Requirements for Essay 2

1.    Critique an essay in the "Moralities" section of The Presence of Others.  (See pp. 20-21 in The Presence of Others on "Writing a Rhetorical Analysis" and "Writing a Critical Analysis" and see the examples referred to.)

2.    Has an idea that is complex and intriguing in some way that captures your overall perspective on the essay you're critiquing.  This idea should take into account the relationship between what the text means and how it means it.*

3.    Has an introduction that pulls readers into your question/issue and gives them a general but clear sense of what will follow.

4.    Cites particular passages in the Presence essay as evidence for your point, integrating them smoothly into your own text.  Summarizes concisely and accurately the Presence essay's ideas.*

5.    Leads the reader through the parts of the essay in a way that the reader sees where you're headed and gives the read a sense of having arrived somewhere by the conclusion.

6.    Conveys a sense of your writer's voice--without being too informal and "talky."  That is, the style of the essay has a certain enlivening energy to it.

7.    Follows MLA format, 3-4 pages long, with metatext, submitted to Learning Space and final draft submitted as a printed copy.

*You may notice that #3, 5, 6, and 7 are exactly the same as the requirements for Essay 1, so you should be able to build upon what you've already learned.  The key new requirements are #2 and #4.