English 1711: Expository Essay Assignment: Explaining an Abstract Concept to Zaergh the Friendly Alien
Learning Objectives: Identify and utilize effective rhetorical choices including syntax, usage, point of view, voice and style; demonstrate awareness of the writing process.
Audience: A friendly, curious extraterrestrial and a college-level audience of your peers
Purpose: Explain the abstract concept you have chosen from the assigned list to write about using developmental strategies to help an outsider understand an abstract human concept.
Appropriate Point of View: Choose an appropriate point of view for your subject, purpose, and audience, and use it consistently
Length: three to four double-spaced pages
Other Requirements:
Clear thesis
Effective thesis statement: Include a clear, effective thesis statement that introduces your subject and thesis (main idea) about your subject.
Thorough development using Example, Description, Narration, Definition, Process Analysis, Comparison and Contrast, Classification and/or Cause and Effect, as appropriate to your subject and approach
Clear, effective topic sentences
Clear transitions from one paragraph to the next
Effective introduction and conclusion
Consistent POVchoose first, second, or third POV, but be consistent throughout.
Clear, correct grammar and spelling
Few or no sentence-level errors
Accurate, fluent word choices
Effective, correct punctuation
MLA Essay format. Even if you write your essay as a letter, it should have a first page formatted according to MLA style.
There must be no outside material in this essay. It must be 100% your own words and ideas, written for this class assignment. Dont rely on a dictionary definitionprovide yours!
Think about your subject and think about your audience: what is important for them to understand about your subject, and what rhetorical choices can you make to communicate that information to them?
Assigned Topics: Choose ONE of the abstract concepts below to explain to Zaergh:
Family
Courage
Ugliness
Wealth
Beauty
Love
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You should narrow your focus in your thesis statement to an aspect of the concept you can discuss in 3-4 pages: for example, instead of the History of Love Since the Beginning of Time, a writer might categorize types of love and provide definition and examples. Use one, some, or all of the development strategies you learned about in the Rhetorical Strategies material under Content to explain your chosen topic to your audience effectively. Those are your choices to make as a writer.
Heres your writing situation: Zaergh has been observing life on Earth for a few months now, and is highly intelligent as well as friendly. He/She/They/It has some understanding of human beings and has the same five senses we do, but is puzzled by some of the abstract concepts, such as beauty, ugliness, love, and so on he/she they/it hears people talking about, and would like you to help him/her/them/it understand the concept youve chosen to explain, as it is applied and practiced here on Earth by Earthlings.
If you explain your chosen concept well, Zaergh has promised to solve the global problem of your choice with advanced technology from his/her/its/their home planet. No pressure, but your first essay for Composition 1 could save our species
