Online English Writing
Review
Last week:
- reviewed one question from the exam
- learned about arguments and a basic sentence pattern
- assigned homework
This Week
- learn about analogies (metaphors and similes)
- rewrite second draft of Syria video summary and tape advertisement
- start and finish analysis of dog adoption advertisement #2
- start assignment #3: analyze the analogy and argument in a story (Life is …)
- start assignment #4: analyze the analogy and argument in a poem (and movie clip)
Task 1: Understanding Analogies
This week, we will learn about metaphors and similes. These are small writing tricks that add style to your writing. They express complex ideas in a few words. Click here to get the writing lesson about analogies.
Writing Assignment #3: Argument Analysis
Your homework last week was to watch and listen to a YouTube clip. It had a story by Alan Watts. Step 5 describes the writing task in some detail.
Writing Assignment #4: Argument Analysis
This writing assignment requires an analysis of an analogy. It also asks you to reflect.
- Watch and listen.
- State the metaphor in the poem.
- Paraphrase the meaning of the metaphor.
- Write an analysis (describe the metaphor and its meaning) in a paragraph or two.
- The poem ends with a question. What is your answer to that question? That’s another 1 or 2 paragraphs.
Here’s the key part from the poem, and the question.
“To quote from Whitman, ‘O me! O life!… of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless… of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?’
Answer.
That you are here — that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.
What will your verse be?”