Đang tải... (xem toàn văn)
The main contents of the chapter consist of the following: What is analysis essay? purpose of writing analysis essay, how to write a analysis essay? well written analysis essay, steps for writing a analysis essay, topic selection, dos and don’ts, common mistakes, how to analyze an essay? example.
Lecture 17 Personal Essay Recap • What is Analysis Essay? • Purpose of Writing Analysis Essay • How to Write a Analysis Essay? • Well Written Analysis Essay • Steps for Writing a Analysis Essay • Topic Selection • Dos and Don’ts • Common Mistakes “For more than four hundred years, the personal essay has been one of the richest and most vibrant of all literary forms.” (The Art of the Personal Essay by Phillip Lopate.) What is Personal Essay? • • • The personal essay is also one of the most popular forms of creative non-fiction A personal essay can be based on a personal experience that results in a lesson that you learn A personal essay can also be a personal opinion about a topic or issue that is important to you This article defines the personal essay Definition of the Personal Essay • A personal essay is either a personal narrative in which the author writes about a personal incident or • experience that provided significant personal meaning or a lesson learned, or it is a personal opinion about some topic or issue that is important to the writer Subjects for the Personal Essay • Your subject can be about anything that you are passionate about – • • You can write about a “turning point” in your life, or a milestone, or adversity, such as death, illness, divorce The subject you choose must have provided you with significant personal meaning or a lesson that you have learned But, keep in mind, you are not just Subjects for the Personal Essay • So, write about the following: – Personal experience – Incident – Anecdote – Topic – Issue – A memory The Personal Essay as a Personal Narrative • A personal narrative has the following elements: – It is based on a personal experience in which you have gained significant meaning, insight, or learned a lesson It can also be based on a milestone or life-altering event – It is personal narrative The writer tells the story by including dialogue, imagery, characterization, conflict, plot, and setting – It is written in the first person (“I” point-of- The Personal Essay as a Personal Narrative • • It is an autobiographical story in which the writer describes an incident that resulted in some personal growth or development A personal essay is a glimpse of the writer’s life The writer describes the personal experience using the scenebuilding technique, weaves a theme throughout the narrative, and makes an important point There must be a lesson or The Personal Essay as a Personal Narrative • • • The writer uses self-disclosure and is honest with his/her readers The writer writes about a real life experience The incident or experience must have occurred The writer must use fact and truth The writer must dramatize the story by using the scene building technique A scene includes setting/location, intimate details, concrete and specific descriptions, Thinking about the Personal Essay • • Context – – What helps “place” the essential story in a bigger picture? – What connections does the writer make between related ideas and experiences? Perspective – – What’s the value of “distance” for the piece? – Is there an acknowledgement of time having passed? Thinking about the Personal Essay • Organization – – – How does the writer develop his/her ideas? What is the opening of the piece like? – Is there a central “story”? – How does the writer incorporate background information? – Are there places where the writer diverges from the central story? – How are shifts in place or time handled? Thinking About the Personal Essay • Language – – When is it used well to “showcase” ideas? – To establish the writer’s “voice”? – When is the writing powerful in its simplicity, its complexity, or its unexpectedness? Example A Farewell to Adolescence Introduction Paragraph One of the scariest things about being in Leaving Cert is realizing that you are the oldest pupils in the school In the first couple of days it gently hits you that the people who once intimidated you so much are all gone Any intimidation that goes on now is probably your esteemed self complaining (loudly) in the Supporting Details It is about now you realise that you’re beginning to grow up Talking about the ‘youth of today’ sets off alarm bells in your head because you’ve started to distance yourself from this section of society You no longer include yourself in the category of ‘teenager’ or ‘adolescent’ Technically, you’ll be a teenager until the end of your nineteenth year, but being as mature and responsible as you are, you handily disregard this fact! After the first couple of days in Leaving Cert, it not-so-gently whacks you full-in-the-face that other people have also started to regard you as a young adult Teachers, parents, and adults in general expect you to think and act more responsibly, as befits your new position in society THAT’s when you discover the role of young adult has as many drawbacks as Supporting Details The first problem encountered is that of choosing a career! Of course, you’d always realised that EVENTUALLY you’d have to decide what to with the rest of your life But never in your wildest dreams or worst nightmares did you imagine just how difficult it would really be The careers teacher bombards you with information about points, open days, college prospectus’, CAO-CAS forms, subject choices, apprentices and requirements It vaguely registers somewhere in the back of your mind that you’ve heard all this before (perhaps in last years careers class???) but you weren’t really listening (at the time) because it was just kind of boring and irrelevant Right now it’s about as far away from irrelevant as it can possibly be, and your head is in a whirl Oh, to be back in first year when everything was simple and all anyone seemed to talk about was how wild and cheeky you were! Supporting Details Added to this burden of deciding what to with the rest of your life, is the workload of the average Leaving Certificate pupil You seem to spend at least three hours every night doing homework alone Wondering when you’ll get around to revising fourth year work is useless – you simply DON’T HAVE THE TIME! Every teacher seems to have some comment to make about how little work you’ve done, and how much you’ve left to cover Being fulfilled, happy individuals, however, you don’t despair and it never even enters your head how Supporting Details The last (and in my opinion the worst) part of saying farewell to adolescence is that of being responsible for your own destiny Every teacher and parent in the country seems to adopt the policy of constantly telling you that how you in the Leaving Certificate Examinations in June is entirely up to you! Teachers remind you daily that they’re not afraid of work and they’re doing the best they can for you If you don’t pull up your socks and get down to work there’s nothing they can about it Their most commonly used phrase abound this time Supporting Details All is not doom and gloom however, and whilst the negative side of growing up is alive and well, there is also another, more desirable side blossoming satisfactorily, if you look at the other side of the coin You begin to notice the extent to which your family life changes Apart from a few sensitive areas, you’re pretty much a free agent Your parents no longer freak out if you leave the house for more than half an hour You don’t ask them any more if you can go out, they ask you if you are! It’s not childish teenage disco’s you’re Supporting Details The last (and in my opinion the worst) part of saying farewell to adolescence is that of being responsible for your own destiny Every teacher and parent in the country seems to adopt the policy of constantly telling you that how you in the Leaving Certificate Examinations in June is entirely up to you! Teachers remind you daily that they’re not afraid of work and they’re doing the best they can for you If you don’t pull up your socks and get down to work there’s nothing they can about it Their most commonly used phrase abound this time Supporting Details A whole new world of possibility opens out before you, and somehow, life doesn’t seem so bleak anymore You don’t get asked what age you are going into the cinema! Your mother doesn’t wait until you’ve gone to bed to watch the video she’s hired out – unless of Conclusion All in all, growing up has both advantages and disadvantages The process is both rewarding and painful, joyous and sad Luckily this Summary References • http://davehood59.wordpress.com/2010/05/02 • http://davehood59.wordpress.com/2010/05/02 ... years, the personal essay has been one of the richest and most vibrant of all literary forms.” (The Art of the Personal Essay by Phillip Lopate.) What is Personal Essay? • • • The personal essay is... you This article defines the personal essay Definition of the Personal Essay • A personal essay is either a personal narrative in which the author writes about a personal incident or • experience... point-of- The Personal Essay as a Personal Narrative • • It is an autobiographical story in which the writer describes an incident that resulted in some personal growth or development A personal essay