Writing Workshop 101

Mr. Sitzmann

Why is it good to be able to write well?

• Communication

• Part of a well-balanced education (think nutrition here)

• SAT (that’s down the road a bit)

• Express your ideas, respond intelligently

• Professionally required…

• Anything else?

(some of) THIS INFORMATION COMES FROM

A (former) COLLEAGUE AT Bowdoin College,Professor Patrick Rael*

Here I am (informally) crediting my source

*Patrick Rael, Reading, Writing, and Researching for History: A Guide for College Students (Brunswick, ME: Bowdoin College, 2004).

Why Write History Well?

• History is a vital subject; necessary, in fact

• It’s who you are

• It’s vastly complex

The Discipline of History

The Discipline of History

his·to·ry (h s t -r ) n. pl. his·to·ries1. A narrative of events; a story.

a. A chronological record of events, as of the life or development of a people or institution, often including an explanation of or commentary on those events: a history of the Vikings.b. A formal written account of related natural phenomena: a history of volcanoes.

2. The branch of knowledge that records and analyzes past events: "History has a long-range perspective" Elizabeth Gurley Flynn.a. The events forming the subject matter of a historical account.b. The aggregate of past events or human affairs: basic tools used throughout history.

Tools of the Tradeem·pa·thy ( m p -th )

1. Identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives. See Synonyms at pity.

2. The attribution of one's own feelings to an object.

per·spec·tive (p r-sp k t v)

1. Point of View

a. A view or vista.

b. A mental view or outlook: "It is useful occasionally to look at the past to gain a perspective on the present" Fabian Linden.

2. The appearance of objects in depth as perceived by normal binocular vision.

a. The relationship of aspects of a subject to each other and to a whole: a perspective of history; a need to view the problem in the proper perspective.

b. Subjective evaluation of relative significance; a point of view: the perspective of the displaced homemaker.

c. The ability to perceive things in their actual interrelations or comparative importance: tried to keep my perspective throughout the crisis.

Some actual Tools:

-artifacts

-letters

-primary sources

-oral

-“McCullogh Lesson”

What is Good Historical Writing?

• Tells a story.HISTORY

• Logical, organized, concise, interesting

• What is your favorite book? WHY?

• Why do people loveShakespeare?

Good Historical Writing Includes…

A disciplined approach. Do not be casual. Each word, each sentence has meaning, and each sentence should make sense (it follows the previous sentence and leads to the next). It’s like giving directions…

1. Use paragraphs. Organize your thoughts and your paper or essay. (More on this in a moment)

1. Intro (beginning…state your idea, or “thesis”)

2. Middle (body of the paper, organized in a logical manner)3. Conclusion (does not have to be earth shattering)

2. Work on spelling, grammar

3. Work hard to use well-organized, shorter, to-the-point sentences. Don’t employ confusion

4. Avoid the 1st person. “So I really think you should see that George Washington was awesome…”

vs. “George Washington was awesome.”

5. Don’t use phrases like, “So as u can see,……” (don’t be too casual or colloquial). Be formal. This isn’t a text message you’re writing

6. Imagine writing a poem, and understand how critical each word, and how and where it is put, is to the meaning of the sentence. DON’T WASTE Words. (see #4)

7. CREDIT SOURCES (more on this later)

Paper Structure1. INTRODUCTION

Introduce the problemDefine key termsState the thesis

Stems from good questionTentative answer is "hypothesis"Refine hypothesis into thesis

2. THE BODYHow is the paper organized? (YOU determine this. Remember, it’s a story)Paragraphs

Topic sentence (mini-thesis)Argument supporting topic sentenceTransition to next mini-thesis

Arguing in paragraphsMini-thesisEvidenceAnalysis (what does evidence support?)

3. CONCLUSIONRe-state the thesisSignificance of thesis (why should we care about the problem?)

Each Section in Depth (There are 3)

1. THE INTRODUCTION: The introduction is usually one paragraph, or perhaps two in a paper of eight pages or more. Its purpose is to: (1) set out the problem to be discussed; (2) define key terms that will be used in that discussion; (3) outline the structure of the argument; (4) CLEARLY STATE THE THESIS.

A. Suggestions for the introduction:

Establish the problem: Quickly established the issue your paper confronts. Where and when are we? What are we examining? It is especially important to clearly define the limits of your exploration. If you are discussing the life of Frederick Douglass, it will not suffice to establish the setting by referring to the "days of slavery," since slavery has existed in all times all over the world. Frederick Douglass was a slave in Maryland in the decades before the Civil War. Do not begin a history paper with absurdly general phrases like, "since the beginning of time," or "humans have always. . . ." Get as specific as necessary as early as possible.

Set the tone, voice, and style of your paper. (See other guidelines for how this is done.) Make sure you convey that the topic is of vital concern, and that you are interested in it.

Catch the reader's attention. You might start with an example, a quotation, a statistic, or a complaint. Be sure that this opening theme runs through your paper. Do not abandon this theme. You can use it again later to help unify your paper.

Provide a subtle blueprint (or "road map") for the paper. Let your reader know where you are headed (how you plan to tackle the subject) without giving away your best ideas. If, for instance, your paper breaks down into political, social, and cultural components, telegraph this to your reader so she will know what to expect.

B. The Thesis…. Next slide…

B. The thesis:

The last function of the introduction is to present your thesis. This is so important to your paper that it merits lengthy consideration -- please see my handout on this topic. The biggest problem with student papers is that they contain no true thesis. The second biggest problem with student papers is that the thesis is vague and ill-defined.

II. THE BODY: This takes up several pages, and constitutes the bulk of your paper. Here is where you argue your thesis. The content of this section largely will depend on your thesis, and what it requires you to argue. Think to yourself, "what do I need to support this argument?" If you find yourself unable to answer, you may need a more interesting thesis.A. Structure of the body: You need an organizing scheme for your paper, which most often will be suggested

by your thesis.

B. Logic and flow: The general movement in the body is from the general to the specific.

C. Paragraphs: Your paper is built on paragraphs. Each paragraph should be minimum of four (sometimes

three) sentences.

D. Topic sentences: The topic sentence should tell the reader what the paragraph will be about. In essence, it

is a "mini-thesis"

E. Support: Two kinds of support should appear in your paragraphs:

Source evidence and quotations: Taken from primary (sometimes secondary) sources.

F. Transitions: The body of the paper must flow from one idea to the next. This linking of ideas is accomplished

through transitional phrases.

G. Arguing in the body: The body is where you will flex your rhetorical muscle.

Last, and Least…

III. CONCLUSION: This is usually one paragraph long, and briefly recapitulates your thesis, pulling all your arguments together. The first sentence of the concluding paragraph is a clear, specific re-statement of thesis. The conclusion should do more than simply re-state the argument. It also suggests why the argument is important in the bigger scheme of things, or suggests avenues for further research, or raises a bigger question.

Grammar for HistoriansHere are some common grammatical problems that arise in history papers, listed with the correction mark for each, and the solution to the problem.

Mixed verb tenses ("tense"):"Bernal Diaz presented a positive view of the Spanish because he wants to protect himself from recrimination." (Put "wants" in the same tense (preterit): "wanted.")

Passive voice ("passive"):"The Aztecs were destroyed in droves, and finally defeated." (Identify the proper subject of this sentence and re-work, as in "The Spanish destroyed the Aztecs in droves, and finally defeated them.")

Run-on sentence ("run-on"):"Coffee contains caffeine furthermore, chocolate, tea, and cola also contain significant amounts of caffeine." (Add a semi-colon after "caffeine" to properly conjoin two independent clauses.)

Comma splice ("splice"):"Many industrialists thought workers lazy, as a result they paid their employees poorly." (Replace comma after "lazy" with a semi-colon to properly conjoin two independent clauses.)

Sentence fragment ("frag"):"The little town of Dayton, Tennessee, in the tumultuous 1920s, caught in the international limelight." (The sentence needs a verb for its subject, Dayton.)

Faulty pronoun reference ("ref"):"The Spaniard hated the Aztec because of their religious beliefs." (The referent for "their" ("Aztec") is singular; change "their" to "his.")

Subject-verb agreement ("s-v"):"The army required each one of the soldiers to carry their own entrenching tool." ("Their" is plural, yet refers to the singular "one," not "soldiers." "The army required each soldier to carry his own entrenching tool.")

Faulty predication ("pred"):"The belief in Manifest Destiny cannot conceive of Indians having rights." ("Conceiving" is a verb that "belief" is incapable of carrying out. Identify proper subject for the verb: "People who believe in Manifest Destiny cannot conceive. . . .")

Misplaced modifier ("mod"):"The slaves burned the farmhouse, furious at their masters." (The participial phrase "furious at their masters" cannot modify "farmhouse"; it must be placed immediately after "slaves.")

Dangling modifier ("mod"):"Arriving by boat in the New World, the weather was brutal." (The weather cannot arrive by boat in the New World; identify the proper subject for the first clause, as in "Arriving by boat in the New World, the Puritans found the weather brutal.")Faulty parallel structure ("parallel"):"Ways of preventing blacks from voting included the Grandfather Clause and holding all-white primaries." (A noun, "Grandfather Clause," is listed in series with a verb, "holding." Re-work so both are the same, as in ". . . included the Grandfather Clause and the all-white primary.")Colloquial ("colloq"):"Some critics try to straddle the fence between standard and revisionist interpretations of history." (Substitute non-colloquial phrase for "straddle the fence," as in "Some critics endorse elements of both standard and revisions interpretations of history.")Word choice ("w.c."):"One slave tells of how he was able to get a job after the war and earn enough money to travel to North Carolina to find his long separated mother." (His mother had probably remained in once piece; substitute "lost" for "separated.")

OTHER CORRECTION COMMENTS YOU MAY SEEsource? What is your source for saying this? Add a citation telling your readers where this came from.evidence? What is the evidence that supports this argument? You need to incorporate primary or secondary source evidence.