Socratic Essays

Introduction

We have got the socratic technique down. Now, I woant to add the next logical connection to it; the essay.

Tasks

In order to do this, we need to divide this into two tasks.

Socratic discussion

Essay writing.

Warning

By the huge nature of both tasks, do not assume that this is an all encompassing document. You will need to go back and see the ≥Structure≤ work that we did.

Socratic

Introduction

There are many variations of the socratic. In my classes, this is how it works.

Preparation

Generally I will either give you section or text or an open ended question that I would like you to address. Follow this process:

1. Read the text without doing anything to it.

2. Re-read the text noting ≥interesting≤ things

I may ask you to write questions in order to get this.

You probably want to underline the text.

3. Think about what the author is trying to accomplish.

≥Interesting Things≤

By interesting things, I mean something out of three classes.

Content: Does the author mention or dwell on unusual things

Figurative Language: What metaphors or verbal tricks does the author use.

Structure: How has the author used the sentences to create meaning?

During the Seminar

Listen to others and wait for a time when you can insert your ideas into the conversation.

Donπt be afraid to argue or counter what someone else says

Try to link your points to someone elseπs.

Try to say something.

If you are writing

When you are doing the writing section, you have to listen. The other group may take the discussion to a place that you didnπt consider.

Your notes, after all is said and done, will include your own ideas and theirs, so listen closely.

Listen to how other people are speaking.

Essay Writing

Introduction

In order to write essays successfully, you need to have your own ideas and be able to express them.

Beliefs

The following are my beliefs of essay writing.

∑ Have a plan

∑ Only Connect

∑ Who cares?

∑ Think

∑ Be flexible

Have a plan

When you write an essay, you are trying to express a difficult idea clearly. Therefore, you need to organize your thoughts so that you present one idea at a time.

Each major idea should get a paragraph. Each supporting detail to that idea, should get a sentence.

Only Connect

Remember to connect your paragraphs together, and to connect your sentences together with transitions. These will help your reader along, amid the difficult ideas.

Transitions could be

Pronouns

Repetition

Specific words or phrases.

Who cares?

Everything you write should connect, in some way or another, to your life. Books and poems are not written in a vacuum. Instead, they are meant to express ideas that everyone feels. They are meant to be in someway universal.

So, the trick of an essay is to show how the universal ideas apply to you.

Think

Possibly the most important of the beliefs, most people are more then willing to skip out on this. They will wheedle th ≥correct≤ answer out of the teacher or will try to sling enough in the essay so it appears that they know what they are talking about.

Accept no substitutes. Think your own way through to an answer.

Be flexible

After you have written an outline, and maybe even after you have written a draft, you will realize that your initial idea has transmogrified into something else.

Follow you bliss and change the essay. It is better to write what you believe than to try and fake your way out.