“ On being a cripple “By Nancy Mairs

Look through the Composition Reading Bank or the “Supplemental Course Texts” section of “Our Classroom” on our Blackboard site to find texts that discuss a topic on which you have your own interesting thoughts and experiences to share. Do not pick any issue to discuss, such as abortion, or gun control, that is a state or national issue and therefore hard to contribute anything new to, and hard to enter the conversation without doing research. Pick something that would make for a manageable conversation without the need for research, since research isn’t a part of this project.
Read or listen to the text carefully at least three times. Make sure you understand it by looking up any words you don’t know the meaning of or references that are unclear to you and talking with me or the writing center tutors about anything else that is confusing or unclear. It would be good also if you could read it out loud (if it’s a written text) or read through the transcript (if it’s a video text), and if you could find a partner to read it and discuss it with you. You need to become an expert on this text.

Brainstorm Ideas:

Make a list of all the points the author brings up. Test your understanding of the essay by seeing if you can write a sentence or two explanation of what the author is saying for each paragraph or section.
Freewrite about your thoughts and personal experiences that come to mind with each point from the above list. You can write in a loose freewriting style, not worrying about how things sound or are spelled—just get all your ideas out on paper while they are fresh in your mind. See which points you have the most to say about / the most personal experiences to add.

Required Structure for Rough/Final Draft:

Format your draft just like the MLA sample paper in The Norton Field Guide to Writing. Note also that the font is Times New Roman 12 point font. Use only third person perspective (no “you”), except for personal experience examples, when you can use “I.”

Introduction:

The introduction paragraph should:
Explain the issue you’re exploring and give specific reasons and examples for why this is an important issue for you and specific members of your community. Make it feel real and relevant. Help readers understand the various perspectives surrounding the issue.
Include an introduction to and summary of the essay you picked that presents an opinion on the same issue (a summary should include all the author’s main points in your own words—no quotes—be thorough but concise).
End with a full sentence or two controlling idea (your overall message for readers about the topic + a preview of the points you will focus on in your body paragraphs). Be sure to avoid announcement language or use of “I” except for when giving personal experience.
See the “Beginning and Ending” chapter of the Field Guide for more ideas for writing introductions. Be sure you’re using an appropriate tone and style and content for your audience as explained in the first section of this assignment sheet.

Your body paragraphs:

Write around three to four body paragraphs. Each body paragraph should
Include a topic sentence, or message for readers. (This should also be one of the points you raised in your controlling idea.) Make sure each paragraph develops only one main point.
To properly integrate quotes from the course text you chose, 2) Use a signal phrase and a comma, 2) use quotation marks properly and quote the author’s full thought, 3) include an in-text citation (parentheses with page number), 4) explain the quote, and 5) talk about why the author’s idea is important.
Bring in relevant personal experience (use your Writing Project 1 skills of narration and description!) to help show readers what you mean. Think about specific scenes from your past that show how this issue has impacted you.
End by returning to the topic sentence, or main point of the paragraph. Every paragraph should feel circular and comprehensive, like a mini paper within the overall paper.