ảỡ ấờứặ ẳảũỉĩ ềốĩẻ /ở / DEVELOPING WRITING SKILLS /part 2/ ỡĩặ ỡ. ụờỡặ ĩỡĩ ọợẻĩ ẩẳỡĩẻĩ éỉẩờĩ ảỡ ấờứặ ẳảũỉĩ ềốĩẻ /ở / /ởởằíằủ ãủằẫỏừ ẹùỏừỏừííằủầ ểằộựàằủỏừ/ DEVELOPING WRITING SKILLS /part 2/ Essay Writing ỡĩ ẩặĩảỡ 2006 0134(01)-2006 éợá 802.0(07) ảỉá 81.2 íãẫ ú 7 ả 874 ủòậớỏủớ ỡ. ủỏừởỏớầ íớí ồằùẽí ẫằẵớàíẽí ẹẫởủíầ ãầùẽí ậỏủẹủạầ, ộỏí- ãằủíẽí ẫằẵỏừíằủầ ýẽỏừẫùằùầ ậỏủẹủạầ ă íãẫằủằíầ ùằởỏừí àầỏíầ ẽỏếầú ỏủồằở ểằộíủẽ ỷùủ ẫằẵỏừíằủầ ýẽỏừẫùằùíằủầ ỏừởíỏếíằủầ ẹủ: ẻẵỏếíằủ éẽỏà èỏừẫầẽí, ỉủẫằí ợằủ-ễẵủí, íầ èỏừẫầẽí, ẩầẫầ ạẫí, ờùằẫẫ ỉủùầủỏởí: ả 874 ảỡ ấờứặ ẳảũỉĩ ềốĩẻ. ở . - ủ.: ẩầíãớ, 2006, 112 ỗ: DEVELOPING WRITING SKILLS - A textbook for students of the Yerevan State Linguistic University after V.Brusov Compiled by: Hakob Tsulikyan, Marlena Ter-Kazaryan, Ani Tsulikyan, Lilit Badalyan, Stella Martirosyan. ả 2006. ảỉá 81.2 íãẫ ú 7 ISBN 99930-79-36 -7 â ĐẩầíãớƯ, 2006. 4602020102 3 Contents FOREWORD: ESSAY WRITING ------------- 5 Unit 1: Narration -------------------------------------------- 7 Tips for Successful Writing ------------------------ 8 Text 1: Man Overboard by Thor Heyerdahl ------------------------ 11 Questions for study and discussion --------------- 13 Text 2: The Gun in the Desk (part I) -------------- The Gun in the Desk (part II) ------------- 16 18 Questions for study and discussion --------------- 20 Unit 2: Description ------------------------------------------ 24 Tips for Successful Writing ------------------------ 28 Text 1: In a Tunisian Oasis by Aldous Huxley ------------------------- 30 Questions for study and discussion --------------- 35 Text 2: Reminiscences of Childhood by Dylan Thomas ------------------------- 39 Questions for study and discussion --------------- 43 Unit 3: Exposition -------------------------------------------- 47 Tips for Successful Writing ------------------------ 49 Text 1: Why So Late --------------------------------- 52 Questions for study and discussion --------------- 53 Tips for Successful Writing ----------------------- 55 Text 2: Classrooms of Babel by C.Leslie, D.Glick and J. Gordon ----- 57 Questions for study and discussion --------------- 60 Tips for Successful Writing ----------------------- 62 Text 3: Doctor Shanna ------------------------------ 64 Questions for study and discussion --------------- 66 Unit 4: Argument -------------------------------------------- 68 Text 1: The Right to be Let Alone by Barry Glazer ---------------------------- 71 4 Questions for study and discussion --------------- 73 Text 2: There is No Way To Go But Ahead by Isaac Asimov -------------------------- 78 Questions for study and discussion --------------- 83 Text 3: Reach Out and Annoy Someone by Jonathan Rowe ------------------------- 87 Questions for study and discussion --------------- 91 Checklist for Revision ------------------------------------------ 95 Supplementary Reading Materials --------------------------- 97 5 A TEXTBOOK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF WRITING SKILLS FOREWORD: ESSAY WRITING An essay is a piece of writing, usually short and in prose in any subject. The difference between a composition and an essay is that in the first one students are required to set out the facts as they are, the primary objective being their accurate and impartial presentation, while in the second they are expected to give an individual interpretation of facts. For this reason essay writing is a more difficult form of exercise, though also more satisfying, as it gives the students more scope for self expression. According to the subject matter and the treatment it receives, essays may be divided into four main types: narrative, descriptive, reflective or expository and discoursive or argumentative. The division, however, is by no means clear cut; in fact most essays have features characteristic not of one particular type, but of several. This book which covers all the 4 types and is intended for students of the English Department /upper intermediate level/ at Yerevan State Linguistic University after V.Brusov, is the logical continuation of the one published in 2004, which dealt with topics ranging from sentence structure to paragraph writing, from linking paragraphs together to drafting essays. 6 ốổĩ ĩằủẽ ểằộíủẽ ùủàíẽí òủỏừíẽỏừỏừíí 2004 ớầí ẹủùủẽớ Đảủớỏủ ậỏởựầ ẵủãúí ểằộ- íủẽầƯ, ỏủùằế íằủẽúớ ỏ ãẫỏừậíằủỏừ ỏừởỏừúíớỏừ ủ ìầòù íậạởỏừỏừííằủ ẽộỏừúằẫỏừú ầíóă ởởằíằủ ãủằẫỏừ ẹùỏừỏừííằủ: ởùằế óỏủở ẹầíẽí àầííằủỏừ íằủẽúớ ằí ở- ởằíằủầ ãẫậớỏủ óỏủởê ồùỏếẽí (Narrative), íẽủãủẽí (Descriptive), àúùủẽí-àúẹùóẽí (Expository) ă ữởùủẽầí-àíớằìầí (Argumentative) ùằởẽíằủ: ỏừủựíóỏừủ àíầ ởẽẵàỏừ ùủớ ởởằầ ùớẫ ùằ- ởẽầ àúùủỏừỏừí, ỏủầí ẹằùăỏừ ằí ỏừởíỏếíằủầí ỏừếếỏừ- ỏừí ùớỏế ỏủỏò ậỏủẹỏừủạíằủ: íỏừẹằùă ẹồùởậí ùằựởùằủ, ớủỏừỏừííằủ ạ ùằựởùằủ àộíằẫỏừ ă ẹủúằủê ựííủẽằẫỏừ ẹủ, ầíóồằở íă ầíựíỏừủỏừí òậùíựầ ằ- íằủ: ảủựầ ớằủỗỏừ ùủớ ằí íă íằủúíỏừí ẹớằẫẫ íỏừằủ, ỏủỏíự ẽủỏế ằí ỷãùãỏủớằẫ ạởớíạí íú- ựỏừ ởù íồùẽẹủủỏừí: ềằộíủẽ, ỏủầ ồùủởùí ởíẽúằẫ ằí ủăíầ ỡ ủỏừởỏớầ íớí ẫằẵớàíẽí ẹẫởủíầ íãẫằủằí ùằởỏừí àầỏíầ ạởậỏởíằủ é.èỏừẫầẽí, ỉ.ợằủ-ễẵủ- í, . èỏừẫầẽí, ẩ.ạẫí ă ờ.ỉủùầủỏởí, íậ- ùằởớ íãẫầẽí ýẽỏừẫùằùầ ỏừởíỏếíằủầ ẹủ: 7 UNIT 1 Narration The act of telling a story is called narration. Thus narrative is writing that answers the question, “What happened?” “The dog barked. The child cried. The dog jumped. The child screamed and ran” – that is narrative. Though each of the four sentences states a different action, we feel there is connection between them. We assume that the dog that barked in sentence 1 is the dog that jumped in sentence 3 and that the child that cried in sentence 2 screamed and ran in sentence 4. The four sentences tell a single story. But if we read, “The dog barked. The man read. The sun shone. The child ate and slept,” it is difficult to feel any connection. However, most of us are so used to finding that narrative sentences like these do hang together that we are likely to assume or invent a connection: “The dog barked, but the man read on. Though the sun was shining, he had to stay in to feed the child and put him to bed.” Nevertheless, in the absence of a context common sense forces us to conclude either that the sentences really deal with four separate actions and four separate characters, or that they are a very badly told narrative. The first set of sentences told about a dog frightening a child. It would be difficult to sum up the second set in a similar statement. The sentences given here do not seem to make up a single, unified story. Narrative sentences may be connected in several ways. Most narratives are arranged in time sequence: first one thing happened, then the next, and so on. But chronology alone may not be enough to create unity. Often, as in both examples above, the reader consciously or unconsciously, will seek some closer connection between the actions than the simple fact that they followed one another in time. Such connection may be logical or causal (“the child cried because the dog barked”), but it need not be. Some narratives are held together by similarity and contrast in situation or characterization or setting or “mood”, and so forth, between their 8 separate scenes. Or narrative unity and coherence may be achieved by more than one method. It is unwise to lay down rules for all narratives, for in the art of writing exceptions always seem to appear to upset any general rule. Still, it is reasonably safe to say that if the reader is not aware of some kind of connection in what he reads, chances are that he will find the narrative to be no story at all, but separate bits of action haphazardly thrown together, meaningless, irritating, boring. Somehow, he must be made to feel that what he reads “hangs together.” The logical arrangement of events in a story is called its plot. The parts of the plot are: 1. Inciting incident which gives rise to the conflict. Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces. Every plot must contain some kind of conflict – otherwise there would be no action. 2. Development where events occur as a result of the central conflict. 3. Climax – the highest point of interest or suspense. 4. Resolution. Most narratives also have an introduction which is the section at the beginning of the work that introduces the setting and the major characters. Establishing the setting of a story involves describing the time and the place in which it occurs. Setting is revealed by details that describe scenery, furniture, customs, clothing, weather, time of day and time of year. Some narratives also have a denouement, which is made up of the events that take place after the resolution. Tips for successful writing The most casual look at Heyerdahl’s story ( see Text I) will show that it does not just tell itself. Even a reporter of factual truth must be something of a literary craftsman: selecting, arranging, distributing emphasis, finding the words that do justice not only to 9 the bare facts of the event but to its “feeling” as well, are things that a good narrator has to take into consideration. Choosing the point of view The writer of a narration creates a voice to tell the story. This voice is the narrator. The type of narrator a story has determines the story’s point of view. As nonfiction stories recount events that have actually occurred, they are mainly written from the first-person point of view. A story told from the first-person point of view is almost always limited. A first-person limited narrator can report the words and actions of the other characters, but not their thoughts or feelings. He does not have to invent characters and situations for them to get involved in, but, for the very reason that he is dealing with truth and not fiction, he is tied down to the facts. He cannot freely use his imagination and tell what did not happen. Deciding what to include: your right to be selective On the other hand the writer cannot tell everything that happened. Out of the hundreds of little actions that go into the making of an incident he can select only a few. For example in “Man Overboard” Heyerdahl tells us what Herman was doing when the sleeping bag went overboard, both because Herman is the chief character and because wind-measuring is a relevant detail in a story where wind is so important. But we do not learn what happened to the anemometer when Herman fell. We do not learn what Torstein did after he failed to throw the line for the lifeboat to Herman. We do not hear of all the separate little manual operations. Such unreported happenings were just as true and real as those we do hear about. Heyerdahl does not mention them, because they are unimportant to the story of the rescue – or, rather, because he chooses to make them unimportant. Heyerdahl has exercised the right every narrator necessarily must exercise: the right to be selective about the details that go into his story. The writer has to decide which events , people, and so on should be emphasized or talked about in great detail, . ẹùỏừỏừííằủầ ểằộựàằủỏừ/ DEVELOPING WRITING SKILLS /part 2/ Essay Writing ỡĩ ẩặĩảỡ 20 06 013 4( 01) -20 06 éợá 8 02. 0(07) ảỉá 81 .2 íãẫ ú 7 ả 874 ủòậớỏủớ ỡ. ủỏừởỏớầ. Martirosyan. ả 20 06. ảỉá 81 .2 íãẫ ú 7 ISBN 99930-79-36 -7 â ĐẩầíãớƯ, 20 06. 46 020 2 01 02 3 Contents FOREWORD: ESSAY WRITING ------------- 5 Unit 1: Narration