Cedarville University DigitalCommons@Cedarville Department of English, Literature, and Modern The Idea of an Essay Languages 2015 The Idea of an Essay, Volume 2: Genres, Genders, and Giraffes Rebecca Kersjes Cedarville University Faithe Smiley Cedarville University Meredith Oxley Cedarville University Aubrey Gillette Cedarville University Breanne Brigadoi Cedarville University See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.edu/english_essays_gallery Part of the English Language and Literature Commons, Fiction Commons, and the Nonfiction Commons Recommended Citation Kersjes, Rebecca; Smiley, Faithe; Oxley, Meredith; Gillette, Aubrey; Brigadoi, Breanne; Keating, William; Strasser, Kayla; Merritt, Meredith; Mangan, Rebecca; Morrone, Casey; Morse, Kaitlyn; Gentry, Kelsey; Gaitan, Hannah; Bode, Leah Rachel; Ehnert, Rebecca; Cordova, Raymond; Carter, Kaleen; Combs, Stephen; Long, Lynn David; Guilliams, Emily; Guillory, Theresa; Beatham, Jeremiah; and Marquardt, Ryan, "The Idea of an Essay, Volume 2: Genres, Genders, and Giraffes" (2015). The Idea of an Essay.edu/english_essays_gallery/2 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@Cedarville, a service of the Centennial Library. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Idea of an Essay by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Cedarville. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@cedarville.
Authors Rebecca Kersjes, Faithe Smiley, Meredith Oxley, Aubrey Gillette, Breanne Brigadoi, William Keating, Kayla Strasser, Meredith Merritt, Rebecca Mangan, Casey Morrone, Kaitlyn Morse, Kelsey Gentry, Hannah Gaitan, Leah Rachel Bode, Rebecca Ehnert, Raymond Cordova, Kaleen Carter, Stephen Combs, Lynn David Long, Emily Guilliams, Theresa Guillory, Jeremiah Beatham, and Ryan Marquardt This book is available at DigitalCommons@Cedarville: https://digitalcommons.edu/english_essays_gallery/2 The Idea of an Essay Genres, Genders, and Giraffes Volume Two ISBN: 978-7-030-00000-5 Cedarville University Cedarville, Ohio 45314 Copyright 2015 Compiled By the Composition Committee: Dan Clark Melissa Faulkner Heather Hill Isaac Mayeux Cyndi Messer Julie Moore Michelle Wood Nellie Sullivan Edited by: Madison Grapes Cover Created by: Madison Grapes TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction.19 My Teacher, Poetry, Rebecca Kersjes.20 Double Triple Many Lives, Faithe Smiley.24 Diabetes: The Birth of a Reader, Meredith Oxley.28 Getting There, Aubrey Gillette.33 Analysis/Response Essays .39 Integration Paper, Breanne Brigadoi.40 The Desolation of The Hobbit, William Keating.49 Genre’s Definition Examined, Kayla Strasser.54 Occupational Therapists in the Field of Writing, Meredith Merritt.58 A Separation Builds a Connection, Rebecca Mangan.63 The Professional Woman’s Journey, Casey Morrone.77 Single-Sex Versus Coeducation, Kaitlyn Morse and Kelsey Gentry.78 Reaching for the Right Answer, Hannah Gaitan.87 Social Media in Nursing: Friend or Foe?, Leah Rachel Bode.99 America’s Responsibility in a War Not Our Own, Rebecca Ehnert.108 Benefits of Philosophical Diversity in Art, Raymond Cordova.118 The Mammal with Heart, Hannah Gaitan.123 Monkey Business, Kaleen Carter.135 Sleep and Its Effects on the Human Body, Meredith Merritt.142 Foster Care: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Stephen Combs.149 Tuning In or Tuning Out?, Lynn David Long.154 Black and Blue: Dispelling the Myth of Racism in Avatar, Leah Rachel Bode.162 Solving the Palestinian Refugee Crisis, Emily Guilliams.167 Confidence in the Classroom, Theresa Guillory.176 Why Don’t We Write?, Jeremiah Beatham.183 The Solution to Dangerous Antibiotic-resistant Bacteria, Ryan Marquardt.189 Composition Student Learning Outcomes .199 Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It .201 Dear Readers, Welcome to Cedarville University. We are excited to have you in our composition classes. This anthology is meant to serve as a learning tool, and we will use it together over the course of this semester as we engage in the process of writing. Cedarville University values writing.
Regardless of your major, writing will be an intrinsic part of your education during your years at Cedarville, as it is a primary means of expressing clear, organized, critical thought. Perhaps more importantly, the writing you will do as part of your academic life will serve as practice for the various writing tasks each of you will complete as part of your chosen professions, as well as preparation for the writing you will do in your various communities, interpersonal relationships, and your daily devotions with God. Cedarville University commits to preparing each of you to be successful writers by requiring a first-year composition course taught by a member of the English, Literature, and Modern Languages Department. As composition instructors, we recognize the excellent writing created in our classes, so we host an annual composition contest for students who completed the course during that year.
The anthology you are about to read consists of the winners of that contest for the 2013-2014 academic year. In the following pages, you will find models of university level writing, as well as examples of how to structure, organize, support, and document various genres of essays written for different purposes and with specific audiences in mind. We do not suggest these essays are perfect, as one of the most exciting aspects of writing is that it is a process that includes revision, so a text can always be improved upon or recreated as something different. Each essay begins with an instructor’s note that provides context for the essay and asks questions to prompt further ideas.
The instructor’s note is followed by a short biography of the student who wrote the essay to hopefully illustrate that, although these 4 students are now published authors, they are not much different from you, the reader. You should find this encouraging. If these students can write successfully at the university level, then so can you. Sincerely, The Cedarville Composition Instructors 5 Cedarville University’s Department of English, Literature, and Modern Languages Hello from Cedarville University.
Thank you for your interest in the Department of English, Literature, and Modern Languages. Our programs produce men and women who communicate effectively and think deeply, cross-culturally, and creatively about the ideas that have shaped and continue to shape our world. Our mission is to challenge students to go beyond expectations. Henry David Thoreau once wrote that we hit only what we aim at and thus ought to aim at something high.
We agree — aim high. Who will write the definitive scholarly treatment of Don DeLillo’s work? Who will share Christ by teaching English to migrant workers in west Michigan? Where is this generation’s C. Lewis or Flannery O’Connor? At Cedarville University, we want our students to aspire to such heights. Meet Our Composition Instructors Daniel Clark Associate Professor of English 6 Biography Professor Clark teaches courses in composition, advanced grammar, contemporary world literature, film, and the graphic novel.
Along with Dr. Andrew Wiseman, Professor Clark developed Cedarville’s foreign film series. He also serves as co-sponsor of Alpha Kappa Delta, Cedarville’s chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society. Before coming to Cedarville, he taught at the University of Maryland Asian Division in Okinawa, Japan.
He also taught English as a Second Language (ESL) at the Okinawa Prefectural Language Center. Professor Clark has been at Cedarville since 1999. Education and Credentials • M. in English, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga • B.
in Secondary Education (with proficiencies in English and Bible), Tennessee Temple University Interests • Theology • Film and contemporary world literature • Japanese culture • Comics, comix, graphic novels, manga, and bandes dessinées • The Atlanta Braves (chop on!) Contact Information • Email: clarkd@cedarville.edu 7 Melissa Faulkner Associate Professor of English Biography Dr. Faulkner teaches Basic English, Composition, and Visual Rhetoric. She also serves as the coordinator for Writing Across the Curriculum. Her research interests include memoirs as retention and critical thinking tools, story analysis, and the organic connection between WAC programs and assessment.
Faulkner has received multiple Excellence in Teaching awards, including one from the Southern Ohio Council of Higher Education. Education and Credentials • Ph., Miami University of Ohio • M., Wright State University • B., Wright State University Contact Information • Email: mfaulkner@cedarville.edu 8 Heather Hill Assistant Professor of English Biography Dr. Hill taught at the University of Washington for four years before coming to Cedarville. Her research interests include composition theory and pedagogy, rhetorical genre studies, contemporary rhetorical theory, history of rhetoric, knowledge transfer, critical discourse analysis, language and identity, language ideology, the rhetoric of sports culture, qualitative research methods, student-athlete advocacy, indigenous language revitalization, and sociolinguistics.
Education and Credentials • Ph. in English (rhetoric and composition), University of Washington • M. in English (rhetoric and composition), University of Washington • B. in English Literature, Western Washington University Interests • Riding horses 9 • Long distance running • Seattle Mariners baseball • UW Husky football and basketball Contact Information • Email: hhill@cedarville.edu Isaac Mayeux Assistant Professor of English Biography Isaac Mayeux has taught Composition at Cedarville since 2012.
He also serves as the university’s Director of Debate, Assistant Director of the Writing Center, and co-sponsor of Alpha Kappa Delta, Cedarville’s chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society. Before coming to Cedarville, he taught Composition at the University of Dayton while studying for his M. He also taught English as a Second Language (ESL) in Seoul, South Korea for one year. Education and Credentials • M.
in English and American Literature, University of Dayton 10 • B. in English, Cedarville University Interests • Graphic narrative (AKA comics) • Animation • Sport coats • Christian poetics • Complicated strategy board games • Cultural criticism Contact Information • Email: isaacjmayeux@cedarville.edu Cyndi Messer Associate Professor of English Biography Professor Messer taught several years in secondary education before joining the faculty at Cedarville in 1998. She teaches general composition and literature courses as well as methods courses for future English teachers. She currently serves as the program coordinator for the Adolescent and Young Adult Language Arts (AYALA) majors and is a key contact for questions concerning the 11 English education program.
She also serves as faculty advisor for The Miracle, Cedarville’s yearbook. Education and Credentials • M. in English, Wright State University • B. in English Education, Cedarville College Interests • Favorite Places Visited: Paris, Puerto Vallarta, and San Franciso • Hobbies: playing board games with family, exercising, reading, playing piano, gathering family and friends around a bonfire • Favorite Authors: C.
Lewis, Amy Tan, Thomas Hardy, John Steinbeck, Marilynne Robinson, Erik Lawson, and Shakespeare Contact Information • Email: messerc@cedarville.edu Julie Moore Associate Professor of Literature 12 Biography Professor Moore directs the University’s Writing Center, and in 2008, she received the Dean’s Service Award for her work. She is also the author of the poetry books, Slipping Out of Bloom and Election Day. Professor Moore has been nominated for the Best of the Net anthology and twice for the Pushcart Prize; she has also received the Editor’s Choice Award from Writecorner Press, the Rosine Offen Memorial Award from the Free Lunch Arts Alliance, and the Janet B. McCabe Poetry Prize from Ruminate.
You can learn more about her work at www. Education and Credentials • The Ohio Writing Project, Miami University • M., University of Dayton • B., Cedarville University Interests • Broadcasting poems on “Conrad’s Corner” on WYSO, 91.3 FM • Watching foreign films and movies based on literary works • Cheering for the Philadelphia Phillies and Eagles Contact Information • Email: moorej@cedarville.edu 13 Nellie Sullivan Assistant Professor of English Biography Helena “Nellie” Sullivan’s poems, reviews, and translations have appeared in eXchanges, Moist Towelette, Hover Project, Drunken Boat, and Shampoo. At Cedarville, she teaches Poetry Workshop, Advanced Poetry Workshop, Contemporary Poetry, Introduction to Literature, and Freshman Composition. She has been at Cedarville since 2006.
Education and Credentials • M. in Creative Writing with emphasis in poetry, University of Iowa • B. in Cultural Anthropology and English Literature, Central Michigan University Interests • Travel/Road trips • Canning food • Film • Lateral logic puzzles 14 • Illuminated manuscripts Contact Information • Email: helenasullivan@cedarville.edu Michelle Wood Associate Professor of English Biography Doctor Wood has been at Cedarville since 1995. Before coming to Cedarville, she taught English in Beijing, China.
She has presented papers at national conferences, including the Conference on College Composition and Communication, the National Council of Teachers of English, the College English Association, and the Society for the Study of American Women Writers, speaking on topics such as Multigenre writing, Catharine Maria Sedgwick, Margaret Fuller, Alice Cary, and Amy Tan.