In-Class Essay Prompt
In an essay of around two pages, respond to the following prompt:
For much of our lives, songs are nothing but background noise; however, at specific points in our lives a song can become more than just a song. Explain.
Note: You may use no examples from your own life. Examples may come from your readings or from what you remember of your fellow students’ presentations. In other words, avoid the first-person pronoun.
You have 90 minutes to complete this assignment.
In grading the students’ essays, I evaluate the following categories:
Frame: Title, Lead, Closing
Introduction
Thesis
Body Paragraphs: Topic Sentences, Paragraph Coherence, Essay Coherence, Descriptions, Use of Rhetorical Modes, Quality of Examples, Level of Specificity, Arrangement of Body Paragraphs, Transitions
Conclusion
Vocabulary Variety
Syntax Variety
Grammar / Mechanics
English 100 A Paper
Songs Becoming Reality
Through out our lives we are continually exposed to music, day in and day out. These songs can, at a point in our lives, become more than just background noise; the songs can become an explanation of our reality. When listening to a song’s lyrics, one can become drawn into the song, feeling what the artist is feeling. The lyrics can also relate to an experience in one’s life, triggering happy moments that make you laugh, or triggering sad moments that make you cry. Sometimes it isn’t even the lyrics that trigger memories, it’s the images and feelings surrounding a particular time the song was played that bring out these emotions within us. No matter the emotions that are attached to songs, we feel something each time we hear them. These emotions aren’t the same for each person, however. The emotions attached to songs are strictly personal; they are the emotions that live deep down inside each one of us, itching to get out.
Some songs bring us into the event that is being portrayed by the artist through the music. This event may relate to a similar event in the listeners life, making them feel like the singer is singing to them personally. In the essay “One Tree Hill” by Julie Vicks, Julie tells the reader of how U2’s song “One Tree Hill” related to a time in her life while she was living in cold Spain. The opening line to the song states, “We turn away to face the cold, enduring the chill.” This line fit what Julie was feeling at the time. She was sitting in the cold in Spain, and some how, U2 was singing to her, telling her just to “endure the chill,” and giving Julie the feeling of warmth she was looking for. Although this is how Julie felt when listening to “One Tree Hill,” another person could get something completely different from the song, but also feel very emotionally attached to the song. The song could bring this person to another time in there life, or it could just lift their spirits when they are feeling alone and cold.
A song can also remind us of a good time shared while the song was playing in the background. For Greg Bellerose, “Death or Glory” was this kind of anthem for him. In an essay about “Death or Glory” by The Clash, Greg tells the readers of how he and his friend ditched class to drink beer and listen to stolen music. Greg’s friend had stolen The Clash tape from his older brother, and they sat in the car, being rebels, listening to a song about being a rebel. This kind of irony helps Greg remember the emotions that came to him through this song. In contrast, a song can also remind you of a sad time shared while the song was playing in the background. Vanessa, a classmate, has this kind of emotion attached to the song “Te Vas Angel Mio,” translated into English meaning “My Angel Left.” While Vanessa’s grandfather’s casket was being lowered at his funeral, this song was playing in the background. Although the song does bring sad memories of that very moment to Vanessa’s head, it also brings happy memories spent with her grandfather. So, for Vanessa, the song has multiple emotions attached, both those of happiness and laughter, and those of sadness and tears. Even if the lyrics to a song don’t really hit you close to home, hearing the song can bring you back to an event experienced while listening to the song.
For many, music isn’t just background noise, it is the emotions and memories that are attached to the song, whether it be to the song’s lyrics or the events surrounding it. Everyone has one song that makes them feel happy, one song that makes them feel sad; everyone has one song that touches them in a way that they can not truly describe. It is when we find this feeling of comfort in a song that we have undoubtedly made the jump from a pure music listener to a all out music consumer.
Grade of A:
This essay received an A because it addresses the assignment and the audience needs thoughtfully and is well developed, with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. In addition to clear essay development, the author has a strong grasp of syntax variety and complexity. Furthermore, the examples are specific and detailed. While the essay has a few errors of spelling and comma splices, this was an in-class essay, and the errors do not distract from the essay’s readability. All in all, this is a solid essay.
English 100 B Paper
No Longer Background Noise
There are many different kinds of music; rap, country, blues. On a daily basis people listen to music, whether they are in their car, putting on make-up or simply doing their homework. For some people music is just background noise, something to listen to. But one day something changes, music is no longer just background noise. There are many different reasons a song can be special to somebody.
When a loved one passes away is a traumatic experience that no one wishes to go through but the cycle of life happens whether we like it or not. Marissa, a friend, lost her best friend, Brandon, in a horrible car accident. His funeral was open casket so everybody could see the damage a drunk driver did to Brandon’s body. The song that was played at his funeral was “Tears in Heaven” by Eric Clapton, every time Marissa hears this song she begins to cry. Marissa wishes that she could go back to the day of Brandon’s accident and reverse the outcome. Brandon was doing nothing wrong when this drunk driver hit him head-on. Whenever Marissa hears Eric Clapton’s song “Tears in Heaven” she remembers the hole that was left in her heart when that drunk driver took her best friend’s life, and how she wishes that that drunk man would have died instead of her innocent 17 year-old best friend.
Eric, a family friend, was getting prepared to walk down the isle with the love of his life Michelle. Just as Eric was getting ready to walk out to begin the wedding ceremony, Michelle stopped him and told him she needed to tell him something. Michelle began by telling Eric that she loved him and she would never do anything to hurt him. She then proceeds to tell him that she has been cheating on him with his boss. As anyone else Eric’s position he did not know what to say or think, all he could think about was the two hundred people waiting for the couple to get married. Eric sat and thought about it for a couple of minutes and told Michelle that he does not think it would be a good idea to go through with the wedding. Eamon’s song “I Don’t Want You Back” reminds Eric of his situation with Michelle. To this day Eric still thinks about Michelle, how he gave her the whole world and Michelle just tore his down.
Emily, a classmate from high school, once tried to kill herself. She decided that she no longer wished to live, that nobody cared about her and no one would even notice if she never came to school again. Emily said that her mother and father abused her on a daily basis, whether it be physical abuse or metal abuse. Emily had had enough of her parents and her “awful” life and she decided that she would end it. Even though Emily had a bad life at home no one could of ever guessed that she was this badly depressed. A group of girls finally realized what was going to happen if Emily did not get some help, they took her in and made her their friend. One weekend the group of girls decided to go on a road trip and show Emily was life was really about, how much fun she could have. When they got back to school on Monday, Emily looked so happy, she was glowing. She told those girls how she would never forget their generosity and told that Green Day’s “Time of Your Life”, would represent that weekend in her life forever. She told them that that weekend was a turning point, she now wished to live.
All it takes is one experience to change music from background music to a song that will have meaning to you for the rest of your life. For some a song can remind them about a traumatic experience that hurts to think about and when you hear that particular song all you feel is pain. On the other hand maybe just a song pulled someone out of a situation that he or she would have regretted, all they had to do was sit down and listen and that song gave them that answer. Songs are not just music, they all have meaning we just have to sit down and think about what they mean to us.
Grade of B:
This essay received a B because it meets the needs of the assignment and the audience and is well developed and organized, with excellent body paragraphs; the author’s examples are specific and detailed, and the writer has a firm grasp on how to use the various rhetorical modes. What keeps this essay from being an A, however, are the comma splices and the weakness with transitions. Each paragraph begins a new example, but there is little to bridge the gaps between these examples. An A paper would include transitional words or expressions to connect the different narrative examples. All in all, this is a strong essay that is close to being a solid A.
English 100 C Paper
“For Better or For Worse”
"When people hear good music, it makes them homesick for something they never had and never will have." (Edgar Watson Howe) People listen to music all of the time. Individuals listen to music in their car, at home, in the store, and sometimes at work. Songs are very important to the modern society we live in today. Most people listen to songs to be entertained, but their is usually a deeper meaning because it affected them.
Songs can affect a person on many levels. Some songs can make people go through many different emotions: happiness, sadness, excitement, anger, etc. Since we are always listening to music, when something happens you can remember the song you were listing to when you experienced that emotion. If you broke up with your girlfriend and heard her favorite song you would think about the bad times. Music affects your mood, senses, and skills. If you are traveling on a trip and you enjoy the music, the drive is very enjoyable. That is the reason music is played in many stores today; they want to put the customers in a better mood so they want to shop more.
Vanessa Garcia will never forget the song “Te Vas Angel Mio.” The song is Spanish and means “My Angel Love”. That song was played at her grandfathers funeral. She was raised by her grandfather because her parents had some problems. Because this song has meaning to her, she remembers her grandfather and the good times they had when she hears the song. She said she can remember seeing his casket going down into the grave as if she was still their on that day. She will remember this song for the rest of her life; it will help her remember her grandfather and the times the spent together.
Some people can have music change their life. My friend, Jeff, used to listen to metal music, ride dirt bikes, go to concerts, and hung out with his friends. He used to enjoy life and have a lot of fun all of the time. When he turned 16, he sold his dirt bike and used his savings to buy a truck. He saw a truck that he really wanted to get; he liked the truck because it was lowered, had a big stereo system, and had big rims. We used to ride together and he told me his dad will get him a new bike later. My friend Jeff is 18 years old, unemployed, and he doesn’t attend school. He doesn’t have a dirt bike or any real hobbies; he was jumping 100 foot doubles and doing big grabs over ramps. Now he just hangs out with a different group of friends, drinks a lot, does drugs, cannot keep a job, gets in trouble, and listens to rap music. He isn’t happy anymore because music affected his life style, hobbies, and happiness.
Music can change peoples lives. It can help them deal with some problems or it can start problems. Music helps people get through problems because they feel like they are not alone. “"When I hear music, I fear no danger. I am invulnerable. I see no foe. I am related to the earliest times, and to the latest." (Henry David Thoreau)
Grade of C:
This is a C paper because it adequately meets the needs of the assignment and the audience. It is well developed with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. However, the examples are not as detailed and specific as they need to be, and the essay lacks vocabulary specificity. This shows itself in the vague use of “very” and in unnecessary repetitions, such as “remember” in the third paragraph. A B paper would use a better variety of word choice as well. Furthermore, the fourth paragraph has a lapse of logic, which weakens the essay’s thesis. While the structure of the essay is fairly solid, the student needs to work on vocabulary, syntax variety, and levels of specificity to bring this paper to the B level.
English 100 D Paper
Is It Really?
Music can make or break the way a person is thinking or feeling at a certain time. You put on a song after a long day at work something soothing to the ear, restless to the feet and wonder less to the world you feel at peace with yourself. Music is important to people because music sometimes help you express who you are as a person, give you a better understanding of life and also give you a better understanding other individuals.