Three male dancers are leaping to the
left, as it were, into the past. Their
arms are level with their shoulders, invoking a sense of reaching yet descending.
We do not see their faces. They synchronized with each other to form an unindividuated
unit. They are in the background,
wearing gray, monochromatic, tights. The
ballerina, on the other hand, is in the foreground—leaping to the right, into
the future. She is moving against the
flow of the others—her arms raised and rising with a sense of victory. Her face, very visible to us, is full of passion
and meaning. She is unique in this
tableau, and the focus. The three male dancers are the term paper, and the
ballerina, the essay.
Review
of the literature in any field is a process of discovering what the
conversation is and has been on a particular topic. The term paper is a report
on what others have thought. When I was
writing my first term papers in high school, before the internet, I would check
out a stack of ten books on my topic, tag sentences and paragraphs that were
interesting, pile up the open-faced pages and type—with quote marks, of course,
and citations. It was a mechanical
process that had more to do with organizing, fulfilling an assignment, and
getting a grade, than with creative and critical thinking. I settled for being a back-up dancer, not the
prima ballerina.
This
mechanical way of writing what others wrote, using others’ ideas, going through
the proverbial motions to get through a class, is even more common today with
the easy access of the internet. And in
a world where ease of assessment and statistical comparisons is increasingly
more important than intellectual and personal transformation, the temptation is
to just write derivative term papers that border on plagiarism.
Our
Online Etymology Dictionary tells us that the word “essay” originally meant to “try,
attempt, endeavor.” It has come to mean,
predominantly, “a short, discursive, literary composition.” To write an essay, then, is to experiment,
weigh options, take risks, contribute something significant to the conversation
on your chosen topic. Once we have researched
and reported on our predecessors, we have a series of options:
Term
Paper Level:
(1)
Report what others
have said and written.
Essay Level:
(2)
Agree with sources,
but offer amplifications and new applications.
(3)
Disagree with sources
and offer alternatives.
(4)
Apply a mode of
thinking of one source to a newly chosen subject.
(5)
Report on the extent
of your research and posit that no one else has entertained your idea—then offer
your original thoughts.
(6)
Experiment with new
ideas and applications.
There are two ways to incorporate research:
(1) Start your papers/essays with a review of the literature on your topic.
(2) Interweave your sources within the body and conclusion of your work.
The first option is a traditional academic way to introduce a paper. Too often, it’s plodding and, frankly, a yawn. Imagine a “conversation” where one person lectures on and on and gives you no space to contribute. With the second option, you might start with a brief quote, and then focus your reader on your original idea. Interweaving sources then creates a sense of building a conversation.
Too many students and professors settle for looking backward, to what has been said—a
safe, gradable place. I could have simply written this post by reporting on what everyone else has said about the “correct” way to write a paper for a grade. Blah! Blah! Blah! Instead, I’ve taken a risk to focus my comparison of term papers and essays in the image of the dancers. You know when you’re merely repeating others’ ideas, saving face by not presenting your own, copying the movements of others’ minds. An essay is an opportunity to take risks, try out new ideas, enter the great conversation as an individual, and soar. Like the photograph of our dancers extending beyond the blog’s frame, let your picture of the world break through.
Works Cited:
Online Etymology Dictionary: https://www.etymonline.com/word/essay
You make a very awesome point here Professor Rich. Just as the way you wrote this blog post, to have your own take on what you have learned and to what you wanted to write about, is exactly as you have taught us to be this whole semester. I find it very comforting and inspiring that you are one of the very few teachers that actually practice what you teach during class, in your own daily life. Most of the time teachers just lecture and lecture on what we are supposed to do and how it should be written. And students have heard that so many times but do not really listen because those teachers just teach to show that they did what they were supposed to follow in the curriculum. Meaning that, they just do the bare minimum and then expect us to give our hundred percent. But knowing that you are giving your best effort really motivates all of us to give our best effort. In addition to that this example that you have given in this blog post is really helpful for our last essay paper and one that I will very much use. Thank you for being the teacher and Shakespearean that you are, I know that you have definitely impacted the lives of everyone in your classes.
ReplyDeleteGrace Carranza
Dr. Rich,
ReplyDeleteIt is very important to be original and have your own ideas when it comes to anything that you do. It is true that with the internet, everything is so accessible from news articles and blogs, to clothing and furniture. Almost every person’s idea is on the internet. It is really important to offer your own thoughts and experiences on different topics and situations because that is what makes an essay unique. You can offer a new perspective on seeing a ballet, going to the museum, seeing a play, thoughts on healthcare, etc. Throughout the semester, it was very refreshing to see a new perspective that you offered us as students. I have learned a new way to approach my papers and instead of writing about a whole topic, I can pick out one statement or one word from a play or poem and write about it. I was so used to writing a certain way that it was a challenge for me at first to take one statement and expand on it, but now I feel that it is a little easier to expand on one line because you can write so much about that one line. I think that teachers can be so set in their ways sometimes that they don’t even realize that the way they present papers to students and how they should do them can be monotonous. I think it is better to write where you don’t have any limitations and you can not only expand your thoughts, but you can connect them to someone else’s work while giving you own unique perspective.
Dear Dr. Rich,
ReplyDeleteThat is something I have learned from your class, the different ways one can write. Now I find myself giving my papers two or three look overs before submitting them. I have to say, my B+ and A- have improved to A or A+. I had one of my favorite English professor, Dr. Casale tell me that he has noticed the change in my writing. He was my first professor at Kean and was very patient with my papers, he would correct them and inspire me to do better. Now I am taking another class with him and my first paper earned me a straight A with much compliments about my writing. It felt good! I know I owe much of it to how deep in detail you go, how you take the time to explain things that to us were never thought of. I used to write just because it is relaxing, and then college imposed rules on writing, which through me off. Now its like learning something all over again, but in a good way. I like the paper clip analogy and will continue to use it. Originality is the key to bringing an essay to its best shape and to keep the reader interested. I felt the joy of writing what I wanted to write in a creative writing and Poetry class I took here at Kean. The inspiration of my classmates and being able to express ourselves was an amazing feeling. I still keep in contact with the professors and some of the classmates and these classes actually gave me the guts to submit some of my work to contests. I guess we can say that in order to write a well written paper you should open your mind and be yourself.
Dr. Rich,
ReplyDeleteI do have to say that I never thought there could be a difference between a term paper and an essay. I thought a term paper was just as good or the same thing as an essay. I did not know that an essay included so many things including what you stated in your blog post, “Agree with sources, but offer amplifications and new application, disagree with sources and offer alternatives, apply a mode of thinking of one source to a newly chosen subject, report on the extent of your research and posit that no one else has entertained your idea—then offer your original thoughts, experiment with new ideas and applications” (Rich) I remember in class how you have stressed that our essays should be on new and exciting topics of the same classical works we have been reading because by restating the same old opinions we would lose our own opinions and our writing will become boring. I do have to say that the papers I have written for your class are the papers I am most proud of because I had to challenge and stretch myself. I thought it was very wise of you to point out that it is the end of the semester and that most students are tired and when given an opinion piece just want to quickly write out a response without thinking deeply or finding out what other people are saying about the topic. I am happy to say I am not one of those students.
By: Kathleen Conaty
Dear Dr. Rich,
ReplyDeleteI really want to start of this blog post by expressing my reaction, which is amazement. Before this class, I really never saw the difference in English papers. I always thought English papers fulfilled these major purposes, which is to write what we learned in class and what does the professor think is right. It felt really tedious just to write about other people’s opinions. It is really boring to write and even more boring when you try to reread it for corrections. However, since I learned in my Shakespeare class that there are multiple ways you can write a creative paper, it opened up my excitement again to write papers without boredom. I love writing my own paper with my own creative ideas. It fills me with the feeling that I am a creative person that can write my own creative literature paper. I am not obligated to agree with people or even disagree with them; I can come up with my own thing without someone telling me that I am wrong.
I love the comparison you draw with the dancers. I've never thought much about the difference between term papers and essays, but you made it clear here with the dancer image. I used to just think of all writing assignments as one and the same since I don't enjoy doing them very much. Whether it's a term paper, an essay, or even a comment like this one, I take ages to finish writing assignments because it takes me so long to figure out how to put together good sentences with appropriate word choices. I believe this is more stressful when writing term papers. In term papers, I have to work with what other people have said, without adding any of my own commentary. I have to worry about presenting a different person's ideas accurately, yet avoid plagiarism. This is anything but interesting. In essays though, I can be more interactive with my sources and say what I think. It’s a lot easier to put my own ideas into words than it is to repeat “in my own words” what others have said. The ability to be creative and more thoughtful in my writing makes it a much more rewarding task.
ReplyDeleteAdalhia
Nadia Radwan
ReplyDeleteI think that in high school we are so focused on what other people have to think in regards to academia that we lose our voices and creative flow. Then when we enter college and stumble upon a professor like Dr. Rich who’s actually interested in what we have to say we are shocked, confused, intimated, and lost. It's the “what do you mean there's no rules” that we all shared on the first day of her class that really shows this. I mean we all are so used to writing what we think a professor wants us to sound like as opposed to what we ACTUALLY sound like. In her class you have to be ready to get back in touch with your own writing style and voice. You have to get to what you care about and not what you think she cares about. Which is honestly great and I wish more people did that because even though I might not have gotten A the first time around I became a better writer. I became a person who thinks for themselves and has a piece of writing with a purpose, not just another term paper to be tossed into the bonfire at the end of the semester.
Term Papers vs. Essays: Entering the Conversation
ReplyDeleteThe first thing I’d like to comment on in this post is Dr. Rich’s use of the words “Entering the Conversation” Here’s why: I hate writing. But I love talking. I hate writing so much that I’m very vocal about it. Some of my teachers are surprised to hear that I hate writing because I happen to produce relatively good papers. But here’s my secret: I don’t write papers, I talk papers. I literally think about a topic, go to Google Docs and speak my thoughts into the little microphone that converts speech to text on the iphone. I figured out this little trick when I learned about assistive technology and how it’s used in the education of students with disabilities. The lightbulb went off and now I just talk into my iphone to “write” my papers. I only go into my document at the end to organize it and revise it so that it makes sense on the page. Leave it to Dr. Rich to build the bridge between writing and conversing in one sentence!
The next thing I would like to comment on is looking up the etymology of words. I used this trick to write my paper on Love’s Labor’s Lost. Why? I don’t know. I just felt I had to. I wanted to try it. I think throughout the play the thing that struck me was not the story, but the language --the playfulness of the words, the dialogue, the banter. Therefore I decided to explore the words and part of that process was to look up the etymology of some of the words and names in the play. It turned out to be a good exercise because it got my creative juices flowing and I’m not a terribly creative person to begin with. Which brings me to my next point.
I don’t like writing research papers. Because I don’t like writing. But I love reading. I can spend hours researching and reading what other people have found, thought and said. My daughter recently had to write a paper on Macbeth and was panicking about the research. I advised her to do that part after she had written down what she had to say about Macbeth because what she thought and had to say was equally if not more important to her paper than what others have said. I was glad to see that Dr. Rich might have given her the same advice.
In school we are all taught to write in the same way kind of like robots. Sometimes when writing papers I tend to write Term papers instead of writing an essay. I find it every difficult to do because I am so used to writing "essays" as teachers call it but all I am doing is discussing what someone else said. This class has challenged me to actually write an Essay, although it hasn't been easy,it made me a stronger writer. Now I am better equip in all of my classes to think from myself and come up with great and creative ways of expressing my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteLife is all about taking risks! And writing papers should be too! What good is sitting there and summarizing things and boringly reporting information? People SHOULD take risks and get their opinions out there. I find it easier to write papers when I get to take a risk and really express myself vs. going crazy on how to summarize information from a source without plagiarizing.
ReplyDeleteYou said that when it comes to writing you can “Agree with sources, but offer amplifications and new applications. . . Disagree with sources and offer alternatives”. I totally agree with this and think it’s a cool way to look at it. I feel like doing things like that might seem challenging at first, but once you get started there is no one that can shut you up from getting your ideas out to the world.
And I like how you said, “too many students and professors settle for looking backward”. We really do settle if you think about it. Students normally follow this set format of writing and some professors find it easier to grade certain formats of writing. But that’s taking the easy way out. People really need to stop taking the easy way out, stop looking backward and look forward. Challenge yourself, you have a voice for a reason. Let it be heard.
Arlyn A.
Well and quotably said, Arlyn! Thank you!
DeleteDr. Rich,
ReplyDeleteBefore reading this, I never thought there was a difference between the two. In high school I was taught that an essay is like a term paper. I was taught to be mindless, agree with my sources, report what others have said, and that's that. My voice was often lost in my work. I never really took risks in my writing before I took this class. You taught me to take risks, to find a paperclip and run with it. It is indeed scary, but it is something I have to do. You can't live without taking risks, and you can't write without them either.
Sarah Otero
At the beginning of this semester, you boldly stated that schools have let us (as students) down. You reiterated this throughout the months and each time I understood more and more of what you were getting at. Here, in this post, you highlight a really glaring error that proves your argument. School doesn't teach us to take risks in our writing. Too many teachers are complacent and by proxy, their students are too. Everyone's settled for uninspired and dry essays that the students don't even want to write in the first place. This causes a feedback loop of endless boredom and struggle.
ReplyDeleteA written essay should be on something that interests you -- this is something I learned through my own readings of academic film criticism and essays. I realized upon reading them that, oh wow, essays can not only be interesting to read, but can actually be engaging to write and construct.
This is has been so helpful because it clarifies the difference between an essay and a term paper. Many of us will tend to write a term paper instead of an essay, the internet as your Dr. Rich, allows to get information easily and we might not take the time to analyze and break apart what others have said in the past. This is one of the reasons why many students make the mistake of plagiarism and sometimes is even unintentionally. Some students might want to use the quote as it is to ensure that everything is being said trying to avoid it then fall into it by not citing properly. Is extremely important to make this distinction because now I know that writing a term paper and an essay is not the same. An essay requires me, as the writer to make a valuable contribution, not just stating and restating what others have said. An essay a bigger effort to really understand a text not just reading it because.
ReplyDeleteWilly Mena
I have never taken risks in my writing. This was something that I was never taught to do. I always needed to write what my teacher thought was right and put it in my own words. Find a source that supports that opinion and try to put what they are saying in my own words. Everyone’s writing would basically all be saying the same things but reworded. I don’t know how my teachers would sit there and read the same work under different names. It is no wonder they would be miserable and complain about having to grade our assignments. This Shakespeare class was completely different than any other class or course I have ever taken. It taught me to think for myself and take risks that may or may not be successful, but that’s okay, because we can then learn from them.
ReplyDelete- Madeline Romero
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As I was reading this blog, I had an instant connection to it. In one of my classes this semester, my classmates and I were instructed to write an analytical paper about a speech in the exact same way. First you write a Short summary, then a thesis statement, then define ethos, pathos, logos in the body paragraphs, then a conclusion. Knowing that we were going to be graded on this format, we absolutely had to write this paper, in this way. My friend had asked me to read her paper, as it sounded exactly like mine. I thought of my friend and I to be the male dancers, in this particular class. In my senior seminar class, I feel as if I am the woman dancer. I am challenging myself to write something risky. To write something that I have never told anyone in my life. I wanted to take this leap, although it has lead me to a very difficult and challenging route. However, I am taking that leap, and writing differently than I have had to in the past. I am writing what I want to write, and how I want to write it. Which, is weird, yet fun!
ReplyDeleteLearning about the differences in writing is actually very interesting. It was never a thought to me that essays and term papers could have so many different meanings behind them. Essays have always sounded much more lenient, with much more freedom. Term papers, however, have always intimidated me. As always, another great blog post that I have really enjoyed reading. Thank you for always teaching me more, Dr. Rich!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSeanette Martin
ReplyDeleteApril 6, 2019
Eng 4817
Prof Rich
Term Papers vs. Essays
What a blog I mean I am completely speechless. In my rhetoric class I was assigned a paper which I thought at that time was an essay but after reading this blog it shows me in actuality it was really a term paper. Taking a glance at other people in the class rough draft was so similar to my paper especially the ones that were focused on the Lincoln speech such as mine. I felt like I was looking at my paper twenty different times because we were all expected to have our papers set up the same way. It was also expected that we placed certain information in specific spots in our papers. I couldn’t imagine being the professor grading so many identical papers. Honestly speaking I had no fun doing that paper at all because of all the expected demands. There was no originality while working on that paper at all there was a guideline with an expectation which was expected.
In English seminar there is a bit more freedom because you write what you want to write about no topic is given so here is where I realized I’m not writing an ordinary paper but stepping out my element and putting my all into every page I write. Some days of writing is fun because I’m learning how to incorporate AID and lose more E day by day. I must admit I was intimidated after writing my first few pages but after the last few classes I’ve listened to feedback given to other and I know what needs to be done to get my work where it needs to be.
I never knew there was a difference between term papers and essays. I find that this is because I often write all of my papers with the same style. I am so used to “reporting on what others have said and written.” It wasn’t until I took your class and you were capable of offering new strategies for interpreting literature and writing papers. If I were to read all of my written work from freshman year up to now, I can admit that all of it could be viewed as plodding. My professors always instructed us to write the “traditional” way therefore I was not used to having a conversation in my papers. In my previous paper’s readers would not have had the chance to agree and/or disagree with my writing. I continuously stated information that was already known therefore readers were reading information they were already knowledgeable on. I can understand why you most likely slowly lost interest in my first draft of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I did not allow you to comment on anything mentioned because you had not learned anything new. I can agree that I “settle for looking backward, to what has been said—a safe, gradable place.” I have never stated my own thoughts and/or ideas of the fear of being wrong. I often played it safe and agreed with previous writers hoping to get an A. From your course, I realized students should interpret literature in their own way and express themselves. This will ultimately give others to view different perspectives.
ReplyDeleteBailey Vick
Dr. Rich,
ReplyDeleteI really like what you said here:
"You know when you’re merely repeating others’ ideas, saving face by not presenting your own, copying the movements of others’ minds."
I really resonate with the concept of "saving face by not presenting your own" ideas. It definitely seems to be a thread connecting my classmates educational experiences with my own. It is extremely easy to pad a paper with the ideas of others and not express any original ideas. This is not because of an absence of original thoughts in students; it is in fact the opposite. Students have wonderful, original thoughts, we have simply not been coached to respect our own minds. We do not give ourselves space to develop ideas. Instead, we hide behind lengthy quotes and references and summarization. I think my favorite thing about this class environment is the fact that we are giving ourselves time to let ideas develop. A whole paper is needed to really savor a simple idea or passage. Only by giving ourselves space to really relish ideas can we see that the simple one line passage is actually full of juicy complexity. Diving into this wonderful complexity makes a truly engaging essay.
-Katie Peregrin
I do think that when I read or write a paper, there should be space for my own thoughts. The reader wants your own ideas, they don't want to read what other people wrote or said. They might've already read that or thought about it that way and want your perspective.
ReplyDeleteComparing and contrasting the Male and female dancers as the Term Papers and Essays was very clever. I do think that in my case Term papers are easy grades especially if and when some professor may not get the creative process of individual essays. Although I'd love to be able to experience different ideas and interpretations within an essay,I will admit that sometimes professors want to make sure that you understand what the authors are saying therefore, term papers are the way to go. I'd rather not be told what to think and I appreciate the Liberty of writing a essay.
ReplyDeleteNajeeah
Dr. rich,
ReplyDeletethe words "try, attempt, endeavor" really call my attention. These three words somehow tell me that is okay to implement my own ideas, top try and incorporate different meaning to things, even though I have been taught to hide my face behind an interpretation I was told how to write. these three words tell me that is totally okay to attempt, fail, and try again until I reach my most beautiful interpretations, and most importantly those interpretation would be completely mine. I feel as if I were a professor I would love for my students to show me different aspects of things, having to read the same essay prompt over and over doesn't really show me the creativity my students are capable of giving, and that would be just sad for both myself and my students.
Arianni Rodriguez
11/17/19
Wow Dr. Rich, I never realized the difference between an essay and a term paper. All these years, I just wrote what the teachers and professors expected and wanted from me. But this post makes me aware of the fact that a term paper is basically writing others' words, not my own. That makes a huge difference. It is not truly writing, because the reason why I fell in love with English was because nothing is wrong or right, as long as you can support your perspective with solid evidence. However, with term papers, I am not able to support my perspective. I am just recording statements of what has been said and it does not give me any leverage as an aspiring writer and novelist.
ReplyDeleteWriting is all about creating a world in my mind that I am able to depict on a piece of paper based on my writing. An essay is a free-flow paper, a paper that is devised based on how one sees fit and appropriate to present. It has no limitations. For example, although the essays we have to write in this class are focused on one play, we are allowed to choose any topic to write about in accordance with the play. There are various approaches, binary oppositions, themes, characters, etc. that can be talked about. So even there is a sense of structure, there is also freedom to write however I choose to write, as long as it makes sense and I can prove my reader what I am saying is right. Essays are completely different than term papers, and as a school teacher, I would enjoy for my students to write about whatever they please as long as it matches to the content being taught.
Jessie, I am realizing this for the first time too. I never knew there is a paper like term paper actual exist. I am in English major like you; however, none of my professors ever told us about anything about term paper. I am very surprise to see something like that. I always heard that there is an essay paper and research paper.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteDr Rich.
I confess this is a difficult subject for me. I consider myself a very mechanical individual and often have difficulty expressing myself. I rarely like to state my actual opinion on things and find extended treatise and conversation either end with me not getting much to say or else ranting over others.
I sit here along in a small nook, part of a larger room whichI use as an office. I feel sad today. I am not sure how to respond. I try to write as you permit but at times I think you're asking me to make a square peg for a round hole. If that phrase is cliche then I am not in the mood to care. I make these responses at times I feel are best or how my schedule makes typing conveitnet and now I am very morose. I type many of them in frustration as I try to get my feelings unto textm a process which for me can be very difficult. Often I feel disrespected or a minor character in other people's lives. This response is not typical and I know that. I am often the background dancer in the metaphor you described, the spotlight on main is frightening, a single mistake..a SINGLE mistake and everyone in the audience will know. They say try and not worry about mistakes but often I have seen how a mistake stains reputations, makes opportunities impossible.
What you ask of students is risky, as often your asking them to divulge themselves, divulging is a submissive act in my mind, as it’s one revealing and showing potential weakness to another. This another become stronger by proxy just by the sheer act of another divulging. Despite this I try to be honest in my writings, I write my ideas as best I can and do with the resources available what can. That is the best anyone can or should do.
James Patti.
Dr. Rich,
ReplyDeleteI along with many other college students I am sure, truly never realized the difference between a term paper versus an essay. I liked how you used the image of the three male dancers, and the one female dancer to display the difference between the term paper and the essay. A term paper is basically taking the works and findings of others (citing them of course!) and writing a paper based upon how others interpreted things, or feel about things – through their discoveries. An essay on the other hand, is using your own thoughts and interpretations on something, and writing about it.
You have definitely taught me of a new way to write throughout this semester, and I must admit at first I couldn’t understand it and it was way out of my comfort zone. But all along you just wanted me to be the ballerina, and write a paper full of passion and meaning – not just a paper that tells you all that you need to know about the plot and theme of the story…because DUH you’ve already read it! It was within your class, and your papers that I truly found myself as a writer, and made sure that I made my own thoughts, feelings, emotions and interpretation visible through the words I slung together to make my essays matter and count. In the beginning I was definitely doubtful but in the end I valued the way that you wanted your papers, and I valued the way that it impacted me as not only a student, but also a writer. I put a lot more thought into my papers, and truly had to interpret each quotation that I chose to display what I was trying to convey. Although sometimes it was a daunting task, it was always rewarding and it has taught me so much!
A great point about the difference between a term paper and an essay. I never really looked deep into it and it almost feels as if some people use those words interchangeably. I loved how you used the pictures of the dancers to distinguish between a term paper and essay. I never realized that there is a huge difference between the two. I knew that term papers are written by using the work of other people but now I have noticed that is all it is. We are not able to use our own ideas in term papers. You can only work with what others have said about the topic and you also must be mindful to now plagiarize. When writing an essay, you can add in your own arguments, ideas, and comments. There are no opinions or personality within a term paper. Essays are easier to be creative and thoughtful with. Using the words, “try,” “attempt,” and “endeavor” gives me the sense of ease and willingness to allow my own ideas to be used in essays. To be able to reach out from the traditional way of writing and allow the pen to flow with interpretations instead of writing what teachers and professors expect.
ReplyDeleteJacqueline Perez
I loved this blog post. I found the part that really hooked me in was the idea of using essays to take risks. This really got me because before our class, I always considered academic papers as their own seperate entity than other forms of writing. Poetry, books, short stories, songs, they were all there to entertain and express, but academic papers were like a weird family member that the rest didn't talk about. This blog post really exemplifies that essays should be about expression, rather than about stating facts.
ReplyDeleteIt is so true that more often than not professors settle for students to just report on what has been said over and over and over again. People think that everything there is to be said has already been said but that is so not true. There is always room for new ideas. I love the picture of the ballet dancers because it speaks words it is easier to just live in the past and join the others but you make a much larger impression when you break free from the past.
ReplyDeleteDr. Rich,
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I never really knew there to be a difference between a term paper and an essay. I just thought of it as two terms of the same idea. It's interesting to see the ways in which they differentiate.
Over the course of my educational career, I feel as though I was only taught one way to write. Writing about a story always consisted of summarizing the story "in your own words", or as what you like to refer to as "plod". There was always an introduction, a body, and the conclusion, which was basically reiteration of what was already said in the paper. When comparing to others, we all had pretty much had the same paper, written in different ways. Putting myself in the position of the teacher, I can see why this would be frustrating. Who really wants to read the same thing over and over? Especially when we already know what it's about.
As a student it can also be frustrating when a teacher expects everyone to have the same interpretation from a story. We are often taught to think for ourselves, and, most of the time, perception is reality. What we perceive is not always the same as others, so how we interpret it can vary drastically. This is something I strongly came to realize in your class this semester.
Thank you,
Jaylene Ventura
I am very surprised to see the difference between the term paper and an essay. My major is English writing; however, I have never heard about the term paper before. My professor always told us to write an essay. It is very interesting for me to see what term paper is about. Moreover, it is interesting to see the difference between a term paper and an essay. A term paper is a paper that is based on other people’s point of view. Whereas, an essay is a paper in which we can free write using various tools to support the topic. To me, I see a term paper as a research paper where you put other people’s thoughts into the topic. It is like a research paper because you just let the people know what are other people’s reaction towards the topic you choose to discuss. Whereas, an essay to me is more like an experiment because it is a combination of different aspects of thoughts which are put into one. Additionally, in an essay, you can quote on what someone’s opinion is about the topic. Also, you can use an outside source to prove your point; such as database. Additionally, you can put your opinion whether you agree or disagree with the topic. I like the part where you state that we can start our paper with a quote because when I start my paper with the quote it really helps me to drop my points and to make my paper in a flow. Also, I love how you use dancers as to describe the differences between the two terms.
ReplyDeleteHello Dr. Rich and fellow classmates,
ReplyDeletePersonally, I like the original definition of an essay. You state, "Our Online Etymology Dictionary tells us that the word “essay” originally meant to “try, attempt, endeavor.” It has come to mean, predominantly, “a short, discursive, literary composition.” To write an essay, then, is to experiment, weigh options, take risks, contribute something significant to the conversation on your chosen topic. The idea is to try to inform your audience on the said topic, and it can be done with originality, but as you educate, the essay is for our freedom of ideas and a term paper is there to summarize, or relay another person's ideas. Teachers must be better informed themselves, and allowing students the freedom to write multiple different forms of papers, rather than the same cookie-cutter types.
Dear Dr. Rich,
ReplyDeleteI have never realized that there was a difference between a term paper and an essay in this way. I thought the only difference was the length. Your comparison to the dancers in the picture makes it easy to understand how a term paper and an essay are different in so many ways. When looking to the past to write a term paper we are unable to give our current position on the topic and I find that giving my opinion on a topic is what makes writing an essay easier to me. When we are able to put ourselves in our work it makes the writing more personal, draws the reader in and in a term paper it would be hard to do that with only factual data. Although, some professors prefer to have only the hard facts and our interpretation of them, instead of our own ideas put in. We are taught to have our own opinions and ideas and then we are chastised for not agreeing with our professors. Whether it be term papers or essays we should be able to surpass the facts and incorporate our opinions. Isn't that what writing is about? Allowing a new voice to take on a topic that has become a summation of past reports.
Sincerely,
Stacy Santos
I agree with what you said about how a term paper “…was a mechanical process that had more to do with organizing, fulfilling an assignment, and getting a grade, than with creative and critical thinking.” I feel that as a college student, I try to pick the easier way out of things, especially when writing papers. I am guilty of succumbing to the “mechanical process” of writing my papers because it was easier and it did not take much time than to sit down, thoroughly analyze, and try to figure out different approaches all while focusing on one specific thing. This class has definitely helped me change the way in which I write my essays and papers because I was stuck in this mechanical process and did not give much thought to the fact that I wasn’t actually giving much information and analyzing what I was saying in an effective way.
ReplyDeleteI believe when you write a paper you should be able to use your own thoughts. Term Papers Vs Essays there is a difference. I was always stuck in the academic way of writing papers. i still tend to go back to this only because it is a force of habit. I am still in the learning process to really be creative and write with a creative mentality.
ReplyDeleteIt is much more creative to write an essay in my opinion. I am allowed to show more of myself and showcase a new way of thinking to my professor and peers. For example, in your Shakespeare Survey class, my essays are incredibly creative. I now analyze text in a way I never had before. Even hearing my peers papers is a delight, because it opens my eyes to a new way of understanding literature. Term papers are much more difficult because I feel trapped in one way of thinking and analyzing. This creates a balance, however, because I can show two completely different forms of writing.
ReplyDelete-
Jessica DeLuca
The idea of writing an essay is a lot more satisfying. It allows me to be more personable with the reader and I usually feel a lot more confident. Due to this class it has taught me to relish the text and by doing this I am allowed to not overthink about the plot. Writing term papers often stress me out and make me very scared about what my grade will be and if I have all the correct information. Whereas an essay allows me to have fun and enjoy what I am writing about.
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