7.1 Readings
Preview
Ch. 7 includes links to example professional and student essays.
Reading excellent writers is not just entertaining or informative. It embeds their style, their vocabulary, and the structure of their writing into your sub-conscious. We learn from watching others.
Following are example essays from professional and student writers. We will read some for assignments and others for discussion.
Professional Essays
“Accomplishing Big Things in Small Places” by William Wissemann is available at https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94566019
“Black Exhaustion” by Pilot Viruet is available at https://medium.com/matter/black-exhaustion-eb90b87c4476
“Fun. Oh Boy. Fun. You Could Die from It” by Suzanne Britt Jordan is available at https://www.nytimes.com/1979/12/23/archives/fun-oh-boy-fun-you-could-die-from-it.html
“How to Mark a Book” by Mortimer Adler is available at https://www.unz.com/print/SaturdayRev-1940jul06-00011/
“Only Daughter” by Sandra Cisneros is available at http://chawkinsteaching.weebly.com/uploads/1/2/9/7/12977279/only_daughter.pdf
Student Essay
“The Best Place to Study” by Pablo Medina. This essay was written for WR115, and the assigned topic was broadly “Mt. Hood Community College.” Notice that Pablo narrowed the subject to an appropriate size. His thesis is clearly stated in the introduction, his body paragraphs each have a topic sentence and specific details, and the conclusion is relevant without being repetitive. He provides three examples to support his thesis, with each example more important than the previous one (emphatic order). The essay is available at https://saintsmhcc-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/monteveg_mhcc_edu/EWnShSZ6lolHn_QRNYUbgcwBF7gEIBxmlN40ryx_pTIbJQ?e=kojj1U
Tip
When you log in to an essay, consider printing it out to read it. Why?
- Some sites limit the number of times you can access materials on their site before they require you to subscribe. Often a subscription is free, but sometimes it is not. If you log in to check out an essay, then log in again later to read it, then log in again to check something, you may find the site won’t let you back in.
- Also, it’s always better to read print copies and take notes on the document as you read rather than to try to take notes on a separate sheet. However, if you can’t print out an essay to read, get paper and pen and take good notes.
