English 0950
Fall 2004

Essay #1 -- A Personal-Response Essay

After reading Anthony Bukoski's book, Time Between Trains, write an essay in which you connect something in the book to something in your own life.  To begin, think about the different stories in the book.  Page through each story again if you have to.  Then, think about the specific characters, places, events, and actions in each story.  Perhaps ask yourself these questions:

• Is there a particular character in the book that reminds me of myself or someone I know?

• Is there a particular setting in the book that reminds me of somewhere I go now or somewhere I've been before?

• Is there a particular event, or action, or scene in the book that reminds me of something I've done or something I've seen happen to someone else?

Try to pick a topic that is vivid in your mind, something that you know or remember well, something that interests you.  Don't worry for the moment about whether or not it will interest someone else (your readers).  Obviously, you probably know yourself very well, who you are, where you've been, and what you've done.  But, if you decide to pick someone else you know, or something that you've seen happen to someone else, be sure that you have enough to say about it before picking it.

Brainstorm using the "journalist's questions" -- who, what, when, where, how, and why?  Who was there?  What happened?  When did it happen?  Where did it happen?  How did it happen?  And, maybe most importantly, why did it happen, or why is it important?  Your goal at this point is to generate a lot of "raw material" that you can pick from as you are drafting your essay.  Don't skimp on this "prewriting" time.  The more specific details you can generate now, the better your essay will be later.  And, part of your final essay grade will be based on your use of specific examples, facts, and details.

Once you feel ready to begin drafting your essay, follow the structure described below.  Be sure to study this structure carefully; part of your final essay grade will be based on how carefully you follow it.

Structure:

I.) Introduction -- One paragraph where you identify the author and title of the book we are reading and then briefly summarize the story, part, scene, setting, character, or element you have chosen to respond to.  Using the Thanksgiving story I mentioned in class on Monday, an example introductory paragraph might look like this:

• Anthony Bukoski's book, Time Between Trains, is a collection of short stories about the Polish and Jewish people and places in Superior, Wisconsin.  In the second story, "Time Between Trains," we meet a train track inspector named Joe Rubin who is the only Jewish track inspector for the "vast BN-SF railroad network."  In one scene in the story, Joe goes to a bar on a Friday night after work, but another customer yells a comment to the bartender about a "Jewish piano."  Joe has also been given the nickname "the Wandering Jew."  When I read about these things, I was reminded of something that I observed on the evening of Thanksgiving 2003.

II.) Body -- Several paragraphs (at least three but possibly more) developed entirely from your personal experiences and observations (use the details you generated during your brainstorming sessions -- see above).  Do not refer to the book at all in the body of your essay.  Narrate and/or describe the person, setting, situation, event, scene, or action you have chosen from your life.  (If you are describing yourself, be sure to pick only those details that most closely connect and relate to the character you have chosen from the book.)  For example:

• If I were to write this section, I would tell about my brother-in-law taking us down the street to shoot some pool at the only bar open in this small town on Thanksgiving evening.  I might describe the bar just a little bit.  But then I would focus on the arrival of the Mexican worker, what the townspeople called him, how he acted in response, and other observations that I made.  I might also describe what I was thinking or feeling as I watched this scene take place.

III.) Conclusion -- One paragraph where you make some final comments about how the part of the book you have chosen relates to the part from your own life.  Perhaps consider these questions before you write the conclusion: How are they connected or similar?  How or why did one remind you of the other?  What have you gained from examining the connection?  What should others get out of reading about this from your experiences or your observations?  Here is where you bring up the book again, so that your essay comes "full circle" in a way.  For example:

• If I were to write this section, I might conclude by returning to the book to summarize what Joe Rubin was thinking and feeling when this scene took place.  I could say what Joe did next, how the scene made him act, that he laughed because it was expected of him, that he just wanted to get along.  I could then speculate that this might have been what the Mexican worker in that bar in southern Minnesota was thinking and feeling that night.

ROUGH DRAFT: Your rough draft should be word-processed, double-spaced, and three (3) copies are due at the beginning of class on Friday, September 10.

CONFERENCES: You will be expected to do more work on your draft before your conference.  This "advanced draft" is due at your conference along with at least three (3) questions that you have about your writing.

EDITING SESSION: One (1) copy of an "almost-final" draft is due at the beginning of class on Friday, September 24.

FINAL DRAFT and PORTFOLIO: Due at the beginning of class on Monday, September 27.  I will show you specific formatting directions before this due date.

Any Questions?