Day 21: Writing, Discussing, the essay topic

1. Walt & Ray: was this an effective comparison? essay? what can we take away from this piece?

2. Some speed writing

3. The essay topic: FOOD!

Day 20: writing then discussing

Writing Options

1. Write about a way in which you've felt you've had a foot in two different worlds. Your experience can pertain to race and affluence, social class, religion, or some other characteristic. Write about balancing these two worlds. Are there ways in which you appreciate having dual membership, or is it only a burden? What have you learned (the so what)?

2. Write about the demands of two different college applications. Your experience can focus on the writing, the required tests, the specific elements required from each institution. For this topic, try your hand at satire. Make me laugh. Mock the application process a bit.

3. Write about two different years in high school. Now that you've got 3 1/4 years under your belt, reflect, remember, revisit the good times and the bad. Has your perspective on the school changed? Has your perspective on yourself changed?

4. Write about family. Who doesn't love to write about that? You can write about vacations. You can write about siblings or cousins or crazy aunts and uncles. You can write about crazy escape plans you and your brother devised when you were little kids and were convinced a new map was needed each and every night. Go wild!

Discussion questions ... maybe

• Size 6: What purpose does the lengthy narrative serve?
• Everyday Use: In what way does the conclusion of the story echo the beginning? What is the effect of the story's opening and closing in this way?

Compare and Contrast ....

Why we use comparison and contrast
1. To explain the similarities and differences between subjects so as to make either or both of them clear.
2. To evaluate  subjects so as to establish their advantages and disadvantages, strengths and weaknesses.

How to structure
1. Subject-by-subject: Victor's ambition versus Macbeth's ambition
2. Point-by-point: Going against the laws of nature, repercussions for actions, lack of personal responsibility

When is #1 more appropriate? When is #2?

Discussion

The Middle-class Black's Burden

• General responses?
• This was written in 1980. Could it have been published and accepted today? Has much changed?
• Let's get back to SAS: On your own, please identify each element of SAS
• Is McClain point-by-point or subject-by-subject?
• Review of homework questions

Fatso

• General responses?
• How do these two essays show us that discrimination is timeless?
• SAS (again!)
• M&S 2: where does Peck's comparison begin? How does she transition to this part of the essay?
• Is her style effective?

Writing
McClain says she has "a foot in each world." Write about a way in which you feel the same. Your experience can pertain to race and affluence, social class, religion, or some other characteristic. Write about balancing these two worlds. Are thee ways in which you appreciate having dual membership, or is it only a burden? What have you learned (the so what)?

The College Essay: The most important essay of your life (not!)

The college essay assignment!


Where to begin? How about here.

Connecticut College

Johns Hopkins

What did college presidents writer about?

Tips from Carleton College

Opening lines from Stanford essays: Stanford


Assignment for today: thinking about the essay prompts you have to choose from for this essay, let's do some brainstorming!