January 29, 2008 Archives

Recent activity on the blogs of all members of this course. This page will update regularly, though it will often lag a few hours behind. To force an update, post a comment anywhere on this website or the NMJ website.
50 Recent Peer Entries
Assigned Text:

WM Plato

This means the Plato selection in the anthology Writing Materials.

Assigned Text:

Brookfield (1-22)

This is the large, thin text that is simply called Book.

Write a personal essay (about 750 words) that makes a specific point about your relationship with books.

The whole essay will represent your opinion, so avoid overusing terms such as "I think" or "I feel."  Avoid summarizing the plot of your favorite book, or giving a strictly chronological survey of your development as a writer.

A note on "the essay" as a literary genre:

As  a means for communicating ideas, as a means of documenting the individual author's attempts to come to grips with an idea, and of being a potential vehicle for the reader to experience a personal intellectual journey, the essay is a relatively new form (closely related to the history of books).

The word "essay" comes from a French word meaning "to try," which in turn comes from a Latin word meaning "to sift, to weigh, to separate by getting rid of waste." 

An essay, then, is a focused, thoughtful attempt to make a point, by introducing several different ways of solving a problem, and sifting through them in order to support the best alternative.  (All this is accomplished through the careful weighing of evidence.)

Think of the essay as a tool for your reader to solve a problem, to make sense of a dilemma, to understand a complex issue -- not merely a vehicle to express your personal thoughts.

Recent Comments

Dennis G. Jerz on Ex 6: Of Books as Books: No problem, Dani! I'm glad you've made a connecti
DavidCristello on Ex 5: Response to Kindle: PSAW! http://blogs.setonhill.edu/DavidCristello
Daniella Choynowski on Ex 6: Of Books as Books: warning: conclusion deals with Harry Potter (the b
Dennis G. Jerz on Ex 6: Of Books as Books: David, could you please let me know that you've re
Dennis G. Jerz on Ex 6: Of Books as Books: Right. Can be informal.
Daniella Choynowski on Ex 6: Of Books as Books: around 3-4 pages for the Kindle, right?
Jeremy Barrick on Ex 6: Of Books as Books: Dave, rest assure. I have the Kindle. Can I give i
Jeremy Barrick on Ex 6: Of Books as Books: Dave, rest assure. I have the Kindle. Can I give i
Daniella Choynowski on Ex 6: Of Books as Books: no, both essays will be in before midnight
Dennis G. Jerz on Ex 6: Of Books as Books: That's correct, Dani. Actually, I suppose if thi
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