Major Assignment 2

In life, we often learn best through imitation. Babies learn to talk by babbling noises that sound like the words we say; children watch their parents and siblings and form habits that resemble the people they’re around most often. Writing is no exception. Just as Van Gogh learned to draw and paint first by studying and copying the works of Dutch masters, so many authors learn to write better by studying and imitating the works of people who came before them. By looking carefully at the words and works of a writer you admire, you can learn techniques and tricks that will transform and improve your own writing.

This assignment asks you to pay careful attention to rhetoric: how language is used to produce a certain effect on the reader or audience. Rhetoric is one of the most powerful tools available to humans. It impacts every aspect of our lives, and is at play in every conversation we have, every social interaction we participate in, every piece of media we consume, and even in the unspoken aspects of human communication. Learning to be aware of how society is using words to get people to act a certain way will help you to become a smarter, more informed participant in the communities of which you are a part.

For this assignment, you’ll take several selections from the work of an author you particularly admire or are interested in and analyze it in depth. You’ll look at tone, voice, diction, rhythm, punctuation, imagery, and other techniques and style markers in order to determine what makes up the style of the author of your choice. Your essay should discuss 4-6 distinct aspects of your author’s style and include plenty of strong textual evidence to support your claims.

Assignment Instructions

First, choose at least three passages from the work of an author of your choice. These passages should each be at least a page in length, but probably not more than two pages each. They can come from different works or a single work, but all three (or more) should be written by the same author.

Next, read them over and over and over and over again. Each time, try to focus on something different about the text. I like to make multiple copies of the passage I’m looking at so that I can make different notes/highlighting on each one without the text becoming overwhelmed. Mark everything you find interesting or that seems important, even if you’re not quite sure why yet.

Then, you’ll bring your texts to class, where we’ll continue discussing elements of style and where you’ll have a chance to share your passage with your peer group and discuss what you’ve found so far (including anything that has stumped you!). Be prepared to offer examples from your chosen texts during class discussions.

Next, you’re going to start to organize your information and decide which elements of style seem the most unique to or characteristic of your author. I suggest focusing on 4-6 elements, but if either more or less makes more sense to you, shoot me an email and we’ll work something out. Find connections between the elements, but also make sure they aren’t so similar that you’ll have trouble distinguishing them in your analysis.

Plan out your essay using a method that suits you (see MA1). You’ll have time to work on this in class, too, but the majority of the planning stage should be considered homework. Remember, organization and evidence are 40% of the grade for this paper, so pay close attention to how you’re presenting your points and what evidence you’re using to support your claims about the author’s style. Your thesis statement should make a clear, arguable, detailed claim about which elements of style you think are the most central in the texts you have chosen.

Your essay (1000-1500 words) should make a clear, confident argument about which elements of style you find the most compelling in the work(s) of the author you chose. Each of your major points (the 4-6 elements of style) should include compelling evidence from the passages you analyzed, using a variety of source integration styles. Consider your audience: what type of evidence is most likely to convince? Remember that while referring your readers back to the primary text is important, you don’t want to overwhelm your readers with lots of quotes and little analysis. Watch out for what They Say, I Say calls “hit and run” quotations–always back up your use of sources with analysis and proof of the source’s importance to your argument! In your conclusion (but after you wrap up your argument), please reflect on what this process taught you about style and how you anticipate your own style developing in the future.

Assignment Schedule