【备考日志】草莓酱拌饭小组 by Napery—小手札记：世界是我们想象的画布。

单眼皮vs肿眼皮UID: 2705887

14# Napery

小手英文基础很强，学习了。

NaperyUID: 2710990

16# 单眼皮vs肿眼皮

汗 。。。。

这是小手平时收集的一些小段子罢了。。。
可不是小手写的呀。。。

嘿嘿 小手没那么厉害。。。

NaperyUID: 2710990

关于写，关于写作，关于写作是门艺术。

读无夏前辈之《写作是一门艺术》，小手也好好的想了下关于写作这个东西。

在动笔之前，我们应当弄清楚到底什么才是写作呢？

写作的意义在于？

拿到一个assignment的时候，我们应该怎么做？

小手查了些资料，收集整理了一翻。

当作是入门的收获吧。

看了觉得还是挺能振奋人心滴。

起码不会让人畏惧写作。

Love Writing

Whether you are interested in the magic secrets of “writing”, or even hating writing and avoiding doing it, please sit down quietly and reflect on the role of writing carefully.
Do not underestimate the significance of writing in our lives.
Writing does not merely convey some ideas; in fact these ideas are the products of writing. If writing never appealed to you and you never liked it that much, you will never perceive the ideas generated in writing.

The Art of Writing

Writing as an art is ideally an open-ended medium of expression intended either as a more lasting form of communication, a lingering personal interaction, or as a succinct means to convey ideas and feelings to others, now and in the future. As an art form, it requires motivation (a reason to actually go to the trouble), a facility with words (wordsmithing, i.e. the brush strokes of writing), a dash of creativity, and just enough attribution (and/or plagiarism) to add spice and to suggest to the reader that the author actually reads the works of other authors!

Extremely valuable to the new writer is the inclusion of a particular attitude whenever the writer shows the end result to others. If the truth be known, a hint of arrogance is often a critical personality characteristic of a writer, as well as a devil-may-care attitude and/or any of several additional selected forms of both functional and dysfunctional personalities. For example,
“I am a monopolar depressive descended from monopolar depressives. That's how come I write so good.” -- Kurt Vonnegut

It is important to remember that such literary luminaries as Ernest Hemingway, Eugene O'Neill, John Steinbeck, and Sinclair Lewis were all certifiable alcoholics. In effect, you don't have to be crazy to write, but it helps. As Douglas Adams has pointed out:

“First of all, realize that it's very hard, and that writing is a grueling and lonely business and, unless you are extremely lucky, badly paid as well. You had better really, really, really want to do it. Next you have to write something. Unless you are committed to novel writing exclusively, I suggest you start out writing for radio. It's still a relatively easy medium to get into because it pays so badly. But it is a great medium for writers because it relies so much on the imagination.”

The best writing often occurs only when the not writing is more trouble than the writing. Whether it's a matter of alleviating an internal pressure to blow off steam or simply some striving need to communicate one's thoughts in a visual form, the motivational aspect of writing becomes a minor obstacle while the emotional content becomes the flavor of the piece and the icing on the cake. In fact, an author's emotional state is often transparent in the writing regardless of the actual words and how they are strung together. The state-of-mood of the author often comes through loud and clear.

But writing is more than just blowing off steam; it is also a means of designing one's future, of Creating Reality in a very personal manner. It is an affirmation, in the sense used by Evan Hodkins where he has defined an “affirmation” as “an appointment with one's future self.” In the same fashion, writers often see great simplifications and insightful visions of what might be in a more perfect world -- something which they actually create in the form of a written description. As Kurt Vonnegut has noted:

"Artists are people who say, ‘I can't fix my country or my state or my city, or even my marriage. But by golly, I can make this square of canvas, this eight-and-a-half-by-eleven piece of paper, or this lump of clay, or these twelve bars of music, exactly what they ought to be.”

Motivation in writing is thus often a means of alleviating the frustration of seeing what others apparently don't see, solutions that are so simple if only others would open their eyes and see the blindingly obvious! The writing is often to convince them of just this fact, and thus one writes it all down in a cunning and convincing fashion, presenting ideas which solve the world's problems and require only that someone gives up their Neanderthal thinking in order to understand.

Structurally, writing consists of the basic skills of arranging words and thoughts in a semi-permanent form for the benefit of others. “...a daunting blend of perfectionism and a terror of failing in his quest, as he liked to phrase it, ‘a hundred thousand words in a cunning order'.” [Douglas Adams] Writing can always be therapy, vanity, and/or egotistical in the extreme. But when others benefit more than the author, then it's the art form of writing -- it's the reason for all of the fuss.

☆ The Nature of Writing

Writing is a contradictory process. Writing takes effort, time and passion.

It's hard, or as W. Somerset Maugham said "To write simply is a difficult as to be good." And it is also an empowering process as William Hazlitt noted "The more a man writes, the more he can write."The writing process is typically frustrating and enlightening, thrilling and discouraging, humbling and exalting. In a word, it's life. Catherine Drinker Bowen said "Writing is not apart from living. Writing is a kind of double living. The writer experiences everything twice. Once in reality and once more in that mirror which waits always before or behind him."So expect to feel both the highs and lows when you're writing.

Don't cheat yourself out of the process of writing. Often it's fun, or as Ray Bradbury pointed out "Creativity is continual surprise." Writing is a way to add texture[质感，神韵] and meaning to your life—to be surprised by discovering what you know and what you don't know, whether you're writing a research paper, a letter to a friend, or starting a novel.

"The reward of writing is in the writing itself. It comes with finding the right word. The quest for a superb sentence is a groping for honesty, a search for the innermost self, a self discipline, a generous giving out of one's most intimate rhythms and meanings. To be a writer is to sit down at one's desk in the chill portion of every day, and to write; not waiting for the little jet of the blue flame of genius to start from the breastbone—just plain going at it, in pain and delight. To be a writer is to throw away a great deal, not to be satisfied, to type again, and then again, and once more, and over and over...." - John Hersey

We should write well or not to write at all.
The main purpose of our writing is to get our ideas understood and perhaps accepted. You will just waste your time and effort to write it, and reader’s time and effort to understand your confused ideas, if the readers won’t get your ideas. Respect your audience and write something that can be of real use to them, write with a clear purpose.

Be ready to take pains and learn how to write well.
Write the first draft very quickly, do not think too much on word choice and sentence patterns, and just follow your “stream of consciousness”. If you stumble in the beginning of your text, try the following: Write what comes to your mind; do not attribute too much importance to the opening sentences. "Once you manage to get yourself writing in an exploratory but uncensored fashion, the ongoing string of language and syntax itself becomes a lively and surprising force for generation. Words call up words, ideas call up more ideas" This idea, of "words calling up words, and ideas calling up more ideas," pertains to critical thinking, because once a student begins writing about a topic, they will inevitably begin to perform some type of analysis on said topic, whether or not they are consciously aware of what they are doing.

NaperyUID: 2710990

紧接上文~~~

Free writing
Expressive writing, specifically freewriting, if taught correctly can foster critical thinking skills, skills that refer "to the ability to think critically about one's own thinking, feelings and beliefs, and a willingness to evaluate ideas and arguments"
in a couple of ways. Freewriting, according to Peter Elbow, professor of English at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, is "to write and not stop for anything. Go quickly without rushing. Never stop to look back, to cross something out, to wonder how to spell something, to wonder what word or thought to use, or think about what you are doing".

Write as fast as you can; the faster the better. You are not allowed to stop writing! Don't worry about transitions or connecting the ideas or paragraphing or subject-verb agreement or even commas. And form absolutely no judgment about what you write. Just keep writing. Do not criticize yourself and do not cut or scratch out or revise in any way. Many instructors suggest that at the end of the timed period, you should write one sentence IN ALL CAPS that takes you back to where you started.

The next stages of your writing will involve refining this rough diamond. Leave your writing in a peaceful safe place for a day or two and have a rest. Then return to it, read it and if you like it –it is the first sign you have done a good job. It's probably a good idea to read your freewriting out loud when you're done with it. Often the ear will pick up some pattern or neat idea that you hadn't noticed even as you wrote it.
Rewrite it; do away with all the empty and unnecessary words. Keep a dialogue with the reader
through your writing. Then it's time to spend just a couple of minutes going through the freewriting with an aim toward casual rewriting.

Freewriting adheres to no specific format, but is designed to allow the student to write for five to ten minutes on an assigned or chosen topic. This type of exercise will help the student prepare his/her ideas for writing a larger, more specific essay. There are also
underlying organizational aspects to these writings, which if we were to analyze fully, would discover that in the midst of their ramblings and/or venting of emotions, lies a focused idea that could be developed and expanded to aid in the production of academic papers.

Freewriting is like any other kind of mental activity: you will get better at it. The first couple of times you try it, perhaps nothing will come of it. After a few efforts, though, the exercise will become liberating.
Just as you would never start to play tennis or jog without stretching a bit first, you will never try to write again without doing a bit of freewriting first. Sometimes, even in the middle of an essay, when stuck for the next idea, you can do a bit of freewriting to get you going again.

Elbow divides thinking into two stages: first order thinking which "is intuitive and creative and does not strive for conscious direction or control," and second order thinking, which "is committed to accuracy and strives for logic and control". First order thinking is used "when we write fast without censoring, and let the words lead us to associations and intuitions we had not foreseen". This type of thinking is obviously describing freewriting, while second order thinking is "what most people have in mind when they talk about critical thinking".

NaperyUID: 2710990

今天下午的专业课考试终于结束了。。。
专业课方面又可以暂且轻松对付了。。。

考完试奔去打球，和队友商量着如何对付明天的比赛。。。
之后奔去做体能测试。。。
小手被折腾的。。。

晚上赶紧回来补作业。。。
组里的孩子们很认真呀。。。
小手也要加油。。。

继续奋斗。。。
小手要背单词，小手要做阅读。。。

NaperyUID: 2710990

早起的小爪子有活儿干~~
小爪子是爱早起的乖孩子~~~哈哈~~~
小爪子自high~~
小爪子，你最棒啦；小爪子，虽然今天阴沉沉的，但是你心里金灿灿的呀；
小爪子，加油干活儿啦~~~~~~

今日安排[排名不分先后呀。。。。]：
1、小爪子挥挥，瞪眼瞧瞧writing[深究前辈精华经验之终极汇总+读后感]
2、小爪子捣鼓第一篇Debate
3、小爪子再膜拜awintro之argue篇+毒爪伸向argue7

gongyuxiang1990UID: 2697832

仔细看了楼主的帖子，有很多值得我学习的地方啊！
PS 楼主很可爱的说，幽默调皮又不失内涵，小的佩服~

NaperyUID: 2710990

小爪子瞧瞧writing 之 Part 1

uDefinition
Issue
A matter (vital or unsettled) that is in dispute between two or more parties

The point at which an unsettled matter is ready for a decision
A final outcome that usually constitutes a solution (as of a problem) or resolution (as of a difficulty)


Analysis
An examination of a complex, its elements, and their relations
Proof of a mathematical proposition by assuming the result and deducing a valid statement by a series of reversible [可逆的，正反两面的] steps

A branch of mathematics concerned mainly with limits, continuity, and infinite series


To analyze means to break
a topic or concept down into its parts in order to inspect
and understand it, and to restructure
those parts in a way that makes sense to you.
[把一件事情、一种现象、一个概念分成较简单的组成部分，找出这些部分的本质属性和彼此之间的关系。
分析的意义在于细致的寻找能够解决问题的主线，并以此解决问题。]

For example, the author could analyze the role of the mother in the ancient Egyptian family. He could break down that topic into its parts--the mother's duties in the family, social status, and expected role in the larger society--and research those parts in order to present his general perspective and conclusion about the mother's role. [强调的是from our own perspective]

Argument
An argument is a discussion in which reasons are advanced for and against some proposition or proposal.
It refers to the act or process of arguing which contains a coherent series of statements leading from a premise to a conclusion.

Points:
1)
Discourse intended to persuade. [说服读者的论文]
2)
Reasons given in proof or rebuttal; [证明观点的理由]

The brief passage in the Argument Task is just like an argumentative paper which needs to support the author’s stand on an issue. An argumentative paper is analytical, but it uses information as evidence to support its point (the author’s stand), much as a lawyer uses evidence to make his case.
For example, the author might try to back up the stand that ancient Egyptian women were the first feminists through researches. Notice that this is a very different focus than an analytical focus on the role of the mother in ancient Egyptian society ——
Argument uses evidence to take a stand on an issue
[作者针对一个争论点(an important question that is in dispute and must be settled)表明自己的主张并提供论据来证明自己的观点；
我们在写ARGUE时，要判断作者的论证过程是否well reasoned，论证逻辑是否well sound，
不需要评断作者观点是否正确不需要表达自己是否同意不需要表达个人观点；
这个例子中作者要做的就是提供证据证明ancient Egyptian women were the first feminists]

Whereas analysis uses evidence to support a perspective on a topic
[针对某一个话题，使用证据来证明个人的一种态度，观点或想法；
上述例子中作者要通过一些evidence来表明自己对the role of the mother in the ancient Egyptian family的看法，
例如通过这些evidence作者认为the roles of ancient Egyptian women are the first feminists]


论证

论证是作者运用论据证明论点的逻辑过程和方式，用论据证明论题的真实性或者根据个人的了解或理解证明。

证明中从论据到论题的推演。通过推理形式进行，有时是一系列的推理方式。因此，论证必须遵守推理的规则。有时逻辑学家把“证明”称为“论证”，而将“论证”称为“论证方式”。

从命题的题设出发，经过逐步推理，来判断命题的结论是否正确的过程，叫做证明。

要证明一个命题是真命题，就是证明凡符合题设的所有情况都能得出结论。要证明一个命题是假命题，只需举出一个反例说明命题不能成立。

证明一个命题，一般步骤如下：
　　（1）按照题意画出图形；[梳理题目，进行拆分]
　　（2）分清命题的条件的结论，结合图形，在“已知”一项中写出题设，在“求证”一项中写出结论；[弄清题目的逻辑，论断，前提条件，论据]
（3）在“证明”一项中，写出全部推理过程。[Our task is to discuss the logical soundness of the author's case by critically examining the line of reasoning and the use of evidence]

论据

提出论点必须有根据，即必须举出足够的事实或正确的道理，证明论点的正确性。用来证明论点的事实和道理叫做论据。

论据和论点的关系十分密切，是证明与被证明的关系。

　　

论据，依据其本身的性质和特征，可分为事实论据和道理两类。

事实论据是对客观事物的真实的描述和概括，具有直接现实性的品格，因此是证明论点的最有说服力的论据。

所谓“事实胜于雄辩”就是这个道理。事实论据包括有代表性的确凿的事例或史实，以及统计数字等等。

理论论据是指那些来源于实践，并且已被长期实践证明和检验过，断定为正确的观点。

它包括经典性的著作和权威性的言论（如名人名言等），以及自然科学的原理、定律、公式等。

NaperyUID: 2710990

22# gongyuxiang1990

哈哈，你真的都看完了啊？

小爪子觉得自己写的东西很细很杂很眼子，要全部看完估计很累。。。

嘿嘿，小爪子有些无厘头，偶尔会短路~~~

咱们以后互相切磋呀，有啥问题咱多讨论呀~~

NaperyUID: 2710990

题外话：

下午的球赛一塌糊涂。。。。

小爪子很是郁闷。。。。

关于球队，正如学长所说，队长是最难做的。。。

确实，小爪子不知道如何做可以使球队会更好。。。

每次的练习赛每次的合队训练，总会暴露许多问题。。。

小爪子有些急了，明年的球赛和AW考试重合了。。。

小爪子希望现在可以练好，明年比赛时可以稍微轻松些。。。。

可惜有太多的问题需要小爪子去考虑了。。。

如何训练才是最好的呢？怎么样安排才能提高小朋友们的基本功，怎样做才能提高那些核心队员的进攻能力呢？

中午和男队的队长闹了不愉快。。。小爪子郁闷得一不小心头撞了门。。。。

下午不顺。。。  老天呀 让小爪子多喝点酸奶 今晚睡一觉起来 就一一片阳光灿烂吧。。。



进入正题：
小爪子依旧嘿咻嘿咻的补着作业。。。。

关于作文，句式和单词的问题再次被指出。。。
哎，小爪子要加油了。。。
勤能补拙滴。。。

目前的打算是 这段时间不急着下手写之后的文章。。。
乖乖的仔细做好该做的基础工作。。

所以接着不作业去了。。。。

米饭袜子UID: 2532172

赞~

期待处女作感想~

超级大表扬:)

NaperyUID: 2710990

小爪子一直很喜欢毕淑敏的作品。
看的第一篇是《爱怕什么》，也就是那么一篇，足足让小手回味了很久。

爱怕沉默。太多的人，以为爱到深处是无言。其实，爱是很难描述的一种情感，需要详尽的表达和传递。

她的文字是一笔一划的刻进了人的心里面。
也许没有炫丽的词句，但就是这么如温泉一般沁入人心，暖暖的，很是舒服。

摘下另一篇，我很重要，希望不断的鼓励自己，不妄自菲薄。

毕淑敏以细腻温柔的笔触向读者展示人物内心世界，体现人格魅力，扣动读者心弦。
读其作品，犹如吃一剂良药，能够使读者豁然开朗，心明眼亮，从中获得力量。

我很重要

作者：毕淑敏
　　
      当我说出“我很重要”这句话的时候，颈项后面掠过一阵战栗。我知道这是把自己的额头裸露在弓箭之下了，心灵极容易被别人的批判洞伤。许多年来，没有人敢在光天化日之下表示自己“很重要”。我们从小受到的教育都是——“我不重要”。
　　作为一名普通士兵，与辉煌的胜利相比，我不重要。
　　作为一个单薄的个体，与浑厚的集体相比，我不重要。
　　作为一位奉献型的女性，与整个家庭相比，我不重要。
　　作为随处可见的人的一分子，与宝贵的物质相比，我们不重要。
　　我们——简明扼要地说，就是每一个单独的“我”——到底重要还是不重要?
　　我是由无数星辰日月草木山川的精华汇聚而成的。只要计算一下我们一生吃进去多少谷物，饮下了多少清水，才凝聚成一具美轮美奂的躯体，我们一定会为那数字的庞大而惊讶。平日里，我们尚要珍惜一粒米、一叶菜，难道可以对亿万粒菽粟亿万滴甘露濡养出的万物之灵，掉以丝毫的轻心吗?
　　当我在博物馆里看到北京猿人窄小的额和前凸的吻时，我为人类原始时期的粗糙而黯然。他们精心打制出的石器，用今天的目光看来不过是极简单的玩具。如今很幼小的孩童，就能熟练地操纵语言，我们才意识到已经在进化之路上前进了多远。我们的头颅就是一部历史，无数祖先进步的痕迹储存于脑海深处。我们是一株亿万年苍老树干上最新萌发的绿叶，不单属于自身，更属于土地。人类的精神之火，是连绵不断的链条，作为精致的一环，我们否认了自身的重要，就是推卸了一种神圣的承诺。
　　回溯我们诞生的过程，两组生命基因的嵌合，更是充满了人所不能把握的偶然性。我们每一个个体，都是机遇的产物。
　　常常遥想，如果是另一个男人和另一个女人，就绝不会有今天的我……
　　即使是这一个男人和这一个女人，如果换了一个时辰相爱，也不会有此刻的我……
　　即使是这一个男人和这一个女人在这一个时辰，由于一片小小落叶或是清脆鸟啼的打搅，依然可能不会有如此的我……
　　一种令人怅然以至走入恐惧的想象，像雾霭一般不可避免地缓缓升起，模糊了我们的来路和去处，令人不得不断然打住思绪。
　　我们的生命，端坐于概率垒就的金字塔的顶端。面对大自然的鬼斧神工，我们还有权利和资格说我不重要吗?
　　对于我们的父母，我们永远是不可重复的孤本。无论他们有多少儿女，我们都是独特的一个。
　　假如我不存在了，他们就空留一份慈爱，在风中蛛丝般飘荡。
　　假如我生了病，他们的心就会皱缩成石块，无数次向上苍祈祷我的康复，甚至愿灾痛以十倍的烈度降临于他们自身，以换取我的平安。
　　我的每一滴成功，都如同经过放大镜，进入他们的瞳孔，摄入他们心底。
　　假如我们先他们而去，他们的白发会从日出垂到日暮，他们的泪水会使太平洋为之涨潮。面对这无法承载的亲情，我们还敢说我不重要吗?
　　我们的记忆，同自己的伴侣紧密地缠绕在一处，像两种混淆于一碟的颜色，已无法分开。你原先是黄，我原先是蓝，我们共同的颜色是绿，绿得生机勃勃，绿得苍翠欲滴。失去了妻子的男人，胸口就缺少了生死攸关的肋骨，心房裸露着，随着每一阵轻风滴血。失去了丈夫的女人，就是齐斩斩折断的琴弦，每一根都在雨夜长久地自鸣……面对相濡以沫的同道，我们忍心说我不重要吗?
　　俯对我们的孩童，我们是至高至尊的惟一。我们是他们最初的宇宙，我们是深不可测的海洋。假如我们隐去，孩子就永失淳厚无双的血缘之爱，天倾东南，地陷西北，万劫不复。盘子破裂可以粘起，童年碎了，永不复原。伤口流血了，没有母亲的手为他包扎。面临抉择，没有父亲的智慧为他谋略……面对后代，我们有胆量说我不重要吗?
　　与朋友相处，多年的相知，使我们仅凭一个微蹙的眉尖、一次睫毛的抖动，就可以明了对方的心情。假如我不在了，就像计算机丢失了一份不曾复制的文件，他的记忆库里留下不可填补的黑洞。夜深人静时，手指在揿了几个电话键码后，骤然停住，那一串数字再也用不着默诵了。逢年过节时，她写下一沓沓的贺卡。轮到我的地址时，她闭上眼睛……许久之后，她将一张没有地址只有姓名的贺卡填好，在无人的风口将它焚化。
　　相交多年的密友，就如同沙漠中的古陶，摔碎一件就少一件，再也找不到一模一样的成品。面对这般友情，我们还好意思说我不重要吗?
　　我很重要。
　　我对于我的工作我的事业，是不可或缺的主宰。我的独出心裁的创意，像鸽群一般在天空翱翔，只有我才捉得住它们的羽毛。我的设想像珍珠一般散落在海滩上，等待着我把它用金线串起。我的意志向前延伸，直到地平线消失的远方……没有人能替代我，就像我不能替代别人。我很重要。
　　我对自己小声说。我还不习惯嘹亮地宣布这一主张，我们在不重要中生活得太久了。我很重要。
　　我重复了一遍。声音放大了一点。我听到自己的心脏在这种呼唤中猛烈地跳动。我很重要。
　　我终于大声地对世界这样宣布。片刻之后，我听到山岳和江海传来回声。
　　是的，我很重要。我们每一个人都应该有勇气这样说。我们的地位可能很卑微，我们的身分可能很渺小，但这丝毫不意味着我们不重要。
　　重要并不是伟大的同义词，它是心灵对生命的允诺。
　　人们常常从成就事业的角度，断定我们是否重要。但我要说，只要我们在时刻努力着，为光明在奋斗着，我们就是无比重要地生活着。
　　让我们昂起头，对着我们这颗美丽的星球上无数的生灵，响亮地宣布——
　　我很重要。

NaperyUID: 2710990

26# 米饭袜子


小爪子还在努力的学习当中。。。

虽然很“小草”，但是小爪子会努力的。。。。

嘿嘿，谢谢袜子小头头儿啦~~

小爪子今天接着补作业~~

NaperyUID: 2710990

Definition 之补充：

What is an Essay?
Though the word ‘essay’ has come to be understood as a type of writing in Modern English, its origins provide us with some useful insights. The word comes into the English language through the French influence on Middle English; tracing it back further, we find that the French form of the word comes from the Latin verb exigere, which means ‘to examine, test, or (literally) to drive out’.

Through the excavation of this ancient word, we are able to unearth the essence of the academic essay: to encourage students to test or examine their ideas concerning a particular topic.

Essays are shorter pieces of writing that often require the student to hone a number of skills such as close reading, analysis, comparison and contrast, persuasion, conciseness, clarity, and exposition. As is evidenced by this list of attributes, there is much to be gained by the student who strives to succeed at essay writing.

The purpose of an essay is to encourage students to develop ideas and concepts in their writing with the direction of little more than their own thoughts (it may be helpful to view the essay as the converse of a research paper).

Therefore, essays are (by nature) concise, and require clarity in purpose and direction. This means that there is no room for the student’s thoughts to wander or stray from her purpose; she must be deliberate and interesting.

Be familiar and comfortable with the process of essay composition through the introduction of some common essay genres.

• The Expository Essay
• The Descriptive Essay
• The Narrative Essay
• The Argumentative (Persuasive) Essay

Essay Topic
The topic provided—also called the writing prompt—will cover a subject of general interest.
Responding to the topic will not require you to have specific knowledge of any subject area,
but instead will require you to draw on your own experiences and observations.
You will be asked to give an opinion or an explanation of something.
A few sample essay topics are listed below.

• Sample Topic 1: In your opinion, is censorship in television, music, and movies positive or negative? Present your opinion on the topic, with reasons and examples to support your view.
• Sample Topic 2: Is it better to work at a job you like but that doesn’t pay well or to work at a job you don’t like but that does pay well? Present and support your opinion on the topic.
• Sample Topic 3: What are some common methods used to combat stress? In an essay, explain some of these methods.

A Definition of Purpose

Purpose is the reason why you are writing.
You may write a grocery list in order to remember what you need to buy.
You may write a laboratory report in order to carefully describe a chemistry experiment.
You may write an argumentative essay in order to persuade someone to change the parking rules on campus.
You may write a letter to a friend to express your excitement about her new job.  

When we communicate with other people, we are usually guided by some purpose, goal, or aim.
We may want to express our feelings. We may want simply to explore an idea or perhaps entertain or amuse our listeners or readers.
We may wish to inform people or explain an idea. We may wish to argue for or against an idea in order to persuade others to believe or act in a certain way. We make special kinds of arguments when we are evaluating or problem solving.
Finally, we may wish to mediate or negotiate a solution in a tense or difficult situation.

Notice that selecting the form for your writing (list, report, essay, letter) is one of your choices that helps you achieve your purpose.
You also have choices about style, organization, kinds of evidence that help you achieve your purpose.

Focusing on your purpose as you begin writing helps you know what form to choose, how to focus and organize your writing,
what kinds of evidence to cite, how formal or informal your style should be, and how much you should write.

Remember, however, that often writers combine purposes in a single piece of writing.
Thus, we may, in a business report, begin by informing readers of the economic facts before we try to persuade them to take a certain course of action.

Don Zimmerman, Journalism and Technical Communication Department

I look at most scientific and technical writing as being either informational or instructional in purpose.
A third category is documentation for legal purposes. Most writing can be organized in one of these three ways.
For example, an informational purpose is frequently used to make decisions.
Memos, in most circles, carry key information.

NaperyUID: 2710990

THESIS

The thesis defines your position on that subject, or the point you intend to prove in your essay.
It is important to develop a working thesis early, because it guides your readers from the beginning of your essay by telling them the main idea and supporting points of your essay.

It offers your readers a quick and easy to follow summary of what the paper will be discussing and what you as a writer are setting out to tell them.

It's useful for the reading audience to understand the purpose of the essay; it's also useful for you as a writer, as it will help direct your thoughts and research.

It indicates the type of support that will follow in the paper and it may indicate a logical structure or order for that support. It is the central idea around which the rest of the essay is built.

The lack of a thesis statement may well be a symptom of an essay beset by a lack of focus. Many writers think of a thesis statement as an umbrella: everything that you carry along in your essay has to fit under this umbrella, and if you try to take on packages that don't fit, you will either have to get a bigger umbrella or something's going to get wet.

Thesis Definition

Kate Kiefer, English Department, Composition Director 1992 -1995
The focus of the text is also referred to as its thesis, theme, controlling idea, main point. In effect, writers tell readers what territory they plan to cover. That's the focus. A focus can be very narrow--as when a photographer takes a close-up of one mountain flower--or it can be broad --as when the photographer takes a long-range shot of the mountain. In practical writing, the focus is often specified for the writer by the "occasion" for the writing.

A thesis sentence focuses your ideas for the paper; it's your argument or insight or viewpoint crystallized into a sentence or two that gives the reader your main idea.
The thesis statement is a sentence that summarizes the main point of your essay and previews your supporting points.
“Your” => A good thesis statement makes the difference between a thoughtful research project and a simple retelling of facts.
[TS强调的是作者我们自己的观点，强调的是文章的中心focus、重点内容main ideas，
强调的是浓缩的精华crystallinity/ crystallization/nutshell，
强调的是可以向读者传递信息introductory/conducive/informal，
强调的是可以指导作者写作directive/directed/indicated/indicative！
而不是简单的事实重述或复述repeat/restatement/retelling！]

Put it the thesis as a statement and where to put it

Make sure your thesis is in the form of a statement, not a question. "Can we save the Amazon rain forest?" is an ear-catching question that might be useful in the introduction, but it doesn't express an opinion or perspective as the following statements do:

"We can save the Amazon rain forest by limiting tourist presence, boycotting goods made by companies that deplete the forest's resources, and generally educating people about the need to preserve the rain forest in order to preserve the earth's ecological systems."
"We cannot save the Amazon rain forest since the companies that deplete its resources in their manufacturing are so widely-spread throughout the world, so politically powerful in their respective countries, and wealthy enough to fight the opposition fully."

Generally, the thesis statement is the final sentence of your introduction. Sometimes, it is a good idea to use two sentences.
For example, you might identify your main point in one sentence and then identify your supporting points in a second sentence. (Some might call this second sentence a preview sentence).
Other times, your thesis statement will only be one sentence.
Either is acceptable.
Remember that you need a clear, strong, and easy-to-found thesis statement at the end your introduction so that your reader understands your main point and knows what to expect from the rest of your essay.
[在大部分的情况下，TS放在INTRO的最后位置上！
无论是两句话还是一句话的TS，
都必须注重TS的特点—clear/strong/easy-to-found和作用—for readers and writers.]

The thesis identifies two basics:
1.
what your ideas are about,
2.
and what your ideas are

There are two parts to a thesis sentence that reflect these basics:

1.
The topic in the thesis tells what you are writing about.

2.
The angle in the thesis tells what your ideas are about the topic.

For example
1.
All successful college students have certain basic characteristics.
The main topic is about college students[文章的对象],
while the idea or angle about the topic is that successful students share certain characteristics[文章的中心].
The thesis indicates the type of support needed--discussion of those characteristics that contribute to college success.

2.
For most adult students returning to college, the problems that they fact along the way are outweighed by their achievements.The main topic is about adult college students[文章的对象],
while the idea or angle about the topic is that problems are outweighed by achievements[文章的中心].
The thesis indicates the type of support needed and the order of that support--an explanation of the problems first and then an explanation of achievements second.

3.
Adult students returning to college make up a higher percentage of entering students than they did twenty years ago because of a number of statistical, economic, and social reasons.
The main topic is about adult students returning to college[文章的对象],
while the idea or angle about the topic is that there are reasons for the higher percentage of adults returning to college[文章的中心].
The thesis indicates the type of support needed and the order of that support--an explanation of the statistical reasons first, economic reasons second and social reasons third.

It's important to investigate additional thesis characteristics at this point to make sure that you'll be creating working thesis sentences that actually are workable and appropriate for essays. So in addition to knowing what a thesis is, you need to know what a thesis is not.

A thesis sentence's angle should NOT be:
1.
Too broad. For example, the following thesis really doesn't pinpoint a specific insight about the topic: Adult students returning to college have a hard time. In what ways do adult students have a hard time? You'd need to identify a more specific insight in this angle.
[They need to consider what they write a pro-active document: a document that's going to be used by a specified audience for a specified reason about a specific area of that broader topic. Most academic writing requires a narrow focus because it's easier to move from that into the specific supporting detail highly valued in the academic community.]
2.
Too narrow a statement of fact. For example, the following thesis really cannot be developed into a full essay because the angle doesn't contain the writer's own thoughts or insights about the subject: Adult students returning to college read an average of 7.5 books per term. A reader may respond by saying, "So what?" A narrow statement of fact does not contain your own personal analysis, argument, or interpretation of the topic, that all-important angle which a thesis must have.
[It gets so close to the topic that the writer cannot possibly say more than a few words.]
3.
An announcement. For example, the following really is not a thesis at all because it lacks an angle that gives the writer's own insight into the topic: My topic is the adult student returning to college. Again, "So what?"
What's the reader's idea here?
4.
Choose the Right Shape
Shape your thesis to fit the question you wish to answer. A thesis can come in many forms, including the following:
1)
Simply stating an opinion "Langston Hughes was a master stylist."
2)
Indicating categories or reasons "Langston Hughes was a master stylist because of his vivid imagery, surprising metaphors, and effective alliteration."
3)
Showing two aspects of a topic and emphasizing one (in this sample, the 2nd topic in the sentence is emphasized) "While Langston Hughes was a master stylist, as a critic he had several blind spots."