Politics 213

Fall 2007
WRITING ASSIGNMENT NO. 4

“On Writing”

Write a personal essay ‘on writing’, on the model of Montaigne’s Essays at their best. That is, your essay should include both reflections and judgments upon the possibilities and perils of writing and upon your own strengths and weaknesses as a writer.

As you reflect on these questions you should refer to our four authors and their respective genres, quote directly from their own observations on writing, and offer brief examples from their texts, as well as drawing upon the film, Road Scholar:

To be more specific,

(1) discuss some of the ways in which form or genre affects an author’s ability to address, affect and persuade their readers, and in turn the reader’s experience of interacting with such genres. How do specific genres direct the reader to frame his/her thoughts and arguments in particular ways? How do the genres affect the way the reader thinks? What do each of these genres presume about the nature of thinking, or philosophizing, as well as about communication, relationships, and ultimately politics in a pluralistic democratic society?

(2) Discuss as well your own ability to use these genres and your own thinking about effective and ethical communicative relationships with others.

Your essay should be 10-12 pages double-spaced or approximately 3000-3600 words in length.

Your writing should be not only mechanically free of error but positively erudite and elegant.

You are welcome to write in first person, but do so in written not spoken or colloquial English.

You should use the APA in-text citation format.

Due: DEC 10 M, 11:00am in Smullin 322.