Monday, September 26, 2011

Pearson's Text - Cassie Wolff

There are quite a few important elements to an exploratory essay. The first one that I read was, “The essential move for exploratory thinking and writing is to keep a problem alive through consideration of multiple solutions or points of view” (Rammage, Bean, and Johnson 155). This is like the “believing and doubting” game as we discussed earlier. You need to identify all sorts of viewpoints so you can come to conclusions and solutions to every question possible. This broadens the type of readers that will want to explore what you have to say.
                The second important element I found about writing an exploratory essay was about formulating from a starting point. You need to start with a really “grabber”. “The goal of your introduction is to hook your reader’s interest in your chosen problem” (Rammage, Bean, and Johnson 158). This is very important I believe because the hook is what riels people in for the long hall. When a reader begins to read an essay the hook decides whether or not they will keep reading out of interest or set it down right away. An introduction needs to be something that you yourself is interested in and that others will be interested as well or even question what you have to say to give an argument.
                 The third element that stuck out to me about an exploratory essay would be about the “Double-Entry”. This tool seems to be very helpful for such essays, “… ‘double-entry’ notes in which you use one column for taking notes on a source and another column for recording your own thinking about the source” (Rammage, Bean and Johnson 159). Using this kid of research notes could help you construct a better research essay such as one like this. It will get you thinking on all the information you formulate from your research studies into what you really think it means or what its importance is.  

2 comments:

  1. I agree that it is really important to have a hook. Without it, the reader never really gets interested or involved in the essay.

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