Composition 101: General Notes on Essays Scholars’ Latino Initiative

Good Practices for Essays Define your terms. – What does discipline mean? What does freedom mean? How will you be using these terms? Use the language of the prompt. – Don’t repeat verbatim the entire prompt, but use bits that are relevant to your argument. Use concrete examples. – Explain how and why they are relevant to your argument.

Bad Practices for Essays Being too personal – It’s an academic work, not a reality show. Being too emotional – It’s an academic work, not a therapy session. Assuming the reader will make the connection between an example and your essay topic.

Instructions for In-Class Essay 2 You need two sheets of paper – one for the brainstorming and outlining, one for writing. The first 5 minutes you are ONLY to brainstorm and outline. Use your outline to write your essay.

Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below. The making of illusions – misleading images or ideas that appear to be authentic or true – has become the primary business of our society. Included in this category are not only the false promises made by advertisers and politicians, but all of the activities which supposedly inform, comfort, and improve us, such as the work of our best writers and our most influential leaders. These promises and activities only encourage people to have unrealistic expectations and to ignore facts. Adapted from Daniel J. Boorstin, The Image Assignment: Are people overly influenced by unrealistic claims and misleading images? Plan and write an essay in which you develop you point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.