We have been programmed by the education machine; a stamped company that can push out an essay with perfect “TS CD CM CM CS”. Throughout my writing carrier in high school, I have been given rules; rules far beyond the normal spelling and grammar laws that dictate the movement and flow of my writing. I was told that starting an essay with your “thesis statement” was too bold and that the thesis statement should fall at the end of the introductory paragraph; that my essay had to attract the writer, a quote would be best, and if I asked a question, well that would be the end of the world. Going in to Mrs. Motsenbocker’s Honors English 9 class, our abilities as young writers were not necessarily caged, but in order to grow, we were given a template to copy. 3 years later and entering AP Lit the problem has finally surfaced and matured; we can now only depend on the template that has been given to us. Begin with a quote, go on to mention to the author’s name and the title of the book, insert some quotes from the book maybe throw in a little commentary, but the essays did not reflect our voice, instead they represented the faceless mob that has become young writers.
I have read through an article, “Brave New World and the Threat of Technological Growth”. The way the author expresses himself is extremely entertaining; he’s not bound by the traditional laws that would ordinarily govern any paper. The author performs a feat that would be unheard of in a 9th grade classroom, he inserts outside information in what is supposed to be the introductory paragraph. Ordinarily, outside information that does not come from the book is introduced in the closing paragraphs; as it was taught to me, the case for the book should be made before you put in outside information.
The author, Derek Miller, has no uniform approach to his essay, and still his essay has flow. Although there is no “formula” for his essay, the essay is smooth, and very to the point. His 4th paragraph, for example, starts off on what I’ve come to know as a “Concrete Detail”, a direct example from the text. This is something that if done in my freshman or sophomore classes, I would have gotten a B or possibly even a C for not following direction. Additionally, Miller’s paragraphs are generally short; they don’t have to follow the same five sentence rule that we’ve been taught since grade school, and yet he is not afraid to stretch the paragraph to more than the five sentences to prove his point. His paragraphs are smooth and comfortable. The information is concise and it’s easily to read.
As a senior in high school, I’m entering my last phase of the system that is supposedly the basis of my education, and all I have learned is that essays are almost mathematic. If you put in this and this, you get that. I fear there is much more that I am missing out on, and it is because of great essays like this that I can finally see what writing is all about.
