I believe in empathy. I believe in the kind of empathy that is created through imagination and through intimate, personal relationships. I am a writer and a teacher, so much of my time is spent interpreting stories and connecting to other individuals. It is the urge to know more about ourselves and others that creates empathy. Through imagination and our desire for rapport, we transcend our limitations, freshen our eyes, and are able to look at ourselves and the world through a new and alternative lens.
2. make a connection between you and the readers; show how you are similar and how the topic of your piece relates to them (ex. from “The Right to Be Fully American”):
I am an American and like almost everyone here, I am also something else. I was raised to believe that America embraces all people from all faiths, but recently, that longstanding belief — along with both parts of my identity — have come under attack. And as an American Muslim of Pakistani descent, this attack is tearing me apart.
3. describe setting and mood (ex. from La Vida Loca by Luis Rodriguez):
Late winter Chicago, 1991: The once-white snow that fell in December has turned into a dark scum, an admixture of salt, car oil and decay; icicles hang from rooftops and window sills like the whiskers of old men… My third wife, Trini, our child Ruben and my 15-year old son Ramiro from a previous marriage huddle around the television set. Tensions build up like a fever.”
4. describe an anecdote or event (ex. from Ground Zero by James Nachtwey):
When the attack first started, I was in my own apartment near South Street Seaport, directly across lower Manhattan. I heard a sound that was out of the ordinary. I was far enough away so that the sound wasn’t alarming, but it was definitely out of the ordinary.
5. begin with a relevant quote (ex. from An Appreciation by Maurice Sendak):
You know you're in excellent hands when, in the midst of some nutty, didactic dialogue, the author disarms you.
"I guess I just wasn't thinking," said Milo.
"PRECISELY," shouted the dog as his alarm went off again. "Now you know what you must do."
"I'm afraid I don't," admitted MIlo, feeling quite stupid.
"Well," continued the watchdog impatiently, "since you got here by not thinking, it seems reasonable to expect that, in order to get out, you must start thinking." And with that he hopped into the car.
It's what Tock, the literal watchdog says next that makes my heart melt, as it did on my very first reading way back when: "Do you mind if I get in? I love automobile rides." There is the teeming-brained Norton Juster touching just the right note at just the right moment.
Conclusion – leave the reader thinking, wondering, feeling; you want the reader to have learned something new, to have gained a new, meaningful experience; bring closure to your piece by wrapping up important ideas:
1. connect back to examples and ideas in the essay
I believe that it is only through empathy, that the pain experienced by an Algerian woman, a North Korean dissident, a Rwandan child or an Iraqi prisoner, becomes real to me and not just passing news. And it is at times like this when I ask myself, am I prepared — like Huck Finn — to give up Sunday school heaven for the kind of hell that Huck chose?
2. show your hopes, feelings, suggestions, and/or realizations
Many years ago, I felt that I had seen too much [violence], that I didn’t want to see any more tragedies in this world. But unfortunately history continues to produce tragedies, and it is very important that they be documented with compassion and in a compelling way. I feel a responsibility to continue. But believe me when I say that I would much rather these things never happen [so that] I could either photograph something entirely different or not be a photographer at all. But that’s not the way the world is.
3. address the readers; give advice (from “Introduction to The Wizard of Oz” by Cornelia Funke)
So, open the book and start traveling through the pages. It will be quite a journey, and you won’t come back the way you started, which is true for all journeys, especially written ones. Accept the invitation of printed letters and step into the strange land of Oz. And if you are luckier than me, you’ll be there while you are still a child.
4. Other general guidelines:
- don’t write “in conclusion”
- don’t just restate your main idea/thesis from the beginning of the essay word for word
- be subtle about your ideas; in other words, use complexity, ambiguity, and/or symbolism to communicate your ideas
- stay focused on your topic; do not introduce new or irrelevant ideas
(* I apologize about the weird formatting problems that I wasn't able to fix. Uggh!)
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