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EC I, Osborne, fall 1999 TV Learning Community
Assignment for Essay #3: Affirming
Start writing in class, Oct. 20; Complete rough draft due Oct. 27 post to FORUM at http://network54.com/Hide/Forum/32290 in response to my request for affirming drafts; revised draft due. Nov. 3
What is an Affirming Essay? Like an expressive essay, the affirming essay often will include your personal experience and observations. The difference is that in the affirming essay, you will use your personal experience and observations as evidence to support an opinion.
You’re going to write an essay affirming your belief in something or your opinion about something, and you will show your readers as much support as you can for that belief or opinion. Unlike the persuasive essay, in the affirming essay, "you’re not being asked to change your readers’ views on a topic…you just need to explain what you believe" (RAW 151). That is, you must show support for what you believe, even if that support consists of personal experience rather than statistical evidence. Remember, just "sounding off about an opinion does not make for successful affirming writing" (151). You MUST ILLUSTRATE WITH SPECIFICS WHY YOU BELIEVE in your position. It is something like an op-ed piece in the newspaper. You get to sound off, but you have to show what exactly makes you so sure of your belief or opinion
I want you to select or create a topic that you feel fairly strongly about, but I don’t want to read essays on such overdiscussed topics as abortion, marijuana, or capital punishment. Rather, I’d suggest that you consider topics more closely related to the subjects of your courses in the learning community. For example, you could discuss one of the issues raised by the essay "The Perfect Picture" on 62-65 of RAW (the public’s right to know v. the individual’s right to privacy is one). This issue is relevant to anyone who may soon be working on TV documentary crews, or as reporters or camerapeople. Some good affirming essays often come from experiences where the writer thought he or she believed one thing, and discovered, through the experience, that it was necessary to change that belief.
Or you may wish to write an essay affirming your decision to pursue a career in television or your commitment to that career. Some possible titles:
"Why I Decided to Become a Television Major" or "Why I Still Believe in the Power of Television To Change Lives (Despite Jerry Springer)"
Or you might want to write an affirming essay on any aesthetic concept you’ve been learning about and that you feel strongly about. Some possible titles might be:
"Why HGTV Is (or is Not) A Great Thing for the Television Industry" or "TV As a Vehicle or Catalyst for Family Bonding" or "TV Affects Us on Overt, Subtle, and Subliminal Levels" "The Advantage of Using a Single Camera Instead of Three Cameras"
Remember, with any of these, you still need to use good specific examples to illustrate your position.
Or you might wish to discuss why you should not have to take English Composition I ("I’m Going to Be a TV Cameraman, so I Don’t Need to Know How to Write" might be a possible title). Or you might wish to affirm why you think more writing should be required of college (or high school) students. "I’m Going into Television, So I Thought I Didn’t Need to Know How to Write" might be a possible title.
Or you might wish to develop a topic related to your Television and New Media class.
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