Academic Writing Samples

Academic Writing Samples including Expository & Persuasive Genres

 

No American is an Island

As long as man has been in existence, we have faced the struggle of isolation.  The English poet John Donne spoke to this struggle and the significance a single man held to the whole of society.  “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main” (Quotations Book, 1624, p. 1).  When this statement was first published in 1624 one can imagine that it was much easier to feel as an island entirely to oneself.  Interaction was limited to those of similar status in close physical proximity and all forms of travel, connection and communication took substantial investments of time and resources.  Since Donne penned this quote significant technological advancements have occurred in transportation and communication, drastically removing the sense of physical and intellectual isolation of our world, and particularly, of America.  Read More...

Movement Through Conflict

Saul Alinsky is credited with saying “Change means movement. Movement means friction. Only in the frictionless vacuum of a nonexistent abstract world can movement or change occur without that abrasive friction of conflict” (Mediation Channel.com).  Change is why conflict occurs.  As humans we go through change constantly.  We age, we learn, we adapt and we make personal choices that impact our lives, our careers, our families and even those who have remote contact with us.  Even though change is not always pleasant, it is not inherently bad.  Conflict comes due to change and may have positive or negative effects depending upon how people respond; with the best responses resulting in forgiveness.  Read More...

Symbolism of the Journey

A friend once said “you can choose your actions or you can choose your consequences but you can’t choose both.”  This quote holds true for many aspects of everyday life and is a guiding force as one considers the desired end consequences compared to the actions it takes to achieve these pre-determined consequences.  This quote also hold significance when considering the symbolism of the journey; especially in consideration of Frosts’ “The Road Not Taken” and Welty’s “A Worn Path”.  Frost’s poem is symbolic of choosing the consequences of the journey towards the beginning of a trail, while Welty’s story portrays the actions of an elderly woman already on a path which is laid out before her; yet both use the journey to symbolically speak to life journey’s toward happiness.  Read More...

Boy at the Window

Snowflakes.  Soup.  Snowballs.  The poem “Boy at the Window” conjures images of all of these things as it draws the audience in to a winter scene.  Through the use of irony, personification and rhyme, Richard Wilbur captivated my attention and provoked memories of my own winter experiences.  Read More...

Innovation and Sustainability

Christopher Lasch is credited with saying “environmentalism opposes reckless innovation and makes conservation the central order of business” (Brainyquote.com, 2012, p.1)  While I doubt that our predecessors would have seen many of their innovations as reckless, hindsight shows that we are fast depleting many natural resources in the name of convenience and consumerism.  In our present over-populated society, innovation in the production of paper goods, food, the consumption of fuel and rabid consumerism are leading to a deteriorating world.  Changes must be made towards sustainability and preservation of our natural resources.  Read More...

Reality TV Proves Society Values and Connects to Drama

Sadly, society has witnessed a steady decline of values portrayed in popular media.  A lack of moral compass can be observed in many aspects of popular media; music, movies, gossip magazines and television.  Over the past few years reality television has become especially popular with a wide variety of reality shows available on each network.  While the genre of reality television includes reality game shows and dating competitions, the reality shows most commonly highlighting low moral behavior seem to be those depicting the actual daily lives of its stars.  When watching shows depicting a genuine lifestyle, one may be surprised at the limited depiction of moral living, with the reality stars appearing unashamed as they demonstrate poor values to their coworkers, friends and children.  The days of “The Brady Bunch” and “Family Ties” are over; today’s society is interested in drama and animosity, this is what many find interesting and entertaining.  Furthermore, in an electronic age people are growing constantly detached from human interaction and reality programing offers a type of pseudo relationship in which viewers can actually feel connected to those whose “realities” they are observing.  In this way, it is the very deficiency of values that makes reality television popular and the drama that ensues builds assumed relational connections to an ever growing fan base.  Read More...