness?

VIII. The Past, the Local, and the Melancholy (35-37). Do I want to focus on “the local”? Am I interested in looking back at past experiences and reflecting on how they shaped the person I have become?

IX. Questions of Form and Style (37-41). Do like to meander into unexpected places instead of taking a straight path from A to B?

X. Quotation and the Uses of Learning (41-42). Am I interested in using texts I’ve read to propel my writing?

Assignments Three and Four

Disappointment.

3. Make a new post to your blog.  Possible subjects:  "One of my flaws;" "That's me:  A story;" "I failed;" "Above my head." These topics were inspired by posts published by members of the class.
Due by the start of class on Friday, January 14th.

4.  Read pp. xxiii-xlv of Introduction to The Art of the Personal Essay by Phillip Lopate.  At the beginning of Friday's class, I'll ask everyone to write the sentence "I have read the entire assignment and I am ready to discuss it" on a sheet of paper--if it is true;  if it is not true, I'll ask you to explain why."
Due by the start of class on Friday, January 14th.

As you are reading, ask yourself which of the qualities Lopate describes might also describe the kind of personal essayist you imagine yourself becoming.  Later, I will ask you to write about this.

Assignment Two

World of Automatons

Make another post to your infant blog (and soon you will become a writing machine like the young woman in the image at left--one of my former students).

Possible topics related to the content of our first two classes include:
"I do what they tell me" ("If they tell me to sign up for Reading and Writing Advanced Essays," for example . . .)
"My Passion"
"School is not cool"
"Putting on Airs"  (Montaigne says he avoids it in his essays)
"My Naked Self" (Think:  Montaigne's aesthetic)
"Photos of Me"  (How do you feel about having your photo taken?  Do you have a favorite photo of your self?  One you hate?  One that brings up strong memories?)
"X" (whatever you want it to be)

Consider using a concrete particular (a specific image or experience, for example) to find your way into the topic.

Length:  You decide
Due date:  10 a.m., Wednesday, January 12th

Your first assignment

Send me (sbenton@ecok.edu) an e-mail from the e-mail account you use most often (it doesn't have to be your school address).  Include the address of the blog where you have made your first post for this course (follow the steps below to set up your blog).

Due:  before class on Monday, January 10th.

How to set up a blog:
1.  Go to www.blogger.com
2.  Create a google account (use an existing e-mail account to register).
3.  Send me your password if you’re afraid you might lose it; I’ll be your password bank.
4.  Choose a recognizable “display name,” as in your actual first (and last?) name rather than a nickname.

Uncharted waters

5.  Once you’ve created a google account, click on the “create a new blog” link.
6.  The title of your blog can have spaces in it (and you can change it later).
7.  Your blog’s address (what goes between the “www” and the “blogspot.com”) cannot have spaces in it.  I recommend that you choose an address that will be easy for other people to spell when you tell it to them.
8.  The title and your address do not have to be the same.
9.  When choosing a template for your blog, think “readability.” In other words, avoid dark pink on a black background. (You can easily change your template later.)
10.  Once you’ve created your blog, click on the “start posting” link. Your first post may be as long or as short as you want it to be.
11. Need a subject? Try “On Exploring Uncharted Waters.” Describe your feelings about trying new experiences for the first time or about entering unfamiliar territory.

He just posted his first assignment.

12. When you’re finished with your post, click “publish.” Or click “save as draft” if you’re not ready for anyone to see it yet. Whether you publish or save your post as a draft, you can go back in and revise it later if you want to.
13. Clicking on “new post” in the upper right hand corner will take you back to the dashboard. Once there, you can change some of your settings. Click on the “settings” tab. Then the “formatting” tab. Change the “time zone” to “(GMT-06:00): Central.”

14.  When you've done all this, send me a celebratory e-mail, or preferably, a short video of you doing a celebratory dance.  But the e-mail is OK, if you don't want to do the dance video.

Spring 2011 Course Syllabus

English 3113:  Reading and Writing Advanced Essays

Instructor:  Dr. Steve Benton                                                                     
Office:  316A, ext. 448

E-mail:  sbenton@ecok.edu              
Office Hours:  MW 11-12; T/TH 2–3 and by appointment

Required Textbooks:

The Art of the Personal Essay.  Selected and with an introduction by Phillip Lopate.  New York:  Anchor, 1994.

They Say/I Say:  The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing.  Second Edition. (Norton, 2010).

Official Course Description:

3 hours.  Prerequisite:  ENG 1213 or departmental approval.  Practice in narrative, descriptive and persuasive modes of discourse.