Essay #1

Rough Draft Due 09-22-09
Final Draft Due 10-01-09

Essay Assignment #1 – Expository Essay

Expository essays are all about the “How”. In class, and in our conferences, you have had a chance to discuss something that interests you, as well as take some time to examine these things closely. But now I want you to describe the method behind some of the things you love. Choose one of the following essay prompts and write a well-developed, cohesive essay about something that interests you.
Essays must be:
- Double spaced
- Typed in 12-pt Times New Roman font
- At least 3 full pages long.
- and Follow MLA guidelines

1) From cooking shows with Julia Childs to Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe, the best explanations of how something gets done have personality, in addition to the information. Believe it or not there is something you are an expert on! Tell me about something you like to do. Describe in detail the process you go through to do this activity. If it has numbers/weights/values be sure to include them. If it requires special tools, make sure you let me know what they are and why they are important for this job. Does it require help? Does it require special materials? Or a special location? What are the specifics? This may require that you think about the process in an entirely new way (you may even need to do a little research). Make this explanation personal, but stay focused on the topic. Remember I don’t know as much about this topic as you do. You might also include why you like to do this activity or why you do this activity at all (Does it make you money? Is it a means to an end?). Let me know the details, but concentrate on the procedure. Explain it to me. I want to learn something.

2) Almost everyone has a dream for his/her own life. Sometimes these goals are dreamlike and vague (like being rich), but sometimes the goals are very specific and concrete (like visiting Notre Dame Cathedral). This prompt is for those of you who have a very specific goal in their life. Tell me about your goal and how you are going to reach it. If you want to have a job like someone, what do you have to do to become like this person? If you want to go somewhere on a trip, what do you have to do to get there? If it’s a personal goal, what do you have to change to reach it? What do you have to learn? What about this attracts you to this goal? It doesn’t have to be a job, but it cannot be simply graduating college (although college can be a milestone on your road to this goal). It can be anything from a trip you want to take to a future career. It can be an exercise routine that you need to maintain to get into the military or just a skill you want to acquire. Plan it out and tell me about the process you would need to take to get there.