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\centerline{MONT 104Q -- Mathematical Journeys}
\centerline{Third Writing Assignment}
\centerline{December, 2015}
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The third of the larger paper assignments this semester will be devoted to topics
connected with our last CHQ common reading of the semester, the memoir {\it Wild} by Cheryl 
Strayed.  (Please {\it don't call it a novel!!})
  
This one will be slightly different in that the goal is not primarily to defend a particular
position on a set question.  Instead you will need to delve in detail into a particular 
passage in the book that represents a key episode or turning point.  You should explain 
{\it why it is a key episode} and {\it how it relates to the larger themes of the 
memoir} and/or the CHQ theme.  In the process, you should find that you develop a
particular point of view about the importance of the passage, and your 
introductory paragraph should articulate that point of view and prepare the 
reader to follow what you have to say in the remainder of the essay.  

Your writing should show that you have done some careful reading, 
and some serious thinking about the passage.  You may, of course, disagree with ideas 
presented in class if you want.  The point as always is for you to develop your own 
thinking, and then clearly express it in writing.

Your essay should be 3-5 pages in length (double-spaced, single-sided).
Please submit as a MS Word .doc or .docx file to {\tt jlittle@holycross.edu} by 
5:00pm on Friday, December 11.
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For this assignment you have a choice. 
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\item{1.} You may either write on this passage:
On page 189, after a phone call with her former husband Paul, Cheryl Strayed 
says ``I missed Paul. I missed my life. But I did not want to go back to it either.
That awful moment when Paul and I fell onto the floor and I told him the truth about 
my infidelities kept coming to me in waves, and I realized that what I'd started
when I'd spoken those words hadn't led only to my divorce but to this: to me sitting
alone in Old Station, California, on a picnic table beneath the magnificent sky.  I
didn't feel sad or happy.  I didn't feel proud or ashamed.  I only felt that in spite
of all the things I'd done wrong, in getting myself here, I'd done right.''
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\item{2.} Or if you prefer, you may select your own passage.  The only requirements
are that your passage should be roughly one paragraph in length (i.e. about the 
same length as the passage quoted above) and that it should 
represent an important moment or turning point in Cheryl Strayed's understanding
of herself, her former life, or the development of her journey.  If there is 
some passage that struck you especially as you read that fits these criteria, by
all means ``go for it.''
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{\it Guidelines for this assignment}
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Follow these specifications:
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\item{1.} It is OK to discuss preliminary ideas for what you want to say with
your classmates if you want.  I will also be happy to talk over things and/or read
a preliminary draft to give feedback if you like.
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\item{2.} Especially if you are choosing your own passage, the first paragraph
should clearly lay out which passage it is that you will consider and why you think it
is important.   This will form the thesis and it should be clearly stated and well 
focused.  The reader (me) should not need to guess what your point is.
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\item{3.}  To understand your passage you will probably want to refer to (and/or quote from)
other passages from {\it Wild}.  You should provide interpretations of 
those passages that come from your own thinking about them.  
Your evidence should be as specific, detailed, correct, and as varied
as possible (focus on small passages and mention
the little things that support your point). 
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\item{4.}  {\it Do not consult any other sources beyond {\it Wild} itself -- this means 
no other books, no web sites, etc.}  
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\item{5.}  When you use direct quotations, 
at the end, place page number(s) in parentheses at the end to identify the source.  
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\item{6.}  The paper as a whole should be well-organized and ``flow'' 
from one point to the next.  Your sentences should be clear, readable, and
not overly wordy.  
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\item{7.}  {\it This paper can be less formal than the two essays
from earlier in the semester}.  You should aim for a lively style and the 
writing should be in 
your own voice.  (Cheryl Strayed's voice in her memoir might serve
as a model.)   But please
think twice before using very colloquial ways of saying things.
If they contribute to the point you are trying to make, that is fine.  
But do it for a reason.   
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\item{8.} {\it Please do not use a thesaurus to find impressive-sounding words} 
when simpler alternatives are available. 
An important lesson to learn for writing in college is that thesauri 
do not capture the {\it nuances in meanings} that underlie good writing.  
If you must use a thesaurus, also look up any words you select in a 
dictionary to make sure they mean exactly what you think they do!
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\item{9.} Errors in mechanics and usage should not annoy the reader. 
(As a warning, I tend to be {\it easily annoyed by this sort of thing!})
Try as much as possible to avoid mistakes in 
grammar, spelling, punctuation, and word choice.
\bye
