Evaluation/Reflection Essay

 

Goal: To evaluate and reflect upon what a) what constitutes criteria and b) what constitutes good essay writing

Writing components to emphasize: Synthesis of ideas, shifts in authorial voice, structuring an argument, ability to foreground authorial voice even in the third-person pronoun case

Rhetorical type: Hybrid: both evaluative and reflective

Directions:

1. A) Using 2-3 essays from The Best American Essays of the Century, discern what constitutes ‘good essay writing’ with specific examples from the book. Much of what you’ll be doing is isolating what constitutes ‘evaluative criteria’ for essay writing and composing an argument that expands upon this idea. Use directly quoted textual evidence from 2-3 essayists (Dillard, Didion, Walker), taken from The Best American Essays of the Century, and articulate how they enact the criteria you’ve established. In several respects, this type of essay is a synthesis one, too, as you’re combining forms of criteria with sources that illustrate a given principle. For an essay to receive an “A,” the body paragraphs should be structured around a criterion, not a summary of the author in question. At this point, in the same paragraph, a comparison should be made on a given trait (synthesis), with specific elements compared and contrasted between two or more authors. You’re welcome to use any essayist from The Best American Essays of the Century, even ones not read in class, as long as at least one of the essayists is from the three read in class. Consider including some of the evaluative criteria ideas initiated in class discussion and from your individual writings as main concepts for comparison and synthesis in this essay.
2. B) Besides within the conclusion paragraph (see below), the pronoun case of the third-person should be used throughout. The tone should be creative, but objective and analytical, first and foremost.
3. C) In order to receive full credit, students must use direct quotations in each body paragraph, that is, at least two, with one from each author (one from Walker, one from Dillard, for example), in the same body paragraph body paragraph. Show your logic through the evidence you’ve provided, and paraphrase and integrate the quoted passages you’ve chosen. Remember that this essay is a synthesis one that connects examples around a common trait the authors share.
4. D) In the conclusion paragraph, besides restating your main ideas in a new way, reflect on your own essay writing experience in the past and whether any of the evaluative criteria could be applied to your own past essays. Try to reference at least one specific essay and assignment in a particular class, if not more, evaluating whether you did indeed write a ‘good’ essay using the stated criteria in the preceding exposition. This portion of your essay should shift from the first-person into the first-person pronoun case.

Provide a ‘Works Cited’ page. Only use the approved sources mentioned above

Be creative in how you approach this project.