Kate Butler, instructor
English 101, Fall 2002
Essay One: Close Reading
For your first essay, you will choose one of the texts we have studied in depth and make an argument based on one of the following two approaches:
1. Write a paper that analyzes the effect of particular strategies the author uses on you as a reader.
2. Write a paper that analyses what you feel the "real meaning" of the text is based on particular elements of the text.
Your paper should have an introduction that clearly articulates your thesis and a body that contains the claims (the argument you are making about the text) with evidence taken from the text. This means that you cannot merely summarize the content of the work; you must carefully select those parts of the text that support your argument, integrate them into your work via paraphrase and/or quotation, and clearly demonstrate how each piece of text chosen supports your argument. You must SHOW the reader why each quote means what you say it does, has the effect on you the way you say it does, or makes you respond the way you say it does. You must convince the reader that your reading is the correct one; and to be successful you must reach beyond generalization.
As we move through unit one of this course, you will build up the materials necessary to compose your first essay. These materials will comprise four major components:
1. Journal entries- You will spend a great deal of the unit responding to reading assignments in numerous short writing assignments. Within these writings, feel free to write about and explore your reactions to and observations about the texts; what intrigues, puzzles, confuses you? What about the text don't you fully understand? In other words, what causes you cognitive dissonance?
2. Rough drafts/Re-visions- From the above inquisitive writing exercises, you will be asked to make a well-formulated question to give your exploration a sense of direction. These must be at least three pages in length, and are often much longer, allowing for the removal of irrelevant information at a later stage.
3. Conference draft/Peer drafts- Hone your exploration into a specific focus so that you may explore your ideas in depth utilizing direct evidence from the text to support your claims. This draft must be at least four pages in length.
4. Final draft- Your final draft stands as the culmination of all of your previous efforts. It should have a clear thesis and introduction and should lead a reader through a logical argument grounded in the text itself. Your paper should be a minimum of four pages (Maximum 5), approximately 1250 words, double-spaced and stapled. Please see the syllabus for unit one for further detail on exactly what should accompany the final draft.
Please remember to write the paper that you would want to read!
For a few examples of student essays, click here. Also, read those essays included in the Student Guide for further examples of student work.
