What are three pieces of evidence that the student uses to support their definition of Directioners?

Definition Essay Critique
Before completing this assignment, please read Definition Essay Assignment Sheet and Rubric.
In order to understand how to write your paper, it is important to critique examples from previous students, and I give this assignment so that you can avoid the mistakes previous students made. On the next page, I attached a paper from one of my previous students, and this student received the same assignment sheet and rubric that you did. While there are some things that the student does well, there are still places in the student’s paper where s/he does not meet the assignment’s requirements. I did not change the student’s paper, other than to remove their name and other identifying information. This is the final paper that the student submitted to me.
Please read the student’s paper and answer the following questions. Write one paragraph per question, and be specific when answering each question.
• Read the first paragraph of the student’s paper. What background information does the student provide about Directioners? Do you have a clear understanding of who Directioners are after reading the introduction? Why or why not? Remember that it is the student’s job to provide background information about Directioners.
• Based on their writing style, how would you describe the student’s voice and personality? What is an example of the student using their personal voice within the essay? Remember that the Definition Essay can use a more fun and casual tone than the previous essay.
• What are three pieces of evidence that the student uses to support their definition of Directioners? Do these pieces of evidence strengthen the paper? Why or why not?
• Did you find the paper clear and easy to understand? Why or why not?
• Pretend that you are this student’s peer reviewer. What suggestions would you give to this student for how to improve their paper? Do not mention vague suggestions like “proofread” or “edit.” Instead, focus on the paper’s content and how the paper can meet the assignment’s rubric and requirements.
• What grade would you give this paper, and why? You can refer to the rubric and the grading scale on the syllabus to help answer this question.
Student#1
Dr. Horton English I Honors November 2, 2021
Directioners: Heading in the Wrong Direction
On July 23, 2010, the world of teenage girls was forever changed. On this date, Simon
Cowell formed a group of five exceptionally talented and handsome young men, including Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, and Zayn Malik, into a boy band that became known as One Direction through the popular television show X-Factor. This smart move made
by Cowell allowed for thousands and thousands of mainly teenage girls to fall in love with the unique, developing boy band as they persevered through the singing competition together and created bonds with each other. Their quirky, differing personalities meshed up together, their distinction from other boy bands in terms of not utilizing corny dance moves, their sassy humor, and even their British and Irish accents made One Direction stand out. Although finishing in third place on the X-Factor, the love of these teen boys that fans of the show had developed in the time allowed for the boys to acquire a record deal of two-million dollars and produce their first album “Up All Night” in 2011 — marking the start of the subculture known as the “Directioners” (Pokharel). I became a part of the Directioner subculture years later in 2015 — the year the band come to an end. Despite One Direction’s abrupt and heartbreaking hiatus, I personally witnessed Directioners, including myself, offer nothing but exceeding support and compassion towards the band members as we continue to wait for their reunion to come. Despite the controversies and misconceptions the subculture has arisen, Directioners are the embodiment of a subculture filled with extreme passion and dedication towards the subtle charm and personalities of the now men the band is made up of; however, this reluctancy of Directioners to let go of One Direction on their hiatus may ultimately lead them in the wrong direction.
Now, how does one exactly identify themselves as and become a Directioner? Although One Direction may be on a rather lengthy hiatus, one can still become a Directioner and engage within the welcoming subculture. Firstly, I would recommend reviewing the history of how One Direction came to be, as I previously briefly summed up. Next, according to wikiHow, “Use YouTube to watch One Direction music videos. Watch their music videos. It will give them views, thus making them more known worldwide.” The text demonstrates what I believe is a crucial step in becoming a Directioner as this is how I personally became one. I sat there in my warm bed, computer in hand and big, beats headphones encapsulating my ears, searching for something to watch on YouTube. My seventh-grade self stumbled upon the One Direction channel and decided to watch a few music videos since they were a rather popular boy band that I never genuinely took the time to listen to. To my surprise, after watching a few music videos, such as “Kiss You”, “Gotta be You”, and “You and I”, I fell in love. My room became filled with colorful One Direction posters and my mom’s car filled with One Direction CDs, which leads to my next recommendation for becoming a Directioner: buy some merchandise! Although one does not have to buy merchandise to illustrate their belonging in the Directioner subculture, it is a strong way to portray one’s dedication to the fandom. Lastly, the main job of being a Directioner one should do if they are trying to become a Directioner is to portray their support to the band, whether this is through One Direction’s social media pages or their website. This step is vital as Directioners are known for their loving and caring attitude towards the band — creating one of the strongest fandoms there is in pop culture.
It is hard to imagine how a fandom subculture made up largely of teenage girls could cause widespread controversies or arouse prominent misconceptions toward themselves; however, Directioners have sparked widely discussed controversy involving sexual nature. Firstly, Directioners have been misconceived to seem obsessive in their intimate feelings towards the band members. According to Girlhood Studies, McCann and Southerton state, “Like other fangirls, fans of former boyband One Direction (‘Directioners’) have often been represented in media discourse as obsessive and hysterical, with fan behavior interpreted as longing for heterosexual intimacy with band members.” The authors suggest that Directioners tend to be conceived as too emotionally invested in the band members to the point where their emotions

have become sexual towards the members. However, this common misconception of the Directioner’s love towards the band seems to be contradicted as certain Directioners began to “ship” two of the bandmates together — Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles — to form the name “Larry.” This idea of creating a sense of homosexuality between Louis and Harry debunks the misconception that Directions are obsessed with the members in parallel with their heterosexuality. The concept of “Larry” has led so far into its own subculture that attempts to prove the existence of a more than a platonic relationship between band members Louis and Harry. However, these “Larries,” as their subculture is named, have caused controversy within the Directioner subculture. In repetition, according to Girlhood Studies, the authors state,
“Subverting this heteronormative framing, a group of Directioners known as “Larries” have built a sub-fandom around imagining a relationship (“ship”) between two of the band members, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. Representation of the Larry fandom has gone beyond pathologizing fangirls to framing their shipping practice in terms of “fake news,” (McCann, Southerton).
The evidence suggests that Directioners utilize the concept of homosexuality in creating fictional stories regarding “Larry” to divert from the misconception that Directioners are over-intimate in expressing heterosexual desires towards the band members. I see where this can definitely be viewed as odd and is misconstrued. As a Directioner myself, I think a majority of the teenage girls who were “Larries” created the ship out of pure excitement, adolescence, and in attempts to stray away from being a basic fandom subculture, as Directioners are often viewed as. Despite what the reason may be, the conspiracy, although seemed to be rather believable, has become widely talked about by not only Directioners but by those outside of the subculture — one of the main reasons Directioners are misconceived. According to Nicki Swift, Siwak states, “While the internal battles the guys dealt with surely contributed to this behavior, it’s still jarring for fans and being treated as such is a turn-off.” The evidence demonstrates how outsiders do not truly understand and misconstrue the dynamic between some of the extreme, obsessive fans who create conspiracies, such as “Larry,” and how it contributes to the subsistence and stability of the band. This is especially true when outsiders are not aware of certain incidents, such as fans hacking into airport security cameras to watch band member Harry Styles sit, doing absolutely nothing, for hours on end; there are even fans who have continually verbally attacked the boys’ new girlfriends, such as Harry Style’s ex-girlfriend, Olivia Wilde. Moreover, the evidence illustrates how outsiders misconceive not only Directioners but One Direction themselves. Horrifying incidents with the obsessive Directioners have caused significant mental health problems for the boys, such as contributing to Zayn’s eating disorder and depression during his time in the band, that make outsiders, such as Siwak, wrongly view the boys as dismissive and cold towards overly hyper fans rather than just protective of their own well-being. However, the overwhelmingly, controversial aspect of the Directioners seems to be outweighed by the more sane fan’s overall admiration towards the band members and their connection to not only their music but their personal lives, as the band members greatly appreciate.
In spite of the extreme dedication Directioners portray, with One Direction taking their break in 2015 and promising a return in eighteen months that never occurred, Directioners seem to be heading in a not-so-promising direction by still awaiting their reunion in 2021 and beyond. According to Athena Information Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai states, “Directioners have been anticipating 1D’s reunion for quite some time now and we’re counting down the days already!” The text portrays the excitement and anticipation of Directioners for One Direction’s return from

their hiatus; however, with the text being written over a year ago, it is clear the return that fans were hoping for did not occur yet and that Directioners are continuing to swim in false hope. Fellow Directioner Barsha Pokharel states, “I waited the 18 months with countdowns of when they’ll be back together but it never ended. Still to this day, I haven’t lost hopes, I know they’ll come back for the millions of us. The fact we call ourselves clown is as we waited all along, got fooled, tricked, with broken hopes as if we were being joked at.” The text beautifully illustrates from the point of view of a Directioner the amount of clownery it takes to continue waiting for One Direction’s reunion since it has been around six years since their departure from each other and the beginning of their solo careers. Thus, Directioner’s are heading in a direction that entails disappointment in waiting for One Direction’s unpromising return.
On the whole, it is reasonable to infer that it may be time for Directioner’s to direct their radical support and compassion for One Direction towards another boy band — although another can not compare to the witty dynamic found between Harry, Louis, Liam, Niall, and Zayn. However, regardless of the band’s abrupt departure, Directioners will continue to live on, whether that be in waiting or in remembrance of the innovative boy band. Whatever the reason may be, there still remains the dreaded question: should we Directioners continue to be viewed as foolish in anticipation of the band’s return, despite the distasteful misconceptions we have already dealt with, or finally let the band go?
Works Cited
McCann, Hannah, and Clare Southerton. “Repetitions of Desire.” Girlhood Studies, vol. 12, no.
1, 2019, p. 17. Google Scholar, https://www.berghahnjournals.com/view/journals/girlhood- studies/12/1/ghs120106.xml.
Pokharel, Barsha. “A history of One Direction and why I am a Clown.” Medium, 2020, https:// barshapokharel.medium.com/a-history-of-one-direction-and-why-i-am-a-clown-67dbdc947e90. Accessed 25 October 2021.
Siwak, Miranda. “Shady Things About One Direction Everyone Ignored.” Nicki Swift, 2021, https://www.nickiswift.com/375075/why-zayn-malik-was-never-the-same-after-one-direction /#. Accessed 1 November 2021.
wikiHow. “How to Be a Directioner.” wikiHow, 2021,https://www.wikihow.com/Be-a- Directioner. Accessed 25 October 2021.
10-Year-Anniversary Plans of One Direction Confirmed for July 23. Athena Information Solutions Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai, 2020. ProQuest, http://rdas-proxy.mercy.edu:2048/login?url=https:// www.proquest.com/other-sources/10-year-anniversary-plans-one-direction-confirmed/docview/ 2424487332/se-2?accountid=12387.

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