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Show and explain how Garrett-Brown and Holmquist are discovery essays rather than traditional research papers.

• What is the overall controlling idea of each, and how does each author show and support it?

• The two authors include their own voices but still employ research: how do they do that successfully (or not)?

• How do these essays—and Ballenger’s suggestions for research papers (p. 429-33)—help you think about how you might approach Essay 2?

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In the two essays “Why Do People Tan” and “An Experience in Acronyms” both essayists use features of the discovery or Research essay as told by Ballenger. In “Why Do People Tan”, essayist Amy Garrett-Brown is driven to write by a particular question, “Why Do People Tan” (title, Garrett-Brown 459), “not an answer” (Ballenger 432). Also, her “Source Material is used in the service of what writers are trying to say” (Ballenger 433). Rather than just piling tons of facts into her essay, Garrett-Brown uses them to answer her discovery question. She answers it by stating (from Seventeen Magazine) that “2/3 of the teens say they look better with a tan…” (Garrett-Brown 460) then she goes on to form an opinion bases on that statistic. One other form Garrett-Brown uses is that she gives all credit to all sources used. In order to answer her question about tanning, Garrett-Brown uses sources from Nutrition Health Review: The Consumer’s Medical Journal, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, St. Louis Dispatch and Cool Nurse (Garrett-Brown 461). In “An Experience in Acronyms”, Holmquist also uses many features of the form in his discovery essay. Holmquist is also driven by a question rather than an answer. After an witnessing a drug overdose, Holmquist wants to know “…[is what] so many people say is harmless, really that bad for you?” (Holmquist B24). That question is why Holmquist wanted to write the essay; he wanted to discover. Holmquist also does a good job in embedding his “source material…in the service of what [he] the writers [is] are trying to say” (Ballenger 433). Though he uses a lot of statistics and facts, Holmquist is able to “actively use the information” (Ballenger 433) to then base his opinions on drug use. Finally, Holmquist also clearly states his thesis. Though it comes towards the middle of his essay his thesis, [are they] really that bad for you?” (Holmquist B24), can be clearly understood and the reader will understand what Holmquist wants to discover.

In “Why Do People Tan”, Garrett-Brown’s controlling idea is “What is right may not always be popular, what is popular may not always be right.” Garrett-Brown realizes the popularity of wanting to be tan however, she sees that this popularity has wrongly degraded the meaning of being tan from being an active person to meaning “you spent $45 a month building a tan base” (Garrett-Brown 460). Also, while she would “feel better about putting on a bathing suit if [she] I’m [is] not so starkly white…” (Garrett-Brown 460) she also see the future health concerns of possible “battle[s] at worst and saggy skin…” (Garret-Brown 460). “An Experience in Acronyms” has a controlling idea of “The Truth Hurts”. Holmquist is not afraid to admit that he “like[s] [his] my drugs” (Holmquist B29). However he cannot stand to take drugs anymore because of the harsh truth that “They [Drugs] will kill you.”

Essayist Garrett-Brown does little to emphasize voice in her essay. Though there are lines when her voice appears such as “Hmmm…am I a hypocrite?” (Garrett-Brown 459) and “Bastardized tan” (Garrett-Brown 460) her essay tends to just ‘move along’ with her sources. Though there is less voice, the essay is easy to read and the reader (at least from my perspective) is not begging for her to “Get on with it”. Holmquist however, it able to provide a much better example of his voice. “Cuddle Puddles and Ecstasy tar pools” (Holmquist B26) and other terminology from his first hand experiences adds voice to the sources and his essay all together. Though his voice does add character and meaning to his essay, from a readers perspective (my perspective) there is a point at which his voicing becomes too much, and he should just get on with the essay. This is evident while he discuses “flashbacks” (Holmquist B27). Combined with the sources, his voicing becomes too much.

After reading the two discovery essays and Ballenger’s suggestions on writing a discovery essay I believe I will approach essay two with an open mind. I usually do not enjoy writing research papers because I only end up writing about and expanding statistics or facts. However, with a research essay, I believe that I will be allowed to write with my personal opinion and narrative as the main subject with statistics as a backdrop to support my ideas. Knowing that I can write on almost any topic and with a new education on research essays, I am definitely looking forward to writing essay two.

And so it begins...Blog #1

"In what ways do Hogg and Black demonstrate the features of the form Ballenger talks about on p. 94? Be sure to give specific examples. In what ways do they differ from his description? Finally: what do you think is the controlling idea (the “so what”) of Hogg’s and Black’s essays?”

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In "I'm a Believer" and “The Joy of Mud” both authors utilize what Ballenger calls “features of the form” (Ballenger 94). These features highlight and help categorize the two stories and personal essays. Both essays are written in the form of first person. Because both essays are written in first person, it allows for the reader to feel a greater emotional connection to authors rather than if the essays had been written about someone (third person). Ballenger states that is the “tension between the subject and the writer as the writer reaches for new understandings” (Ballenger 94) is what makes personal essays in first person work. Also, both essays rely on the authors’ memories of their past experiences to bring their personal essays to life. Hogg in “I’m a Believer” states that she is recalling memories “[From] in 1977, at the age of six”(Hogg B1) while Black in “The joy of Mud” state that it was an “endless summer [she] I remember[ed] so well.” (Black B11) Both authors’ are clearly going back to their past and recalling fond memories to explain their experiences. One finale Similarity both essays have with Ballenger’s forms is that both are written as Narratives. Both authors’ clearly tell not only the physical story but also a story of the authors’ feelings and thoughts. In “I’m a Believer”, we are not only told of the story of how much Charlotte loves Davy Jones of the Monkees but, we are also told of how much Charlotte’s thoughts, emotions and realizations towards Davy Jones matures over her lifetime. In “The Joy of Mud”, Catherine Black tells her physical story of working in “Knee deep" mud (Black B12) in a forest in Hawai’i all the while telling an emotional story of how she longs to “belong” somewhere.

While these personal essays following most of Ballenger’s feature of the form, they also contain writing styles that go against the form for writing personal essays. Ballenger notes that “the subject of the essay is often a common place.” (Ballenger 94) Though the subjects the authors write about may be a common place to them, they are obviously not common places to most readers. Hogg finds herself embracing Davy [David] Jones in almost every form and fashion. While Black tells of the time she found herself in knee high mud searching for harvestable taro. Both of these situations cannot be deemed “common Subjects” (Ballenger 94) to the readers.

Finally, I believe the controlling idea in Charlotte Hogg’s essay is that no matter how much you read or follow a person, you will never get to know the true person until you actually “meet” them. Basically, 'don’t judge a book by its cover'. In the end, Charlotte finally realized that the Davy Jones she had read and worshiped for years may or may not have been like real David Jones person, not the singer/actor. In “The Joy of Mud” the controlling idea is that 'Home is where the heart is.' Though she was not born nor raised in Hawai’i, Catherine Black finds herself realizing, while searching through mud that Hawai’i was her true home and where she belonged.