What do you think about what you have read? Your opinion matters. The bulk of your essay should focus on your response to this author’s article. In particular, what do you think of the last few paragraphs of reflection by Eighner?

This assignment asks you to enter a scholarly conversation by reading an academic article and addressing the article in an essay. Each draft will cover several requirements to help you along the way. The article you will read is “On Dumpster Diving,” by Eighner.

General Write a brief (25–30 word) summary of the article. One way to do this is, after reading the article and without looking at your notes on the article, to quickly write down the primary points you remember (provide only the “important stuff” in the summary).
Look at the bio of the author. What makes the author expert in the field? Do the author’s credentials affect how you view the contents of the article? Include biographical information in your essay so that your reader can share the same trust in the author that you do.
What quotations are profound in the article? Why are they profound? Choose one or two quotations and expand on why these quotations are the ones that have stuck with you.
What do you think about what you have read? Your opinion matters. The bulk of your essay should focus on your response to this author’s article. In particular, what do you think of the last few paragraphs of reflection by Eighner?
Do you have any personal experience with anything the author mentions?

Writing The goals for this draft are as follows:
1. to develop a strong thesis based upon previously obtained information
2. to support the thesis using previously obtained information
3. to check organization and transitions so that the polished product is an essay and not a checklist
4. to entice a reader to continue reading into the body of the essay and to conclude the essay by advising the reader why this issue is important.

Now that you’ve written the information for the content of your essay, it’s time to organize it all into a coherent, well-supported argument. One of the places students fall down is that they answer all of the questions in the order they were asked, creating a checklist instead of an essay. For this draft, we will concentrate on ensuring that your information reads like an essay instead of a checklist. To accomplish this, follow these suggestions:
● For this final draft, smooth out the rough edges of your information.
● Choose a thesis and ensure that all of your support relates to that thesis.
● Check your organization to be certain that the essay reads seamlessly.
● Check your paragraphs to ensure that each paragraph addresses only one topic. If the paragraph is long, find a logical place to break it up. (Remember that readers like small, digestible bites of information. Think of yourself as a reader and how you react to long paragraphs.)
● Ensure that transitions are effective.
● Finally, and most important: Be certain that your introduction is enticing and that your conclusion answers the “so what” question: why does this matter?

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