Reflections on this essay

I'm hearing a lot of frustration and, perhaps, even dread over the Essay 2 assignment. (Part of this may be due to not receiving grades on anything until so late in the quarter--or, in the case of students with an on-time Essay 1, having received a grade you're unhappy with.)

I think, also, there's frustration because, even after a couple of weeks of viewing perspectives about the situation in Iraq, people still don't know what they think. It seems that some of you feel overwhelmed, and since you are not writing a persuasive essay, or a research paper--some paper that begins with a familiar approach--then you don't know what to do.

So, might I ask: What is my big fat main point in assigning this topic? And perhaps, why am I assigning you an essay that doesn't fit a "mode" (compare/contrast, persuasive, argument, etc.)?
Answer to question #1: My bfmp in assigning this topic is to stimulate some critical thinking. What does that mean, really? I feel that people in our culture today are used to receiving, yet not processing, information. Perhaps this applies especially to younger people, who may spend an inordinate amount of time watching television and surfing the internet. While some news and views about something bigger than yourselves may reach your eyes, and hence your brain, you are not often required to process it.

In order to become educated, we have to process some of the information that we consume. The beauty of English 101 is that we (faculty who teach it) are not asking students to memorize and regurgitate information. You may have to do that in other classes, at times, because you really, really need to memorize, for instance, muscle groups, if you are going to be a physical therapist. But here, the aim is to get you to critically examine material, and then to communicate some new idea, based on your own perspective.

I may be wrong, but I felt that a lot of interest was triggered in our discussions and in our viewing of the resources leading up to this essay. Now I sense a crash of interest, as some relate to it as, "Now I have to write an essay." You aren't just consuming the information any more; you're required to think about it, figure out how to develop your own thinking from it, and that is difficult. But at least don't let it be boring. Interest yourself in what unique perspective you can bring to this. If you are bored, and don't care, guess what? You will write your essay, hand it in, and I will get it and be bored and unable to care as well. (Although I will care about helping you with your essay, and about explaining what your essay lacks, in this case, I won't be able to care about the content if you don't.) It really can work like that. The other side of that is that if you do develop some interest, some care, some attention to critical thinking and expressing your ideas, I will respond, as a reader, to that interest, that spark.

Answer to question #2: We (again, English faculty at WCC) don't really do that much any more. You do have the choice to use persuasion, or argument, or comparison and contrast within your essay (as a style), but my point in not assigning this essay is to get you to analyze others' current views on the situation in Iraq, and then reflect on and analyze your own view, as well as ask the question, "What informs my, and others', views?"