Writing 101

Dr. Mary E. Martin

                                                                 Essay 2:  Writing About Art

 After brainstorming through questions and investigations, you will develop approximately two typed pages, MLA format, that show the insights or understanding you have discovered from a photograph  you have chosen from Where Children Sleep .  Remember to employ the following questions in your investigation of the work: 

    What is possibly being said about the world the child lives in, about the human condition, or the world we all live in?

    You may ask the following questions to help you explore the work:

            --Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How?

            --What is the conflict, contrast, contradiction?

            --Is there a pattern, a significant repetition?

And don't forget to follow the guidelines in your book to help you investigate your photograph. After sufficient brainstorming,  locate the best bits in what you have written.  What is the center of gravity, or the major insight, or maybe the most deeply felt emotion?  After you  discover this, then reflect on how James Mollison's synopsis (paragraph) about the child and his/her family and culture is reflected in the photograph of the sleeping space you have chosen. How does the photograph in this book enlighten us about how others live, and about their culture.  You must verify two to three points Mollison makes in the accompanying paragraph through the details/composition of the photograph.

Next, it's time to  write your analysis that show the insights or understanding you have discovered from the photograph, as well as how Mollison's synopsis is illustrated in the photograph.  You will need to paraphrase and summarize from Mollison, following MLA guidelines. I ask you not to quote from the book because this a chance to practice paraphrasing and summarizing.  But the bulk of your essay must SHOW what in the photograph brings you to the interpretation of it and how that supports Mollison's description of the child and its culture as well as your own insights.  For the summary requirement,  you must summarize all of Mollison's introduction to the book in your opening paragraph of your analysis.  Don't forget to further elaborate in your opening paragraph; don't just insert the summary for your introduction.  Next, your paraphrase requirement must come from the synopsis of the child's family and culture given under the child's photograph.  The two paraphrases should be woven into your analysis of the photograph, verifying how the photograph supports Mollison's synopsis (I suggest a paragraph for each paraphrase).  You may also include a paragraph of your own insights as a result of your investigations.  Your thesis should capture the discovery or insight you've arrived at after all your analysis. Make sure to follow MLA guidelines for incorporating sources.

When you first refer to the child and  photograph in your essay,  please complete an in-text citation at the end of the sentence.  You also may refer to the child's appearance in your analysis, but the focus of your analysis should be on the photograph of where the child sleeps.

Craft your Sentences--Take risks!  You can make all kinds of additions to base sentences constructed around an action (strong) verb:

        --a string of active participle phrases

        --a list of appositives

        --parallelism for emotional intensity.

Employ whatever might enrich the sentence by sharpening its meaning, its point of view, its harmony.

Suggested Organization:

Introduction:  Include summary from Mollison's introduction as well as elaboration  about the summary.  Be sure to introduce the child  whose sleeping space you will be analyzing as well.  Be sure to correctly incorporate and document all borrowed information.  Don't let Mollison's summary write your introduction, but elaborate/comment on how his introduction leads to the particular child and the sleeping space.  You may end with your thesis here, or place it in your conclusion.

Body:  As many paragraphs needed to analyze the sleeping space.  Remember, you have two purposes to fulfill--to verify/support two to three paraphrases from Mollison's paragraph about the child and culture from the details/composition of the photograph of the space, and to add further insights you have discovered in your investigation of the photograph.  Again correctly document and incorporate the paraphrases.

Conclusion:  Here you will want to reach a larger vision/understanding of  what the photograph of the sleeping space and the child suggests as a result of your analysis.

  REMEMBER!    Each class must submit their final draft to turnitin by class time the day the paper is due. You will use the same password, etc., as you did for your first paper.