Timed Writing #1:
Learning from Our Misstakes Mistakes
The Little Stuff:
· Make sure you get the title of the work and author correct each time! Nothing says sloppy like calling Silent Spring “Slippery Springs”!
· Books are underlined. Short stories and articles are put in quotation marks. Tattoo it on your arm.
· Non-fiction works are NEVER referred to as stories. Story implies the work is fictional.
· You are not on a first name basis with the authors. Don’t keep talking about how Rachel said this or that. She’s not your BFF. And don’t refer to her as Ms. or Mrs. Carson either. You have no idea if she is married, or if she goes by Dr. Carson. The first time you mention her, use her full name, and then just refer to her as Carson.
· Don’t misspell words used in the prompt. For example, I know “argument” is a tough one to spell. But you can be pretty darn sure the AP prompt writers can spell. So if they give it to you, spell it correctly. There aren’t many freebies on the AP exam. Cherish the ones you get.
· Write legibly! If your handwriting looks like Sanskrit, PRINT! Your AP reader must be able to read your essay if he is going to score it.
The BIG Stuff:
The Introduction:
o Introductions should not funnel! Some of you are still trying to start at the beginning of time. Please stop!
o Introductions should not start with outside quotations that you have memorized and saved up for just such an occasion. I don’t care if they are from fortune cookies, The Beatles, or Albert Einstein. They are unnecessary and distracting. Not all debate strategies are good essay-writing strategies. Deal with it.
o Introductions should not be a big poof of fluff. Generalities, cute hooks, questions, they are all fluff. Stuff the fluff.
o Just get down to business. A line or two of summary, then your thesis, and you’re good to go.
The Body:
o READ. THE. PROMPT. The farmers sprayed parathion in Indiana NOT India. Big difference! And there is nothing about the “evil government.” Don’t let your pet conspiracy theories worm their way into your essay.
o Don’t include personal commentary or reactions. Nobody cares what YOU think about pesticides or birds or saving the planet. Well, maybe someone does, but certainly not the AP reader scoring your essay. Stick to analysis.
o Summary is not analysis, no matter how much you pretty it up. If you just say Carson says this and that, look here’s the proof in a few nice quotations—you are SUMMARIZING! Analysis is looking at HOW she said what she said and WHY she chose to say those particular things in that order. You are not just trying to say what her points were, but rather how did she organize those points to persuade the reader. What devices did she use to structure the rhythm of her writing?
o Don’t say a device does something without explaining how, even if it seems obvious to you. Give examples from the text and explain explain explain.
o If you say you’ll discuss metaphors, rhetorical questions, and death-related diction in the thesis, don’t then go on to discuss death-related diction in paragraph 2, metaphors in paragraph 4, and rhetorical questions in paragraph 4. Stick to the order laid out in the thesis.
o Make sure you are picking out important rhetorical strategies that go with the author’s purpose! Don’t just pick out random strategies and throw them together.
o Watch your tone. You are not writing an e-mail to your friend. You are not having a conversation. You are writing a formal essay. Don’t get all casual in your language, dude. It’s, like, totally unprofessional in a legit paper.