4.ssay 1: Person I Admire
Purpose
This essay assignment is the culmination of all your previous work in this module. You have
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in this module. You have already engaged in the beginnings of the writing process of this essay. You have:
Brainstormed ideas (see Chapter 11 in SMG) about the essay in the Discussion Board.
Condensed your ideas down into manageable points around a working thesis.
Displayed knowledge of Description essays from Learning Activities
Drafted a Writing Activity (WA2) about this Description essay.
Consulted with a writing tutor to find areas of strength and areas of improvement.
Finally, you will now compose the final draft of a description essay that:
contains a clear thesis
identifies clear points to support your thesis
engages in critical thought about the subject chosen
uses 2-4 main ideas (points) that support your overall essay thesis
allows you to expand on your chosen topic
This essay assignment represents the first steps in writing any written essay for any academic course. The idea of thesis and support are the cornerstones of all essays. They represent the last part of the writing process. However, you may still revise your essay before final submission. This form of essay writing is the basis for all other academic writing pursuits. This skill translates to almost all careers that require critical thinking, critical reading, and responding in writing. Practicing "how to" write an essay carries over into any field's task of "what" you need to write. This skill will help with all formal writing.
Task
Write a 900-word essay, in MLA format, about a person or fictional character in whom you have an interest.
Select a subject (person or fictional character you admire)
Look to your Discussion (D1) and Writing Activity 2 (WA2) for your subject
The person may be current or historical
Some fictional characters have positive traits that can be identified.
Select several (2-4) traits about the person or character that you admire and write about these. These will be the essay's main ideas.
Biographical information should be used only to support claims.
Your essay should focus on the traits you admire. Do not write a biography or tell a story.
Example of what not to do: This person was born in 1979. They were born in middle Tennessee. They went to elementary school is 1985. They graduated in 1998.
Instead, follow this example: This person was born in middle Tennessee. Entering elementary in school in 1985 was hard for them. They never felt that they belonged in kindergarten. However, they persevered, learning that school was a place for them to grow and be themselves.
Focus on the "why" you admire them instead of a list of traits. In the above example, perseverance and learning to be themselves are the traits the writer of the essay admires.
Organize your main ideas to establish the essay's pattern of organization.
Your main ideas (traits you have chosen) need to be clearly organized.
Decide in what order you wish to discuss these main ideas (traits)
This organization needs to be presented in your introduction, preferably as the last sentence of your introduction in the thesis statement.
Note: your thesis is generally the last sentence in your introduction, but it not a requirement.
Follow this structure throughout the rest of the essay.
Always check to see if your main ideas/topic sentences, in each paragraph, relate back to your thesis statement.
Compose 5 well-developed paragraphs that support a clear thesis statement that is arguable.
5 paragraph minimum
introduction paragraph
introduces your essay and presents your thesis
three body paragraphs
Each paragraph contains one of your chosen admirable traits about your subject
expressed in a topic sentence in your paragraph
Each trait needs to transition to the next one in the next paragraph
look to your chosen pattern of development
conclusion paragraph
rephrases your traits into one last paragraph
reflects the earlier thesis, but with the knowledge of your traits expressed throughout the essay
This essay is a basic form of an argument essay. The essay should make an argument such as that the person or character selected is worthy of admiration because of the traits selected.
Criteria for Success
A successful essay:
Meets basic requirements of the assignment
Has been written by the student submitting the essay, for this class, and for this semester,
Does not contain plagiarism of any kind
Academic dishonesty is an offense of the NSCC Student Code of Conduct, punishable by a failing grade or zero
Has a clear thesis, main ideas, and pattern of organization
Has been carefully edited and proofread to minimize grammatical and other editing errors
These can be remedied by editing and with Writing Tutor visits and peer reviewing
Follows MLA style and guidelines (spacing, indent, margins, etc. )
The essay will be graded with the Grading Rubric for Essays. Please familiarize yourself with this rubric before you submit your essay. Here is the condensed version of the rubric:
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