See Below for an Example of How to Format Your Letter

ENGL 1102

Janssen

Essay #1: An “Urgent” Letter

For your first essay, I want you to write a letter to Dr. Gerald Graff, the author of "Hidden Intellectualism" and editor of They Say / I Say. In your letter, I want you to tell him what you really think of his ideas in his essay. Do you agree, disagree, or maybe a bit of both? It really doesn't matter as long as you have something of substance to say to him. One thing you will need to keep in mind with this essay is that you are not on the same playing field as Dr. Graff. He has a lot more credibility than you do. He has had a long and distinguished career in education, and he knows way more about it than you do. However, you have one thing going for you that he does not. You are a college student in the early twenty-first century. That perspective matters a great deal here, and if we're to take him at his word, it truly does matter to him. This is one way that you can demonstrate exigence in your letter, which is something you must do. Exigence is a rhetorical term that designates the necessity, or “urgency” of any writer or speaker to communicate in a given situation. Your letter needs to demonstrate its reason for existence. Why should he, the great man, take the time to read your letter? What's in it for him? Why should he care what you think? Answers to those questions should be incorporated into your response. It's okay, by the way, to be upfront about the condition of your letter as a class assignment. You don't have to hide that fact. However, your sense of purpose should go beyond that. You need to show that your words and your perspective are important, that you care about the issues you're expressing, and that he should too! In your letter, I want you to respond to at least 3 specific points that Graff makes. You should quote or summarize those points in the letter, and you should document them using MLA citation. Your letter should have a works cited page, citing our textbook. Your essay should be 3-4 pages in length, double-spaced, using 12 pt letter size.

As part of your oral presentation grade for the class, you will also need to read an excerpt of your draft in class. Each class member will need to discuss his or her draft for 3-5 minutes. You can literally read a portion of your draft in class, or you can simply talk about your response, but you must be able to discuss your letter for the allotted time in order to receive full credit. This aspect of your first essay will cover half of your oral presentation grade; the upcoming group projects will cover the other half. Draft discussions will begin this Friday, 8/23.

See below for an example of how to format your letter:

Your Name

ENGL 1102

Janssen

9/4/13

Hide and Seek: Finding Intellectualism in Today’s Classroom

Dear Dr. Graff:

In your essay “Hidden Intellectualism,” you conclude, “Give me the student anytime who writes a sharply argued, sociologically acute analysis of an issue in Source over the student who writes a lifeless explication of Hamlet or Socrates’ Apology” (205). I’ve been an English professor for over ten years, and I have read many a “lifeless explication” in that time, and I read your essay with much enthusiasm. I completely agree with your stance that we must alter our approach toward our mission of nurturing the intellectual lives of our students…. (and so on).

Work Cited

Graff, Gerald. “Hidden Intellectualism.” They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic

Writing. Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, eds. New York: Norton, 2010. 198-205.