Communications 101 (Dow)

Essay # 1 – Description

Part One – Critical Thinking

For this essay, you need to describe one of the following paintings which you can access via the web address listed in parentheses following the painting’s title: Mary Cassatt’s "The Bath" (http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/amer/62pc_cassatt.html), Robert Lyn Nelson’s "Baby Harp Seal" (http://www.onlineartmall.com/htms/rln0010110000.htm), or Pablo Picasso’s "The Old Guitarist" (http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/modern/66pc_picasso.html).

Don’t worry if you are not an art expert; one of these paintings will evoke a reaction from you. Write about the painting that you respond to, focus on your own response to it, and then support your response by asking yourself what it is about this piece that causes you to respond in the way that you do.

In other words, your dominant impression thesis should be a third-person statement of the effect that something about the painting has on you, and your support will then come from your analysis of the ways that certain elements in the painting create that impression.

Drawing on our class discussion of descriptive writing, remember that your objectives are to focus your description around a dominant impression of the painting and then to support that impression using specific evidence (details and examples) from the painting itself.

Also, drawing on our discussion of the essay in general, remember that your essay should begin with an engaging introduction that ends with a clear thesis (the dominant impression), continue with well organized and fully developed supporting paragraphs, and end with a strong conclusion that goes beyond merely summarizing the main points of the essay. Rather, the conclusion should bring the essay to a close by suggesting the significance of the point that you have made.

Part Two – Writing

Write a 2-page (typed, double-spaced) or 400-500 word (if handwritten) essay in which you describe the dominant impression created by one of the three paintings listed above.

Part Three – Suggestions

While your essay will be based on your own opinions and reactions, write the entire essay using a consistent third person voice. The only exception could be an introductory or concluding narrative in the first person. Avoid the second person at all costs.

Remember that organization is key to the effectiveness of a descriptive essay. Therefore, it is essential that you focus your description, employ an appropriate organizing principle, and use meaningful transitions throughout your essay.

Part Four – Schedule

Please consult the course calendar at the end of the course syllabus for the due dates for the preliminary thesis and final edited version of Essay # 1.