Manifesto Example

Hello

The most important essay you write this semester will be the Manifesto. I find this ironic because your manifesto will not be graded. It is important because it will set the tone and pace of your experience in this class. It decides why you are here and what you are trying to accomplish. It won’t help you much if your goal this semester is “to get a good grade.” If you have your own goals, the grade becomes irrelevant, but I have noticed that people with good goals (that they chose for themselves) tend to also get good grades (also assuming that they work hard towards achieving those goals -- I can say I want to walk on the Moon, but there are many steps to get there).

If you never want to return to your Manifesto or look at it again, that’s fine with me, but if you want to rewrite it, I promise that I will read the new version and tell you what I think. I will even give you some advice for your revision before you do it. Seeing as though the class is already one quarter gone, this will have to happen rapidly : ) Therefore, if you have no intention of rewriting your Manifesto, please let me know and I will suspend further comment on that project. On the other hand if you do want to rewrite, please let me know that instead. So, the deal is, if you want to know what I think, you have to take another go at it. Whichever decision you make, it will not affect any of the numbers in your grade. Email me with your response.

I have pasted up a Manifesto written by one of your classmates on the blog because it is a good example of a rough draft. It also includes a very good example of a prewrite. I would like you to examine the relationship between the prewrite and the draft.

As a matter of fact, why don’t you take a look at the essay, and tell me (in an email) what you think is good about it and what you think is bad about. And if you are really hardcore (i.e., an “A” student), why don’t you compare your own essay to it while you’re at it? There is no DW# for this process, it is optional. If you choose not to do it, I won’t think less of you (promise).



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Manifesto - Pre-write

What goals will I set for myself this semester – what do I want to achieve?

My number one goal is to finish every assignment on time. By the end of this class, I want to be a better writer. I want to earn an A. I want to be better able to express my ideas in a clear cogent way. I want to be able to give my instincts a voice. I want to be able to be more fluent in logic and rhetoric so that when I use them I use them more fluidly – this will help me focus more on forming my ideas. I want to be able to write faster.

What do I expect to do in this class – how will I spend my time?

I expect to read a lot and write a lot. I expect to learn how to read actively and act on curiosity. I expect to learn how to think more clearly. I expect to write a lot. I expect to learn how to think logically and explain why I think the way I do. I expect to be able to read critically. I expect to be able to read not just what someone’s argument states on the surface, but to discern where the argument comes from, why it’s being made, and whether it is sound or not. I expect to work with my peers. I expect to spend a lot of time on extra credit! I expect to spend time researching.

What do I expect from my instructor – what do I need from him?

I expect my instructor to offer guidance and support in pursuing the goals of this class. I expect my instructor to offer specific feedback on my papers so that I am able to make my writing better – this is something I need that other English instructors have failed to do! I expect my instructor to know whether or not I am progressing in my writing skills, or if I am not, and to tell me so. This can be done by giving good, specific feedback. It’s all about the feedback.

What would make this class an enjoyable experience – what will make me happy?

Progressing in my writing would definitely make this an enjoyable experience. My writing skills are lacking, and given that I highly value being able to write well, I would love to improve! Up to this point, I have not done well in college English classes (or in High School for that matter). My matriculation score (from way back in 1999?) put me in 200 level English where I barely skated by with a B. In English 1A I earned a C. For whatever reason, I seem to do C work on long essays, and am barely able to bring it up to B work. This is only true for English classes. In other classes for which I have written long papers I have easily earned A’s with only a few B’s. This is where the lack of specific feedback from instructors comes in. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong! Other than a gross use of dangling modifiers and an incessant fondness for fragments, I have no idea what I am doing wrong. If I can learn the nature of my sub par writing and, if not fix it, at least improve upon it, I will be very happy.



Daily Writing #3
Essay #1 - Manifesto – Rough Draft

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The End, the Means and the Motivation

My goals for this class are dedicated to improving my writing in a significant way and earning the best grade possible. By the end of this class, I want to be a better writer. I want to be better able to express my ideas in a clear cogent way. I want to be able to fine tune my opinions and give them an adult voice that’s worth listening to. I want to be more fluent in logic and rhetoric so that I can express myself more fluidly. I want to be able to read on a higher level – to decode and dig and understand instead of simply jumping from word to word like a child skipping rope, counting off the revolutions. These goals are quite important to me as I understand the importance of being a critical reader and writer for success in school as well as in the world. While I might just be ok forgetting which way an anticyclone spins and which notation is proper to use when expressing a determinant, I don’t think I’ll be ok if I forget how to think. I don’t think I’ll be ok if I have to go through life taking other people’s ‘word for it’ and relying on the media to be honest, objective, and reflective. As our book says, “everything’s an argument” – my goal is to be able to know precisely the depth of that statement and apply it effectively in my reading, my writing, and my life. I’d also like to punctuate properly and be grammatically correct.

I expect to spend a lot of time reading and a lot of time writing for this class. I expect that my time spent reading will exercise both curiosity and thought. I expect to spend time trying to figure out not just what someone’s argument says on the surface, but where the argument comes from, why it’s being made, and whether it is sound or not. I expect to spend time working with my peers. I expect to spend time organizing my assignments, checking the class schedule, and hitting ‘refresh’ to make sure I stay on top of things. I expect to write copious amounts of words. I expect to spend copious amounts of time arranging these words until they coherently and beautifully express my most potent beliefs. I also expect to spend an ample amount of time being quite confused and/or frustrated.

I expect my instructor to offer guidance and support to anyone who is actively pursing excellence in his or her writing. I expect my instructor to give specific feedback on my papers so that I am able to improve my writing. I expect my instructor to know, based on the quality of my papers, whether I am improving in my writing, or whether I’m not, and to tell me so. I expect my instructor to accurately reflect both my effort and ability in a letter grade. I expect my instructor to be fair; although even I can see the argument inherent in the word “fair”. In fact I’ve often heard it, usually proffered at the end of the semester in a shrill and angry voice. My expectation of fairness is in the instructor making his expectations for each assignment clear, or, if this is not possible, then in the instructor making himself available to clarify.

Progressing in my writing would definitely make this an enjoyable experience. My writing skills are lacking, and given that I highly value being able to write well, I would love to improve. Up to this point, I have not done well in college English classes (or in high school for that matter). My matriculation score (from way back in 1999?) put me in 200 level English where I barely skated by with a B. In English 1A I earned a C. For whatever reason, I seem to do C work on long essays and am barely able to bring it up to B work. This is only true for English classes. In other classes for which I have written long papers I have easily earned A’s with only a few B’s. This is where the lack of specific feedback from instructors comes in. Other than a gross use of dangling modifiers, and an incessant fondness for fragments, I have no idea what I am doing wrong! If I can learn the nature of my sub par writing and, if not fix it, at least improve upon it, I will be very happy.

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