Writing and David Foster Wallace
Writing assignment: Write a well-organized, 2-3 paragraph response to Wallach’s speech. Your response should be typed, double-spaced, and in a reasonable-sized font. This required writing will not be marked with a letter-grade. However, you will receive written comments in response to your paper, and this paper will prepare you for your first formal essay assignment. Questions to consider as you write your response: 1 . What are some of your favorite ideas from the speech, and why are these Ideas compelling to you? For Wallace, what Is Important about a college education? 3. What do you think about Wallach’s Ideas regarding education? 4. For you, what Is Important about a college education? You do not need to answer each of these questions In order. Rather, synthesize your ideas into a well-organized response that captures your views about Wallach’s speech, and your views about education. For next class, please come prepared to discuss a few quotes from the Wallace essay that you found particularly compelling.
More importantly, please be prepared to discuss why these quotes were compelling to you. As this is your first writing assignment, and as this is the first day of class, you’re probably wondering what I want to see in your writing. While each of your writing assignments will require different approaches, generally speaking I want to see the following: Passion/Excellent/Engagement with topic: Do you really try to make 1) discoveries? Do you really explore your Ideas and experiences, and the Ideas presented by the writers to whom you are responding?
In other words, do you take your position as writer and thinker seriously? Do you make this essay your own? Do you care about what you are saying? Do you want your readers to care about what you are saying? 2) Organization: Does you have an introduction that sets up a blueprint for what the rest of the essay will look like? Does your essay have a conclusion? Do you organize your topics and ideas into neat paragraphs and units? 3) Style: Is your essay written in an appropriate, academic tone? Do you project authority? Logic and Support: Do your ideas make sense, and are they presented in a logical order? Are your claims supported by relevant details? 5) Clear writing, grammar, and mechanics: Is your essay free from serious sentence- level errors. 6) Creativity: Does your essay surprise? Do you use colorful language, Images, and examples? Do you go In unexpected and Interesting directions? Do you reveal yourself In this essay and do you truly try to write about ideas that are important to you? Class with some questions about the syllabus.
