ENG 1301 The Bedford Guide for Writers Chapter

ENG 1301 The Bedford Guide for Writers

Chapter 1 Writing Processes

Writing is a process.

• They generate ideas. • They plan, draft, and develop their papers. • They revise and edit. Nearly all writers do similar things.

Ideas come to writers in a variety of ways—talking with friends, reading, or reflecting back on a past incident. Discover what to write about.

You’ll need facts and figures, reports, examples, etc. , to shape and support your ideas. Recall, observe, and converse with others who are knowledgeable. Discovering material

• Once you have discovered an idea to write about and gathered some supporting material, you need to sort out what matters most. • If you see one main point, or thesis, test various ways of stating it, keeping your purpose and audience in mind. Planning

• Next, arrange your ideas and material in a sensible order that will clarify your point. • For example, you might group and label your idea, make an outline, or analyze the main point, breaking it down into parts. Planning

• As your ideas begin to emerge, don’t be afraid to take risks at this stage. • You first draft will probably be rough. • Writing takes time—a paper usually needs several drafts and may need a clearer introduction, a stronger conclusion, more convincing evidence, or even a fresh start when your subject is unfamiliar, or complicated. Drafting

Plan Develop Draft

• At any moment in the writing process, two questions are worth asking: • Why am I writing? • Who is my audience? Purpose and Audience

In your journal … What do you already do well as a writer? What do you need or want to improve?

Chapter 2 Reading Processes

• Briefly describe your reading strategies in different situations. • For example, how do you read a magazine, newspaper, or novel? • What are your goals when you do this kind of reading? What is different about reading the material assigned in college? • What techniques do you use for reading assignments? Reading Strategies

• Collect your best ideas about how to cope effectively, especially in classes with lots of reading. • In other words, make a check list of ways to be successful when having to read a lot for class. Work with a partner

Prepare Respond Identify Purpose Plan follow up Read deeply Annotate Gain background Keep a journal Skim text Read Critically Read literally Read analytically Generate Ideas

• Observe a place near your school, job, or home; or observe a place in your community. Notice the people who frequent the place. Then write a paper in which you describe the place, and their actions so as to convey the spirit of the place and offer insight into the impact of the place on the people. The Description Essay

• This assignment is meant to start you observing closely enough that you go beyond the obvious. Go somewhere nearby, and station yourself, where you can mingle with the people there. Open your senses—all of them, so that you see, smell, taste, hear, and feel. • Remember, your purpose is not only to describe the scene but also to express thoughts and feelings connected with what you observe. The Description Essay

• • Requirements: Your final draft must be typed. 600 -800 words Double-spaced (check spacing after and set at 0 ) Times New Romans, size 12 One inch margins MLA heading Header with last name and page # MLA Format

• Write a paper in which you compare and contrast two items to enlighten readers about both subjects. The specific points of similarity and difference will be important, but you will go beyond them to draw a conclusion from your analysis. This conclusion, your THESIS, needs to be more than “point A is different from point B” or “I prefer subject B to subject A”. You will need to explain why you have drawn your conclusion. The Assignment: Comparing and Contrasting

• • Your paper should be 700 -900 words in length. DO NOT EXCEED 900 WORDS, Please. Use MLA format You must turn in a plan of some sort with a working thesis at the top of the page. This page may be handwritten or typed. (due Mon. Oct. 1) • ESSAY Due on Oct. 3 rd no later than 11: 55 p. m. Requirements

• The major challenge that writers face when comparing and contrasting two subjects is to determine their purpose. • Writers who skip this step run into the risk of having readers ask: “So, what’s the point? ” Facing the Challenge

• Subject by subject (4 paragraph essay) • “Flip Flop” method / Point by Point (5 paragraph essay) Types of Organization

Writing the Cause and Effect Essay

• This type of essay explores WHY things happen (causes) and WHAT HAPPENS as a result (effects). What is a cause and effect essay?

• These essays give reasons and explanations for behaviors, events, or circumstances. • It is important that your presentation is factual and believable, and that in your thesis statement you explain whether you will be discussing causes, effects, or sometimes both.

• To introduce to your reader the causes or effects (reasons, results, or explanations) for behaviors, events, or circumstances. Purpose of the essay

• It is important to distinguish between causes and effects when writing a cause and effect paper. To determine the effects, ask, “What happened? ” • To determine the causes, ask yourself, “Why did this happen? ” Know your purpose

• Avoid first person pronouns “I, ” “me, ” and “my” • DO NOT WRITE: • “I believe that the gun control issue is way out of hand. ” • WRITE: • “Lack of gun control has caused thousands of deaths in the United States alone. ” • THESIS WITH A PREVIEW: • Lax gun control, irresponsible gun owners, and an underground black market have caused thousands of gun-related deaths in the Iunited States alone. Write a strong Thesis.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Introduction Effect #1 (with reasons and explanation) Effect #2 (with reasons and explanations) Effect #3 (with reasons and explanations) Conclusion Outlines

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Introduction Cause #1 (with reasons and explanation) Cause #2 (with reasons and explanations) Cause #3 (with reasons and explanations) Conclusion Outlines

1. Explore the reasons, outcomes, or both, of a subject 2. Give examples, quotes, or arguments to support causes/effects 3. Stick with either causes or effects (sometimes, both) throughout the essay Organizing your essay

• Your essay must clearly state the connection and relationship of causes and effects. • You must be able to decide between the causes or effects that are major, or contributing factors, and those that or minor, or supporting • Your essay must be strongly supported with logical reasoning. • Then decide whether you are trying to INFORM or PERSUADE your audience and choose appropriate wording to reflect your purpose. Important!

• Be sure to use bridges to help your transition from cause to effect or effect to cause. • Here are some good examples of cause/ effect transition words: • • • Accordingly As a result of Because of Brought about Caused by Consequently due to For the reason

• • • If…then In effect Is responsible for Leads to Otherwise Since So Therefore Thus When whenever More transitions

Choose one of the following for this essay assignment: • Pick out a disturbing fact or situation that you have observed, and seek out the causes and effects to help you and your readers understand the issue better. • Select a topic that you are familiar with and explain either the causes / or the effects of your topic. The Assignment

• • 700 -900 words MLA format Due not later than Wed. Oct. 17, at 11: 55 Thesis and outline due by Friday, Oct. 12. Requirements

Literary Analysis

• Usually a writing assignment in a literature course will require you first to read closely a literary work such as a short story, novel, play, or poem, and then to divide it into its elements, explain its meaning, and support your interpretation with evidence from the work. • Such analysis is not an end in itself; its purpose is to illuminate the meaning of the work, to help you and others understand it better.

• Since the short story will be the only text used in your paper, this type of paper is called a primary source paper. • Do not refer to any other sources for interpretation or explanation of your selected short story. • I want to know what YOU think. Primary Source

• This assignment requires you to analyze, interpret, and evaluate what you read. • After reading all three short stories, choose ONE to analyze. • Then reread the short story closely, paying attention to the author’s word choice, techniques, imagery, symbolism, etc. • Focus on ONE element (or a cluster of related elements) of the story for your essay.

• For example, • The author’s use of a first person narrator, the role of the narrator…etc. • Symbolism in the short story • The theme of the story • A particular character in the story • Irony? Setting? Point of view? Conflict? Focus

• Remember, your purpose is to explain the work’s deeper meaning. • Keep in mind that you are writing for your classmates and your instructor. And we are familiar with the story, although we may not have studied it as carefully as you have. Purpose & Audience

• After you have determined the major element or cluster of elements that you intend to focus on, go back through the work again and find all of the passaged that relate to your main point. These are called concrete details (stuff from the story!). • You may use quotations if you like, but quote exactly and cite the page number (22). Identify the details first.

• Develop a working thesis next. This is the main point you want to make about the story you are analyzing. • See page 253 in your text for sample thesis statements on theme in “The Lottery. ” • As your essay takes shape, continue to rewrite your thesis to add your own slant (evaluation) to it. You may include a preview if you like. • See p. 254 Thesis

• Be sure to include the name of the work and the author in your introduction. Titles of short stories are in quotation marks. • Include your author’s first and last name the first time you state it. Further references to the author should be the author’s last name only. • Your opening sentences (Hook) may include the background or setting of the story (if relevant to your essay), a universal theme or character, etc. • You may want to begin with a significant quote from the work or a statement about the work in general. Include in your intro…

• Your analysis (interpretation) is the commentary of the essay. DO NOT retell the story. This is called plot summary. Remember, your audience has already read the story. • Your commentary may include the author’s choice of words, or the meaning/motive of a character’s actions…. etc. Your commentary…

• Introduction • Two, three, or four body paragraphs • Conclusion A template for analysis…

The body paragraphs may follow this format: • Topic sentence • Concrete detail (stuff from the story) • Commentary • Another concrete detail • Commentary • Wrap up sentence for the paragraph A template for analysis…

• A good writer effectively weaves the concrete detail with his/her own commentary…analysis…etc. The template is just to help you get started. • Most rookies begin by writing analysis/interpretation, but somehow get off course, and end up writing a plot summary of the story. KEEP ALERT! Make sure you don’t make this mistake. Just until you get on your feet…

• Refer to or reaffirm your thesis. • Do not restate verbatim. • Often an effective conclusion ties in directly with the introduction. • Is there a life-lesson or universal theme that fits here? The Conclusion

• • • 800 -1000 words (2 ½ to 3 pages) Double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 MLA format When writing about literature, write in PRESENT tense. Cite page numbers of quotations only. You do not have to cite indirect quotes, summaries, or paraphrases. • Works Cited page citing the short story you are analyzing • Due Oct. 31 no later than 11: 55 p. m. Requirements…

• The sheriff is the first to voice his disdain: “Held for murder, and worrying about her preserves!” (Glaspell 612). • A few minutes earlier Mrs. Peters had told Mrs. Hale, “the law is the law” (616). In text citations…

Works Cited Glaspell, Susan. “A Jury of Her Peers. ” The American Short Story and its Writer: An Anthology. Ed. Ann Charters. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000. pp. 607 -623. Print. The Works Cited Page

Juniors • The Minister’s Black Veil • The Fall of the House of Usher • The Wife of His Youth Seniors • The Necklace • The Demon Lover • The Rocking Horse Winner Short Story List…

• • • Your Final will be a Position paper with sources. Requirements: 800 -1000 words MLA format Minimum of 3 sources Please turn in an annotated bibliography two weeks prior to the final due date. The Final