- 3 to 4 FULL pages, about 1000 words or so, (not including the Works Cited page… the Works Cited page is an extra page on the end, after the main essay; only papers with a minimum of 3 FULL (DO NOT STOP AN INCH SHORT…!!!) pages of writing can even possibly receive a passing grade… so write three-and-a-half MINIMUM… 12-size font, Times New Roman… double spacing, no gaps between paragraphs, and with 1 inch margins and proper formal MLA formatting: REVIEW the earlier Modules on MLA FORMATTING… it is REQUIRED on all papers for Eng101, 102, 103 and many other classes. You must take formatting SERIOUSLY: it is the required acceptable presentation of your work, so get serious, practice it, get tutoring… you must learn and master formatting). If you do not meet at least the minimum, you will automatically fail. Get out of the very bad habit of going for the minimum possible… Here’s a big lesson for college and life in general: if you go for the minimum, then you’ll get the minimum and maybe not even that.
- Requires a direct quotation from at least 1 source, properly cited inside the essay and ALSO listed on the separate Works Cited page which is after your minimum of three and a half essay pages (with MLA format).
- Let’s be absolutely clear right now: MLA Formatting is REQUIRED for all essays; it is not optional, so get serious about learning it and using it. You are learning to write FORMAL academic essays, and thus they require the proper accepted FORMat.
- MLA Resources are found in the introductory modules, so I hope you didn’t just skip them.
- Must include a formal Works Cited page (with MLA format). The Works Cited page is in addition to essay pages… so it appears as the last, separate page after the essay body.
- Thesis should define your chosen location using its distinguishing elements and make an evaluation. An evaluation is an opinion based on informed and educated details.
- Avoid using “I” unless absolutely necessary. Also, avoid “you” statements. For example, do not write: “When you arrive at the restaurant, you will see a red flower.” Instead, write: “A red flower in a blue pot sits at the entrance of the restaurant.”
Essay Prompt
Select a place that inspires you… and then NARROW IT DOWN to one small spot within. A starting point for brainstorming could be a neighborhood or city or a house where you have lived or visited. It’s better to choose a place where you have some firsthand experience that you can use to guide you. What defines that neighborhood? Then, narrowing down, what defines that ONE SMALL SPOT in the neighborhood, like one restaurant, one fire station, one room in one house…? What are its distinguishing physical features that are different from other places? Each region has its own defining characteristics, and then your FOCUS SPOT, like one park bench, or one room in a house, or one small coffee shop, has its own PHYSICAL characteristics that you will describe and explore in this paper. Perhaps choose one larger area to start with, but then you’ll need to get a lot smaller to tighten your focus on a smaller area. So, you can start with a city, but a city is just a start and you must then move into something far smaller within that city, maybe one park bench or one cafe or one bowling alley…
Once you have identified a general area, then you must focus even more tightly. “Las Vegas” is far, far, FAR too large to “cover” effectively in detail with such a short paper as this… it would take a book, at least. So, you must define one small niche, one small little area of your general area. For example, you might narrow down to the poker room at Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas, or one small park in Pacoima, or one particular church in Mexico City, or one bar in Tijuana… Only by narrowing your focus will you be able to go into DEEP DETAIL about that place. You MUST NOT try to “describe” an entire country or city… pick one SMALL SPOT within your larger context. >>> SMALL SPOT <<<
Also, this is an exercise in using EXACT, PHYSICAL DETAILS to convey the actual real world experience of physically interacting with the place. Physical details are: sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste details. So, fluffy words like “beautiful” and “wonderful” and “fun” and “amazing memories” are meaningless because they are not exact, not specific. Also, this is not an essay about your beautiful memories and how much those memories “mean” to you… and it is NOT an essay about the “amazing history and wonderful culture” of a place; it is an essay to exercise your skill in providing EXACT and PHYSICAL DETAILS to create a real-world picture for the reader. Physical details are ones that you can perceive and measure, details of sights, sounds, smells, touches, and tastes… SOLID, real, physical details: things that can be seen, heard, touched, smelled, and tasted by other people, details that could actually be measured.
Go small, focused, and then deep into physical details… do not try to “cover” too much because then you will have a boring, thin, shallow essay. FOCUSED and DEEP.
Tips
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Remember to include a quote from at least one source using the quotation sandwich. You will need proper MLA in-text citations for all direct quotations.
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Remember to be descriptive. Use specific, sensory details to bring the place to life.
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You will need a Works Cited page that includes your source and proper MLA formatting. You must get serious immediately about MLA format: it is REQUIRED, not optional… REQUIRED. I’ll repeat one more time: MLA Formatting is REQUIRED. Study it, imitate the many examples available, get tutoring…
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The rest of your adult life you will be confronted with formalities, proper forms and formatting, so get disciplined and get used to it and start practicing now. How you present work, how you present yourself, is very important and can mean the difference between success and failure. Do not underestimate format presentation; it is absolutely critical to your success in college and in professional life.
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When structuring your essay, include an introduction that sets up your argument about the topic, effectively organized body paragraphs with strong topic sentences and transitions, and a conclusion that both briefly reviews your main points and also restate your thesis .
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PLEASE NOTE: If your paper does not meet the page minimum, or does not come in with MLA Format, you will receive an automatic D or below, and your paper may not receive any teacher comments. In order for the teacher (or a supervisor at work) to take your work seriously, you must present work that meets and exceeds all of the minimum requirements, including formatting. Go beyond minimums.