Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Grab bag
Today we talked about “takeaways” from English 101—what you will take with you from this class as you write for other classes in college and other purposes in a variety of settings. Note the changes in tone (formal or informal), person (first, second, or third person), and objectivity (rational or emotional) that these different writing tasks require:
1) Write a rejection letter on behalf of Harvard University admissions informing a qualified applicant that she will not be admitted.
Unfortunately, we are unable to offer you admission for the 2005-2006 school year. We are sorry that we do not have better news for you. This year we received an overwhelming amount of applications, most of which were well-qualified. The decision was very hard to make. Good luck on your future college plans.
-Drew K
2) Write a letter to a congregation that voted you in as their pastor by a narrow margin, thanking them for their vote and informing them that you will begin leading worship next week.
To The Congregation:
It is with my whole heart that I accept the position as the pastor of your church. I feel it is God’s calling to be at your church in this time in my life and thank God for the answer to my prayers. I will begin preaching next Sunday and gladly accept any comments or questions you may have for me. I look forward to serving you.
In Christ,
Senior Pastor _____-Jamie H
3) Write a request for grant funding from the National Science Foundation to support research on the benefits of eating wheat bread to fight cancer (editor’s note: we’re just making all this up):
Elementary research of wheat bread has shown a substantial reduction of cancer in 60% of our test subjects. However, to continue with research and development, there is still the need of $10 million dollars to expand the labs, testing equipment, and staff.
-Amanda P
4) Write a note to the buyers of the house you lived in for 30 years:
We want to wish you the best as you move into this new home. For the past 30 years we have seen our children grow up in this house and it has brought us a lot of memories. We hope that this home will bring you just as many memories and just as much happiness as it has brought us and our family. We want to wish you the best of luck!
-Megan W
5) Write an announcement to the Calvin community informing them that President Bush will be speaking at commencement, and acknowledge the fact that not everyone supports his policies.
Read what President Byker said in a press release
6) Write a caption for a cartoon that shows a squid serving sushi.
Read the winning caption in a New Yorker contest
7) Write the rest of the dialogue in this climactic scene from Return of the Jedi:
VADER
Obi-Wan has taught you well.LUKE
I will not fight you, father.
Here’s the script for the rest of the scene:
Sunday, May 08, 2005
Chocolate speech
Distinguished Congress people, I address you today to discuss a pressing issue that has long been ignored by our government for decades. I address you today to discuss an issue that should have been at the focus of our political agenda back then, and should be our focus right now. What am I talking about? I am talking about ambrosia. Ambrosia that, if managed properly and treated with respect, can fulfill the happiness of a nation. Today I want to talk about chocolate.
Friday, May 06, 2005
Parallelism in Speeches
Yesterday we looked at parallelism in three speeches from www.americanrhetoric.com:
Robert F. Kennedy’s address after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Mary Fisher’s address on AIDS to the 1992 Republican National Convention
Coach Brooks’ pep talk in the movie Miracle
Then we tried writing speeches of our own, using parallelism, for a fictional but delectable cause: the adoption of National Chocolate Appreciation Day. Below are some of our efforts…
Thursday, May 05, 2005
Chocolate Speech
Today I come before you, not as a mere citizen, but a citizen with a passion for chocolate, not as an advocate for major companies, but an advocate for a necessary change.
Today, May 5, we have a chance to make a difference. We have a chance to make a difference in every home, in every county, and in every state in our great nation. Today we should recognize that it was chocolate that brought us through history and it is chocolate that will bring us through the future.
Your chance to make a change in society, to make a change for small people all over the nation is now. Make today National Chocolate Appreciation Day.
Speeches with parallelism
Fellow Congressmen, May 6, 2005 should be the chocolate lover’s day. In times of despair we turn to it, in times with friends we enjoy it, and in times of withdrawl we cling to it. Chocolate is the backbone of our society. We need chocolate and chocolate needs us. Without this, we would not have desert, without this we would not have snacks, without this we would have to eat our vegetables. Vote May 6 to be National Chocolate Appreciation Day.
Words of Wisdom
We talked today about how wise sayings (epigrams and aphorisms) often use parallelism for rhetorical effect:
“What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure.”
-Samuel Johnson
Then we tried writing some of our own. Coming to a fortune cookie near you!
“Love without perfect trust is love without perfect joy.”
-Cara D.
“Revenge may be sweet, but forgiveness brings joy.”
-Nathanael K.
“True friends have been there in the past, and will be there in the future.”
-Misty G.
“It takes a man to seek out revenge; it takes a hero to turn the other cheek.”
-Dave K.
Earlier: We re-wrote famous aphorisms to make them better or worse.