Home

For this essay, you will need to select a misconception, myth, or just flat-out bad idea about writing and address it. You will need to find evidence to dispute that idea. This will require you to consider a number of things:
Who espouses or promulgates this bad idea? (Context)
Why is it bad? (Thesis)
Why does it matter that it is bad? (Exigency)
What is the reality, and how do you know? (Research)
For example, you could write about the myth that African-American vernaculars are grammatically flawed, how that affects African-American communities, and how the myth has been proven false. Or, you could look into writer’s block as a pervasive phenomenon or take to task the myth of the writer as a solitary genius. Please do not shy away from linking two or three of our “bad ideas” together to make a larger point about how writing is misunderstood. Whatever you do, follow up with a new interpretation, rule, or heuristic for writing that displaces the myth you’ve chosen to expose. We will talk about how to do this effectively, but you should know that simply disproving a myth does not necessarily make it go away; people are not often welcoming of uncertainty in the place of former, perceived certainty.
For this assignment, you will need to incorporate a minimum of six (6) sources. At least one of your sources must help you articulate the strongest opposing viewpoints or counter-argument to the position you are taking regarding the cultural myth you are addressing. Use primary, secondary and tertiary sources to support your claim. These sources can include a person you interview yourself, excerpts from primary source interviews, a documentary, a book, a journal article, a newspaper article, or course readings from Bad Ideas About Writing. Any sources that you find outside of the Farmingdale Library Databases must be approved by me. The rhetorical success of your argument will depend largely on your ability to choose strong evidence that your audience finds plausible and persuasive. Use the MLA style format to document your sources.
Your essays must be typed, using 12-point font and 1.5 spacing. Please submit the final draft of your essay to the DropBox.
Before submitting your essay, ask yourself the following questions:
Is my introduction enticing? Would a reader with only a marginal interest in my topic be motivated to read further after reading my introduction?
Is there any way for me to strengthen and/or clarify my thesis (without using personal pronouns)?
Have I done a good job of explaining the myths or misperceptions I am challenging?
Have I effectively addressed opposing viewpoints without resorting to condescension or disrespect?
Have I chosen strong evidence/example/s to debunk the myth/s in question?
Are my paragraphs well developed with a controlling idea tying the information in each paragraph together?
Am I transitioning smoothly from one idea to the next, one sentence to the next, and one paragraph to the next?
Have I accurately paraphrased important information from my sources in my own words?
Have I cited my sources correctly in the body of my essay?
Have I sufficiently introduced, contextualized, and explained quoted material i.e. have I “sandwiched” my quotes?
Have I avoided over-using quotation?
Are my sources properly formatted on the Works Cited page?
Are there any grammatical errors or typos in my essay that might distract my readers?
**MUST USE MY ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY SOURCES FROM THE ATTACHMENT**