English 7111 Essay Topics (completed)
Yes, do select your favorite three, but also note any problems (including grammatical [!]) that you find with the topics.
By the way, courtesy of Valerie Cato, we now have a link to APPROVED REGENTS' TEST ESSAY TOPICS. It might be fun to compare (contrast) yours with those. Go here if want to read Valerie's judicious selection of funny Regents' topics; some are real howlers . . .1. Think of a memorable teacher from your educational experience. Describe the qualities which made them memorable.
2. In recent years, parents have become problems at their childrens sporting events. Should parents be allowed to attend these events? At what point does a parent become a nuisance to others at the event, and what should be done about these parents? Should anything be done at all?
3. Compare these two concepts as you perceive them: The committing of treason to the right to exercise freedom of speech.
4. Describe your favorite childhood place.
5. Write a narrative detailing a time in which you lost control of your emotions.
6. How has college been the same as and/or different from what you expected?
7. If you could enter a time machine and travel into the past, which era would you choose to visit and why?
8. If you suddenly inherited a multi-million dollar fortune, how do you think it would change your life?
9. Discuss how times have changed since your grandparent's generation. Include in your analysis which changes you feel have been positive and which have been negative.
10. "Gender differences are ideas that have simply been imposed upon us by society. Consequently, there is really no such thing as inherent maleness or femaleness." Argue for or against this concept.
11. Parents of any generation are prone to believe that the music, dress, and culture of their children's generation or simply of the subsequent generation is second-rate or inferior, lacking substance, morality, and intelligence. Is this true of your generation? Does it lack the substance of previous generations, does it maintain values, or is it in some ways superior to those generations twenty to forty years before your own? Explain the values and culture of your generation and how those qualities compare or contrast to those of previous generations.
12. Does technology, especially within the last fifty years, improve our lives by decreasing the time we spend on mundane activities or does it increase the expected work, thereby, increasing the demands made on our productivity and causing increased stress and less time to do what we really enjoy or consider important? Explain how technology has affected the quality of our living in the modern world and what considerations should be taken in future technological advances.
13. You have the financial means to initiate a third political party. What issues would you embrace to win votes? What issues would you embrace because they are imperative to your philosophy and to your ethics? What political positions might you be willing to compromise to win votes and what positions are so important to you that you would cling to them even if they became unpopular? Explain your party's platform.
14. Assignment: Choose one of the following song lyrics and explain why it applies to you.
a. "We are the people our parents warned us about." Jimmy Buffett b. "You may be right, I may be crazy, but it just may be a lunatic you're looking for." Billy Joel c. "Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you when you think everything's okay and everything's going right." Alanis Morissette15. Assignment: Choose a color-- any color-- and describe it in 300 words or less. The trick is, you are NOT allowed to use the name or any variation of the name of the color in your paper. Your fellow students will try to guess your color from its description. Be creative and have fun.
16. Assignment: Suppose there is a patron looking for a young person to sponsor. Said patron wants to give the young person an education, an inheritance in the millions of dollars (someday) and a living of $300,000 annually for the next 3 years, with 10% increases bi-annually after that. You are a candidate for such benefaction. Convince me, the screener, why you should be chosen. Use less than 3 pages to convince me-- I am quite busy.
17. Should colleges require students to take a test demonstrating competency in reading and writing before issuing a diploma?
18. Should drivers and their passengers be required to wear seatbelts?
19.Is there ever any justification in cheating?
20.Reflections of me: Who am I in my own eyes and the eyes of others?
21. Why is furthering my education important to me or to others?
22. Where do I see myself in 1 year, 5 years, 10 years?
23.Watch a short movie or TV program and write a descriptive narrative WITHOUT using dialogue. The flip side of this assignment would be to read a story and write it as a play/movie including dialogue and stage directions. Perhaps half the class could do the assignment one way, and the other half the other way, and then compare versions?
24. Examine a classic painting and write an essay describing it to someone who has never seen it.
25. The debate has raged in recent years over the validity of assigning grades to assess students' competencies. Should grades determine a student's achievements and/or ability to move forward in school? If you argue for the assignment of grades, how should they be determined (i.e. tests, homework, portfolio of assignments, teachers' subjective opinions etc.)?
26. President Bush’s stance on Afghanistan is almost universally praised and supported by politicians in the House and the Senate. His policies on the environment and tax cuts, however, are not universally praised. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, for instance, has been roundly criticized for not complying with Bush’s domestic policies, and has even been branded a traitor by some. Is it possible, or ethical, to support one element of the President’s policy while criticizing other elements?
Feel free to expand this question outside of the above example. Use the readings from Michael Moore, and the conservatives we have read to back up your argument—either way you choose. This is not a question about whether or not you like President Bush. Examine the ethics and reasoning involved. Yo ur paper should be 3-5 pages long, and you should use at least 3 outside sources.27. Veteran Hollywood producer Robert Evans said, “There are 3 sides to every story: your version, my version, and the facts". All three are true. Take this statement, as well as the Mark Twain essay “Concerning Tobacco” and Kurosawa’s film Rashomon, in answering the question.
28. Can we rely on our senses and trust in we perceive? Does an unbiased perspective exist? I know these are huge philosophical inquiries, and I’m not expecting you will solve the problem. Explore the issue, and come up with some ideas. Make a strong case for whatever you come up with. There are numerous other examples of films and literature dealing with this issue, which I will be glad to share with you. Your paper should be about 5-7 p ages, and you should use 3-5 outside sources.
29. . Here’s the fun and creative one. Using any sources you like—that support your argument—answer the following question. What makes someone cool? You can talk about the qualities of coolnes s in personality, personal appearance, taste in culture or clothes, or anything that you think makes someone the cat’s pajamas. Here’s a few places to start, just in case you’re not sure how to begin: Captain America in Easy Rider, James Dean in Rebel Without A Cause, Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady. Remember, our ideas of cool are probably different. Co me up with your own icon of cool. This paper should be 3-5 pages, and you can use as many sources as you like, but I expect to see at least 3 written sources, as well as any examples of cool you come up with. Use yourself if you like!
30. Out of all the books you've read, which one do you wish you had written and why?
31. If you had a chance to spend one afternoon with a famous dead person, who would it be and why?
32. Is there a word that really grosses you out? What is it and why does it bother you? If you can't think of a word that you find repulsive, think of one that you really like and tell what it is and why you find it attractive.
33.. As a parent, would you encourage your child to join a fraternity or sorority while in college? Why or why not?
34. If you could have any superpower (those commonly associated with superheroes, including those depicted in comic books, cartoons and books) which would you pick? Discuss the pro's and con's of having this power.
35. As a college student, would you prefer your school to run on the quarter or semester system? Why?
36. Vividly describe eating your favorite fruit without naming it. The essays will be read out loud so that the class can attempt to guess the fruit described.
37. Would you accept 20 years of happiness if it meant that you would die in the end?
38. Imagine that you are an archaeologist 5000 years from now and have discovered one of the buildings on campus. You find it in the same state that it is today. What would you believe about today's society based upon what you find?
39. Using sense memories, describe the most traumatic event in you childhood or adolescence and how it has shaped your views about life today.
40. If you had to live without one of the five senses, which one would you choose to lose and why?
41. Pick your medium: television, film, or on the stage (live theatre). Then, pick the actor or actress that you would like to have portray you in your own life story and why. Also, discuss with friends and family who they think should play you and compare.
42. Here's a fun one that I happened to find as an essay prompt for a college application: The Metric System, the Mall of America, the crash of the Hindenberg, wax fruit, and lint. Mentioning all of the above, please decribe the validity of Elvis sightings.
Note: the following contributions are organized by rhetorical mode; let's also talk about that issue next class: how important is it for the freshman writer to master (or at least become familiar with) traditional rhetorical strategies of organization?Narrative
Write about a situation that taught you a lesson about life and discuss the lesson it taught you.
What is your most memorable vacation or holiday?
Write about an incident that revealed to you the true nature or character of a family member, co-worker, or friend.
Has there been a time in your life when you should have complained about a situation but didn’t? Discuss.
Failure can be the better teacher than success. Write about a situation where failure taught you a valuable lesson. Discuss the lesson it taught you.
Description
Describe your favorite place to hang out with your friends.
Describe one of the following scenes: an emergency room, a supermarket, a bookstore,
a sporting event, a park, or a concert.
Describe someone whom you consider an effective manager or teacher.
Describe someone whom you consider a positive role model.
Describe someone whom you consider a hero.
Describe someone whom you consider well organized.
Describe a job you would like to hold for one year.
Example
In an essay, discuss the types of flexible work schedules available to employees.
In an essay, discuss the different types of employee incentives a manager could use to improve morale at the workplace.
What is the best advice you have ever received? Explain how it has benefited you.
What skills do you need to run a successful business? Explain.
Process
Write an essay that suggests the steps someone can take to overcome a bad habit such as smoking, over eating, eating too many sweets, or tardiness.
Choose your favorite hobby or sport, and write a process paper on how to excel at one of its aspects (for example, catching in baseball).
Write an essay on how to prepare for a job interview.
Write an essay on how to prepare a resume.
Write an essay on how your state senators are elected.
What is a life goal you have achieved? How did you achieve it?
Cause & Effect
What caused____________ to be named ____________________.
(For example: Augusta, Georgia to be named the Garden City, Mount Rushmore to be named Mount Rushmore, etc…)
Discuss the major events that led to one of the following: the siege of the Branch Davidian Compound, the arrest of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, the elimination of Napster, the collapse of Enron, etc…
If you were an employer, under what circumstances would you fire an employee? Explain.
If your doctor told you that you had only a few months to live, how would you alter your life?
Which of the college courses that you have had do you consider to be the most beneficial? Why?
Would you rather spend a weekend with your friends or your family? Explain.
Definition
In an essay, define what school vouchers are and how they work.
In an essay, define what magnet schools are and how they work.
In an essay, what constitutes a “gifted” child according to the public school system in your state.
In an essay, define stem cells and the purpose of stem cell research.Persuasive Essay Topics
Should school vouchers be used to reform public schools?
Should public schools be more like magnet schools?
Is the definition used by the public school system to classify “gifted” students too broad or too narrow?
Should school age children be required to wear a school uniform?
Should we support stem cell research?
Should sex education be taught in public schools? Why or why not?
Should a high school graduate work full-time for a year before entering college?
Why or why not?
Should prison inmates be allowed to take college courses? Explain why or why not.
What single experience do you believe every human being should have, one without which human life, in your opinion would not be complete? Explain why.
Is it an advantage or a disadvantage to have a job while attending college? Discuss.
Should employers have the right to require their employees to take a drug test? Discuss why or why not.
Are the changes in airport security since the recent terrorist attacks enough? Why or why not?
Should high schools provide day-care services for teen-age parents? Why or why not?
Here are my favorite funny Regents' Essay topics:
"Many American homes and offices have become a jungle of houseplants.Why do you think that so many people surround themselves with growing things?"
"What is your most prized possession? Why? (Do NOT write about a person.)"
"Discuss what people reveal about themselves by the way they drive."
"Would you want to survive a nuclear war? Discuss."
"What is your favorite piece of furniture? Explain."
"Explain why you do or do not like having picnics."
"Do you like being in the presence of small children? Discuss why or why not."
"Propose a model sex education program."
"Should couples in the United States be discouraged from having more than two children? Discuss."