Your first formal essay is coming up

THE DEFINITION ESSAY (as described in your Assignment Descriptions packet):

*The first Rough Draft is due on FRIDAY, September 18.


#1: Definition Essay

A definition essay attempts to answer one of the following questions: 1. What does ____ mean? 2. What is the special/true nature of ____? 3. What other, less obvious, meaning(s) does ____ have?

Your job is to think of some of the words (themes, concepts) that have come up in our readings and discussions. Everything fits into our class theme; consider Hattie Carroll (in the Bob Dylan song), the author of the blog “Baghdad Burning,” the author of the blog “A Soldier’s Thoughts,” Barbara Ehrenreich’s experience in various jobs (Nickel and Dimed), and Stephen Elliott’s struggles as a homeless teenager in Chicago (“Where I Slept”). What are the words we use to talk about individual struggles against “systems”? Well, for one, we use the words “individual” and “system.” We also use “alienation” and “disenfranchisement.” What, would you say, are the definitions of these words? Also, how would you support that definition with evidence? Have you seen examples of these themes in your personal life, at school, at work, in the news, in history, on TV? What other words occur to you?

This essay, like any essay, is built on its thesis. In this case, you have a very specific format to follow for your thesis. You are going to choose a word (any of the above or any that connect to our theme) to define, and your essay will support or illustrate that definition. The definition statement itself is the thesis, and it MUST follow the guidelines below (see #2).

1. Consider your word. What do you want to say about it? What is your purpose? To inform? To persuade? To entertain? This will determine your tone.
2. Formulate your thesis; this is the definition. Your word is your “term.” For the term, you must consider “class” and “characteristics.” Remember that this is where a lot of your power is—in the kind of thing you say the term is (class), and the details you want to emphasize (characteristics). Here are some generic examples, unrelated to our theme: term=peregrine falcon, class=an endangered bird, characteristic=fastest flyer, or term=happiness, class=a goal, characteristic=hard to achieve, or term=children, class=small humans, characteristic=very loud. Do you see how it works?
3. Your next step is to turn those components into a clear thesis statement. You should consider our discussions on sentence structure and style. How will you pack a lot of punch? Example from above: Happiness, a goal, is hard to achieve. I put the three parts into a sentence that has a subject, verb, and expresses a complete thought. Here’s another: Children are small humans who are know to be very loud. Can you see the components?
4. Write an effective introduction. Lead us to your statement. Do you need to give a little background? Set a scene? Explain how your definition is better than the dictionary definition?
5. Support your thesis with one clear example or many small examples. You can use observations, stories, interviews, comparison & contrast . . . and certainly any of the writing tricks you’ve collected in your RRs.
6. Don’t forget about denotation vs. connotation.
7. Don’t be afraid of controversial or “loaded” words.
8. Consider how meanings change over time, for individuals or groups.
9. Avoid circular definitions.
10. Get rid of superfluous material.

Checklist:
-4 complete pages, double-spaced
-Title (not just the word itself)
-A term that somehow connects to our class theme
-A thesis statement that has all three components (term, class, characteristic(s)) and is a grammatically correct sentence
-Evidence for your thesis that avoids repetition or empty statements

(Hey! Something good to know for future writing projects outside of 101: creating a definition is a useful tool in argumentation and might also be used as one small part of a larger paper.)

Align your work with the rubric:
• Definition Essay FD is worth 20 points.
• The thesis accounts for 7 points (6-7 excellent, 5 good, 3-4 adequate, 1-2 inadequate).
• Development accounts for 5 points (5 excellent, 3-4 good, 2 adequate, 1 adequate).
• Organization accounts for 4 points (4 excellent, 3 good, 2 adequate, 1 inadequate).
• Written conventions account for 4 points. On this essay, our main concern is avoiding errors that interfere with meaning. Your goal is to proofread for your own errors, keeping things clear and under control. You should have no more than four errors that interfere with meaning; for each one beyond that, you’ll be deducted one point. As we go, you will have to be more and more mindful of what issues we have covered in class.
• Style will not be graded on this essay.

Notes from our syllabus:
RD1: Due in class (should be 2 complete pages; 20 points for bringing it and participating in Peer Review)
RD2: Due to me in hard copy (should be 3 complete pages; 10 points for following guidelines and submitting it for review)
FD: Due to me in hard copy (4 complete pages; graded according to our rubric and worth 20 points)