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On Writing an “On” Essay

UPDATE 12/19:




What makes an effective “On” Essay?



  • “On Keeping a Notebook” (Didion)
  • On Compassion” (Asher)
  • “On Running After One’s Hat” (Chesterton)
  • Individual stories/chapters from TTTC


Writing Your Own “On” Essay



The requirements
  • 750-1200 words
  • Clear organization
  • Sentence variety
  • Strong diction (verbs especially)
  • Awareness of audience





  • Monday, 12/21: First draft of On Essay

Place Paragraph


When choosing a subject (your place)…




What is your attitude toward your place, your message?

When writing…

Review what we discussed about the paragraph.

Think of your paragraph as a “compact essay.”



Rough draft due Thursday, 10/15.

Personal Essay: “Words of the Wiser”

In literature, the “Words of the Wiser” signpost reveals a “scene in which a wiser and often older character offers a life lesson of some sort to the protagonist” (Beers and Probst 72).  In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim reminds Gilgamesh that in life, there is no permanence—that when the gods created man, they kept eternal life for themselves. Instead, Gilgamesh must learn to make his life meaningful not in quantity but in quality, thus eventually becoming a good—and wise—king.


For your first personal “signpost” essay, consider the role of “wise words” in your own life. Choose one of the following prompts to guide you:

  1. Write about the best advice you have ever received: Who did it come from? Why was it given? How was it useful? What did you learn?
  2. Describe an important role model in your life—a “wise person”—from whom you’ve learned something significant.
  3. Find “wise words” from something you have read or seen (book or film) and explain how these words hold true in your own life.


Clearly identify the lesson (the “words of wisdom”) or what makes the person wise. Be sure that the lesson or words of wisdom are specific. For example, let’s say you are writing about your grandfather’s advice to “be a good person.” What does it mean to be a “good person”? Define “good.”

Speaking of being specific… make sure that you SHOW and not just tell. In other words, you may tell the reader the advice you received (“Always be honest”) but you should give examples that show what this lesson looks like in your life (a story about how you were caught cheating on a test by your 5th grade teacher) or other examples in society (a story from the news or about a public figure, i.e. how Lance Armstrong was caught cheating or “Deflate-gate” and the New England Patriots).

Review the writing you have done in your notebook—many of our quickwrites in class represent your initial thinking about any one of the topics above.  For example, in our notebooks we wrote a list of advice we’ve been given and how that advice has affected us. We also listed people—real, historical, or fictional—whom we considered “wise and knowledgeable” and wrote about what made the “wise figures.” We also responded to some of the advice given in the article, “Life Advice from my 99-year-old Grandpa” as well as the Epic Reads video “Words of Wisdom from YA Books.” We thought about what we learned at different points in our lives and from whom. Any one of these quickwrites could form the basis of your first draft.

Use the mentor texts as your guide. Review the essays distributed in class (there are seven total).

  • What did these writers do well? What strategies do they use to express their ideas? What examples do they include and how? What specific details do they include and what do these details show?
  • Note the way the mentor texts essays are organized. How do they start? How do they end? What’s in the middle?
  • What types of sentences do the writers use? How are the paragraphs structured and organized?
  • Take one or more things that the writers did well and make it your own.
  • Remember that unlike more structured literary analysis essays, there is no one right way to write a personal essay. The “right” way is the way that best expresses your ideas and presents those ideas in a meaningful, logical way.

We will have some time in class to write and revise. Your first draft is due Wednesday, October 14. Typed and double-spaced. Be prepared to share.

Object One-Pager Pointers


  • What is the impression you want to give your reader?






An Essay of Introduction

Welcome, AP Lang’ers! The success of our year together will depend partly on how well we get to know each other. So for your first assignment, you’ll write a brief essay that introduces yourself to me and to your classmates, which you will read aloud during class.

Some guidelines:

  • Make it memorable: include a detail, a story, an experience, etc. that SHOWS who you are. With that said, what your essay should not do is read like a list or resume.
  • Write small. What does this mean? Don’t try to tell us your entire life story. Instead, focus on a specific part of your life—one that is meaningful and telling—and explore just that. After we hear your essay, we should get a sense of what’s important to you.
  • Let your personality shine. Write in a voice that sounds like you. This is an informal, personal essay. Use humor or sarcasm if that’s who you are. Don’t be afraid to be creative! In the past, I had a student who even played the ukele and sang a song for us. 🙂

And the specifics:

  • Your essay should be approximately 400-600 words.
  • Bring two copies to class: one to read, and one for me.
  • Double (or 1.5) spaced, MLA heading, double-sided preferred.
  • DUE TUESDAY, 9/8.

Be sure to practice reading your essay aloud several times before class. Doing this will also help you in the revision process as you “hear” what you’re saying and how you sound.

I’m looking forward to getting to know you and hearing your essays!