Kelsey Diaz writes an essay that completely explains how writing an essay in high school, barley compares to writing in college. She says that the regular five paragraph essay that was hammered into our brain for over four years straight, needs to basically be thrown out the window and completely erased out of our heads. She goes further and explains how professors may laugh at you if you write an essay in that format, however they know your freshmen and they're almost more than willing to help you succeed at writing an essay.
She backs herself up even more when she talks about rough drafts, she says "the more the better," and almost more often than not you'll be throwing out your first original essay every time. Diaz also backs herself up by making sure the audience knows that she's been through high school, and college and can understand the different writing styles you must learn.
My favorite line Diaz says is, "I'll 'restate the thesis' like your used to: Write in your own words. You're the writer writing, not your sources, so just grab a pencil and have at it!" I chose this line because she sets that detail of high school writing, because its something the audience understands and relates too, yet she's able to explain the new style of writing as well, in a way that it still comfortable to the freshmen audience.
My Response:
Because I've written a couple essays already in college I could agree with Diaz. She put what I felt exactly into words. I despise the essays I wrote in high school, so learning new writing techniques is actually exciting to me.
Classmates Response to My Response:
I agree with you, the style of writing that English teachers hammered into our heads in high school were a waste of time. Writing has no limit, especially not five paragraphs.
My Response to My Classmate:
Exactly! Why should writing be put into rules where the audience becomes bored because you can almost expect what your going to read.
Now I'm just really excited to now know, because it is set in stone, that I will never have to write those horrid five paragraph essays again. I get lost in my thoughts and really figure out who I am when I put words on paper, and I don't want my feelings to fit into five paragraphs and be ruled by a thesis.
Hm... I do have to argue that High School English wasn't a complete waste of time. In my English-111 class, we had to write three or four (I'm not sure, it's been a while.) five paragraph essays, proof you may still need the format latter. Additionally, I find that having a definite limit to how much you can put to paper actually helps me stay focused on the topic.
ReplyDeleteThe advantage to a five paragraph essay is that instead of putting in fluff to fulfill a page requirement, I can get to the point and be done. The relatively small space provided can be challenging, yes, but it is markedly easier for me to prune down unnecessary or redundant examples. Though I will admit, the five paragraph format can leave an argument feeling weak, if not unfinished, which I dislike. I do however agree with the rest of Ms. (Mrs?) Diaz's argument.
*later, not latter. End of the second sentence.
DeleteI agree with you because it was a stuggle for me to write those five paragraph essays and I am glad we get to move on from that and write more freely and in our own way.
ReplyDeleteHow many people can honestly say that high school prepared them for success in college? They are like two totally different leagues. When I was in elementary school, my teachers told me middle school would be harder. Same as in middle school and then again in high school. You can't expect everything to be black and white and assume that there is only one way of doing things. Of course a high school research paper is not going to be on par with a college paper...
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