Oct 22 2008
Contrast assignment
UPDATE: AUTOMATIC 5 POINTS OFF for anything that doesn’t use good paragraph breaks.
This assignment will be worth 20 - 30 points instead of the usual 10 - 15 as the other writing skills. You’ll also get an extra couple days to work on it. It’s due next Wednesday, October 29.
500 words this time, and employ the following skills:
1. Use paragraphs to emphasize main points.
2. Use sentence variety to create both tension and relaxation.
3. Use word sounds to create both tension and relaxation.
4. Feel free to break any rules to enhance these effects, though this is not required.
In other words, your job is to tell a story or describe an event (or just a concept, if you think you can pull it off) that makes readers feel tense in some parts and relaxed in others.
20 points: clear grasp of contrast skills, which are used throughout the assignment. Some change of tone is created by the use of these skills. Nowhere does contrast work against the story.
25 points: in between 20 and 30 (I know, I know, to all you math majors, that’s obvious).
30 points: excellent display of contrast skills. Strong contrasting tones are created.