Comments on Student Blogs

I agree with both Brynn and Tim's blog posts about Mr. Collins. Brynn's make points arguing that Austen's characters are products of the society in which the novel is set and also that the reader is intended to laugh along with Mr. Collins' character because he is so outrageous. With Tim's blog I agree that Mr. Collins is a woman's worst nightmare and makes several mistakes such as the proposal. Also he continues to be clueless of how annoyed the Bennets are with him and his harassment of the girls.

Nightmare or Comic relief?

In the novel Pride and Prejudice Austen not only uses Mr. Colllins' character to show some of the characteristics of an obnoxious and pompous rich male in the 18th century, but also utilizes him as comic relief. The novel is intended to be a comidy and back then characters such as Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Collins would be considered very funny. Mr. Collins is just an outright ridiculous character who makes  a fool of himself in front of the Bennets and his own wife. The only person who can seem to stand him is Lady Catherine De Bourgh who is also incredibly pompous and prejudice. He also seems to cause an inormous amount of trouble for everyone because of his love to gossip and socialize. Thus the character of Mr. Collins provides both conflict and comic relief.

Strengths and Weaknesses

I was overall pretty pleased with my performance on this first essay. I was happy that my thesis sentence was noted as a strength, as this is what my paper was based on. A couple of my body paragraphs were highlighted as strong paragraphs-ones in which I integrated ideas and made claims of my own. These paragraphs, I believe, exhibit important analysis. Although it's clear that I have the right idea in these body paragraphs, in the others I see where I fall short. Short, in-concise sentences and the list like quality of them leave these paragraphs feeling empty. I agree that it's critical for me to introduce more analysis and more of my own unique ideas instead of simply stating Austen's. The conclusion, which should really be a strong ending to my paper was not as strong as it could of been and I will work on making it a finale rather than a lackluster wrap up. I was annoyed by my grammatical mistakes because most of them were really silly(inappropriate use of semicolon, indentation, and the plural). These things are easily corrected with more careful editing and I am confident I will improve this aspect of my paper next time.

The Supporting Evidence

The most important aspect of a strong essay is the supporting evidence and analysis of the thesis. Obviously, when writing an essay, one must produce a thesis. The thesis is what will be developed and expanded upon within the piece. However, without information to support and reinforce this thesis, it remains a simple claim. Therefore, concrete examples and background information that strengthen the idea introduced by the author, are truly the most important part of any solid essay.

In the student essay "Precise Introductions for Individual Interpretations" the writer's thesis involves Green's different approach to the character introduction--an approach which forces the reader to formulate their own opinions on the importance of a character. Oftentimes, this leads the reader to think the opposite of what actually is. This is an important claim, but it will be just that, without solid examples. Luckily, the writer does reinforce his thesis with great background information. For example, in the first body paragraph, the writer discusses the whiskey priest and Green's intentional and somewhat ambiguous introduction of him as seemingly unimportant. However, in actuality, he is the opposite as the reader comes to find out.

Support for the claim

The most important aspect of a strong essay is the supporting evidence and analysis of the thesis.  Obviously, when writing an essay, one must produce a thesis. The thesis is what will be developed and expanded upon within the piece. However, without information to support and reinforce this thesis, it remains a simple claim. Therefore, concrete examples and background information that strengthen the idea introduced by the author, are truly the most important part of any solid essay.

In the student essay “Precise Introductions for Individual Interpretations”  the writer’s thesis involves Green’s different approach to character introduction—an approach which forces the reader to formulate their own opinions on the importance of a character. Oftentimes, this leads to the reader to think the opposite of what actually is. This is an important claim, but it will be just that, without solid examples. Luckily, the writer does reinforce his thesis with great background information. For example, in the first body paragraph, the writer discusses the whiskey priest and Green’s intentional introduction of him as seemingly unimportant. However, in actuality, he is the opposite as the reader comes to find out.

Liz's Blog: And the best essay is....

Liz's Blog: And the best essay is....: "I preferred essay B: 'Its All About the First Impressions: How Austen and Greene Introduce Characters'because the writer analyzes and develo..."

And the best essay is....

I preferred essay B: "Its All About the First Impressions: How Austen and Greene Introduce Characters"because the writer analyzes and developes her points thoroughly. Also she clearly states her main point and provides us with a coherent thesis.