Rationale
I am using a different text this semester, One World, Many Cultures, along with Join the Conversation, so the assignment for the first essay is different from previous years. This food-related, personal experience essay should have an emotional impact known as the duende. The thesis statement and lead-in sentence have been worked on in class because most students are unclear about ways to present their ideas in an organized manner.
Readings in One World, Many Cultures include “Family Dining,” “Too Many Bananas, “Foreign Asians,” “Helga,” “Live Free and Starve,” and “My Bondage and My Freedom” have been the basis for readings about food in different cultures. “Controling Idea,” Macro-question,” “Micro-questions,” “Style,” and “Visual Rhetoric” are terms in Join the Conversation that have been used as tools for writing the thesis and supporting ideas or categories related to the thesis.
I have had students generate their own ideas for the essay in class. I have assisted them in honing their themes into thesis statements and categories to develop in the body of the essay. Since about half the class was having difficulty developing and focusing their introductory paragraphs, I reviewed the above terms and asked students to write macro-questions to help focus their theses more effectively. The other terms above were also helpful. I will bring in poems next week to help students develop extended metaphors in their essays since they were unclear about the term “Visual Rhetoric.”
Assignment
Essay #1 will be a food-related, culturally-relevant personal experience essay with an emotion impact known as the duende. This paper should be 4 pages, doubled-spaced (not 1 1/2) in Courier, New Courier, or Courier New font, 12 pt. Papers that are shorter or longer than the requirement will not receive a good grade. Please use MLA style headings and include page numbers in the upper right-hand corner along with your last name on pages 2-4. All papers must have a staple in the upper left-hand corner. I do not accept loose pages or pages attached with paper clips, hair clips, gum, or Elmer’s or Gorilla glue. The due date for the In-class Essay Workshop has been moved to October 11th. The final draft of the essay is due on October 16th. Late papers will be penalized 1/2 letter grade for each class day they are late.
Here are a few helpful suggestions: read the essay aloud to yourself or someone who might be able to give suggestions. Proofread it for content; review it for errors using the “Mini-grammar.” Please read my grading policy on your syllabus before submitting your essay.
I expect carefully written, intelligent essays with few errors.
Good luck!