Description paragraph

Week 2

Watch out! I DO NOT, under any circumstances, accept late work. make sure to get your paragraph in on time.

You WILL BE DOCKED if you choose not to follow instructions. For example, if I ask that you do peer review, and you opt out, you'll lose some of the points available for the assignment. This week, I've asked that you do reflective writing instead of peer review. If you choose not to post, you'll lose points on the Description paragraph.

There is a new assignment in the Dropbox called “Practice paragraph.” Use this assignment to practice uploading/submitting your papers. If you're stuck on this process, talk to the friendly staff in the Distance Learning office.

There are a couple of new pages to help answer grammar and formatting questions:

Proofreading marks & error correction guide, and Formatting, layout, and documentation.

Updates. So far I’ve made contact with most students in the class. Most people have successfully posted to the discussion, and it looks like most people have exchanged papers. Welcome, everyone!

Make sure (if you’re running a bit behind because the first week is a bit chaotic) that you get your comments about your partner’s paper back to him or her as soon as possible so that he or she can revise.

 

 

Quick list. Here's a quick list of the things you need to do this week. Keep reading to find out more about each item:

  • Read:
    • Patterns Chapter 3 introduction
    • Fadiman, “Mail”
    • Baldwin, “My Father”
    • QA Chapter 7 and Chapter 8
  • Write and reflect on the writing of your Description paragraph
  • Revise and submit your Narration paragraph - don't forget to include a note to me about your peer reviewer

 

 

About the reading. While I need you to be conversant in the skills in QA, I’m not going to spend time writing about Chapter 7 and Chapter 8 here. Skim the chapters, and if there are questions, post them to the Questions thread in the Discussion area.

The selections in Patterns Chapter 3 are an interesting pair. Which one of the pieces do you think is better? Why? Descriptive writing is hallmarked by a set of details that is often arranged spatially – an examination traveling along one axis, the way a copy machine creates an image by moving from one side to another. Neither Fadiman’s nor Baldwin’s writing strictly adheres to this assumption about organization.

Look at the quality and depth of detail that Fadiman provides in “Mail.” And, compare that to the vividness of Baldwin’s description of his father in “My Father.” The unique characterization that Baldwin provides allows him to honor the unique spirit of his father, which likely challenges your ideas of what a respected, good father may be:

“Handsome, proud and ingrown, 'like a toenail', somebody said. But he looked to me, as I grew older, like pictures I had seen of African tribal chieftains: he really should have been naked, with war paint on and barbaric mementos, standing among spears. He could be chilling in the pulpit and indescribably cruel in his personal life and he was certainly the most bitter man I have ever met.”

Cliches can’t achieve that same power - “not the sharpest tool in the shed” or “my knight in shining armor” isn’t unique and doesn’t honor the individuality of the person you describe. As you write your paper, make sure to organize the details spatially (that’s one of the restrictions in the assignment) and provide your descriptions in fresh, new language, not tired clichés.

 

 

About the writing. This week you are working on two writing-related things.

  1. Revise your Narration paragraph in preparation for submitting a final draft to the Dropbox.
    1. Review the suggestions your partner gave you and revise your paper to better fit the assignment or the mode of development. You can also meet with me or with a Learning Center tutor to get additional suggestions about how to improve. If you’re out of town or can’t make it to campus to meet with me, give me a call at 771.4363.
    2. Before you submit the paper, please write a brief note to me at the top summarizing the comments that your partner gave to you. Tell me how the suggestions your partner gave you helped you change your paper. If you did not find the suggestions useful, please explain why.
    3. Double-check your formatting. Do you have a proper heading? Header? Margin size? Font size? See the Formatting, layout, and documentation page for more information.
    4. Turn in your paper at any time before the deadline passes. Do not ask me to take your paper after the deadline passes; late or missing work gets a zero, end of story.
    5. Follow the instructions on the “Using WebCT’s Dropbox” page of the course packet in order to upload your paper to the Narrative paragraph assignment in the Dropbox. I don't take papers by email, and I don't grade papers that are submitted to the wrong assignment.
  2. Write a rough draft of your Description paragraph and reflect on what to concentrate on as you write.
    1. Consult the course packet for the specific assignment, including approved topics.
    2. This week you will not work with a partner to revise your paper. Instead, you are responsible for reflecting on your writing by posting to the Discussion area in the Week 2 forum: Review the handout How to talk about writing. After reviewing the handout, read your paper carefully and objectively. Choose two or three aspects of the writing (development, focus, organization, audience, form) that you plan to work on in your descriptive paragraph. Explain why you think you need to focus on those aspects.