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MajorPrompt2CoveringanEssay.docx
Covering an Essay
ELABORATION:
The main idea here is to do the same thing with an existing essay that a musician does when she covers an original song. That is, make it relevant for a new situation.
First, be careful which essay you choose. In selecting, be conscious of who made the argument, when they made it, whom they made it to, and what their purpose was. DON’T just choose by an argument’s title. Also, be careful how you identify what the actual argument of the essay is (this can be trickier than you think.)
Second, be thoughtful in re-imagining what the argument should look like, given that, now, you’re the author, the times are possibly different, and you have a different audience and purpose from the original argument. Take these things into consideration as you write, and make choices in the writing that reflect that awareness.
Here’s an example: imagine you’ve chosen Judy Brady’s “I Want a Wife,” written in 1971 for the first issue of Ms. magazine, read by American women, in a time when women’s issues did not get covered by mainstream media. You’re not married as Brady was, so maybe it doesn’t make sense to rail against marriage inequality with the same personal passion she does. If you’re not a woman, your way of discussing women’s issues needs to account for that fact. Your audience is different (you’re not writing for Ms.), so there are different expectations readers would have for you. The times are different, so this might need to factor into how you make the claim now, versus how it was made then (i.e., what would’ve been shocking to people in 1971 wouldn’t be shocking now). Maybe you don’t fancy yourself a journalist like Brady, and so you choose not to deliver the writing as magazine article, but rather in some other form (an editorial on a webpage, perhaps? A rant on a YouTube post? A personal blogpost?).
Hopefully, this gives you an idea of the kinds of decisions you’ll make. Essentially, you’ll need to do these things: (1) take an essay from another time, made by another person, for a different audience; (2) identify the central argument; (3) write something, from your own POV, in 2020, to an audience you choose, in a format you choose, that speaks to this time and place in a way that’s both true to the original argument, and also true to your personality as a writer.
LOGISTICS:
You may choose an essay either from those I’ve posted to Canvas (which also appear below), or else you can choose a different one on your own. I’m happiest if you pick one that you really find interesting, so keep that in mind. Also, if you choose one on your own, you must first get it approved by me before starting to write. There will be a homework assignment early in the unit in which you name the essay you’re going to cover. Once you make your decision, there’s no changing your mind.
