Write a clear, well-developed Classification essay of at
least 1000 words. Final essays which do not meet the minimum length
requirement can earn no better than a grade of “D,” which is not passing.
In the first essay assignment, you described a memorable picture
from your Life Map. As explained in Control Theory, such “needfulfilling”
pictures are what make up our “Quality World,” our vision of
how we would like the world to be. In the second essay, you will
classify, or put into categories, other experiences from your Quality
World to see what essential elements they have in common, and then
consider what they say about you.
Due date: Final essay due by 11:59 pm Tuesday, October 2
Reading: First, read the explanation of Classification in SCC, Ch. 3.3,
98-100, and the example essay by Amy Tan, “Mother Tongue,” 100
(link to the online essay).
Also read, “My Mother Speaks Through Me,” by Deborah
Tannen, published by
some other way to classify your experience. For example, I chose to
classify experiences that met my need for Power/Significance into
reading experiences, writing experiences, and travel experiences.
Once you have at least three categories, list the experiences/
pictures from your map that fit into each category. Do not list every
experience, just those that fit into one of your categories. Try to list each
experience in only one category. If the categories overlap too much you
will not be able to divide your experiences, so you need to refine the
categories to make them separate.
Next, try to summarize in a few sentences why the items in each
category are important to you, what they have in common, and how they
are different from the items in the other categories. How do these
categories and examples relate to your Quality World? For example, I
might list the things I like to read – fantasy, ancient history, archaeology
– and think about how those readings relate to places I like to travel to –
museums, archeological sites, historic places, and also to what I like to
write about. From these comparisons I might conclude that exploring
through reading, writing, and travel gives me knowledge of the past and
a sense of my place and significance in the world.
Plan/Organization: When you have enough ideas from your invention
writing, make a plan for your essay like the following:
Introduction – Introduce the topic (your Quality World) and the
categories into which you have classified your experiences, then
state what you have learned about yourself by comparing them
(your thesis).
Body paragraphs – Discuss each of your categories in at least one full
paragraph. Begin with a topic sentence stating why those
experiences are important to you, then give a few detailed
examples and show how they relate to your thesis. You should
have 3-5 body paragraphs.
Conclusion – Tie together your observations about each category and
show what you have learned about your goals and your needs, as
described by Control Theory.
Drafting & Revision: For help in writing your essay, read SCC, Ch. 1.4,
Writing Thesis Statements, Ch. 1.5, Methods of Organizing Your
Writing, Ch. 1.6, Writing Paragraphs, (20-44), and Ch. 2, The Writing
Process, (Prewriting, Outlining Drafting), 44-68.
Submission Format: Follow the instructions for submitting the final
essay in the Module. The essay must be typed following MLA format
conventions: double-spaced, one inch margins, headings at upper left
corner, title centered on the next line below the heading, last name and
page number at upper right corner. Please use 12-point Times New
Roman (or something similar and plain) for your font style and size.
Failure to use MLA format will result in a failing grade. Submit your
essay to Canvas in MS Word (.doc or .docx) or Adobe Portable
Document (.pdf) as these formats allow me to make comments on your
essay and give you feedback. Other formats are not acceptable.
Plagiarism: Each essay assignment is submitted to Turn It In, a
plagiarism checking service used by many colleges across the country. If
a significant portion of your essay is a match to sources found online or
to essays turned in previously to Turn It In, your essay will be tagged as
possibly plagiarized. Your essay must be original work for this class, and
cannot be work you have submitted previously for other classes! Please
read the Plagiarism lecture in the module and be aware of these
requirements.
Grading: The final essay is a required assignment, and must be
submitted to earn a passing grade in the course. Essays are graded with
the ENGL 1013 essay rubric posted on Canvas under the Syllabus tab.
Questions? Please do not hesitate to ask questions if you do not
understand any part of this assignment! Please mail me through Canvas.