HW due 4/5: Essay Evaluation

April 4, 2016 By

1. Siddhartha Essay–Based upon the rubric, grade this essay. I expect to see that  you marked the essay for grammar and substance. Just as with your essay, the final grade will max out at 20 (4 point max for each category of the rubric). Note: students were asked to write a 2 page analysis on Siddhartha.

2. (Due 4/6) Class Forum

HW due 3/10: Man’s Search for Meaning Essay

March 9, 2016 By

1. (Due Tomorrow) MSM Essay due Wednesday! 3-4 pages.

Per Man’s Search for Meaning, what is Viktor Frankl’s view of the human condition?

Ultimately your objective for this essay is to craft a thesis reflecting Frankl’s view of the human condition. In doing so, you will demonstrate control of logotherapy. Feel free to show your thesis to me to get some feedback.

The following are major players in his argument:

  1. Frankl titles Part II of his text “Logotherapy in a Nutshell.”  Scholars suggest his thesis here can be reduced to the Freidrich Nietzsche quote (Remember, Frankl himself cites it on numerous occasions):

“He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how.”

  1. Inner life/value and spiritual freedom
  2. Discovering meaning in life in three different ways:
  • By creating a work or doing a deed
  • By experiencing something or encountering someone (Love)
  • By the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering

*These are key elements and they are, frankly, obvious. Certainly, you can discuss them in your essay; however, do not limit yourself to the obvious. Engage the nuances of his argument (i.e. Jesse noting Noo dynamics today in class). The more nuanced your discussion, the more textual control you have. That is what I am looking for. The less nuanced, the more I will call into question your actual reading of the text.

*In this essay do not merely write that Frankl believes we can attain meaning in three different ways. That is a gross simplification of his existential view and logotherapy. While I do not expect to see mastery in this essay, I do expect to see sophisticated control of his argument.

Your essay should demonstrate control/understanding of both Part I and Part II of the text. So both parts of the book should be explored in your essay. This essay is unlike English essays of the past!  Your thesis is actually what you believe to be Frankl’s argument. There should be no critical discussion!

General Formatting (Read Closely):

  • Double-spaced; size 12 font; Times New Roman or Arial
  • .75 margins on both left and right sides. Justify margin. Indentations– .5” or 1 tab space.
  • All pages beyond the first page should be numbered.  Page numbers should be placed at the bottom right of each page.
  • No Cover Page.  Include name, class, and date (Single space the heading)
  • Be sure TITLE reflects the theme of the essay (for instance, 1984: Hierarchical Hegemony)
  • Include Title, Author, and General Theme of work in first paragraph of essay…For Example—Jean Paul Sartre’s Nausea
  • Follow MLA guidelines

Avoid the Following:

  • Avoid Pronouns: I, it, you, me, we, us
  • Avoid Troublesome language. Try to avoid using the following words: it, these, this, those, kind of, almost, seems, maybe, like, then, later, eventually, basically, so, many, a lot, things, due to the fact (or any variations of the fact that), in reality, very, really, forms of the verb “to be”
  • In the intro, nix all book-review commentary—i.e. “is fascinating, interesting…”
  • Be extremely careful with your use of all words…yet, for these words in particular, don’t think they are cheap: Truth, Beauty, Love, Nature, Reality
  • Avoid gross existential generalizations; remember, we learned early on that to come to a set definition of existentialism would be difficult if not impossible.  Remember, the various existential schools of thought—those whom we’ve covered (i.e. Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer, Sartre, Dostoyevsky) and those whom we have had briefly touched on in précis presentations (i.e. Jaspers, de Beauvoir, Heidegger, Camus, etc.).  These individuals help to define our context, so once again, avoid the generalizations.
  • While I am not suggesting that you avoid all modifiers, you certainly should be conscious of how you are using them. Yet, definitely avoid the likes of really, basically, very, excellent, terrible, etc.
  • Avoid misspelling proper nouns!

Remember:

  • Active voice should be your default voice and only use passive when you are CHOOSING to use passive voice.
  • Get comfortable writing in complex and compound sentences.
  • Introductions and conclusions are factored into the grading of this essay.
  • Read your essay aloud and you will hear many diction and syntax issues.

Keys to Good Writing:

  • Cohesion—Every sentence fits together; paragraphs flow smoothly.  Ensure that the entire discussion comes together as one unified discussion of your text and its context.
  • Concision—Less is more.  Use fewer words to explain yourself.  Begin fusing sentences by merging ideas into tightly knit phrases.
  • Precision—Accuracy.  Use words that accurately capture what you mean.  Don’t settle for words or expressions that come close.
  • Coherence—Does your essay make sense? Are your ideas organized in a logical sequence? Do you prove your thesis? Do the parts contain the essence of the whole?

HW due 2/9: Evidence and working thesis

February 5, 2016 By

1. This weekend you will lay the foundation for our next essay. This is the heavy lifting if you will…the hard work. Naturally, you have chosen either 1984 or SH5 as the subject. Hopefully, as you read both novels, you tracked the author’s treatment of  chosen themes through his use of various devices/elements. This will be helpful as you gather evidence this weekend ultimately leading to your working thesis. You must bring in collected evidence and the accompanying thesis Tuesday. Group your evidence under various points of analysis. For example, suppose this point of analysis: Montana Wildhack represents the objectification of humanity. Then, that point of analysis would be followed by supporting/illuminating evidence. Keep in mind, there should be logical cohesion across the body of your essay.

Full disclosure, if you do not thoughtfully/meaningfully gather evidence, then your thesis will be as thoughtless/meaningless as your collection effort. Naturally, the thoughtful/meaningful gathering requires that you have closely read your chosen text.

First Draft–2/23
Final Draft–2/25

2. The Alchemist–We start this unit in the new week, so if you would like to buy your own copy, click the link.

HW due 1/11: Slaughterhouse Five and 1984 Intros

January 8, 2016 By

1. 1984 Introductions–First drafts are due Monday! This should be typed!

More Tips (Don’t feel as though you have to cover all below in your intro):

  • Start fast!
  • Set up the issue being argued. Yet, allow the body of your essay to flesh out the argument.
  • Provide necessary background or context. The context or framework makes your thesis interesting.
  • The intro should establish what you found interesting and why.
  • Hook the reader with the opening line. Yet, do not try to be cute or clever. Rather, employ a thematically meaningful hook. An in-text so what should feature a more direct text-based opening line.

2. Slaughterhouse Five–Read and annotate Chapter 3.
3. Remember, each group must turn in a prospectus Tuesday!

HW due 1/7: Slaughterhouse Five and More

January 6, 2016 By

1. Slaughterhouse Five–Complete Chapter 2!
2. Post your thesis on the class forum.
3. Alanis Morissette Project–In preparation for the project, work with the situations in the song (i.e. the lottery winner, black fly, cigarette break, etc) and rewrite ONE so that it is ironic or write your own fresh situation.  Be thoughtful and creative. Again, TONIGHT you only need to rewrite one of the situations from the song to make it ironic.

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