WRITING AN IN-CLASS ESSAY

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WRITING AN IN-CLASS ESSAY
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Think about

• Start with a solid thesis statement (you will
  probably partly agree and partly disagree, and
  this is a fine organizational tool to follow)
• Provide relevant support for your thesis
• Write a scratch outline
• Include transitional words and expressions for
  cohesion and clear organization
• Proofread and edit
• Express your ideas in relationship to both authors

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Sample summary

• In her passage, Hoff Sommers claims todays
  young generation is compassionate and provocative
  as they devote themselves to others, but they do
  not have a clear sense of morality. In addition,
  Goodman feels too many people are wrongly trying
  to convince us that we are all fine as long as we
  accept ourselves for what we are. Veeral

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• From Goodmans perspective, she claims that
  people are becoming passive I their daily doings
  and more often, they follow the unspoken rule
  that society has laid out for them to distinguish
  the differences between right and wrong. Society
  today not only pressures people to become
  followers and forget their own basic moral
  values, but it also allows readers to have a
  better understanding are of why Sommers and
  Goodman believe that people are simply conforming
  to social expectations rather than following
  their own moral code. Ngan

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During pre-writing phase

• List common themes of course readings,
  discussions and other materials
• With common themes in mind, predict and list
  possible essay questions and topics
• Ask yourself to what extent do you agree or
  disagree with BOTH authors?
• Ask yourself if the writers were discussing their
  ideas with each other, what would they say?

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AT THE ESSAY EXAM ITSELF

• STEP ONE
• Make a plan to budget your time. Stick to it!
  For the final, you will have 30 minutes to
  PREWRITE, BRAINSTORM, LIST and
• 60 minutes to write the essay. Keep that time
  frame in mind.

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STEP TWO

• Read the directions, the questions and topics
  carefully. Be sure you know EXACTLY what is
  being asked!

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STEP THREE

• Look for key words that will tell you what to
  write about and how to organize the essay
• Compare Write about similarities
• Contrast Write about differences
• Summarize/Sum up/Outline Write about the main
  ideas
• Evaluate/Critique Write your opinion, giving the
  arguments for and against the issue and why your
  position is stronger
• Classify Write an explanation of into which
  category your topic falls
• Define Write a definition- what does the topic
  mean?
• Describe Write about the characteristics of the
  topic

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STEP FOUR

• Establish your thesis statement. You may want to
  write a TENTATIVE thesis and revisit that
  TENTATIVE thesis when you are close to finishing
  to check for unity.

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STEP FIVE

• Write a scratch outline. Remember, you must
  represent both prompts in your response and
  demonstrate an understanding of them both.

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STEP SIX

• Write the essay, following the outline.
• Do not worry about grammar and mechanics--- just
  get your ideas on paper.
• Use all your resources (the readings, lectures,
  discussion ideas, life experiences, tv shows,
  books, readings) to develop the essay.
• Write one paragraph per supporting idea. Focus
  each paragraph with a very clear topic sentence
  to express the main idea of the paragraph and to
  focus you on the point.

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STEP SEVEN

• Go back and revise
• delete ideas
• add ideas
• move ideas to more logical paragraphs
• add transitions where needed

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STEP EIGHT

• Proofread and edit for
• Grammar
• Spelling
• Punctuation
• Word choice

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BUDGET YOUR TIME! BUT, if you run out of
time

• Take the last minute or two to outline or list
  the points you planned to cover. Not all
  professors will give you credit for this attempt,
  but some will.
• Try to write a few ideas to wrap up. Consider
  writing what you hope to prove during the
  pre-writing phase, and revisit this idea if you
  find yourself short on time.

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Organization Template A

• Intro General summary of both authors, making
  generalizations and offer an opinion.
• Body 1 SPECIFIC ideas from author 1 using
  quotes.
• Body 2 Examples from your own life,
  agree/disagree
• Body 3 SPECIFIC ideas from author 2, see
  above.
• Body 4 Your ideas of author 2
• Conclusion both authors and you

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Organization Template B

• Intro Hook. Both authors ideas, listing names
  and passages. Brief summary
• Body 1 One idea that both authors share
• Body 2 your opinion
• Body 3 One idea that both authors might disagree
  about
• Body 4 your opinion
• Conclusion

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Template C

• Intro
• Body 1 Author 1
• Body 2 Author 2
• Body 3 your opinion
• Conclusion

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Hoff Sommers

• points out an irony, that despite a lack of
  moral guidance, the younger generation still
  promotes compassion
• Ex from Kirat
• Taliban attacks
• Sending grandparents to a retirement home
• Abortion
• all are examples of SITUATIONAL MORALITY

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Hoff Sommers

• In our democratic society, we need to be
  cognizant of ethical ideas that our society is
  founded upon. The great works of literature have
  taught s these.
• Todays youth practice compassion, but they do
  not know why or how the values of integrity,
  respect for human life, honesty and self-control
  have come from.

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Hoff Sommers

• Hoffis saying that people nowadays are extremely
  selfish andlacking in moral tradition
• Ex Kayne West YOLO Sanjay
• this generation knows almost nothing about
  moral tradition but is still selfless Danielle
• young people today live in a moral hazewhatever
  works best for the individual Hoff Sommers

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Goodman

• Agrees that we are also morally confused because
  psychology and MORAL RELATIVITY have taught us to
  accept not having these basic moral values, and
  we, as a society focus on acceptance rather than
  change, as long as we dont hurt someone.

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Goodman

• ...as long as society and/or peers approve of
  something, people are not going to change
  whatever it is that they are doing, regardless of
  right or wrong
• Doesnt go into depth about how to fix these
  issues

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Goodman

• Acceptance of a faulty ideology (Haroon)
• Todays society is geared more toward acceptance
  than challenge (Gerry)
• We convince ourselves that as long as we are not
  hurting anyone, we should love the person we are,
  even if we are boring or judgmental and considers
  the possibility that this acceptance is a
  negative thing for society using sarcasm to point
  this

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Hoff Sommers and Goodman

• todays kids are more inclined towards what
  works best for them as individuals rather than
  what works for the whole
• Kirat
• Sommers seems to attack the younger generation
  while Goodman generalized her essay and blamed
  psychologists for our lack of moral clarity.
  Hoff Sommers blames our schools and our lack of
  exposure to literature (partly Emily)

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Both cont

• It is ok to have your own opinion of what is
  right or wrong as long as we know/live according
  to the Golden Rule. (Kim)
• together I agree that this generation is
  selfless and tries hard to focus on others while
  there are some who seem to care only about
  themselves and could care less for the rest of
  the world. Danielle

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Both

• I believe that we are a generation of hope,
  co-existance and growth, even though critics see
  this as moral blindness. Somers and Goodman both
  see that this generation cant define right and
  wrong, and that it disapproves of disapproval to
  make everyone feel good, but(TINA) is this a bad
  thing? Nothing is black and white.