English Final Guide

Guide to Writing

“Easy reading is damn hard writing.” ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

This humorous quote from the author of the Scarlet Letter, a great example of literature, illustrates something that I’m sure most college students struggle with; the art of writing clearly and concisely. Nobody wants to read difficult writing or dense literature; of course that is a personal choice but I’d like to think that the easier the text, the more it appeals to your audience. I’m sure not everyone will agree with what I have to say or supply in my guide. As for me I would like to think I am part of a big group of average student writers and maybe your average college student who can get by with minimal effort. If you can call this a guide, great, but I see it more as a reference to kick start college students into better writing and maybe avoid the mistakes I've made, but I will try to do my best at “guiding” you through the writing process.

This is a two-part guide in which I will: 1) discuss the format of a basic outline 2) consider potential ideas for your papers.

Classroom Expectations

One of the primary concerns as a writer is the task of identifying and addressing your audience. As with any class, understand the professor’s expectations, as they are your audience and each professor is unique in his/her styles. Some might ask for ridiculous formats and concepts, others will simply give you free reign to impress them with your superior expository style. Your first paper will give you some indication as to how your professor grades and what they are looking for in your writing. This is important because this will determine whether or not you will need to adjust your writing styles for future papers.

Part I: Getting Started

Usually, when getting started on a paper, brainstorming for ideas is great first step. Brainstorming gives you the opportunity to map out what you want and what will satisfy the requirements for the paper, but most importantly key concepts for the assignment. Great! So let me show you what you should be thinking by now.

Setup: Basic Essay Layout

· Introduction and Thesis (This is the most important part)

· Body paragraph

· Body paragraph

· Body paragraph

· Conclusion

Introduction

The introduction paragraph and the included thesis statement is by far the most important part of your paper. You could have the world’s most interesting topic ever and your paper would still be mediocre, because you did not introduce it well in the beginning. Introductory paragraphs should generally start out broad and narrow down to the thesis that will state the main point or argument of your paper. A clear, focused, and well-developed thesis statement will guide your reader and actually give them a reason to read it. Besides setting up your argument or topic, it will also set your tone for the rest of the essay.

The Bulk

Most of your writing is done here. Of course by now you should know that each of these paragraphs needs a topic sentence. The topic sentence will tie your paragraph to your thesis, thus reinforcing your thesis. Usually, body paragraphs are used to provide evidence that supports your thesis.

The Finale

You’re almost done! Finally. Before you can ride out in style, make sure you conclude your essay well. A well-developed conclusion goes hand in hand with a well-developed introduction. Review your thesis and reiterate your arguments, facts, and opinions, depending on what kind of essay you are writing. A flimsy ending to your paper could mean a weak paper overall. Remember that the conclusion is the last part of the essay that your audience will read and concurrently, probably the last thing that will stick in their minds.

Part II: Inside the Essay

Everything I’ve said so far may sound boring, even I know that following basic procedure can put anyone to sleep and to a lot of people even be scary. I know it is quite daunting because sometimes you might think to yourself, “How am I going to write 10 pages on that?” Or “How am I going to squeeze so much information into 5 pages?” No matter what you do there will always be an issue with the paper, either a topic or a format issue; the important thing is to keep cool! Just start writing and see where it takes you, you can work out the kinks later on.

So now that we have material to work with, we can put it to use and polish it off. Here is where we can talk about the technicalities: grammar, spelling, transitions, citing, rewording, revising, rewriting, elaborating, etc, the list goes on and on. It’s mind blowing how many things you can do to make your paper standout and flow better with a few sentence tricks.

Some important rules to remember while writing:

· Audience: Remember who your audience is no matter what, of course the instructor will read it but keep in mind that usually your essays are written for people who have no idea of the concepts and you are the means of informing them in the best way possible.

· Cohesion: Make sure your writing makes sense. Know what your talking about, or at least sound like it. Credibility goes a long way with your reader. A neat trick that will help your with sentence flow is simply reading it aloud. Your writing should sound natural when spoken aloud.

· Tone: This can make or break your essay. The tone will affect your audience and will affect your credibility. This will let your reader know how serious you are or if you are coming across too strong.

· Timing: The more time you give yourself to work, the better your paper will be. More time equals more drafts, thus better work, right? Procrastinate? Prepare for death. Late night paper brawls will not only leave you drained, but will set you up to commit regrettable mistakes on your paper.

Revision

If you haven’t done anything of what I’ve recommended…DO THIS PART. Revision is the most important part of any writing assignment. Here is where you catch all of the “what was I thinking” moments that most likely exist in your essay. Also, revising does not mean, EDIT -> CHECK SPELLING AND GRAMMAR->SAVE. Usually professors or English teachers recommend going through 3 drafts. My suggestion is to do as many as you feel you need to do. Go back to your brainstorming or outline you had in the beginning, check your guidelines for the essay. Make sure your essay has everything you want it to accomplish. Make sure your thoughts are organized and well developed. Often times, when rereading your paper, you will find sentences that can be reworded to flow better.

Final Thoughts

I know I did not give specific examples because I feel that at this level, students should know what a thesis looks like or what a topic sentence is. Like I said before, this guide is mainly a reference to remind students what they need to do. Also given that the word “essay” means a lot of different things to professors, some might be more unforgiving than others. So it’s up to you as a student to know what’s up.

All in all the most important thing I can tell you about writing is that the only way you can get better at it is by…more writing. Like anything else we learn, writing is learned by repetition and by trail and error. I’m sure it’s easier for some but for students like me, the only path to improvement is by continuing to do papers at school. Finally I want to say thank you, for giving this guide a look and considering my thoughts. If my guide has helped you out, great! If it didn’t help at all, I apologize for the bad grade. Good luck with your writing endeavors!

Recommendations

· Adios, Strunk and White by the Gary and Glynis Hoffman. I personally recommend this book. It offers a lot of valuable information on how to improve and change your sentence structure. It has everything to offer, from Anecdotes to Freighting sentences to Melted-together words. Simple to read and understand.

· They say/I say by Graff, Birkenstein, and Durst. The English book I used this semester. I was surprised to find out that this book to is helpful and easy to read. I also used some of the techniques illustrated in my papers this semester.

term paper

Rogelio Gonzalez

#910399222

Review Essay

Humans, the most powerful dominate beings on earth, without a doubt we have evolved into one of the most if not the most intelligent species on earth. Even though evolution has not stopped we as humans already have the capacity to think, understand, create, and act. The most intelligent species on earth that is capable of so many things but still yet to grasp and understand completely our sexuality. For centuries humans have not been able to explain fully how our sexual orientation is chosen for us or why it works against us. However within our time we have been able to learn more about ourselves with the help of evolutionary biologist and their observations in the field. Darwin, one of the most influential persons in the study of evolution, said that homosexuality was not possible because the purpose of mating was for the purpose of producing offspring (Roughgarden 2004: 127). The important question is why haven’t we evolved out of homosexuality, if homosexual couples cannot procreate then what purpose do they serve? With the help of experts we have been able to explain with more detail what is actually going on, biologist have observed animals with homosexual tendencies and even more important, changes in genetics. Looking down at the basic building blocks of human beings, DNA, as well as being able to study family lines such as maternal or paternal genetic patterns. The creation of the Kinsey Scale also helped us discover our sexual behaviors and what attracts us to one another (Diamond 2008: 25). Little by little all of these steps will eventually lead us to a conclusion of why we are who we are either heterosexual or homosexual.

Being able to understand ourselves is important but it is also important to know the state of our peers and why they are the way they are. Evolutionary biologist Dr. Roughgarden is a perfect example of an expert on research, her book Evolution’s Rainbow, tells us how animals interact and from an evolutionary stand point might explain how we might of evolved into the way we are. Roughgarden’s research explains that multiple species of creatures will participate in same-sex activities (Roughgarden 2004: 140), from birds to zebras and kangaroos to dolphins. Another puzzling example of homosexuality in the wild is with a very popular kind of species, sheep, surprisingly male sheep (rams) are known to be very homosexual (Roughgarden 2004: 138). The rams only get three days of heterosexual activity with the female sheep and for the rest of the time the males participate in homosexual activities including anal sex, but it’s normal behavior according to biologist, if the ram do not participate in this then there is something wrong with them and usually are the ones who do not dominate females and are less aggressive (Roughgarden 2004: 138). Our closest relatives, the primates, Roughgarden tells us that within the social structure of certain monkey groups that participate in same-sex relationships are between distant relatives. The purpose of these same-sex relationships is to create bonds between themselves and create structure and hierarchy within their society (Roughgarden 2004: 143). For example in her book Roughgarden tells us that she herself has never witnessed the act of same-sex mating between lizards even after thirty years of experience because she would always assume that the one on top was male and the bottom was female, she felt that to know the truth she would have to disrupt their process which she disagrees with (Roughgarden 2004: 154). We can appreciate that she also respects that side of scientist who are skeptical with the idea of homosexuality is common in nature.

It might not be a common sight to catch animals in nature committing same-sex acts but it is quite prevalent in our society. In a later chapter of Evolution’s Rainbow she discusses research done about the “gay gene” and the influence of gay families on offspring and siblings. It is interesting to know that even though it isn’t completely certain but there are some clues and statistics to show for when we have gay fathers, mothers, brothers, and sister, for example we know that if a brother is gay it has no actual statistical effect on the his sister and vice versa if she is a lesbian (Roughgarden 2004: 247). A study in twins showed a difference between that there is more of a chance of homosexuality with identical twins than if they were born fraternal twins, and same goes with female twins with a few changes in percentages (Roughgarden 2004:247). The HP study was created and tested by two gay genetic scientists, Hamer and Pattatucci; they also analyzed homosexuality in different cultures and also linked DNA with homosexuality (Roughgarden 2004: 251). In a different article by the authors Andrea Camperio-Ciani, Francesca Corna, and Claudio Capiluppi, called Evidence for maternally inherited factors favouring male homosexuality and promoting female fecundity, they also explain and linked homosexuality down the family line (Camperio-Ciani 2004: 1). They conducted a study in Italy where they tested male relatives for their the results concluded that homosexuals had more homosexual relatives on the maternal line and linked the X-chromosome as having significant value of influence on the individuals blood line (Camperio-Ciani 2004: 2). Roughgarden was also able to acknowledge the idea of the X-chromosome on her research of HP but she believed there was more going on with genes than just the X in particular (Roughgarden 2004: 255). Similar findings in a article by Lisa Diamond called Sexual Fluidity also confirms Hamer’s study and acknowledges that there is a tie between the X-chromosome and men but there was no tie or evidence per say for lesbian sharing this pattern (Diamond 2008: 29). Even if there is no such thing as a “gay gene” scientist and researchers have been to show relationships and statistics to show that genetics do play a role in homosexuality.

Many times we forget that as human beings we are constantly observing and it just becomes passive, but for the sake of science many of these observations maybe important in proving who we are sexually. American biologist Alfred Charles Kinsey created a system and scale, a very important tool in which we can determine ones sexuality (Diamond 2008: 25). The Kinsey scale has proven useful when determining sexual preferences, a zero on the scale means completely heterosexual and six means completely homosexual the numbers in between show a variety definitions for example a 3 would say that you are interested in both men and women (Diamond 2008: 25). In the article New Evidence of Genetic Factors Influencing Sexual Orientation again by Camperio-Ciani, they used the Kinsey scale in a study where they studied a population of men some heterosexual and some homosexual from a variety of social gatherings as well as a varied background, age, jobs, origin, and education (Camperio-Ciani 2008: 2). All of these men were given a test where they had to answer 3 sections: biography, Kinsey scale questions, and fecundity/lineage (Camperio-Ciani 2008: 3). Judging by what they scored they were able to determine percentages of homosexuals and given by the fecundity information they were able to reestablish the X-chromosome theory that Camperio Ciani had come up with four years earlier (Camperio-Ciani 2008: 4). Kinsey’s scale is a great tool for the people who are easy to classify as the full heterosexual or the full homosexual.

Essay 2 - assesment

Using the templates in They Say / I say, develop an essay that takes a nuanced position about some aspect of contemporary schooling. You should draw on either Freire or Gatto or both, as well as your own experiences and thinking to support your ideas.

After reading John Gatto’s article “Against School,” I was left very intrigued as well as amazed. Mr. Gatto is a very prestigious man and knows how to write, that much I can say, however I don’t want to give him the benefit of the doubt, personally I think he is wrong and I think his credibility is somewhat in question. From experience I know that my education was anything but conformity, or brainwashing, and definitely not robotic.

Gatto’s article initially begins on how he had been teaching for thirty years but when he lost his teaching license he realized he had been worked by the system. He was convinced that most students and teachers in America’s educational system were mindless products, simply bored. Taught by his grandfather, Gatto learned that boring people should be avoided and not trusted. I agree that school is boring, by means that not all subjects appeal and those likings are personal choices. I was greatly influenced by my elders as a child as well but my actions remained separate from their advice, taking things with a grain of salt I learned that it was better to formulate my own opinions and discover things on my own.

Gatto wonders if school is even necessary, he states, “ Do we really need school? I don’t mean education, just forced schooling: six classes a day, five days a week, nine months a year, for twelve years. Is this deadly routine really necessary?” Gatto complicates it even more when he writes, “ ...a considerable number of well-known Americans never went through the twelve-year wringer our kids go through...Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln?” Sure these men were unschooled and were prominent people but from our history these men are a dime a dozen, few people are such prodigies. Schools are backbones for children and their education, if that wasn’t the case then why would I be in a college scenario. I’ve been to 4 different schools growing up and not one of them hindered me or felt conformist. The range of my educational level was different too, one school was in a bad area with lower standards and then my high school was one of the best in the city if not the best. All of them gave me equal opportunities to think for myself and be unique.

Gatto’s interpretation of America’s schooling system, the nineteenth century Prussian way. The six steps or goals that is the actual purpose of our schools: Adjustive, integrating, diagnostic and directive, differentiating, the propaedeutic. All functions in the system that idealize that schools should destroy interesting material, intentionally make children alike, determine social roles, choose a select few (survival of the fittest), and finally the people who will be in charge of implementation. Where I grew up in Southern California it certainly did not feel the entrapment of the Prussian lifestyle. I always felt that teachers went out of their way to help out students. Many of them were very non traditional, asking for permission to use books out of the curriculum or their styles of teaching were different. Using creative games they had invented or maybe not assign homework because they thought it was up to the student to choose for themselves. Sure they gave us “goals” but who doesn’t want our next generation of children to be as successful or more than the previous. My science teacher wrote on every handout, “ Future Scientist Of America,” even if we hated science or had no intentions of being educators. I think he felt motivated to inspire kids in his on way.

As “educated” as Mr. Gatto is, I think he has some issues to work out. I mean he criticizes schooling so much and hates the system enough to go through numerous schools himself. He attends both public and private schools growing up and attends at least 7 Universities for his undergrad and graduate works. He also joined and served in the U.S Army talk about conformity. For a teacher with 30 years of profession I don’t understand his motive or why he changes. Is his grandfather that much of an influence or just something he can write about? Is he bitter? I don’t know him or know enough to say, however I do know that school is a fundamental part to a students success not only for myself but for the people I relate with. Where would I be without school? Not here at state that’s sure.

Diffculty paper 1 Shitty first drafts Anne Lamott

In the article titled “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lamott, she addresses all the steps she has to go through to come up with her polished works. First Lamott starts off with a summary of what she’s a believer in, a brief description of her thoughts and personal life. Shortly she addresses to what I believe is her thesis and is finally ready to talk about her “Shitty” first drafts. At first she writes what she calls a “child’s draft” which is her first 5 pages of just brainstorming. Composed of just visions and gibberish she does this in thought that no one is going to see this first draft anyway so she gives herself the ability to write anything that comes to mind. Lamott gives many varied visuals of her process, “It was almost just typing, just making my fingers move. And the writing would be terrible.” After crossing out lines and phrases that she could live without, she would continue on to rewriting a second draft. Lamott’s process of writing and revising seems crazy but I’d have to agree with her and say that writing is an arduous task. She mentions thoughts of suicide and panic, “I’d obsess about getting creamed by a car before I could write a decent second draft.” It’s funny because when I write, I too, am over come by fear. The fear of deadlines, quality, and what the reader will think. I found this article an easy read and enjoyable, even though Lamott’s way of writing is informal. I think using profanity and even titling her article “Shitty First Drafts” kind of affects her credibility as a writer. I had always been taught not to use profanity in essays because it takes away from your essay and makes you seem like a bad writer. Otherwise a good article by Lamott, I understand that writing is a difficult process but she does have an informal way of writing and I probably wouldn't start my essays particularly her way.

difficulty paper-The"Banking" concept of education Paulo Freire

The “Banking” Concept of Education by Paulo Freire is a piece about teacher student relationships. The teacher serves as a “filler”, while the student serves as the “receptacle.” As Paulo says, “ The more completely she fills the receptacles, the better a teacher she is.” A very well written piece but to me proven very difficult to read and comprehend. I found myself completely distracted from it. Given, Freire brings out many good points, the language and style he chose was to much for me to grasp. Constantly wondering what some words meant left me hanging. I also found myself going back and rereading paragraphs because by the time I was done, I still didn't have the material down. I know reading hard like this is good for the sake of becoming a better writer and reader, but being able to understand it helps as well. I think that if Paulo changed somethings, and I don't mean to dumb down his writing but he could try broaden his writing for the different types of readers willing to read his concepts of education.

difficulty paper-"Against School" John Gatto

John Gatto’s “Against School,” is about how Gatto has spent his last 30 years teaching and realizing that most students and teachers in America’s educational system is bound by boredom. He compares schools to prisons and students to mindless drones who only work for the grades or who fail the system. Gatto explains that teachers become bored because they were once those students and they are also part of the problem. John Gatto questions why we even have schooling, “Is this deadly routine really necessary?” If Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Carnegie, and Rockefeller didn’t need an education to become successful, then what’s the point. Gatto’s brief history lesson on how our educational system is a model of 19th century Prussian system is quite interesting. Using the words from a harvard course, Inglis, it breaks down the purpose of our schooling into 6 points. Gatto is very serious and is convinced that our educational system, limits, destroys, conforms, and selects our children and does not allow them to grow as individuals, as they were taught in 19th century Prussia.
Gatto’s article is an excellent piece and comes across with many points and examples to prove to the reader that our “schooling” is boring. However, I would disagree with almost all of this article. I don’t understand how Gatto has changed or what he’s done to change his opinion of our educational system since he spent 30 years being an educator himself. Gatto gave good examples of how men like Ben Franklin succeeded, “unschooled...but not uneducated.” That’s great. I still believe that we need our schooling system for structure and as base for our futures. These men are a dime a dozen, not everyone is a prodigy waiting to be discovered, students need fundamentals to be most successful in their careers. As for school limiting, sure, there are certain forms of limitations a school can have that might hinder students. However I feel that our educational system is changing and is allowing for more individuality and choice in schools.

In class freewrite

1. What argument are you trying to make in your draft?

The kind of argument I'm trying to achieve is that I'm sort of criticizing the way of I was taught to write and then how to revise. Mostly, how I have been left confused over the years on how to properly write and correct my papers.

2. How are you using the text in your draft?

I haven't really started to use my text in any sort of special way. I'm trying to be straight forward with my reader and try to reach a point.

3. How have you organized your draft so far?

My draft is kinda of unorganized at the moment. I feel I can add a lot more and use the Sommers article in a better way that I have. Just an opener and a few paragraphs. Its definitely not finshed yet.

4. What do you like about your draft so far? If you had to identify one sentence or passage that seems to get to the heart of what you are trying to say, what would it be?

I don't like my draft at all really. It feels unfinished and rushed. I can't really recall anything significant about my draft that sticks out yet.

5. What are you struggling with in your draft? What questions do you have? What kinds of feedback would you like?

My main struggle is content I think and using the proper grammar to try and trying to make the point by using proper language. Any feedback would help I think.