Grammar for Writing: Level Gold — Chapter 2

You Think? René Descartes Throughout the ages, there have been people who have spent their time thinking. They have pondered the nature of the universe, of time and space, of who we are, of why, and even if, we exist. We call these people "philosophers," from the Greek philos (loving) and sophos (wise). Investigate the life and contributions of one philosopher. Then write an essay explaining one theory of that philosopher. Discuss the era and the society in which the philosopher lived, and how these factors may have shaped his or her conclusions. The philosopher you will choose made a lasting contribution to society; be sure to include this contribution in your essay. STEP 1: Initial Search Begin your research with visits to the following Web sites: Philosophers: An Index This site contains an alphabetical index and a list of general sites on many philosophers. Explore the general sites, and then get more specific with the alphabetical list. Yahoo! Philosophers Search: Find a philosopher in the alphabetical list of philosophers Record general information about three or more philosophers and their theories. Take notes on time periods and fields of interest. Gather facts about philosophy from the sites to add background and perspective to the biography. Use cluster diagrams to organize the details you have discovered. Focus your search on one specific philosopher and his or her theories. (See Grammar for Writing, Level Gold, pages 10-11.) STEP 2: Focus Your Search Search the Internet for more information on your philosopher. Visit the following Web site to see whether it has a biography on the philosopher you chose: Biography.com Explore other resources, such as history and philosophy books, an encyclopedia, and newspaper and magazine articles. STEP 3: Define Your Audience Make your essay interesting to a general audience. Your audience may have heard about the philosopher you chose but may not know much about his or her ideas and theories. Describe the theories you have chosen clearly, as if you were teaching them to another person. STEP 4: Develop an Outline Using the facts and information you have found, make an outline for your essay. Include (1) facts about the individual and his or her life, (2) philosophical theories for which the philosopher is known, and (3) the particular contribution that this philosopher made to civilization. Be sure to explain why people are still interested in this person's ideas. When the topic is difficult and the research is complex, the writing needs to be as clear as possible. (See Grammar for Writing, Level Gold, Lessons 2.4 and 2.5, pages 30-35, about writing longer pieces and essays.) As a writer, how do you make material such as this come alive for readers? The answer is to find historical descriptions you can use to paint a vivid picture. Although the philosopher you choose may have lived long ago, he or she probably had many things in common with us today simply because he or she was human. For example, what sort of house did the person live in? What kinds of food were eaten? What kind of clothing was worn? What was family life like? This information is readily available. If you have chosen Aristotle, for example, research the daily life of the ancient Greeks on the Web, or through histories and biographies in the library. To start, visit the following Web site for links to life in ancient Greece: Yahoo! Search: Daily Life in Ancient Greece. Use a similar search to find information on life in other cultures and eras. STEP 5: Organize Your Ideas and Write a Rough Draft Review your outline. Consider three different ways to open your essay, and choose the one that will best draw the reader's interest. Using your outline, write your rough draft. Include personal incidents, quotes by and about the philosopher, and historical background about where and when the philospher lived and worked. Bust of Aristotle STEP 6: Revise, Edit and Proofread Your Writing Reread your essay. Make sure that each paragraph has a topic sentence and that all the sentences in the paragraph support that topic. Add details and anecdotes that will make your philosopher come alive for readers. Be sure that you have explained his or her theories clearly and simply. Edit your writing for grammatical errors; then proofread your work carefully for spelling, punctuation, and capitalization errors. STEP 7: Publish Your Work Present your essay to the class. Your school librarian may wish to create a display in the library about these great thinkers. Copyright ©2007 by William H. Sadlier, Inc. All rights reserved.