This is a two piece assignment, please review essay prompt instructions before starting the Journal as this Journal will be used in your writing.  

UNIT 3 JOURNAL

Option 1: Freewriting & Looping

First, write (typed or handwritten) for 5-8 minutes on the following prompt: A commonly misunderstood concept is _______________.  Keep your pen moving or your fingers typing — try not to stop for the entire time. We will call this your freewrite.

Then, read back through your freewrite. Circle, underline, or highlight any important words, ideas, or phrasesyou might be able to explore further. 

Finally, do another 5-8 minute freewrite, in which you use your circled/underlined/highlighted words as your prompt. Try to dig more deeply into these ideas in your first loop.

Now, create another loop. Read through your first loop and circle, underline, or highlight any important words, ideas, or phrases. Write another 5-8 minute freewrite, in which you use these phrases as your prompt.

UNIT 3 ESSAY

TASK: Select a concept that you know a great deal about, and compose an essay, between 1,000 and 1,500 words, that explains this concept to your classmates in EN105. The concept should be an abstract term such as love, hate, friendship, marriage, honesty, etc. These types of words are open to interpretation. We may each have our own way of explaining what marriage means, or what friendship means. Do not select a concept that has a solid and specific definition that is considered by most people. For example, a concept such as “house” has a very specific definition that not many people would disagree with; however, the concept “home” is open to many interpretations. Once you select your concept your paper will attempt to define the concept from your perspective. What does “Friendship” mean to you? What does “love” mean to you? What does “home” mean to you? Give your reader a different perspective of the concept then what they might already have considered.

Consider what your readers may already know about this concept, what background information they will need, what types of sources of information they will find credible, and what illustrations of the concept will be most meaningful to them. Use the tips from Reading Critically, Writing Well and this unit’s Writer’s Journal to help develop your essay.

Remember, this is an essay and not simply answering questions about the concept. Your task will be to construct an introduction, body, and conclusion.

The introduction should start out by getting the reader’s attention. Don’t just jump into the concept. Get the reader geared up to explore the topic. Give some quick background information about the topic and then end the introduction with a very specific thesis statement that identifies the concept and what you will explain about the concept. Try to come up with three ideas about the concept. For example, if I select “love” as my concept, my thesis should identify at least three things I want to say about what love means: Love means supporting one another, putting others first, and giving of your whole heart. This thesis identifies the concept of “love” and the three things I want to say about how I define love in my paper. Use your own thoughts, ideas, and examples to illustrate your points. 

Then the body paragraphs should provide a formal discussion of the concept. We want examples and details. You could create a narrative essay again in which you tell a story about how an experience you have had illustrates this concept. Or you could write an illustrate essay in which you give many examples that the reader would recognize in terms of what this concept means. The goal is to fully discuss and explain the concept beyond a dictionary definition and instead to help bring the concept to life for the reader.

The conclusion should then sum up your ideas of the concept and leave the reader with something to think about.

You are free to select a concept that you are familiar with. Some common topics include: courage, hope, confidence, dedication.

COVER LETTER: Must Be Included

When you submit this assignment, include a brief cover letter that answers the following questions:

• What      is your purpose in this assignment? What is it you are trying to      do or say in this piece of writing?
• What      are you proud of about this assignment?
• What      challenges did you face while completing this assignment?
• What      sorts of feedback do you want from your instructor on this assignment