Exploration of Rhetoric + Reflection in Real Life = “Essaying” “I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.” ― Oscar Wilde Upon retirement in 1571, Michel de Montaigne spent his time in the French countryside reading and writing, where he claimed to be merely “essaying” – which in French means trying – a kind of exploratory, unresolved thinking on the page. Montaigne suggested that in writing about himself, he was also “undertaking a study, the subject of which is man.” Essays traffic in ideas, asking questions, and explaining thinking in order to help the reader become equally enthralled. This paper is a true essay in the classical sense that the writer should discover, articulate and express personal insights as they intersect with and circle around a specific topic or moment experienced in RWS 305W. Writing consultant Katherine Bomer in her publication “The Journey is Everything” states “The kind of writing I am arguing for in this book: prose pieces that are personal, lyrical, literary, descriptive, reflective, narrative, expository, philosophical, political, spiritual…all of the above.” Your goal? To craft an essay that has room for everything – essays linger, arouse, question, travel, contradict, reveal and expose the mind. Successful essays will: ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Be personal. Narrate you’re your own story/experience in first person, cultivate voice Set up the text, context and approach in a way that allows you to enter the conversation Use at least one class/college idea/moment as a “touchstone” – a foundation for your inquiry Explore the larger contextual elements (moment in history, geography, age, situation…) Possess a controlling idea, but also be creative, organic, logical – not formulaic Be honest and accurate – identify and name your ideas, places, moments, setting Possess a thoughtful, creative conclusion – good essay have striking beginnings and endings Include quoted credible sources (writers, current voices, critics, peers…) Use an epigraph to creatively contextualize your contribution to the conversation (see Wilde quote) Audience: Your intended audience is up to you; it could be other RWS305W students (current or incoming), your professor or any demographic you envision would benefit from your content. Purpose: To grow through the act of writing, to pour yourself onto the page and write an essay you are proud of, to tell a story and play with words in a way that is engaging – to essay. Length: 5-6 pages long, MLA format & works cited page minimum of three outside, quality sources Timeline: Topic Conferences in SH 110C on 10/11 – 10/30 NOVEMBER T 13: In-Class feedback, bring two paper copies of essay to class, Volunteer essay TH 15: PeerMark, Upload your Essaying draft for workshop from class start time to 11:59pm Sunday 11/18; T 27/Th 29: Optional drop in conferring, draft feedback DECEMBER T 4: ESSAYING final draft due for a grade via Turnitin before class start time Topic: The field is wide open! The foundation for your topic could be one dynamic idea from a journal writing experience, one beautiful line from a reading, one random insight from lecture, or the intersection of all of these in a drunken conversation with your roommate. You must follow your own curiosity and thinking while essaying; search your journal entries for inspired moments or use ideas from your college journey to jumpstart your inquiry. Consider how your observations and experiences connect with your interests/field, challenge your values, or expand your understanding. You might go big (and reflect on your entire college experience) or go small (and analyze your growth in a mere 10 journal entries); the scope is up to you. Think about the connections you have made this semester in your life, writing, thinking and figure out what it might mean… Essaying Epigraphs epigraph noun us /ˈep.ə.ɡræf/ specialized o a saying or a part of a poem, play, or book put at the beginning of a piece of writing to give the reader some idea of what the piece is about o a short quotation or saying at the beginning of a book or chapter, intended to suggest its theme *Notice the epigraph goes after the title, before the first indented paragraph, stands alone, is in quotation marks, and is attributed. The Evolution of Ratchet “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” – Dr. Seuss The famous Austrian-British philosopher, Ludwig Wittgenstein, once contemplated language and came to the conclusion that “the limits of my language means the limits of my world” (Wittgenstein). ___________________________________________________________________________ The Motto “YOLO: You Obviously Lack Originality”-Unknown ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Forces that Keep Language in Motion “For last year's words belong to last year's language, and next year's words await another voice.” –T.S. Elliot, Four Quartets. Words are used to describe objects, thoughts, feelings, and ideas. _________________________________________________________________________ ESSAYING A FINAL PROJECT TO SYNTHESIZE YOUR THINKING AND OFFER PERSONAL INSIGHTS ON A TOPIC OF YOUR CHOICE YOU WILL NEED:  a copy of the Essaying prompt  a blank page to brainstorm and journal “UNDERTAKING A STUDY, THE SUBJECT OF WHICH IS MAN.” Upon retirement in 1571, Michel de Montaigne spent his time in the French countryside reading and writing, where he claimed to be merely “essaying” – which in French means trying – a kind of exploratory, unresolved thinking on the page. ❑Essays traffic in ideas, asking questions, and explaining thinking in order to help the reader become equally enthralled. ❑Explore larger meaning of issues, deeper connections, reveal insight and implications ESSAYING IN THE 21 ST CENTURY Christ in the Garden of Endless Breadsticks WRITER SHOULD DISCOVER, ARTICULATE AND EXPRESS PERSONAL INSIGHTS AS THEY INTERSECT WITH AND CIRCLE AROUND A SPECIFIC TOPIC Writing consultant Katherine Bomer in her book “The Journey is Everything” • Memoir+argument+reflection “The kind of writing I am arguing for in this book: prose pieces that are personal, lyrical, literary, descriptive, reflective, narrative, expository, philosophical, political, spiritual…all of the above.” • Cultivate voice • Genre blending • First person “I” • Show your personality, thinking DECIDE ON YOUR AUDIENCE Who is your reader? Who cares about this topic? (peers in your field, RWS students, readers of a specific demographic or area of interest, the larger university community, policy makers) Make writing choices that guide this reader. HOW DO I CRAFT AN ESSAY THAT CAN “LINGER, AROUSE, QUESTION, TRAVEL, CONTRADICT, REVEAL AND EXPOSE THE MIND?” Use corresponding devices to these goals: ❑ show multiple perspectives ❑ guide, pause, interrogate ❑ include unexpected elements like poetry or lyrics, pop culture or philosophical truths ESSAYING REQUIREMENTS • Narration: use vivid, descriptive language and details to make one or moments come alive for the reader; develop so the reader can “see” the experience. Use “first person “I.” • Significance: stories can’t be without real meaning, they must act as support and evidence or commentary for the topic exploration. Make sure the stories actually support a claim, an understanding or a key idea explicitly named in the essay – you’ll want to guide readers through your thinking. • Organization: controlling idea vs. thesis – every paragraph should have a focus. Think of this essay in manageable “chunks” – narration, supporting evidence/voices, transitions and connections. By the end of the essay, has the writer offered insight and/or larger meaning of their topic and their thinking? • Creativity: Is there a hook/dramatic device in the intro, an interesting conclusion, is the voice of the writer present throughout the essay? The tone should be intentional, and the writing should not be flat, boring or solely academic. ❑Use relevant and varied, credible and balanced quotes to set tone SUPPORT • Scholarly articles to Tweets • Internet sources to peer voices • Philosophers and artists Your goal of addressing CONTEXT is linked to your selection of support, voices and research that reveals your perspective and leads readers to insight and meaning, ❑Situate your findings, topic in the larger cultural moment • Make connections • Think BIG – history, society, policy *Need a minimum of three outside sources and MLA works cited page EPIGRAPH ˈEPƏˌɡRAF/ *NOUN A S H O RT Q U OTAT I O N O R S AY I N G AT T H E B E G I N N I N G O F A B O O K O R C H A P T E R , I N T E N D E D TO S U G G E S T I T S T H E M E  WRITERLY CREATIVITY A Dramatic Introduction No Formulaic Thesis Essaying writers takes risks – a creative title, a personal connection to the topic, an epigraph that makes sense by the end of the essay. MLA format, 5-6 pages long, 12 point font Thoughtful conclusion, creatively unifies topic Works Cited page with 3+ Credible entries IDEAS FOR WRITING ❑Consider an essential question that drives your inquiry “In The Picture of Dorian Gray, the preface has a line that struck me, "The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely" (Wilde 3). This made me analyze myself deeply. I questioned my perspective of life, my priorities, and the way I perceive beauty. I asked myself, ‘Do I intensely admire anything? Have I ever?’” The key to essaying is exploring a topic in which you are truly interested. HOW DO I BEGIN? BRAINSTORM… ❑Favorite journal entry/topic ❑Insights into life as writer, student ❑Issue in your field or environment “I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.” ― Oscar Wilde ❑Following your curiosity ❑Exploring new idea or experience ❑Rethinking an assumption or data ❑Making larger meaning of object or overlooked concept
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