Essay: Exploratory Essay
Please take a moment to preview the checklist for writing exploratory essays on pp. 98-99 of Writing in Response.
For essay 2, you will write an exploratory essay in the style of Geoff Dyer's "Blues for Vincent" (pp. 358-360). Write an essay that uses different material from Dyer's but like Dyer, write an essay with four distinct sections that differ from one another in subject (and tone) yet contain "threads" that "connect" them.
Here is what you need that that essay has:
4 distinct stories that seem to be distinct from one another but actually have something in common. Hint: Do not write about four different people's deaths and their impact on you because these, of course, are about a single subject: death.
2-3 pages of personal narrative or expository writing (you should play a central role in your essay, so the use of "I" is okay)
Demonstrate something you knew and/ or experienced before you came to this class. In the model, we trust the writer knows about art and the blues in a way that some of us would have to use research to understand
Unlike "Blues for Vincent" you need:
A clear introduction that brings to light the question you are trying to answer through the telling of these four stories; in other words, you need a knowledge problem (p. 53); we will re-write Dyer's piece to include one like the one I am asking you to have (part of your 2-3 pages above)
Cited information within the body of the essay that is not common knowledge. You should have at least two sources.
A separate one page reflection (after you have finished the 2-3 pages) where you discuss the four parts and the way those parts relate to one another)
In the reflection, end with a thesis: if you had to start the paper with a single position on your multiple topics, what would be the argument you expect your reader to get out of the story) and how did you go about addressing that argument successfully
Recap:
-2-3 pages of writing, cited where necessary that explores a single idea using multiple topics
-A Works Cited page using only Rules for Writers as a tool for how to cite the source types you include
-1 page of reflection typed
Note: Review 75 Point Rubric (how you will be scored)