Unit 4: Point of View Essay (3) – Assignment

You will have two tasks this unit:

1.)  Complete the last portion of the Point of View Paper.

2.)  Get feedback on your complete draft of Point of View Paper from an outside reader.

First, you’ll need to finish the assignment.

The last portion of this assignment is simple.  Reflect on what you’ve done in one or two well-developed paragraphs.  Why does any of this matter?  How do these tools relate to other writing you’ve done, other writing you’ve read, etc.?  How does (or how will) any of this apply to you?

Here’s a student example of the last portion of this assignment.  (Again, this is the same student who focused on Pillsbury Crossing in his positive and negative descriptions, which were offered as an example in the Unit #2 Assignment section, and whose rhetorical analysis was included in the Unit #3 Assignment section.)

Reflection

   While writing this assignment, I noticed that while we observe things everyday, choosing the right words to describe and observation is difficult and important.  While walking in the park the other day, I noticed how the wind picked up, and I tried to think about how I would describe it.  I realized that my descriptions would differ, depending on whether I was in a pleasant or unpleasant mood.  I also noticed how choice of words can influence a reader’s perceptions.  For example, I’ve recently read several articles on the home-run race.  One author reported that Sammy Sosa was beating Mark McGwire, but another focused on Mark McGwire, writing that he was ahead of last year’s pace, so he wasn’t technically “losing” the home-run race.  Presentation of facts and phrasing of observations can be vital to crafting a good story that grabs the reader’s attention; it can also sway the reader’s opinions in many ways.

Second, I strongly recommend you get some feedback on your complete draft.

In this unit, you will want to revise your own work to the best possible quality.  I strongly recommend that in addition to reviewing your work yourself, you find yourself an outside reader—someone who will read your work and offer you suggestions for revisions.

You have two options in choosing an outside reader:

* You can find someone on your own to read your work (ie. your spouse, one of your kids, a friend, a neighbor).

* You can sign up for the Peer Review Option by emailing me.  (I’ll set up an email list, so that you and 2-3 of your classmates can email each other your drafts and get feedback.)

Here are some questions you’ll want to keep in mind when revising your Perspective Paper.

The Two Descriptions

1.)  Do the two descriptions offer contrasting impressions of your place, without changing the facts?

2.)  Do each of the descriptions incorporate all of the tools of the Writer’s Toolbox?  Are each of these rhetorical tools used to their fullest advantage?

3.)  Are both descriptions well-organized, and easy to follow?

The Rhetorical Analysis

1.)  Are each of the five rhetorical tools discussed?

2.)  Does each paragraph follow the claim-support structure, making a general claim that clarifies the feature to be discuss, and then offering examples of how the feature was used and to what effect?  Do these examples seem adequate and appropriate?

3.)  Are transitions used to move the reader from paragraph to paragraph?

The Reflection

1.)  Is the reflection at least one paragraph long, using appropriate transitions to move us from idea to idea?

2.)  Does the reflection offer a sense of why/how the concepts of this assignment matter, beyond the classroom setting?