One Hundred Great Essays
After you have read these instructions, close your computers and put away your phones. For the rest of the period, you need only three things:
- A copy of One Hundred Great Essays, which is on the bookshelf by the door
- Notebook or scrap sheet of paper
- Pen or pencil
For the next few class periods, you are going to look through One Hundred Great Essays in order to find the essay that you want to read, analyze, and then emulate. In other words, you are going to find the kind of essay you want to write.
To do this, you need to spend some time exploring this collection. Leaf through it. Stop on titles that seem interesting. Then read the introductory information that tells you more about the piece, the author, the context, etc.
For now, you don’t need to do anything but write down the titles and page numbers you are considering. You can read as much or as little of these potential essays as you like; we’ll spend Monday talking about your progress, the assignment itself, and what to do next.
To be clear: You don’t have anything to submit today. Take notes, reflect, be metacognitive, etc, according to your own needs.